Misty+Winslow

Reflection #3

Dear Ms. Wynn’s 6th grade AC Language Arts classes, Thank you all for being so welcoming to a stranger invading your space. I have had such a great time over the last five weeks; I really don’t want my time here to end. There is something I will remember about each of you forever. Thank you all for the wonderful experience! I will miss you all, Ms. Winslow Ms. Wynn’s chattiest class… um, sorry, I mean 4th period Nathan, your Fibonacci poem was the inspiration for mine, thank you for that Anderson, I mean Davis… thanks for the A.K.A. Samantha, your hat from Hat Day had as big a personality as you do Jennifer, your love of soup impresses me still and I’m glad you got rid of the yellow silly band on your glasses Madison, you remind me of myself… I was chatty in 6th grade too… My priest called me Mouth Morgan Chayanne, I love your name and your glasses… both so original, like you Erin, thanks for the great brownie recipe… they sound delicious Lyndsay, I still think of Beverly Hills, 90210 when I say your name…sorry, I know it’s an old show Victoria, your quiet grace amazes me, you’re so mature… and you know how to get pre-schoolers to take a nap Connor, you remind me of a friend’s son who loves to learn Japanese… it is a compliment, he is a great kid Morgan, I love your name (how couldn’t I…remember, it used to be my last name?) Kirsten, I will follow your pancake recipe… now I can impress my husband with my cooking skills Micah, I absolutely loved your quick write on drawing… so much detail Mark, your writing is amazing. I want to go to the ski lodge for coffee! Chase, I hope Ms. Turner can get a picture of Duke’s NCAA basketball trophy for you Mabel & Nayal, how could I ever forget the twins that I still can’t tell apart? Jennie, I never knew that we lived in the same neighborhood, see you at the pool during the summer Lauren, we have the same dress… I’m just glad that we didn’t wear it on the same day Shannon, I will always remember your love for John’s word of the day Megan, your Fibonacci poem was great… so creative Kylie, thanks for the advice about not getting hit by a car while riding a bike Meghana, I need a microscope to read your work, but I enjoy reading it, so it’s worth it Anna, I love your ideas on scrapbooking… so creative Alyissa, love the Coach boots Claire, I’ll have to try out your smoothie recipe, it sounds terrific, oh and thanks for always telling me that I make you feel tall 1st period Sarah T., duct tape on flip flops… I like it! Miia, your eagerness is so impressive. You will always be ready for anything! Garren, I loved your Fibonacci poem on sleep…zzzzzzzz Avery, you’re such a sports fan…have fun at the Auburn game Naomi, your writing is impressive… I wish I could see what you come up with in the future, it will be great Shaluma, I love your Fibonacci poem with the fly in the ice cream sundae Adyson, pizza is my favorite food, so I really enjoyed your Fibonacci poem Hope, such a sweet girl… and always ready to help with anything Ruel, thanks for teaching me how to build a bridge over a ditch… my husband will be impressed Mallory, reading your how-to essay reminded me of when I learned how to do a back handspring Riley, I promised to not call you Brittany, but I failed. Sorry for that, but I got it now, I promise Sade, you know I love your glasses… BTW, where’d you get them? Parker, your handwriting still impresses me. And, I know your work when you forget your name Mollie, stuck at a table of boys… Mrs. Alicea was so happy to hear that you are doing well Devan, I’m sure your mystery podcast will be great Danny, I will never forget how you asked me to help with your stuck locker…sorry that I couldn’t open it Christopher, your infatuation with porta-potties fascinates me Abby, your smile is contagious; I just hope the boot isn’t Sarah S., I will always remember how I used your name as an example of alliteration (my name used to be an example of alliteration too) Emily, I can see you as a cheerleader… your enthusiasm is absolutely infectious Jay… or is it Bob? You remind me of my younger brother… He tried to use Bob as his name too with a teacher Lindsey, you are always smiling… you make me smile too Lauren, I always know that when you raise your had you have something important to say Shaylen, you’re so polite, and that is wonderful to see so early in the morning Alyssa, your love of Never Shout Never made me look them up on ITunes, plus I’m still scared of your infatuation with Ryan Seacrest Aaron, such a gentleman at a table of ladies Alex, you’re the sweetest tomboy that I’ve ever met… ever 2nd period Matthew, your mischievous smile makes me smile everyday Melody, you’re absolutely adorable Remy, you can explain almost anything… I really appreciate that Ethan, you’re so quiet, yet so knowing Ben, I will try out your Grilled Cheese recipe… garlic salt, an ingredient that I’ve never thought of Carter, you are so imaginative… I can never wait to see what you can create Riley, you are such a joyful student… I’m sure every one of your teachers would agree Joey, I will never forget your name after you reminded me that your name is the same as a baby kangaroo Josh, your writing is hard to read, but worth the trouble John Paul, thanks for teaching me how to make a paper airplane Morgan, I can never forget your name, since it was my last name before I got married JP, peas up the nose? I will never look at peas the same way again Hunter, you always have a hand raised and an answer ready Kylie, I love your drawings, they are amazing Jake, your ties are great… as is your love of flamingoes Erin, you make me feel like I am the student, I can’t believe that you are only in 6th grade Sidney, your How-To essay reminded me of when I learned how to do a back handspring Emma, you come into class everyday with the most positive attitude Ashton, you are always happy… such a great quality Catherine, I admire your quiet poise Adena, I know you’d rather read than write, but you really have a talent for writing Jenny, you sound like quite a chef… I’m sure your family loves to eat your creations Annamarie, you are so much fun to have in class 3rd period Jalen, I’m just happy that you haven’t run into a wall while walking and reading a book Emma, I loved your Fibonacci poem and the drawings were amazing Allison, you remind me of myself at your age… I loved to read too Anna Faith, your roller coaster experience was hilarious Carolyn, I will always remember your shoes that are never, ever tied Sam, you have moved to 1st period… I miss your presence during 3rd period Luke, broccoli in lemonade, really? Destini, you are such a talented writer, everything you write is impressive Princess, your //Life Doesn’t Frighten Me// poem was absolutely amazing Oudochi, thanks to you I know have the perfect peanut butter and jelly recipe Devon, you always seem to be deep in thought Alex, you love to be silly… it is refreshing and fun to witness Dayton, I want to learn how to play capture the flag after reading your how-to essay Kate, sorry about springing the post assessment on you… can you forgive me? Rebekah, I’m so glad that you really enjoyed learning Fibonacci poetry Joe, you always want everything to be perfect… that is a quality that will take you far Zack, it’s ok… I like to complain too Isabelle, you are so unique… you really know yourself Mark, your dancing on the way back from the cafeteria makes me smile every day Carolyn, it is a mystery that you never trip, since your shoelaces are never tied Paloma, you are so well adjusted after so many moves Matthew, I smile when I see your Fibonacci poem on the wall… do you really eat that many eggs Zachary, your How-To essay on playing the tuba was extremely informative and fun to read Michael, your drawings are really impressive… you have real talent

Reflection #2 This week I introduced 6th graders to Fibonacci poetry. This is poetry based on the mathematician Fibonacci's sequence (0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34...). You come to the next number in the sequence by add the two previous numbers. Each number represents either the amount of words or syllables for each line. I decided to write a poem about my first day of teaching jitters. I also wrote one to share with each of the 4 classes that I have been teaching.

Morning Drive

Deep... Breath... Relax... Me- the adult They are twelve years old Do not have them see you nervous This feeling will eventually subside... I hope That day will come, of course I don't know when... I will just have to try and remain patient.

My Dog... Ace is my dog a little black ball of fury ready to take on a squeak toy ready to take on a hike at Kennesaw Mountain ready to take on a night of fighting for the green blanket at the foot of the bed

Daily Journal Entries Day 1 October 4 8:45-1:25 Class periods 1-3 Today was a bit unsettling… When I got to the school, I was told by the 6th grade administrator that he would figure out my placement and to give him 10 minutes. I was unsure of what he meant by that. Did he already know that I was coming and had to tell the CT? Did he even know that we would be there today? I didn’t know, so I sat and waited. When he called me back he told me that he was new to the TOSS placements this school year. He set me up with a 6th grade AC Language Arts teacher, Ms. Wynn. I left his office and went to find her on her morning duty. I met Ms. Wynn by the cafeteria at her post. We didn’t have much time to talk: the homeroom bell was going to ring soon. I followed her to her classroom and the kids started coming through the door. I really wasn’t sure what to think at that point… I mean Ms. Wynn didn’t even know I was coming today. I was terrified. By the time Ms. Wynn and I had a chance to talk, the HR kids (who are also her 1st period) had started their morning routine. We discovered we were both from Florida (east coast) and had gone to Florida schools and had degrees in English. She was great and really just rolled with what she had been thrown only a short time before. She told me that she had asked for a TOSS student, she just didn’t know if or when one would be assigned to her. I definitely began to feel more comfortable. That is until she told me her schedule. She didn’t have planning until the end of the day. I have a KSU class on Monday and Wednesday from 3:30 until 4:45 and wouldn’t be able to stay for her 2:33 until 4:15 planning until the next day. We worked out a schedule for me to be in the classroom for the same 3rd period class each day. I would come in at 9:30 until 1:30 on Monday and Wednesday and 11:30 until 4:15 on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. I was beginning to become more relaxed, thinking that this could work out after all. Ms. Wynn was in the process of conferencing with students on their narratives of a bad hair day. After introducing me to each class, she asked students who still needed conferencing if they’d like to conference with Ms. Winslow. They were all eager to share the rough drafts in their writer’s notebooks with me. It was so much fun talking with the kids and seeing what they had produced. The rest of the time I was there flew by; before I knew it I had to leave. I said goodbye to Ms. Wynn and the students as they were leaving for 4th period and left for KSU. Day 2 11:30-4:15 October 5 Class periods 3-4 plus planning Today I felt much more comfortable, especially since my last name is so close to the students’ teacher’s last name. The 3rd period class remembered my name! Since all of Ms. Wynn’s classes are Advanced Content 6th grade Language Arts classes, each class follows the same agenda. First up for today was Daily Grammar Practice. The students had to ID sentence type and correct. Then they met with their phone buddies (a way to get them up out of their desks) and share answers. Once seated, the sentence was discussed by the entire class. After the DGP, the students went on to peer edit their narratives. After each student exchanged their writer’s notebook with another student, they were told to look for 2 things: evidence of action verbs (too many state of being verbs?) and sentence beginnings with repetitive words (transition words). Once they finished the edit, each student used the feedback to re-write at least 3 sentences of their narratives. After sharing how some students had changed their sentences, Ms. Wynn gave the students an Exit Ticket questioning what they had learned that period. After 4th period, Ms. Wynn took me to her grade level meeting. The meeting focused on student led conference week (10/18-10/22). It was really interesting to see what teachers talk about in meetings. The one thing I noticed was that they all wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible to start their own planning. Day #3 9:30-1:30 October 6 Class periods 1-3 Today was day 3 of DGP… diagramming the sentence. Oh, I don’t think I wrote what this week’s sentence was. It was i rode my old yellow bicycle I figured that I could do this week’s sentence, but what if next week’s was much harder? I have not diagramed sentences in a really long time. Scary stuff. I really don’t want to give kids the wrong answer. I made a mental note to look up sentence diagramming before I took over. After the students met with their buddies (could be phone buddies, square dancing buddies, break dancing homies, etc.) there was more conferencing on the bad hair day narratives. I felt like I was settling in, I was just having a hard time remembering students’ names. This was especially hard since I saw different groups of students on most days. The group I had the best idea of who was Morgan, Sarah or Jalen was 3rd period, the only class that I was able to see Monday through Friday. After 3rd period ended I left, happy with how the day turned out, but still worried that it had been 3 full days and we hadn’t had a chance to talk about what I needed to teach. Day #4 11:30-4:15 October 7 Class periods 3-4 plus planning Today the students did a Quick Write in their writer’s notebooks instead of DGP. After the Quick Write, the students either went to Ms. Wynn or myself for conferencing or worked on the final draft (Due tomorrow 10/8). Things went smoothly. I was noticing that things went smoothly every day. The kids in each class followed directions and remained quiet. This was not what I expected from a 6th grade class (AC or not). The atmosphere was just so easy. Everyone just knew what was expected of them. If only I could harness a little of Ms. Wynn for my first few years of teaching! During planning Ms. Wynn had 6th grade Language Arts group planning. I got to meet the two other 6th LA teachers. They were just as welcoming as Ms. Wynn. The meeting didn’t last much longer than 45 minutes. The 3 teachers talked about the narrative elements Post Benchmark test that was scheduled for Monday (the first day of the 2nd 9 week period). After planning, Ms. Wynn and I had a chance to talk about my 10 days of teaching. This comes at a good time for her, as she is just finishing up narratives. The next unit would be on technical writing. Ms. Wynn printed out some things from Picasso for me to look over. By then it was 4:20 and I had to navigate my way through the halls filled with kids to get to my car. Day #5 11:30-4:15 October 8 Class periods 3-4 plus planning Today was the DGP weekly quiz. After the quiz, the last few students came to conference with either Ms. Wynn or me. Many of the students had finished their final drafts and begun working on their final products (either a storyboard or picture book of their narratives). The two class periods went by quickly and before I knew it, we were walking the kids to connections. During planning I helped Ms. Wynn with attaching the rubric to each final draft that had been turned in. After that, Ms. Wynn printed out class rosters for her 4 periods and I went through each class determining which students had not yet turned in their final drafts (they could still turn it in before homeroom started on Monday morning). Before I knew it, the afternoon announcements came on over the loud speakers. I had finished my first week! As happy as I was with how the week went, I was nervous about planning for my 10 days of teaching, but that was what the weekend was for…