Unit Plan Adventures!!
I thought that the unit plan process has been a long, fun, exhilarating, stressful experience all at once. It is important to me that my unit plan be the best it can be and so far i have put in many many hours of my time. I think my unit plan wouldn't be what it is if it was not for the use of technology that i learned is out there today! Wordle and voki, just to name a few, are some uses of technology that i have enjoyed learning about this semester. I have been having fun looking up different things to use for my unit plan and i have really enjoyed coming up with ideas on my own. In the beginning of the semester the unit plan was scary to think about, especially the idea of using a wiki. Now i am not only using a wiki but i am adding photos, videos, links, pages and so on to my wiki to make it better. Each day i am learning something new whether it be by exploring, asking my professor, or asking a classmate. I am excited to present my unit plan to my peers on Monday and i hope that everyone enjoys it!
After seeing other presentations for the unit plans from my peers, I came up with some new ideas of how i can re vamp my own unit plan. I really love how nice everyone is and how willing everyone is to help you when you need assistance. I liked seeing the different unit plans because everyone had there own way of presenting and their own unique ideas. I thought everyone did a nice job! I really liked the way chrissie presented her unit, and i also liked the links from Nicole's unit plan. I thought Brittany's was great too and what made her stand out to me is how excited she was to show the class her unit plan. Overall, everyone really did do a good job and i enjoyed looking at all of the different units.
Mrs. Bucci's Second Grade ClassI learned a lot during my time at Edward J. Russell Elementary School this semester. Mrs. Bucci was really nice and her students were very welcoming. One of the first things i asked Mrs. Bucci was what her philosophy of teaching was. I was curious to know after all of the schooling she has gone through and her 7 year experience as a second grade teacher what her philosophy would be.
Mrs. Bucci's philosophy of education:
" When a student enters my classroom they will be entering a place where their learning is the main focus. Understanding the need for academic excellence, I have acquired the knowledge and developed the creativity needed to accommodate students' diverse needs, learning styles, and learning modalities. Hands-on-learning is a priority. I believe it is very important to create a supportive learning environment for all students. The poster 'Children Learn What They Live' hangs in my room year after year as is the basis of my teaching philosophy".
From my observations, Mrs. Bucci implements her philosophy of education into her teaching day in and day out. I really liked the set up of her classroom. I thought that the way the tables were set up were creative and implemented the use of hands on learning being done in the classroom. The tables were arranged in a diagonal way. Mrs. Bucci also used a stick system that i loved. The children would get popsicle sticks for showing positive behavior and doing the right thing. When the students get ten sticks they bunch them by wrapping them up with a rubber band and putting them in their cup. By bunching them the students are learning to count by ten's. At different points during the year the students will be rewarded with a stick party. I thought this was a great idea to reward good behavior and to make it a good incentive for those who are having trouble behaving.
The lessons that i observed in Mrs. Bucci's class were hands-on. One of my favorites were playing math games with a partner. The game "Race to 100" is a game were the student rolls a dice and has to collect the number of cubes on the dice. The first person to get to 100 wins. The kids really enjoyed this activity and it was fun to watch!
Mrs. Bucci also showed me teacher editions of books she has to use with the school's curriculum. Mrs. Bucci showed me her weekly homework sheet she hands out to the children along with her planning and attendance books. Mrs. Bucci always explained why she did the lessons she did that day and made herself available during her free time to answer any questions i may have.
Overall, observing was a positive experience and i enjoyed the time i spent in the classroom with the students and Mrs. Bucci.
Basics Of Curricular PlanningOverall, this course has been a rewarding experience. I am happy with my decision to stay in the course and i am grateful for Dr. Smirnova for because of her i have become more technologically advanced and i have truly come out of something learning new things that i can carry along with me when i am a teacher. I am a better person for taking this class because i have learned patience and to go with the flow of things instead of having melt downs and getting stressed out. It helped that Dr. Smirnova was available to answer any questions i may have. It also was a big help to know that i had my peers in the class to turn to if i had a question or needed a suggestion. I will miss everyone in the class and i look forward to the rest of my journey at Mount Saint Mary College.
