{"content":{"sharePage":{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"45796982","dateCreated":"1320703083","smartDate":"Nov 7, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"vllybllaly4","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/vllybllaly4","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/eled3152seniors2011.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/45796982"},"dateDigested":1532174331,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Reflection of first Day 11\/7\/11","description":"Practicum 2011<br \/>\nReflection 11-7-2011<br \/>\nWow, what a first day! I was so amazed at the size of the school and how many students it held. Mrs. Tarantino\u2019s fourth grade classroom is like nothing I have experienced before.  In my past practicum placements I have been in younger grades, so fourth grade is a whole new world to me. They are HUGE! Not to mention independent.  I found her classroom to be very inviting. She and her students were extremely welcoming, and I felt right at home.  Her classroom is set up in a neat way. When you first enter the classroom there is a room, separated by a half wall, which houses the students\u2019 personal space. This is where they keep all their belongings. In this area there is also a small kitchenette with cabinetry and a sink.  This was proven to be helpful during transitional times because students could go into that divided area to get their things without disrupting the class.  The students\u2019 desks and Mrs. Tarantino\u2019s desk is on the other side of the dividing wall where the instruction takes place.  The classroom consists of 25 students; 13 girls and 12 boys.  There are also three other students that are special education students. They are brought into the classroom for a few subject areas, but they aren\u2019t there for the majority of the day.  I was shocked to hear that there are seven fourth grade classes which each have at least 28 children. That is a ton of fourth graders! I must have had a shocked look on my face when Mrs. Tarantino told me that because she went on to explain that A.L. Lotts Elementary has over 1500 students. I have never been to an elementary school with that many students before.  Mrs. Tarantino gave me the morning to ask questions and observe her teaching style, which was beneficial to me. I was able to pick up on the different learning paces in her classroom.  She has a wide range of academic levels and she was very considerate in telling me about each and every one.  During planning we were able to talk and collaborate about lesson plans and such.  She explained that there were two subjects that would not be beneficial for me to teach while I am there; Reading and Math.  They are trying a new paced curriculum for reading and math and it is not going over very well. She has to move at a certain pace in order to cover all the material and she feels as though her students aren\u2019t learning what they need to know. She also doesn\u2019t teach science in her classroom. However, she wants to see a lesson from the science in a box, so she set aside time for me to do a science lesson next Friday. I am also going to jump in with a read- aloud, and do a writing lesson from our science in a box.  The students in her classroom seem to be very open to me being there, and were all extremely sweet.  After lunch, she put me to work helping students with language arts centers and handing out papers.  Overall, the day was wonderful! It went by so fast! I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"45798626","body":"Aly - thanks for being so prompt with posting your reflection!  You'll need to put this on your personal wiki page - it may be easier to just copy and paste it.","dateCreated":"1320704276","smartDate":"Nov 7, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"lsuters","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/lsuters","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1288056444\/lsuters-lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]}],"more":false},"comments":[]},"http":{"code":200,"status":"OK"},"redirectUrl":null,"javascript":null,"notices":{"warning":[],"error":[],"info":[],"success":[]}}