Tibbitts Lesson Plans/Teaching Reflections

A part of meeting with the students at Tibbetts Middle School every week was developing a lesson plan for each session. This was a great experience and I learned how to approach new problems and find solutions that will benefit my students. Below are some notes of my meetings with the students I worked with, struggles I encountered and other thoughts about our sessions together.

9/22/08

The plan-

This was our first meeting with our literature circle reading groups. I am really excited to be working with these kids mainly because it is the grade level that I plan to teach.

Visit a timeline and give WWII history and background.

Talk about the significance Judaism to these people.

Discuss how we will read this.

Give simple info on book.

What happened-

The kids where a little closed off and quiet, but they don’t know us yet. I think I am going to bring candy as a form of bribery to get them talking.

Today we mainly talked about what we are going to be doing. We talked about WWII and gave some background. A main topic we talked about is Judaism not only being a religion, but also being an identity, like a race, that their entire history as a people is tied up in.

Sarah wanted to visit a timeline she made, but unfortunately it did not work out well because the computers were such a distraction. Today was hard, but we defiantly figured out what did and didn’t work. For future reference, no computers, it was too loud and distracting in class (we should meet someplace else that is more relaxed), we need to get them comfortable, we need to get them talking, we need to make it fun.

Towards the end we asked the kids how they want to read the book. We talked about the number of days we have and the number of pages. They decided they would read at home instead of during our class time. Their weekly goal is about 30 pages per week.

09/29/08

The plan-

To make it fun we will start off with an ice breaker. If this works we will do it every time.

Then answer any questions they might have from the text.

Was the reading too much? What do we want to do?

What happened-

The ice breaker was fun and made every one laugh. We played a goofy game called 2 truths and a lie. It was silly and they loosened up.

We answered questions for a long time while trying to prompt them to think about the answer and possibilities themselves. We also gave them more info and asked them questions to get them thinking critically. The candy worked great. They were thinking of ANYTHING to ask just to get a candy. I will bring bribery every day now.

It ended up that most everyone read far past the 30 page goal. So we will keep it the same.

10/7/08

The plan-

The ice breaker

Answered any questions, address any comment.

Spit up into groups.

Assign different roles and talk about the idea of literature circles.

Get started!

Come back into a big group and discuss main ideas.

Journal if we have time.

What happened-

The ice breaker was fun again. We played a goofy name game to help us memorize their names.

We answered questions for a long time again. Again we tried to prompt them to think about the answer and possibilities themselves. We also gave them more info and asked them questions to get them thinking critically.

We split them into groups and let them pick survivor style. I am not sure if this is bad or good because it ended up all boys in one group, girls in the other.

We assigned roles and talked a little, but then it was time to go.

Drat, we forgot to ask them to get their journals.

10/20/08

The plan-

Ice breaker

Journaling

Groups and discussion

Get back together to discuss as a hole.

What happened-

Ice breaker went great.

We forgot the journals againL

Our first group discussion went great. We told them next time the teachers were not going to say anything, it was their job to keep it going.

10/27/08

The plan-

Icebreaker

Go over questions and comments

Break up into groups.

Journal entry

Come back together as a class

What happened-

Today Sarah expressed to us the difficulties she is having keeping the girls on tract with their discussions. So next time me and Elsie will take the girls and Sarah and Glenna will take the boys.

AGAIN!!! We forgot the journals. We will will will remember them next time.

Discussion went great again! Wow I feel lucky. The boys are really into it.

11/3/08

The plan-

Icebreaker

Break up into our groups

Journal entry

Then come back together as a large group

Discuss how to divide up groups.

What happened-

Sarah was right. The girls are difficult to keep on tract. We are use to the boys taking over and no worries. The girls however, need constant prompting. I talked to their teacher today to get some ideas and she suggested focusing on emotions and girls maturing and stuff. The girls seemed to understand deeply the topic we discussed, but were still hesitant to discuss it. I think it’s because it is so similar to themselves and so close to their hearts that they do not want to talk about it. We focused on how important it is to be themselves and how hard it is when the people who they love, mom, dad, so on, want them to be something different then what they are. I think they understand the significance but will not be willing to talk openly about it. I will suggest to Sarah that next time instead of talking that we split into smaller groups and try to do some improve or game to get them into the emotions. I do not think discussion will work for the girls as well as it does for the boys.

11/10/08

The plan-

Journal!!!!!! We haven’t once done a journal we need need need to. I think they are very important and not doing them so far is very hindering.

Icebreaker

Journal

Share journal

Split groups, have them play something, I will need to talk to the other teachers.

What happened-

Icebreaker

Yeah! We journaled finally.

We shared our writing.

Then the class was short, we had to go.

11/17/08

The plan-

Icebreaker

Journal ....dear kitty

Share journal

Split groups, have them include themselves in a day in the annex. They will look at the journal entries where Anne wrote about the schedule of the annex and re-write it with them selves included. I will tell them to include the chores they would do, how they would help out, when they would or could use the water closet, when and where they would be alone etc.

Today we are bringing hot chocolate. mmmmm.

What happened-

We didn’t have time to calibrate on an ice breaker so we did not do one.

The journaling went great. Some were very short and they didn’t even try, but most were long and very accurate. They tried to write emotions they thought Anne had or tried to use her writers voice and use large words. A few were VERY accurate. it lets me know that they understand most of the feelings and emotions Anne is going through, and it also lets me know they understand the difference of the time.

Next we split into groups of 2. They didn’t really understand what I wanted, so I had to repeat it a few times. I think they understand the book really well, but I do not think they are taking what we do seriously. I only say this because now they are focused on the treats we bring. We will have to think of a project or something to wrap it up nicely.

They didn’t finish so it is homework.

11/25/08

The plan-

Well, i will not be here today because i am subbing for Mrs. Bradshaw. So far the plan is to....

start with a game or warmup

get homework and create a master schedule

write a journal entry

pluse anything else anyone would like to add.

What happened-

the kids did not do their homework, go figure.

i wasn't there, but sarah told me that it went kind of ok.

12/1/08

The plan-

Icebreaker

Journal ....dear kitty

Share journal

i heard a rumor that there will be pizza. yummy

What happened-

today we closed and finalized everything. i asked the kids what they thought about the entire thing and what they got out of it. they said they should stop b*tching about their life’s because others have had it worse and still was happy. they also said they understood different aspects of the war better. if all they got out of the book was that they have so much to be thankful for and they should appreciate it an d be optimistic then i say they got it. that was Anne’s main point throughout the book, that was her voice and really the overall theme. I know they got so much more out of it , I know they related and understood Anne , but if all they got was to be optimistic then Anne's work did what she meant it to. i am goad that they were able to get the message, all on their own too. we didn’t even prompt it out of the m . they really understood the book, I’m not sure if it was because of us, the teachers, but either way the job has been done. yea!