Silk Road Days

In continuation with the last entry, I also wanted to post a few pictures of an event the sixth graders took part in called Silk Road Days. During the Ancient China unit, the students got to participate in this outdoor event to help them have a more hands-on experience of the Silk Road. I show the classroom here to also showcase the collaborative effort in general that was used in the sixth grade classroom. But while tables seem like they would be a wonderful way to get students to collaborate with one another, they really turn into a way to keep students in constant chit-chat with one another! The usual daily conversation in class: "I need to see all students who have their backs toward me turn their chairs completely around and face me...That means I need to see your eyes looking at me...Class, I know you don't have eyes in your backs, Ok, do I need to show you how to turn your chairs around? Elyse, this includes you, and Jose, Connor, Jorge, that direction was meant for you as well.... Oh, and I didn't just mean turn them around for a moment, class... they must be turned around until I tell you that you can face your classmates again. Ok, let me show you one more time what I mean when I say to turn your chairs COMPLETELY around and face me.... Let me find just ONE student who is following directions completely... um... one student??? :) :)

Silk Road Days involved students going to different stations. At each station, they had a poster on it that showed them a map of where they were in their Silk Road journey, and also included a little information about what was so special in this area. Students had to keep a journal of each place they visited, and they also had to describe the task that they were given there. At this Beijing station, for example, students were making "glass" beaded rings... and they learned how beading was an intricate form of decorating clothing, and was only done for the great emperors... so, in turn, each student got to be emperors and empresses at this station. It was very fun, and for the most part, the students enjoyed these activities a lot.

Here, the students got to learn how to put on a sari, which was probably their favorite station (they boys especially loved this one)
And of course, students got to take part in a tea party, and eat some yummy rice! The students showcased here, Aylin, Sokbrani, Victoria, Daisy, and Noemi (facing backward) were my absolute favorites... I will miss them dearly.

Last Day Student Teaching

Now that Monday has come and neither Jeremiah or I are at school, I wanted to take the time and reflect on this past year and our teaching experiences. Jeremiah completed his first full teaching year in Compton, and I just completed my student teaching semester, a semester I dreaded since I began the credential program almost five years ago! Turns out I had such a great experience, and I learned a lot. But of course, I am sooooooooooo happy that it's all finished now! I took some pictures on the very last day, and a few of them are posted here. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of my 7th graders, but since I had two sixth grade classes, I generally felt more connected with them, and so I guess it makes sense that they're the ones pictured here. This first one is of me with my wonderful master teacher, Heather Valdespino. I was so blessed to have her to work with, and she gave me the confidence I needed to want to continue teaching! (Since many student teachers have horror stories attached to their master teachers, I consider myself extraordinarily blesses)


This next picture is some of my students from Period 2...just my way of capturing the cute personalities of my
11- year old 6th graders. While many had yearbooks to sign, many others, as pictured here, brought around shirts to have their freinds sign.
This is my entire period 8 class - the 6th grade class that kept me definitely energized. There were only 6 boys in the class, and the girls were all best friends with one another (as you can catch a glimpse of with some of the hugging in the picture) Girls were hugging each other daily in this classroom before they decided they should probably take their seats to see if I had any kind of interesting thing for them to do that day :) I think I'm going to miss these guys the most.
And this is my entire 2nd period class. Unfortunately the pictures are a little blurry, but I think anyone can see the monstrous size of this class...There were a total of 37 kids in this one! (not so certain if they're all in the picture or not). Notice how in both pictures, some students weren't looking at the camera....even with multiple invitations to do so.... now try and multiply that by 10, and you can begin to imagine that challenge of keeping all 37 of these kids on task all the time! :)