Student Teaching Experience Week 9

Keep Calm and Carry On

I try extremely hard to make meaningful lessons and culminating activities, and this week demonstrated that.  I want my Honors students to be challenged, and I want to make sure my regular classes are on track and challenged as well.  There are days when I know that my lessons are not going to go as planned and I need to know how to think on my feet and get them on a track that keeps my students moving forward. 

Reflecting on my lessons has been crucial.  I know what lessons take longer than I think and what activities do not take as long. Reflection has led me to understand how well my students do with certain activities and what activities work the best in the classroom.  Which led me to create a project that I am really excited about for my students!

On Friday, I assigned my 5th period class a Spanish American War Options project. This project is allowing my students to choose how they want to carry out a depiction of the war.  A number of my students got extremely excited about making a movie about the Spanish American War, and others are going to work alone on a comic strip of the War.  I know that my rubrics have to be detailed so that my students know the expectations I have for them. 

This project is due Monday, November 4th.