For this field experience, I was privileged to spend time observing, teaching, and contributing to the community in Mrs. McCartney's classroom. During my time in her classroom, I learned so many ideas for how to teach literacy in a fun, engaging, and active way. Mrs. McCartney used interactive games to get students involved in the mundane aspects of grammar and phonics.
After a group lesson, the class would usually break out into 'literacy centers' where the students would work on reading a book, working on a worksheet, or doing some technology-assisted instruction with the technology specialist. I would be assigned to work at one of the centers and help the students to improve their literacy skills.
I was amazed at the diversity of literacy skills in the different students. Some students had clearly 'cracked the code', others had mastered some skills but struggled with others, yet some had difficulty grasping most concepts. Before this field experience, I did not realize how diverse literacy needs could be among children of the same age or grade. Now that I have completed this field experience, my eyes have been opened to be able to reach each and every child so that they can become empowered with the gift that is literacy.
Here are some pictures of the students participating in a lesson about the -ump sound.