Third Grade Student Teaching
My third grade class in my classroom.
Cooperating Teacher: Jan Morgan
Class Size: 21 students
School District: Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation
I taught full time for five and a half weeks and the following is an example of what I taught:
A poetry unit in reader’s and writer’s workshop. I had the students write seven poems: a rhyming poem; a personification poem; a diamante poem; a quick write or free verse poem of their favorite animal and place; and a quick write and acrostic poem for the mother on Mother's Day. We also discussed similes and metaphors so the students each wrote at least one of those also. In reader's workshop, each student was allowed to read aloud a poem that found in a book that they liked.
A unit on memoirs in reader’s and writer’s workshop was introduced where the students wrote their own memoir. We wrote good leads and created memoirs with turning points or lessons in them. While reading, the students made connections.
Math workshop was taught along with Saxon Math. I took on the challenge of
converting as many Saxon Math lessons as I could into Math workshop lessons. In
pairs, the students used cubes to find volume and created function machines on
poster paper. Click the math sign for pictures.
A unit on rocks was introduced. In groups of three, students completed the webquest I had created on the different types of rocks. The students also read some Weekly Readers and watch short video clips using the digital versions online.
The students were able to take a field trip to Koinonia Environmental Center
where they went to four different stations and for a nature hike. The first
station they dug for fossils. At the second station they learned about
footprints. The third station was at the pond where they drew pictures of what
they saw. At the last station the students learned about insects and spiders
before they were allowed to catch some. The students were then lead on trails by
Manchester College students. Click the bus for pictures.
We were able to walk downtown on career day and visit some businesses. The
students listened to local businesspeople about running a business. They visited
the local pizza place, insurance company, and the hardware store. Click the lady
with hats for pictures.
The school had a staff vs. fifth grade students basketball game that I
participated in. Each fifth grade student was allowed to play four minutes
against the staff at the elementary school. Click the basketball for pictures.