Week 12 November 5-9, 2012

I completed my 3^rd week of my action research, it is coming along nicely and I am getting enough data, however I am trying to figure out exactly how I should be analyzing it. I have enough data to look at, but I’m still trying to figure out exactly how I should go about looking at all the information I have. I have noticed the students have caught onto the routine I have them in with the different activities each week and they really seem to enjoy the activities where they are drawing.  Their writing is getting better too and they seem to be remembering the words better. An example of this would be me not having the write the vocabulary words on the board for their reference; they can recall the words from their memory.

This week there was also a sub in the class. Luckily, she was an intern at my PDS last year and did her intern semester with a first grade class, so she had many of my students before. This was helpful because she already knew them and they already knew her, she they had her respect and viewed her as an authority figure. She did a great job subbing. She let me do most of the teaching because I am beginning to full time teach now, but she would chime in every once in awhile and help me out if I was struggling. I have really started to get a hang of the routine we have in my classroom. It is so different than the middle school where there was time in between classes and I taught the same lesson two class periods in a row. Now, I feel like I am constantly having to do something in order to keep the students focused and engaged, it’s exhausting! Teaching the little kids is actually really fun and I’m enjoying it. I am able to write my lessons and review them the night before to make any changes and teach all day. My mentor teacher helps me with the stations because this is a lot of work for her, let alone me having to plan all the stations each week. So, we do this together which has really been nice.

One thing I have found with my 2^nd graders is how chatty they are! They talk and talk and even when I turn the lights off to try and calm them down, they still talk! It has sometimes turned into a power struggle where I am not raising my voice and asking certain students to calm down, but it is very hard. However, I have found one strategy that works fabulous with this class! I write the word recess on the board and I am able to erase letters throughout the week, if they lose all their letters, they lose their recess. They can earn letters back and this had been a real incentive for them to listen and follow directions and get the students around them to settle down as well.

I was only in school for 2 full days this week and a few hours on another day because it was Election Day and I left early on Thursday because I had my regional cross country meet out of town on Friday. My mentor teacher has been so helpful with helping me plan my lessons and filling in for me when I am unable to be there to complete my action research activity for the day. I plan on having Mrs. Wilson look at all my data and help me come up with some ideas about the students’ learning.

Next week will be even crazier because we have no school on Monday due to Veteran’s Day, leaving us 4 days of school and than Thanksgiving break! I hope the students aren’t too crazy. I am planning a lot of Thanksgiving activities; I am trying to stray away from the teacher manuals. My mentor teacher uses their topics but very rarely does she teacher her full lesson from those books. This is the type of teacher I want to be! I can’t wait to be a teacher who has all their materials set up from previous years and who has so many resources outside of the teacher’s manual! My mentor teacher has helped me to start developing into this type of teacher by always making me copies of her activities for my resources folder.