Understanding Subject Matter
As a teacher, it is extremely important to understand how to teach different subject matters and create lessons that will foster the maximum amount of learning possible. It is necessary to use different teaching techniques when switching from subject to subject, because students are learning different skills. Different skills often require different tools. Teaching students in a variety of methods will allow them to decipher which learning style is best for them. This page will display my understanding of teaching the core subject areas, as well as sample lessons for each subject.
English Language ArtsEnglish language arts covers the areas of reading, writing, grammar, and spelling. Through my experience teaching in the classroom I have learned a variety of methods that help students succeed in these areas.I believe reading should be taught in a way that students are critically looking at the text. They need to have an understanding of the various concepts of print before they are expected to comprehend the text. Additionally, students should be reading books that are on their reading level so that they become comfortable with reading. As they develop fluency and comprehension in reading, difficulty of reading material should increase steadily. Students cannot succeed unless they are first given the opportunity. In my student teaching placement, we placed a heavy emphasis on reading and developing critical thinkers. As a class we read weekly stories 2 to 3 times in a week: first read was a teacher read aloud, second read was a student read aloud, and the third read was usually buddy reading with a partner. This method was chosen to first model fluent reading for students, and then give them the opportunity to practice. Various activities for learning spelling and grammar were created for students to be able to learn information in a fun and exciting way. The writing process was also taught explicitly throughout the year. Students learned how to write a draft, edit and revise it, and then publish a final copy.
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MathThe key to learning and being successful in math is practice. Students must be given several opportunities to practice new material before they can master it. It is also important to know that students will not master skills at the same time. Some students catch on quickly, while others still need more practice. Once students were given the basics needed to become familiar with a new topic, they were given time to practice until I felt most if not all understood what they were expected to learn. Practice occurred individually by completing problems from the book or a worksheet, in pairs to solve problems with the help of a partner, or in groups where students work together to reach a common answer. I believe math should be hands on. Students need to have manipulatives in their hands so they can see not only the answer, but how and why that answer is correct. Students often participated in centers during math where they were given task to complete as a group, and then we would discuss, as a class, what students learned through the various activities. Math is the subject where I had to differentiate the most because the students in my class were on many different levels. I accommodated students by giving them homework, classwork, test and quizzes that they would be successful on, without changing the standards or content they were expected to learn.
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ScienceScience is all about inquiry and exploration of different phenomena that occur in the world. Often times students are given activities that are exciting and hands on, but the meaning is lost in all the excitement. I believe science should not only be hands on, but minds on as well. I started new science lessons by posing a question to the class. For example, one question I explored this year with my class was "What makes day and night?" Day and night is a common occurrence that all students are familiar with, but they never thought about why it happens. It is really interesting to listen to the explanations students come up with for every day events. After students discuss their thoughts and ideas regarding the question, the exploration begins. Students participate in various assignments and activities until they discover on their own why different phenomena occur. My role as the teacher is to guide them by asking them questions about their thinking, discovering why they think a certain way and helping them understand why things are the way they are, or why they cannot be. Having students think and talk about a topic, before allowing them to explore through experimenting helps them to understand what information they should be looking for. Additionally, debriefing once an activity is done allows closure to the activity and it also lets you know what students discovered, as well as, what misconceptions they have.
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Social StudiesSocial studies needs to be taught in a way that is interesting and relevant to students' lives. It should be more than memorization of facts and dates. While students might remember that information for a quiz or test, it won't stick unless they learn it in a way that is meaningful for them. There are many ways to make social studies come alive for students, especially with the growing amount of resources on the internet. This year I was able to show videos from different periods in history that documented important events such as the Civil Rights marches and protest, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr,'s speeches, and the inauguration of the 45th president of the United States, Barack Obama. This was interesting to my students because they did not only read about it, but they were able to see it as well. Additionally, taking advantage of the resources in and around the community of the school helps to add relevancy to social studies. This is another way for students to visualize what happened in the past by going beyond the parameters of the text book. Students can also use the internet to learn more about topics presented in their books. For example, students in my class this year completed a research project on the 5 regions of the United States. Students were expected to read and take notes, look up information and pictures on the internet and put all the the information the found together in the form of a presentation. Students really enjoyed this assignment because they were in control. They were in charge of the notes the took as well as the information and pictures they found on the internet. Students were excited and as a result performed exceedingly well on this assignment.
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