Today was, thankfully, the last day of ISTEP. I think that it's safe to say that it has been an exhausting week for everyone. I feel so bad for the kids in my class. They have worked so hard to prepare for this round of testing, and it broke my heart to watch their faces as they started the test. It was far beyond anything that we had practiced in class, and the stress was visible on most of their faces.
As a teacher, I was blown away. I had to read many of the Math questions again to make sure that I understood them and, were I to have solved them, I would have needed scratch paper. Each question required 4-5 steps and appeared to assess multiple standards, making it difficult to track which standards the student had mastered and which ones they were deficient in. And that was only Monday!
Tuesday, Wednesday, and today's tests assessed English/Language Arts skills. Each test had a lot of reading and writing, amounting to over an hour a day. By the end of today's testing period, I was totally burnt out. I think that to say my students felt the same, would be the understatement of the century...
It was unlike any test I had ever seen before, and I am so thankful that it is behind us.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Spring Break Plans
I have an opportunity to go to Ohio for a visit over my spring break, so it appears that I will not be in class on March 23 after all.
It is not a beach and it probably won't be warm, but it is a much needed change of scenery :)
It is not a beach and it probably won't be warm, but it is a much needed change of scenery :)
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Sweet Relief...
I am feeling SO much better about the Master's Project after last night's class!
Mary and I decided that we would like to work together on a project. Mary and I work very well together, having taught for 5 years in the same grade and having a lot in common outside of the classroom as well. That being said, we were VERY anxious about the Master's Project considering all that is going on at school and in our MATHS class with Dr. Stump.
Originally, we were planning on completing a design set to music on LOGO.
If I am to be completely honest, I was lacking enthusiasm at the idea. Naturally, I would like to invest my time in something that will have a real world application to my situation. I was lacking enthustiasm about our original idea because, realistically, I can't use the LOGO program in my classroom. Aside from the lack of available technology, Geometry and shapes are only part of the third grade curriculum.
When discussing the project at last night's class, I was so relieved to hear that we could tailor our project to our needs. I know that it was never stated that our projects had to incorporate LOGO or Sketchpad, but I just assumed based on our class discussions.
Mary and I have decided to change our project idea to revolve around a third grade geometry unit. We would like to "update" our curriculum to be more realistic and effective. Mary and I are very excited about this because we wrote a unit plan about fractions for a previous class, and this will be a great addition to our repetoire of math lessons and materials.
I know that Mary and I are going to get much more out of this Master's Project idea than our previous one, and we are anxious to get started!
Thanks so much for understanding and appreciating our individual circumstances!
Mary and I decided that we would like to work together on a project. Mary and I work very well together, having taught for 5 years in the same grade and having a lot in common outside of the classroom as well. That being said, we were VERY anxious about the Master's Project considering all that is going on at school and in our MATHS class with Dr. Stump.
Originally, we were planning on completing a design set to music on LOGO.
If I am to be completely honest, I was lacking enthusiasm at the idea. Naturally, I would like to invest my time in something that will have a real world application to my situation. I was lacking enthustiasm about our original idea because, realistically, I can't use the LOGO program in my classroom. Aside from the lack of available technology, Geometry and shapes are only part of the third grade curriculum.
When discussing the project at last night's class, I was so relieved to hear that we could tailor our project to our needs. I know that it was never stated that our projects had to incorporate LOGO or Sketchpad, but I just assumed based on our class discussions.
Mary and I have decided to change our project idea to revolve around a third grade geometry unit. We would like to "update" our curriculum to be more realistic and effective. Mary and I are very excited about this because we wrote a unit plan about fractions for a previous class, and this will be a great addition to our repetoire of math lessons and materials.
I know that Mary and I are going to get much more out of this Master's Project idea than our previous one, and we are anxious to get started!
Thanks so much for understanding and appreciating our individual circumstances!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Slavit Article...
I just finished reading the Slavit article. I was not surprised that the article promoted "doing" mathematics, rather than lecturing mathematics to students. Much of what Slavit said about providing meaningful, hands-on experiences for our students, I have heard quite often and try to do in my own classroom on a regular basis.
Beyond that, I was lost. I hate to admit it, but I had a very difficult time following what the students were doing and why. I struggled with the question posed, "What do you need to "fix" a triangle?" I have heard of the congruence properties mentioned in the article, and remember working with them a lot in high school. However, over the past several years, the meanings have escaped me. I didn't remember them well enough to comfortably follow Slavit's writing.
As I was reading the article, I kept trying to recall these properties, but I was not able to make the connection and recall them as I wished I could have.
Despite my inability to follow all of the article, I must say that I really admire the students' work as described in the article. As a third grade teacher, I can not even imagine my students working at the level described in the article. It was very impressive.
I find it very exciting when I catch my students having conversations about activities that I have provided for them. It is so empowering to know that they are engaged and actively participating in their learning. It was exciting for me to read about the students' conversations because they appeared to be really into the activity. I was very impressed.
Beyond that, I was lost. I hate to admit it, but I had a very difficult time following what the students were doing and why. I struggled with the question posed, "What do you need to "fix" a triangle?" I have heard of the congruence properties mentioned in the article, and remember working with them a lot in high school. However, over the past several years, the meanings have escaped me. I didn't remember them well enough to comfortably follow Slavit's writing.
As I was reading the article, I kept trying to recall these properties, but I was not able to make the connection and recall them as I wished I could have.
Despite my inability to follow all of the article, I must say that I really admire the students' work as described in the article. As a third grade teacher, I can not even imagine my students working at the level described in the article. It was very impressive.
I find it very exciting when I catch my students having conversations about activities that I have provided for them. It is so empowering to know that they are engaged and actively participating in their learning. It was exciting for me to read about the students' conversations because they appeared to be really into the activity. I was very impressed.
Spring Break!
My spring break is the week of March 23. I am not going anywhere fun that week, and plan on being in class.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Idea for the Master's Project...
I really just started thinking about my master's project last week. I have really enjoyed working with LOGO, and I am considering completing a project that incorporates it.
When looking at some of the published samples in class last week, I felt very overwhelmed. Many of the projects I saw seemed above my head, both in terms of understanding and in terms of technology.
Mary and I are planning on working on our projects together, and I am very thankful for that. We are both a little uncomfortable with the technology, and before we make a definite decision regarding our project, we will probably discuss things in greater detail in the next week or so.
When looking at some of the published samples in class last week, I felt very overwhelmed. Many of the projects I saw seemed above my head, both in terms of understanding and in terms of technology.
Mary and I are planning on working on our projects together, and I am very thankful for that. We are both a little uncomfortable with the technology, and before we make a definite decision regarding our project, we will probably discuss things in greater detail in the next week or so.
I am interested in learning more about...
Things are going much better in class, and I am feeling more and more comfortable. I know that I am not at the level of understanding that some of the high school teachers in class are, but I am feeling better.
I especially like the LOGO program, and I enjoy playing around with it when I get the time. I would definitely like to see what I can do with it, and what all it is capable of.
I am also interested in learning more about proofs. I remember proofs from high school and I remember they were really fun. I also remember learning a lot about the fundamentals of geometry when I did them. They really made me think about the reasons why things worked in geometry, and I would like to do more of them, if the opportunity presents itself.
I especially like the LOGO program, and I enjoy playing around with it when I get the time. I would definitely like to see what I can do with it, and what all it is capable of.
I am also interested in learning more about proofs. I remember proofs from high school and I remember they were really fun. I also remember learning a lot about the fundamentals of geometry when I did them. They really made me think about the reasons why things worked in geometry, and I would like to do more of them, if the opportunity presents itself.
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