Watersheds, Welds, and Winter Storms: Week 3

           Week three of student teaching started off with not one but two two-hour delays! Both Monday and Tuesday of this week, Elizabethtown School District had a two hour delay from the hyped up blizzard of 2015. I was thankful school was not closed and appreciated the few extra hours of sleep I got each morning. I was well rested Monday morning and ready for another awesome week at Elizabethtown. I made all of my copies for the week on Monday during my prep period, something I plan to do each week as I develop my routine. I started off the week by teaching about the three major types of aquatic ecosystems in my aquatic resources class. The class was a few minutes shorter than normal due to the delay. I wasn’t paying attention when I looked at the clock and seemed to rush through the material only to find out I was going by the normal schedule and not the two hour delay. Talk about panic! I had my students create a poster where they had to depict and differentiate the three different types of aquatic ecosystems. Between the notes, poster, and feeding the fish, class ran right up until the bell. My biggest takeaway from Monday: slow down and be able to think on your feet!

            Tuesday started off with another two hour delay. The extra sleep had me well rested and ready for an awesome day. In aquatics, I shifted the focus to abiotic and biotic factors and how they influence aquatic ecosystems. After reviewing some notes, my students created a poster of a chosen aquatic ecosystem and drew and labeled 8 biotic factors as well as 4 abiotic factors. Class ended with a short article, worksheet, and feeding the fish in the aquatics laboratory. I felt much better about class today and thought it was my best lesson yet! I felt very comfortable in front of the students and many were asking great questions throughout the lesson! I felt very good about class today and hope great days like this one continue!

 

            On Wednesday, we had a normal school day, no two hour delay today! In aquatics, I taught my students about watersheds. I started the class off with a few notes and had the students color and label a map of Pennsylvania and its six watersheds. My students then had to read a short article about watersheds in Pennsylvania and complete a short worksheet. To finish the class, I introduced students to the end of unit assessment watershed pamphlet project. Students were required to choose one city of four possible choices in Pennsylvania and create an informative pamphlet about the watershed the city lies in. I provided a descriptive paper as well as a rubric so students would have a better understanding of the task and how they would be graded. 

            Students were given the entire block on Thursday to work on the project since it is an in-class project. I stayed after school Thursday night up until the parent/teacher open house. The event started at 6:30 and concluded at 8. I enjoyed meeting some of my students’ parents, even if it was only a few parents! Friday in aquatic resources was another work day for students. Most of the students finished up their watershed research project about half way through the block. I handed out the next assignment that I had planned to do with students during class today. I had planned a debate surrounding the issue of water usage. Students selected a viewpoint to represent and started formulating arguments and key points. Class ended with a visit to the aquatics lab to feed the fish.

            This week was busy, productive, and fun! I have gained a deeper insight into the logistics of teaching, especially with planning, preparation, and adaptations/accommodations. As I look ahead to next week, I will be having my first visit from Dr. Ewing, my university supervisor on Wednesday. I have planned a mini unit on wetlands with the help of Mr. Anderson and I am super excited about it! My students will be learning about wetlands, completing several in class activities, and then creating a wetland display in a display case in the hallway! I practiced welding several beads at the end of the week and will have more opportunity to practice next week as well.  It’s been an awesome three weeks so far and I can’t wait to see what the coming weeks have in store!