Today was great fun. I taught a full class Reading lesson and the kids responded quite well to it. It was quite successful but there are points I could improve upon. I really enjoy working with the 5-6 age group and I think that they can really learn a lot and they're in the state where they really want to learn and care about their learning, which is great. Today we also had grade 5/6 students come in and help the Preps with their first research project. It was really good to see how the kids look up to and listen to the 5/6 students. Today the students also had free choice and it was a great opportunity to see how children like to spend their time differently.
For today's reading lesson, I read the students a book titled, Why Frogs Are Wet. This book looked like a fiction picture book but then it was actually a non-fiction book. I started the lesson by asking students what non-fiction books look like and what fiction picture books look like. I then followed by asking students whether they thought the book was a fiction picture book or if it was a non-fiction book. Most students thought that it was a fiction picture book, but after reading, it students realized that it was a non-fiction book and changed their mind. What really intrigued me was that one student said that it was both a non-fiction book and a fiction picture book. It was kind of true because the book was non-fiction but it did have a bit of a story to it as well. It was quite interesting to see that reaction from one child though. After the reading of the book, the students split into 5 different groups. These five groups of about 4 children each did different things. One group did a "-ot" word worksheet, another did phonics games on the computers, others played sight word bingo, some used magnetic letters to make their new word box words, and a few were finishing up their wetlands pictures. I think that I could've improved upon the design of the lesson by reading half of the book first, since it was a rather long book, and then having the students do their group work. Then have students pack up and then finish reading the book to them. In this way, students would not be as rowdy towards the end of the story. However, I do think it was quite good for my first full class lesson.
The 5/6 students also came in today and worked with the Preps on their first research project on a wetland animal. There were three different stations and students went to each station. One station was the computers where EncartaKids was loaded up, another was looking through non-fiction books, and the last one was using the SmartBoard to look up information on the internet. The 5/6 students helped the Preps on the computers and the books, which was really great because it allows the 5/6 students to become the teachers and the Preps will also gain a new type of learning experience. It worked really well because the Preps look up to the 5/6 students and listened really well to the 5/6 students. The 5/6 students are supposed to come in every Friday to help the Preps with their research project and I am really excited to see how the 5/6 interaction with the Preps will change.
Observing the students during free choice was also quite interesting. Some students wanted to use the computers, other wanted to build structures using straws, some want to build spaceships using legos, and a few wanted to finish their writing from earlier today. It was also quite interesting because in the beginning, no one was on the computers than one person went on the computers and immediately after, all the students wanted to go on the computers. It's quite interesting how it only takes one person for everyone else to want to do the same thing. I think it's a great idea that my Cooperating Teacher (CT) puts free time into her schedule. I thin that it is extremely important for the students at this age to have developmental play. Although it may seem like a waste of time since it's nothing "academic", it is really helpful for them socially. I think that Prep is one of the years that students develop socially and the more students interact with one another, the more socially confident they will be. I know that some schools int he States offer a grade between Kindergarten and 1st grade for those students that are not socially ready for 1st grade.
To end with a cute story, today when I was about to start my lesson, the one girl that always mocks my accents asked me, "Why do you speak weird?" I told her that I am from the States and that we speak differently there because we have different accents but she just continued to ask my why I spoke differently than her. It is quite cute and interesting how students couldn't understand that there are such things as accents and that people are different and people from different places speak differently.
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