TEACHER FORUM !

Original post by anna

Mar 13, 2003 11:12 PM

Since so many of you are great teachers, and so many of us are 'aspiring' teachers, and even some are still thinking of changing careers to go into teaching....

Why dont we start a thread so that there's a place for information to be shared, questions, concerns, ideas, etc.

For me,I'd be interested in seeing issues that come up in day-to-day life for teachers, things that others (other teachers or others hoping to or planning to teach) can learn from...etc..

No one has to give specific information about what school they teach at, since I know that was a problem once before for someone...

But just having BTDT teachers on here is a great resource, and I'd LOVE to get some tips and tricks from the experts !

I know there are tons of teacher chat boards out there on other websites, but we are already sooo close ! It just wouldnt be the same !!

I'll start with some disussion topics.

What are some of the toughest situations you've run into....how did you handle it ?

***EDITED TO CHANGE NAME TO TEACHER FORUM
Like how that sounds better !

bride04 Posted: Mar 21, 2003 06:09 PM

Re: TEACHER FORUM !

The LAST and the ATSW are both ereally easy. Don't even worry about them. If I remember correctly the LAST has some basic math questions, so you might want to review the formulas for area or a triangle, circle, etc. Other than that, I don't think you can really study for it. The ATSW seemed like it was mostly common sense questions. I think it had essays on it too. But, you can BS your way through those.

junebride04 Posted: Mar 21, 2003 06:38 PM

Re: TEACHER FORUM !

I took all three tests last year and found the CST to be the easiest of the three.

swags1016 Posted: Mar 21, 2003 10:14 PM

Re: TEACHER FORUM !

Bride04-- I think you are right-- I think that I had them confused because I did the 2 in one day! But either way-- they really are pretty easy-- and I truly S U C K in math---lol!

Buttafli1277 Posted: Mar 21, 2003 10:27 PM

Re: TEACHER FORUM !

If you took education classes, you can pass the ATSW no problem. I really hated the LAST exam. Very long and BORING!!!

janatlantica Posted: Mar 22, 2003 08:34 AM

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Me too June!

Diane Posted: Mar 22, 2003 12:28 PM

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The LAST is a pain....it is not realted to any teaching experience. It is just a general and LOOOOONG test

Monica Posted: Mar 23, 2003 08:07 AM

Re: TEACHER THREAD !

Hey Swag1016, do we work in the same middle school? WOW! I totally agree with you. I sound like my parents when I say, 'It wasn't like this when I was in school.' What ever happened to RESPECT????

swags1016 Posted: Mar 23, 2003 07:43 PM

Re: TEACHER THREAD !

I don't think we do but that would funny! But as my Mother says (she works for DSS in CPS) this is the generation of the feel goods. Their mentality is 'honey if it doesn't feel good or you don't want to, then you don't have to'.

Friday night was battle of the classes and these children were so rude that one parent even commented to me how shocked she was to see:

1) 12 year olds that look like they belong on 42nd street

2) That they were so rude and disrespectful

3) That they are so touchy feely with each other.

I told her more parents need to pop into school events without their kids knowing and see how their children really behave!

anna Posted: Mar 25, 2003 09:18 AM

Re: TEACHER THREAD !

Hi ladies.

Just wondering if any of you have some good lesson plan ideas. I have to do a 'lesson' in my grad class next week. About 15 minutes long, and it will be run as if it were a real classroom, any grade I choose, in the form of an actual lesson.

The ones that have been done already are:
-Parts of an insect.
-Mammals

Any good ideas ? I'd like to keep it anywhere from 1st-4th grade. My prof gave me one on graphing with Gummy Bears, lol, but how do you introduce graphing to little ones ?? WOW this is all new to me, coming up with concepts and ideas to make these kids LEARN !!!
Im excited to do it, but nervous too !!
Im surfing the gazillion lesson sites, but alot of them are 4-5 day lessons or entire units...

I was thinking of these ideas...
-Compound words
-Homonyms
-Opposites
-Fruits ??

But my thing is coming up with ideas on putting the lesson plan together. I really want to use all the senses, so lets sayI do something with fruit, maybe pass apples around, for taste, feel ??? But what should i do as the 'lesson' ?

Ideas would be appreciated

swags1016 Posted: Mar 25, 2003 08:04 PM

Re: TEACHER THREAD !

To do that == and darn I don't have the written ditto here at home it is at school. But what you could do is take a ditto with all circles drawn on it and label the circles: red, blue etc. Then what you would do is either give the kids a cup full or a bag (we do this with m&m's) and have them put all their m& m's in the right circle. Then give them another pack or cup-- repeat-- then the next sheet has a logging in sheet. From that you could make a graph. I don't know if you are getting the idea. If you can wait until tomorrow, if you don't understand or want the dittos, I will get them from school and when I get home around 8pm I will e-mail them to you if you want. Just FM me your e-mail address. I hope this helps.

-- I can get dopey at night and not explain things well-- so sorry if this is confusing

anna Posted: Mar 25, 2003 08:23 PM

Re: TEACHER THREAD !

Swags, thanks so much for trying to explain it But I decided on a different lesson plan topic - THE FIVE SENSES
Ive already gotten a few books out to use in my lesson, and Im doing research online and putting it together...
Im doing it for the First Grade.
That graphing thing just didnt do it for me, as if I will have much choice when Im actually teaching !
'nah, dont wanna teach that, how about this !?' lol.

What grade do you teach again ? (sorry, i forgot!)
Do you do lessons in a very structured format ? (or do all teachers out there ?) or is this just the way we're taught and then you 'wing it' in school ?
I have Objective, Anticipatory Set, Materials, Procedures, Assessment, etc...I know there are many lesson plan formats.. just wondering, do you have to 'put on paper' every lesson you do ? My prof is very big on teachers having lessons so well prepared that if they call in sick the sub should be able to pick up where they left off and give that lesson without a problem

Sorry to ramble !!

Back to my Five Senses Lesson,
I plan to blindfold 5 different people and make them smell, touch, etc different things and guess what they are.
And ideas or tips ? What should I say to 'set the stage'

Hi boys and girls, CAN YOU HEAR ME ? LOLLLL
ok im getting silly, its late !

anyone with ideas or thoughts, chime in !

bride04 Posted: Mar 25, 2003 09:15 PM

Re: TEACHER THREAD !

What are your objectives i.e. what are you trying to teach? Maybe then I could be of more help.

Here's an idea--What if you give each person the same object/fruit and one person can smell, one can taste, one can feel, etc. and see if they guess the same thing. Just an idea, not sure what you're aiming for

P.S. I thank god I don't have to do lesson plans anymore! I had a supervisor in grad school that made me do one for every lesson I did (9-10 per day x 5 days per week = )

anna Posted: Mar 25, 2003 09:23 PM

Re: TEACHER THREAD !

My objective is basically for students to understand the 5 senese, what parts of the body we use for our 5 senses.

I wanted to:
-have 5 students touch, feel smell 3 different things and say what they were. Show them something, cover it, and ask them what they saw.

-I also have the book 'My Five Senses' by Aliki, and I wanted to read it to the class.

-I also wanted to have a diagram of the body and point to the ear, nose, eyes, etcc...

ITs a 15-20 minute mini-lesson which will be videotaped. Is this too much stuff for 15 minutes ?
and this is for first grade.

Are my thoughts on the right track ?

thanks for the help !

swags1016 Posted: Mar 25, 2003 10:45 PM

Re: TEACHER THREAD !

Are you teaching this in a college class pretending to be a first grade class or are you actually in a 1st grade class?

What order are you doing this in? IMO- I would read first, diagram next then blindfold (be careful with that too)

As far as lessons go--I wing it to a degree. I have to, I teach 7th grade and their little hormones are so unpredicitable that one day they acted like 1st graders and the next day they are so mature. I can also do that because we use the communactive method. I know what my objectives are in my head. I know what I want to accomplish so that it what I keep in mind. Whenever I have written down a 'lesson plan' I have never been able follow it or stick to it.

When I was a first year teacher I had a 40 min to 1 hour commute, so by the time I got to work I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to do and say because I had run it through in my head.

swags1016 Posted: Mar 25, 2003 10:50 PM

Re: TEACHER THREAD !

Just keep in mind-- most of these profs have been out of the classroom for awhile, not all most! The thing with the sub doesn't work for my because we do not have any subs that are Spanish teachers. I get the point, that he is trying to make. My district requires you to make a certain amount of emergency lesson plans. These are to be used when you don't know that you are going to be out. What I was told is that they should be self-explaintory to the kids. That the stuff should not even have to do anything and that is what my sub plans are like!

anna Posted: Mar 26, 2003 07:11 AM

Re: TEACHER THREAD !

That makes sense about the emergency plans.

My lesson will be taught to my grad class as if they were 1st graders. Also, it will only be 15-20 minutes long (or ten, whatever I chose). SO I have to get to the point. But he also doesnt want us to skip anything because of the time restraint.
ONe girl said 'I would have done this, and I would have done that' but due totime restraints...

He got really annoyed, and said not to EVER EVER say that or do that on an interview. He said 'JUST DO IT, do everything you would do in a classroom'

Thanks for helping with the order.

Read the book (its a quick one-minute read!)
Then maybe ask questions about the book really quick ?

Then go to the diagram of a person (oh no, i gotta draw ! LOL ) and have each person point to the body part that they see, hear with, etc.

Does it matter if i write the WORDS on cards and glue those cards to the body parts on the diagram. Are those words learned in first grade ? (eye, ear, etc) I can say something like 'these are the words we learned last week' to cover that....

Diane Posted: Mar 26, 2003 07:24 AM

Re: TEACHER THREAD !

anna....if you go to Lessonplans.com....they have a lot of great stuff

swags1016 Posted: Mar 26, 2003 04:42 PM

Re: TEACHER THREAD !

Anna, I don't know about the words. I don't know about the reading level of that level of kids. I would say may use velcro or fun tac-- say the words slow and have them repeat the word and then velcro or fun tac it to the body part

How are you feeling today? Better I hope?

swags1016 Posted: Mar 26, 2003 04:43 PM

Re: TEACHER THREAD !

Diane--

Sry to get off topic but which Sandals in St. Lucia did you go to. We are going to the Golf & Spa one for our HM and I wanted to know if you had been there?

egreen3792 Posted: Mar 26, 2003 07:32 PM

Re: TEACHER THREAD !

What about a mystery box and discuss the senses needed to discover what is in the box..............I did it with second graders and they loved it. The book by Aliki is also a great choice...............