Australia 2007 Week 2

Student Teaching in London-Fall 2007 Week 3: November 5-November 11 Dr. McDonald and a group of CMU student teachers are currently in the Enfield, England area. Dr. McDonald is sharing his diary and pictures of the students as they experience student teaching in England. View other pages of diary < 1 2 4 5 6 7 Student Learning Projects >
November 5 - I went to observe Cynthia and Amber today at Galliard Primary School. Both are in a different Reception classroom with 4-5 year olds. One of their concepts for the week was to convey to the children the difference between when they were a baby, and what they are able to do now. The teachers in Reception teach the same concepts and have a common planning time every week. Amber and Cynthia taught their lessons separately. The children had brought in baby pictures from home and Cynthia and Amber used them to teach their lesson. Amber had three children come up at the same time and the class had to guess which student it was. Cynthia did each child individually. Amber and Cynthia also had a few props to help them teach the lesson. They had items such as a pacifier, a baby blanket, a book with letters displayed. The class had to tell when the item would be used, when they were a baby or now. The pictures were then placed in the correct place on a Venn diagram. Then each student had to complete a sheet where they would draw a picture of something they did when they were younger and what they could do now. Students either did this individually (with Cynthia) or during choice time (with Amber). The students were engaged during the entire lesson!
Cynthia reading a rhyming book to her reception class.	Cynthia teaching rhyming word families to her students.
November 6 - Today I went to Raglan Primary School to observe Shannon, Andrea A., and Kate. Andrea did a lesson on the difference in British and American terms for her Year 4 class. Some American terms were listed and the class, working in groups, had to guess the British term that meant the same thing. Words such as sweater, freeway, soccer, jelly, and cookie were used. Students had a lot of fun with this and their ideas were not that far off. Kate did a lesson for her Year 1 class on Michigan that included a picture of her family and her house. Kate even took the class on a trip by starting at the school and then going to her house using Google Earth. Kate then read the Michigan ABC book by Sleeping Bear Press called M is for Mitten. Shannon did a lesson on Canada since that is where she is from. She read an ABC book for her Year 2 class that told about hockey, the Calgary Stampede, and some other information. Shannon also used a PowerPoint to talk about Michigan trivia such as famous people, places, and interesting things. Google Earth was also used to show students her present hometown. Tuesday we had our weekly seminar on service learning and how classroom management was going in the classroom.
November 7 - Today I was supposed to go to Enfield County but Tara and Jenna are not teaching yet.
November 8 - Today I was supposed to go to Woodside Secondary School but they were having an inspection so the teachers had to teach. Each school is inspected by the borough educational council to see how they are doing in meeting the national curriculum, the quality of teaching, and other factors.
November 9 - Trevor taught a history lesson today for his Year 9 class. The class is looking at American History. At the beginning of the period, Trevor had the students learning about the three branches of American government. Using a neat technology aid called an interactive whiteboard, he did a PowerPoint presentation, hid a part of the screen and had the class discuss the England similarities. The second part of the period was devoted to African Americans seeking racial equality. Using the soundtrack of the “I Have a Dream” speech, Trevor asked the qualities of a leader, the struggle for political equality, and the dispositions of Martin Luther King Jr.
November 10 - London has many opportunities for people to go to theater productions. Many Broadway shows are currently running. Our group decided to see Wicked, a story about the witches in the Wizard of Oz. What an awesome show! The singing and the technical effects were masterful. http://www.wickedthemusical.co.uk/home.php
Elphaba and Glinda, the two central characters in Wicked. Used by permission.	Elphaba and Glinda, the two central characters in Wicked. Used by permission.
Elphaba and Fiero from the musical Wicked (London Cast). Used with permission.
November 11 - Veterans Day in the U.S. is known as Remembrance Day in the United Kingdom. On the Sunday nearest to 11th November at 11am each year, a Remembrance Service is held at the Cenotaph, in London, to commemorate British and Commonwealth servicemen and women who died in the two World Wars and later conflicts. The monarch, religious leaders, politicians, representatives of state and the armed and auxiliary forces, gather to pay respect to those who gave their lives defending others. Many parades are held in different locales. I attended the Enfield service in the afternoon.
The Cenotaph in London. The red poppies wreaths are given by regiments in memory of veterans who have given their lives in armed conflict for England.
View other pages of diary < 1 2 4 5 6 7 Student Learning Projects >

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