Artifacts

Below you will find various artifacts that I feel best reflect my teaching capabilities as well as show different aspects of technology that are included throughout the classroom. As a teacher, the new technology will enforce different learning experiences for all the students. I think it is essential to show different ways for the students to learn the material being taught. It may come from a book or now with technology it could be taught through a power point presentation. As long as the students are learning that is the most important factor.

Spreadsheet Example and Lesson Evaluations

For this particular activity, I found a lesson plan which included a spreadsheet example for the students to begin learning how to use Microsoft Excel. This was a great opportunity for the students to discover how to make a spreadsheet as well as a graph and use it for many of their daily routines. This lesson plan was based on Santa’s Elves having to help him find a good deal and budget his money when it came close to buying all the gifts for the children at Christmas. I believe having the students work in groups allowed them to learn communicating skills towards one another. This lesson also had the students not only thinking about it inside the classroom but outside the classroom as well. Having the students talk to their parents about what they are doing in class helps gets the parents involved in the student’s schooling. The students will take what they learn from this particular lesson and use it in the future not only with Christmas shopping but other activities as well which may include having a budget. After the lesson was finished I evaluated it for other people to see and get an idea of what they could do differently to make the lesson better for their own class as well as include questions to ask the students while working.

To see the example of the lesson plan evaluation form click here.
Below is the example of the excel sheet.


If you would like to see a larger picture of the spreadsheet, you can click on the picture and it will enlarge for you.

Open House Flyer

At the beginning of the school year I always enjoy getting to know the students as well as their parents. The best opportunity for this is Open House. Open House gives the parents a chance to get to come into the classroom and see what their children have been working on so far in the school year. I believe it is essential for the parents to be involved in their student’s education. If the parents choose not to be involved, it is not only sadness for the student but also makes it harder for me to do my job. Knowing that I have the support of the parents helps me motivate myself to work even harder for each individual student to help them with their learning and education. If they are all willing to put forth the effort, I am too.

If you would like to see a larger photo of my Open House flyer, you can click on the picture and it will enlarge for you.

Lesson Plan I and Slideshow

This is an example of my first lesson plan as well as the slideshow I made for the students to learn on cardinal and ordinal numbers. It is based towards a third grade classroom but could also be used for another grade level. In this particular lesson I chose to have the students do a problem of the day in their math journals and than we would discuss it as a class. We would than work on different activities as a class as well as individually. All the students would have a homework sheet that would need to be finished for the following day in class. I believe it is important to not only teach students the material straight from the book but for them also to have hand on experiences with different activities to allow them to remember certain material that was taught.

Lesson Title: Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers

Objectives

• (3)1.3 Use ordinal positions first through hundredth
• Define cardinal numbers
• Define ordinal numbers

Needed Materials
• Individual popsicle sticks with student’s names
• Individual bags of unifix cubes for each student (4 red and 1 blue)
• Math journals
• Overhead
• Practice worksheets for class and homework

Procedure

Sponge Activity
Have students write in their math journal the Problem of the Day. The Problem of the Day will be “Write the number of days in a week and identify the second day of the week.”

Anticipatory Set
Ask students:
· Pick five students names from the popsicle sticks and have the students come to the front of the class to form a line.
· Ask the class how many students are there in line?
· Who is first?
· Who is second?
· Who is third?
· Who is fourth?
· Who is behind the fourth person in line?

Announce Outline/Objectives

Content Delivery
Put an example that was just formed in the front of the class on the overhead projector using X’s. Define cardinal and ordinal number.

Activity
Each student will receive an individual bag of unifix cubes. Ask all the students to put out the red cubes in a straight line. After each student has done that have them each take the blue cube and practice putting it in different positions throughout the line. Students will also complete an individual practice page.

Review
Ask students:
· To put the definitions of a cardinal number and ordinal number in their math journals and generate their own examples of each. The teacher will check for understanding after the students are done.

Closure
· Review outline
· Review objectives
· Assessment
-Practice page for homework identifying cardinal and ordinal numbers.
-Due the next day in class.

Click here for an example of my lesson plan slideshow.