Group 1 Curriculum Presentations by Rebecca Speelman

Lauren Hensel

2013-09-25 21:42:56 UTC

1. I would like to implement the ideas that were shared today in class in my future classroom and school. In service days are helpful because the staff can join together to better their educational program; workshops, training courses, and the tracking data of student progress are all ways to benefit the educational experience for both teachers and students.

Also, all day kindergarten is beneficial to children and I would like to implement that in my future classroom and school. It sets them up to be better writers and readers in first grade, as well as the subsequent years to come. All day kindergarten will mean that there is not as much of a need for interventions and children will become more advanced in their schooling. On the contrary, all day kindergarten may yield behavior problems because the children are being taken from their parents and they are not used to that. All day kindergarten may be too tiring for some of the smaller, more immature children and this may be too big of a step for them when first entering school.

Moreover, the Gifted Program is an idea that was shared today that I will definitely utilize in the future. The Gifted program makes sure that each student grows a year; in many cases, children who start out gifted fall below their accelerated level because their advanced skills get overlooked and their teachers to not push them to reach their full potential. The Gifted Program allows gifted students to use their advanced critical thinking skills and continue to grow and succeed in their education.

The diversity education program is also useful because it helps to eliminate the achievement gap through curriculum staff development, curriculum activities, home and community connections, and minority recruitment. This program helps to create a cohesive community within the school and raise consciousness of everyone involved in the school to accept and understand diversity.

2. If I had to choose one of the ideas from today’s presentation to pilot in my classroom, I would chose the Gifted Program; this is something that I do not know very much about because I have not been exposed to these kinds of classrooms and students thus far in my career. It is important that I am trained to know how to challenge these children so that they grow the necessary amount educationally, rather than fall to below to perform at the average level. The gifted students are some of the people who are going to make a serious difference in the future, so I think it is important to continue the success that they have achieved and push them to do even more. I would love to implement this program in my class because it is something I would love to learn more about and I think it is a very important part of education today, even though the importance of this program is often overlooked.

Emily Fichter

emily_fichter — 2013-09-25 23:42:31 UTC

1. I would like to implement the ideas shared today in my future classroom. Implementing the Common Core Standards will be beneficial because it will align all standards across districts and make sure all topics are covered. In-service days are helpful in that they give teachers and administrators the opportunity to collaborate and look at data.

The main focus of the Giftedness program is to provide ample opportunities to learn something new and to make sure each student grows a full year. I would like to implement this because challenging students is very important; if they are bored with the material they are learning in the regular ed classroom they will not be motivated to learn.

All day kindergarten makes for better readers and writers and the students become more advanced. This is important so they are physically, cognitively, and socially ready for first grade. I want to implement this into my future classroom because all day kindergarten allows for 40-50 percent more instruction in one day.

Diversity is important to be aware of within schools. I would like to raise consciousness of students, parents, administrators and the community about the increasing diversity in schools. Implementing this idea could help eliminate the achievement gap between diverse groups through curriculum, staff development, co-curricular activities, home and community connections and minority recruitment.

2. If I had to chose one idea from today's presentations to pilot in my classroom it would be all day kindergarten. Children absorb the most when they are young and this way they would be much more prepared for elementary school. If they have already been to Pre-K, they should be capable of all day kindergarten. I could teach a lot more in a full day opposed to only half a day, and that way the students would gain double the knowledge.

Kayla Verdadero

2013-09-26 00:48:00 UTC

1. I would definitely implement some of the ideas shared from class today into my classroom when I am a teacher. I think that the Common Core is great and not only would I like to use the Common Core in my classroom, I am most like going to have to. I believe that having my students be at an equal level of knowledge as other students in the same grade all across the country is vital for their future success.

I also think that a Gifted program is a great idea to implement in my classroom as well. I do not want my advanced learners being bored in class because they have already grasped the material. I agree that they should have supplemental activities to engage them on a higher level while slower learners have a chance to catch up and stay on track. Additional learning can never be a bad thing!

Full day kindergarten I feel is a must! It prepares students for their future in elementary school and beyond. I remember during the presentation hearing that full day kindergarten students perform better in reading and writing when they enter 1st grade, and I don't doubt that for a second! Half a day is not enough time for education, especially since teaching must be extremely differentiated since students are coming in with various backgrounds and differing prior knowledge.

Lastly, it is vital to embrace and encourage diversity in a classroom. Whether it be racial, socio-economic, or intelligence level, teachers should always accept the diversity of a classroom and be proud of it.

2. If there was one thing I would pick from the presentations to pilot to my classroom it would be diversity. I think children should know from a young age that we are all human beings and should all be treated equally. Students should know early to respect everyone and accept everyone, regardless of their backgrounds and differences. Acceptance is key to having a fair and equally diverse classroom. I want to make sure all of my students feel comfortable in class and don't feel judged or different.

Stephanie Frey

2013-09-26 14:08:37 UTC

1. I would like to see full-day Kindergarten implemented not only in my classroom, but every classroom in America. I think that the benefits of full-day Kindergarten do not even compare to half-day. Full-day Kindergarten provides numerous opportunities for enrichment and intervention. I think that students have a rough time with adjusting to the length of the day, simply because many low-socio economic students may have never had an educational experience, such as preschool. Although the students may struggle at first, I think overall it will become an enjoyable and education experience for them. Preparing students at a young age for education success is so important, the sooner teachers can intervene, the better.
I would be interested in implementing the Diversity Program within my classroom, but also I would like to see this continue district wide. I feel that this program would benefit communities because it shares the importance of understanding and accepting the differences among individuals. America is a mixed salad and as that salad continues to grow as educators we need to inform youth of socially acceptable behavior. I would like to see this program and a bully prevention program become part of our district initiative.

As a curriculum overview of our district, I prefer how Conewago Valley uses a two-hour data delay to collaborate with your team of teachers to provide the best education experience for their students. I have witnessed this at other districts and I feel that it would be useful for our district as well. Allowing two-hours once a month to collaborate would enable teachers to identify pros and cons of the current instruction, identify areas of student strengths and weaknesses, and provide earlier interventions throughout the year.

As we move forward and implement these ideas, I think it is also a great idea to continue the gifted program. As we continue the program we must keep the goal in mind that all students are growing a full year, no matter where their beginning the year. I think that as a district we should adopt the process that Suburban uses, the mastery-based test and continue keeping in close contact with the enrichment teacher to keep the content focus the same but at a faster more individualized pace to challenge, but not overwhelm, the student.

2. If I had to choose one idea from yesterday's presentations to pilot in my classroom, it would be the diversity education program. I feel that as communities grow schools are becoming more racially, culturally, and academically diverse. I would use this program to teach my students about accepting these differences and promote tolerance through relationship building activities, bully prevention, and more. The goal of the program is understanding diversity in the classroom and exposure to different ways of life that can help lead to academic success. As a district, it is important to reduce the diversity gap among the entire community, not just my classroom.

Ashley Menniti

2013-09-26 15:56:40 UTC

1. I would like to see full-day Kindergarten implemented in classrooms nationwide. It would be very beneficial for the children to help them develop academically and socially. Children who are enrolled in full-day Kindergarten are more prepared for 1st grade than those who are enrolled in half-day Kindergarten. It provides the students with more opportunities for possible intervention as needed and expansive instruction. Young children need to start preparing for school as soon as possible to get the most out of their educational experience for long term success. I also really believe that diversity in the classroom is very important. Diversity is all around us and we need to acknowledge students who come from different cultures and backgrounds. It is important for young children to learn about these different cultures and backgrounds to learn to socialize with other children who may be "different". Instilling diversity into our students at a young age will help students be able to work together in the classroom and make strong long relationships.

2. One idea I would use in my classroom is the Diversity Program. I really believe that recognizing students differences and similarities would strengthen the community within my classroom. Teaching my students that no matter what cultures we all come from we are all equal. Once students understand this concept they will have respect for one another. This will allow for a safe environment where students are not judged for being different but praised and welcomed.

Michaiah Emenheiser

2013-09-26 16:55:52 UTC

1. I would implement the full day kindergarten, diversity program and gifted programs into my future classroom. I think it is important for all students to feel welcome and safe in the classroom. It is the teacher's job to make the students feel special, unique and valued as individuals. They look up to the teacher. Thats why I would want diversity and gifted programs in my classroom. They would know that everyone from different cultures and backgrounds have the same importance to me and their classmates. My students will be cultured and see that not everyone grows up the same way or has the same values but we are all humans and want to feel connected. Also the gifted programs show the high flyers that they can keep growing and have their hard work appreciated. These students need a place to continue flying high and growing at their own pace. They're not there to just help the lower students. I would not implement the diversity activity that we did. Depending on the age of my students, they may not know their family background and it may be a tough topic if students are from broken homes or adopted.

2. I want full day kindergarten because it helps students prepare for the rest of the educational career. There is an achievement gap in students entering kindergarten and I think having them at school all day will help decrease the gap. In full day kindergarten students can have more individualized instruction and the teachers can catch possible learning disabilities earlier. Progress monitoring will help the first grade teachers see where their students are at when entering their classroom.

Courtney Weavver

2013-09-26 17:15:10 UTC

1.I would want to implement all the ideas shared in my future classroom. They all will benefit each student in an individual way. First, all day kindergarten will better prepare the students for success in later grades. I would also implement the gifted program into my future classroom. I would do this because the students should have a chance to grow as a successful student. Having a gifted program would allow this to happen. Lastly, I would implement a diversity program. This way diversity would be embraced in my classroom and students wouldn't be looked at as being different. By having all of these areas in my future classroom, I believe that my students will be very successful.

2.I would choose to pilot all day kindergarten because I believe my students would be very successful. I think that young students can handle being at school all day. They will learn a lot more and be better prepared for first grade. Also, when they only go half a day, it is very difficult to get everything done and they day rushes by. When the students are there longer, I would have time to focus more on my students. I would be able to spend more time on a particular area. They students would receive more one on one time with me. I believe that all day kindergarten would improve my classroom and it would be very successful.

Krista Grande

2013-09-26 17:25:39 UTC

1.The ideas I would most likely want in my future schools, or classroom would be the gifted program, the diversity program, and the full-day kindergarten. All day kindergarten would be beneficial, because it starts kids younger, giving them more experience in a classroom and access to same age peers. The diversity program is something that many schools need to implement so no student ever feels left out, or bullied because they may be different. By implementing a diversity program it would allow students to learn more about different cultures and the backgrounds of their fellow peers, which will help them understand more about why someone may be different then them. Lastly, the gifted program should be implemented because it gives students the ability to take what they are learning and challenge themselves in new ways that they cannot do just within their classroom. Students who strive higher then what is expected need the encouragement to keep learning, which can be given to them within a gifted program.

2. I would pilot all-day kindergarten, because it is beneficial for a students future education to start in full-day kindergarten. Every year students are expected to learn more and more at a younger age. Without all day kindergarten, I feel like students may end up falling behind in first grade, because they do not have the basics or the experience of a full day of school. Kindergarten is the year where students need to come in and learn how to act in school. If you sent some kids to all-day kindergarten, and some kids to half day, then put them together in the same first grade class there would be a large gap in how the students behave, and how much the students would know. I believe that all-day kindergarten would lead to more successful students in the classrooms, and would prepare them better for future schooling.

Brittany Carnohan

2013-09-26 22:27:01 UTC

1.I would like to implement the idea of adding diversity in everyday lesson plans. Implementing something like this in the students everyday life will be very beneficial to the students. This will help students understand that they need to be flexible when it comes to diversity in their everyday life. Some young students don't know what diversity is and with this in the everyday class room teachers will be able to grasp the concept a younger age.

2. I would pilot the all day kindergarten, I think this would be very beneficial. It gives students the head start that any teacher would want. With students in all day kindergarten this will give teachers "more" to work with. Although, there could be a down side, if not all students get the all day kindergarten. Then you will have some students even more ahead of the other sudents. So as a teacher I would like to see this everywhere so that there is a more equal balance of knowlage amoung all of my students.

Melarie Bivens

2013-09-26 22:29:11 UTC

Jessica Soroka

2013-09-26 22:44:43 UTC

1. I would want to implement the ideas shared in our discussion into my future classroom. I found that the ideas presented could be of good use in my furute classroom because it would provide students with opportunites to expand their learning. All-day kindergarten, diversity currriculum, and the gifted programs could all be very beneficial to students intellectual and social growth.

2.After hearing about the variety of ideas in today's presentations, I would like to implement several of them into my future classroom. I would most like to pilot the idea of a diversity curriculum. I think that implementing a diversity curriculum into my classroom will be benefical to all students because they would be able to better relate to their classmates as well as the changing world around them. Expressing to students the amount of diversity that surrounds them daily is very important in the students development into a well-rounded human being.

Jessica Baker

8jbaker1 — 2013-09-26 23:15:36 UTC

1. I would implement the ideas shared. I believe these ideas are so important for children's success. Having a gifted program is important in the idea that these children need to be challenged, too. Although it is important to help drive the below average students, we should not be excluding the gifted because "they already get it." I believe all day kindergarten is a wonderful idea to help develop children's knowledge and ability to learn in their crucial ages. I also believe that diversity education is important to allow all students to be included and treated equally.

2. If I were to choose one program talked about today, I would have to choose all day kindergarten. This is because introducing children to education and literacy at an early age is a great way to improve literacy in out students. It is proven that early intervention is a great way to close the literacy gap children enter school with. Allowing all day kindergarten in schools is a wonderful way to help with this.

Stacie Kuneck

2013-09-26 23:53:11 UTC

1. I would want to implement the ideas shared in class. I believe that these ideas (full day kindergarden, cultural diversity, and gifted programs) are Important for students to succeed in their education careers. they are also essential for a students' social needs. Overall, the pros out weight the cons.

2. If I has to choose one of the ideas from the presentations, I would choose the idea of a diverse curriculum. I feel that this idea would benefit students on a universal level. Students will be able to have a better understanding about people with different backgrounds. In the end, that could really benefit them.

Melarie Bivens

2013-09-27 02:58:37 UTC

1. I would want to implement some of the ideas shared in class in my future classroom. I believe that everything discussed in class would be beneficial to my future classroom as a whole. I was intrigued by the discussion of all-day Kindergarten; this is something that I would like to implement in my classroom. There are various benefits such as children being more prepared for elementary school and
advanced reading and writing skills compared to students who are not enrolled in all day Kindergarten.

2. I would choose to pilot cultural diversity in my future classroom. This is a great concept that helps children embrace each other’s difference and allows children to communicate amongst themselves about different cultures. The activity that Rachel presented in class was a simple yet unique way to help students communicate with one another about their cultural backgrounds and show their interpretations of his or her heritage. The diversity in classrooms has increased tremendously and is now becoming a topic that I believe should be addressed.

Sarah Ralph

2013-09-27 13:17:48 UTC

1. As a future teacher I would love to implement the ideas shared by our classmates. They were all well organized and intriguing. I thought the ideas shared were important because working as a teacher is all about collaboration and you have to be able to listen to other people in order to expand on previous knowledge.

2. If i had to choose one idea to pilot in my classroom it would probably have to be cultural diversity. Cultural diversity should be important to every teacher because it gives you an upper hand on how each student will interact in the classroom. Taking time to learn about a students background, family, friends, and hobbies will only make you a stronger teacher and also give you the tools to teach more effectively.

Marianela Rosario

2013-09-27 14:36:18 UTC

1. I would want to implement some of the ideas the were presented in class. As a future teachers, I believe I need to help my students as much as I can. The idea of having diversity and have all day kindergarten its a good idea because it will help students be better prepared.

2. I would choose to pilot all day kindergarten because students can learn more, be more social, and achieve more. If students are in kindergarten the entire day, they will learn how to read and write faster which will be beneficial for them.

Aleacia White

2013-09-27 16:39:50 UTC

1. In my future classroom, I would really like to implement the full-day kindergarten and also
the diversity instruction. I think both of these are very important to our
students. The full-day kindergarten is important, because the early instruction
is very beneficial to their psychological, cognitive, social, and emotional
growth. Having diversity in your school and classroom is very important because
we have this huge melting pot in America, and some kids might find something
strange about another culture because they’re just not educated on it. A great
example is when I took Spanish in high school I thought Dia de los Muertos was
a creepy holiday and just weird, but learning about it, I found out that it is
the way they remember and celebrate their dead loved ones. Teaching our kids
diversity is very beneficial to them and to others.

2. Something that I have become very passionate about is
all-day kindergarten. The best thing I could do to help a school district
implement all-day kindergarten, is to teach all-day kindergarten.

Crystal Atkins

2013-09-27 16:41:27 UTC

1. I would want to use the ideas that were presented in my classroom because each of the things that were talked about are beneficial to the education of my future students.

2. I really liked the idea of the all day kindergarten because it gives the students the chance to experiece many things. First off, they would get the opportunity to be a "big kid" and go to school all day like the other grades do which might spark their interest in learning a little more. Then there's the fact that if we introduce more learning opportunities to our students at a younger age they'll get the chance to learn more sooner and maybe even put them further ahead than those who wouldn't attend

Heather Mego

2013-09-27 16:55:03 UTC

1. In my future classroom, I would like to implement the idea of full-day Kindergarten. All day kindergarten is important for students to be prepared, get in a routine, and interact more with other students. I would also like to implement diversity instruction so students can get a grasp on other cultures.

2. If I had to choose one idea from today's presentation, I would choose diversity instruction. This is because it is important to have an idea of student's backgrounds, family life, and cultures. Also, knowing more about diversity, students are able to relate more to other classmates.

Leyton Rife

2013-09-27 16:57:25 UTC

I would implement the idea of diverse curriculum in the classroom because more than ever, our schools are filling up with students from all of the world. I think it is important for all students to have an idea of what education is like throughout the world. It is essential to begin learning this early so that our natives have an understanding or an idea of how ou rlives in the states are comparable, but extremely different to those from all over.

Jaclyn Smith

2013-09-27 17:01:16 UTC

1. All Day Kindergarten - I would love all day kindergarten to be a part of my school. I think that this is a great idea for kindergarten students because it fully prepares them for their future schooling as students.

Diverse Learning - I truly want my classroom to be as welcoming as possible to all of my students. I believe that implementing diverse learning will help all of my students to become more rounded individuals and more understanding to the people that they encounter in their lives.

Gifted programs - I believe gifted programs are often overlooked in schools today. Many teach to the masses and the under achievers but forget to help those who are ahead of the curve. I think that this is incredibly important to implement in all schools.

2. I would love to pilot the gifted program. Like I had stated earlier, I believe that many schools overlook this group of students. They need enrichment just as much as every other student in the classroom. It is important to keep these students learning and working their mind and not allowing them to be bored in their everyday classroom atmosphere.

Amber O'Connell

2013-09-27 17:01:55 UTC

1. I would implement the ideas presented in class because I think that they are all very important. All day kindergarden is the most important because the students will be the most prepared that they can be for first grade and beyond- socially and educationally. I also think that gifted and diverse programs are important because diversity in education and social enviroments are important to the growth of students.

2. If I chose one idea from today's presentations I would chose to pilot a gifed program. I think that it is important for all students to be challenged and pused to reach all of their academic best. Being limited to the classroom material is important, but if it is not challenging students then they are not being the best that te

Mattea Fera

2013-09-27 17:07:22 UTC

1. I like the implementation of all day kindergarten for my school. I believe that children will learn so much more and gain more social skills by being involved with other children all day. School districts where I live implement all day kindergarten and I have noticed growth in the students education and that there are many differences in kindergarten now than when I was in school.

2. The one idea that I would implement in my classroom would be the gifted program because I believe that gifted students should have a right to more challenging education. I believe that gifted students should have as much success and fun in the classroom as other students, without getting bored. I think I will need to learn more about the gifted program before implementing because I have not been exposed to these children. All in all I think this program will be great for future students.

Chelsea Harclerode

2013-09-27 17:11:26 UTC

1) I think all of the programs discussed are extremely relevant and should be implemented as much as possible. All-day Kindergarten is becoming widely used across the country. I think it's a great way to help narrow achievement gaps, particularly in literacy. It allows students to be better prepared for first grade and will help schools reach proficiency levels and AYP more easily.

Gifted programs are also extremely important, and are often overlooked due to a lack of funding and federal recognition. As with special education, it's so important to identify gifted students and provide them with acceleration and appropriate level work in order for them to grow a full year. Too often students are bored in class and aren't gaining knowledge because they already are above the things being covered in the regular ed classroom.

Diversity programs are a great way to learn about and appreciate varying cultures, which has growing importance and the US becomes home to more and more people from countries around the world. It is a good program to implement so that students are accepting of their peers who may look or act differently from them, and so that they may better understand the differences.

2) I would like to pilot a Gifted Program in my classroom. Since this was my own presentation, I really enjoyed conducting the research and interviewing Mr. Weaver gave me a new insight and appreciation for gifted programs. I think that gifted education is equally important to special education and I would like to see it play more of a role as we continue to evolve our education system. I think these students should be provided with ample learning opportunities, which aren't always provided in the regular education classroom due to a lack of resources and the needs of the rest of the individuals in the class.

Rachael Green

2013-09-27 18:08:23 UTC

1. I would implement the ideas shared in my future classrooms because all-day kindergarten would constitute more learning time for the students (which is very important at that age for their growing brains), the Gifted program because it allows those students to be taught at the appropriate level that is suited to their own unique learning style, and the Diversity Education Program because it is vital for students to be accepting of other's differences to create a better life for themselves and their peers.

2. I would choose the Diversity Education Program to pilot in my classroom for multiple reasons. One reason is that a lot of the time children do not understand people's differences and do and say hurtful things to each other because of their differences. It is crucial for students to understand and accept the wide diversity of their peers and the world they live in to create a better, more empathetic environment. By teaching children that everyone is unique and that there is nothing wrong with that, they will help build a society that believes in equality for everyone of all types of diversity.

Matt Zippilli

2013-10-01 16:12:17 UTC

Matt Zippilli

2013-10-01 16:12:18 UTC

1. All day Kindergarten isn't a terrible idea for a school district. If there is proof that it will help them

Matt Zippilli

2013-10-01 16:12:20 UTC

1. All day Kindergarten isn't a terrible idea for a school district. If there is proof that it will help them in the long run

Matt Zippilli

2013-10-01 16:12:23 UTC

1. All day Kindergarten isn't a terrible idea for a school district. If there is proof that it will help them in the long run academically then just do it. I am a product of all day kindergarten and I could safely say my social skills and my academics are just fine, if not great.

2.Something that is beneficial is all-day kindergarten. The best thing to help a school district
implement all-day kindergarten, is to teach all-day kindergarten. Also get enough money to pay for the program.