From the beginning of the year I was brought in as an equal partner in our classroom, and worked to support, co-teach, and then eventually lead lessons. I was an equal participant in morning meeting, center work, and classroom discipline. I took over specific units in english, writing and math, which I designed and implemented myself. Other lessons I co-taught with Jocelyn, supporting her however she may need.

Classroom Routines

• Breakfast: Each morning students would walk in and be greeted by me and Jocelyn. It was important to me to establish deep connections with each student and be seen as an equal teacher in the student’s eyes. Being an active part of this routine helped me do this. During breakfast I would share responsibilities with Jocelyn, doing attendance, helping with breakfast and homework, and then getting set up with morning meeting.
• Morning meeting: Jocelyn and I would alternate leading morning meeting, and we would always both participate. This was a wonderful way to build our classroom community and get to know our students in a more informal way.
• Dismissal: During dismissal Jocelyn and I walked most students onto the playground to be picked up by a parent. I quickly met all parents and the parents came to know me as another teacher in their child’s classroom. If behaviors occurred during my teaching I was familiar with parents and talked with them directly about their children.

English Language Arts

• Daily 5: Students worked through five different centers every morning. I began supporting this process by floating throughout the classroom, helping as needed. My responsibilities included reading one on one with students, helping with writing or word work. After observing guided reading I began pulling my own groups and working on teaching specific strategies. I met with groups at each level in our classroom to gain experience with various readers.
• Making Meaning: The making meaning curriculum was something I began to take over early in the year. I would focus on a genre or set of stories with a theme, and we would do an interactive read aloud 3-5 times a week. During this time students would use turn and talks, participate in whole group discussions, speak with accountable language (I agree with, I disagree with, I think ___ because…), and learn new vocabulary.
• Writing: Our classroom used Lucy Calkin’s writer’s workshop model to practice our writing. This worked well for some units but others needed more structure. I took over an informational writing unit and found and structured it so my English Language Learners could feel more supported during this time. Click here to read more about my writing unit.

Math

• Math Centers: Math was typically taught with a mini lesson and through math centers. At the beginning of the year Jocelyn led math and I floated throughout centers, until I ultimately took over and taught my own math unit. During center time I focused my time supporting two groups who needed extra help at the worksheet and game center. Students would expect me at the worksheet center and knew that if they wanted help they could sit near me, or work independently if they wanted. Click here to read about my math unit.

Science

• Science: Jocelyn loved teaching science and working with a mentor teacher who was so knowledgable really helped me come up with hands on ideas to help teach new concepts. All lessons allowed students to do hands on activities, work together collaboratively, and implement other subjects like writing and reading in an engaging way. During science I helped support activities and students as they worked. I also worked to design my own unit about sound. Click here to read about the science unit I created.

School Responsibilities

• Lunch/Recess: While working at Woodland Academy I was responsible for covering weekly lunch and recess duties. This was a great time to meet some of the other staff members at Woodland, as well as the other students. I enjoyed getting to speak to students outside of the classroom, and trying to keep up at recess.
• Substitute Teaching/Covering: There were many instances where I needed to cover another class for a short time, or even substitute for the day. These experiences allowed me to work with other grades, see different classrooms and styles of teaching, and become more familiar with the Woodland community. I also substituted for my classroom if my mentor teacher was absent. In these instances I took on full responsibility in the classroom, managing all lessons and behaviors.