So....we are well into the second quarter. My kids trust me, they talk to me, they help in the classroom, and most of them want to make me proud; HOWEVER, there are the handful who continue to disrupt and I just don't know how to get through to them.
My days are filled with engaging activities, but, I have found a flaw in it: Our children expect to be stimulated every second of every day and they are not being taught the skill of being quiet and still. Is this not a skill that they will need to advance to junior high and high school? College and adulthood? Are we not doing the children a disservice? So....my solution is this. YES, engage them in activities that will assist them in making an emotional connection, but also, have time set aside each day for notetaking and reflection.
Although I realize that I am not supposed to "teach to the test", if I don't teach the test, how do my students know how to successfully take the test? HAVE YOU READ THE TEST QUESTIONS? They are not written on grade level. Some of them are difficult for me to process, much less a fourth grader. Again, I have come up with a solution. I have taken the released items from the TLI and I have constructed my engaging activities using those test questions. I hope that my students can make the connection the next time they take the test and remember every strategy we used to solve the problems.
As for my lessons......some are good, and some bomb! But, it's a learning process, right? Let's just hope my kids are learning something.
My days are filled with engaging activities, but, I have found a flaw in it: Our children expect to be stimulated every second of every day and they are not being taught the skill of being quiet and still. Is this not a skill that they will need to advance to junior high and high school? College and adulthood? Are we not doing the children a disservice? So....my solution is this. YES, engage them in activities that will assist them in making an emotional connection, but also, have time set aside each day for notetaking and reflection.
Although I realize that I am not supposed to "teach to the test", if I don't teach the test, how do my students know how to successfully take the test? HAVE YOU READ THE TEST QUESTIONS? They are not written on grade level. Some of them are difficult for me to process, much less a fourth grader. Again, I have come up with a solution. I have taken the released items from the TLI and I have constructed my engaging activities using those test questions. I hope that my students can make the connection the next time they take the test and remember every strategy we used to solve the problems.
As for my lessons......some are good, and some bomb! But, it's a learning process, right? Let's just hope my kids are learning something.
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