Science Club was for a Science Methods class in which we taught various lessons to build up to a final project with 7 elementary students in 3rd and 4th grade. It was so much fun to plan and implement with two other classmates! For Science Club, we did projects to lead up to learning about buoyancy and creating a boat that can hold pennies and still float in water. Students loved this just as much as the three teachers. On the far left is the slides we used with the students and next to it (in the middle) is our reflection presentation for our final exam in the class.
For my classroom, I decided to make inclusive labels for drawers/bins that will contain school supplies. This means that it will help in teaching students sign language or give silent cues for what is needed. This is beneficial for those who use sign language and those who do not.
During my second placement of student teaching, I created an escape room which related to transition/life skills using the program of Genial.ly! For this, my 19-22 year olds had to complete 6 "rooms" in order to be ready for work. The rooms included: Waking up on time, proper hygiene, eating breakfast, dressing the part, preparing what is needed, and figuring out transportation. When we did this in class, the student were incredibly excited to practice skills they know, but need to work on in an escape room form. They learned, practiced, and had a lot of fun solving questions and escaping rooms. I plan to implement this site again in different contexts and for different skills.
In the course of many years, I have compiled a lot of student artwork, cards, appreciation messages, etc. Looking back on these remind me of my passion for teaching, and students who have impacted me in such positive ways. When I have difficult days or feel teacher burn out, these are some of the pictures that help me stay on course and remember why I do what I do. Here are just a few reminders: