For the 2017/2018 school year I had the amazing opportunity to loop with my 3rd grade students to 4th grade. Knowing my students in advance has allowed me to challenge them more academically and to challenge myself professionally.
Flexible Seating:
I started researching flexible seating when another teacher in my Masters program mentioned making the switch in her classroom in one of the classes’ online posts. I discovered I had already been adopting aspects of it and wanted to go all the way. I have always believed that a classroom should feel like a home, so making the space where they work more comfortable seemed like a no brainer to me. Students in my classroom now have the opportunity to sit on pillows, wobble stools, bucket seats, or even to stand. This change has dramatically changed the way some of my students learn and attend to task.
Moms and Muffins/Dads and Donuts:
The school that I work at is 8 miles out of town and serves a high poverty population. Almost all of our students are bused to and from school on a daily basis making connecting with parents a more difficult task. This year I wanted to invite parents out to be a part of the day with their students. Once a month “moms” (any female figure in their lives) or “dads” (any male figure in their lives) are invited out to enjoy treats and read books with their students. My 4th graders can’t wait to show their parents the invites each month and it helps the parents feel involved in a low key and manageable way. Towards the second half of the year we decided to make it a community outreach as well and invite players from various sports teams at the community college, church groups, and other adult organizations to come as well.
Masters Courses:
After having 11 of my 17 students be English Language Learners in my first year of teaching I realized I needed more teaching tools for my toolbox in order to meet their needs. I decided to join a cohort of teachers in Gillette who were completing an English as a New Language Endorsement through Black Hills State University. These courses helped shape my teaching as I was able to directly apply my new learning to my lesson plans. After completing the endorsement I decided to continue my degree and finish a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
Language Learning Portfolio- BHSU Linguistics for Teachers of ESL Students
Action Research Portfolio- BHSU Action Research
Curriculum Design Paper- BHSU Curriculum and Instruction
Designing Assessments- BHSU Assessments
Curriculum Design:
Designing meaningful lessons and truly planning out the teaching of each standard are invaluable to the learning that will then take place. In the Spring of my first year of teaching I was asked to join a small group of Third Grade teachers tasked with the work of designing Language Arts Units for the entire district. This work not only helped me feel more confident in my knowledge of the standards but made integration across curriculum more attainable as well. When I switched to 4th grade I moved onto the Fourth Grade team as well bringing the knowledge of what the standards looked like in the previous year to my team.
Quarter 4 Pacing Guide- Schabauer 3rd Grade
3rd Grade Curriculum Map- CCSD Units of Study Team Member
4th Grade Quarter 4 Unit- CCSD Units of Study Team Member
Vocabulary Focus:
Working with a population of English Language Learners has made explicit vocabulary instruction a very important part of my classroom. Students are provided with language stems, anchor charts, and academic vocabulary throughout the classroom to enhance their writing and conversations.
