420 Placement Syllabus

1. 420 Placement Syllabus

2. To purchase: • 420 notebook (binder 1) • 421 notebook (binder 2) • Assessment portfolio (binder 3) • plastic sheet protectors (420/421 notebooks) • tabs (labeled & inserted into notebook in the order of appearance in syllabus-9 plus the “subcategories” of your resources section) • Printer ink & paper

3. Timeframe • DO the work the week as indicated • SUBMIT the work the following Monday (aka: notebook packets) • Pick up the work that Friday • Place in notebook immediately

4. Map • Due once, week 7 (March 9 packet) • Must be computer generated • Answer the questions a) how does the classroom environment demonstrate expectations and beliefs about children? b) what are the environment’s strengths and limitations?

5. Comments (March 3, 2009) (title, date) 1. Desmond (9:00-Arrival) Children were putting their coats in their lockers. D: Do you know what I had for breakfast? Me: No, what? D: Yucky Charms! 2. Sam (9:10-large group)The teacher was teaching a lesson on national symbols. The discussion veered towards war and how war has changed since the colonists began the American Revolution. Sam raised his hand to ask a question. S: "Do the soldiers today, like the ones in Iraq, still have swords and stuff?" 3. Nora (9:55-transition)The class was waiting for a few minutes after the history lesson was done for the next activity. Several students around Nora were talking. Tyler: "I've looked at people's desks and they're messy. Jennifer has a lot of stuff inside." Nora: "If you're complaining about messy desks, you should look at your own desk!"

6. Observation Wednesday, Feb. 27 (date) 10:05-10:10 (five minutes exactly) Ali (first name only) Description: (behavioral statements) Ali sits in the sandbox on his bottom with his legs stretched out in front of him. He is wearing long pants, gym shoes and a bulky winter coat. He runs his hands back and forth in the sand as he watches his friend Devon scoop sand with a shovel into a red bucket. Devon leaves the sandbox. Ali gets up to get Devon's bucket and shovel. He crouches in the sandbox, using the shovel to scoop the sand. He holds the shovel in his right hand and moves it with ease. He uses his left hand to hold the bucket. He places five scoops of sand in the bucket, then pats the excess down on the top of the bucket with the shovel, wacking the sand. Still crouching, he searches for rocks in the sand while still holding the shovel in his right hand. He places rocks in a pile in the middle of the sand with his left hand. He places them carefully, a couple at a time. Ali’s friend, Aidan, runs past the sandbox, calling his name. Ali looks up and smiles at his friend. He immediately flips the shovel out of his hand behind him, and runs out of the sandbox after Aidan. Interpretation:(your thoughts about their behavior) Ali usually plays tag and chase with a regular group of friends so I was surprised to see him playing in the sandbox. This was the first time I’ve seen him play there all semester. I was wondering what Ali was thinking when he was running his hands through the sand as he seemed to be in a trance. Perhaps the movement and tactile stimulation was soothing to him. Does Ali engage in tactile play (like the water table, finger paint) in the classroom? I wonder if he was watching Devon in an attempt to understand what to do in the sandbox. He was especially observant of his friend. Ali went right to the sandbox when we went outside. What prompted this today? Did he have a busy morning at home and needed some solitude? Were his friends giving him a hard time in the classroom this morning? Ali is confident and verbal and has the skills to express his feelings. He looked very comfortable. Physically he was adept at using the shovel and bucket. He seemed comfortable perched in a squatting position for a while, even with his bulky winter coat. And he seemed socially comfortable-he didn’t look up to search for his friends at any time in the sandbox. He was engaged in his play the entire time. When his friend called to him, he looked up with a smile. He wasn’t upset by being interrupted or seem to hold any bad feelings toward his friend.

7. Learnings (Week 7) (Title & week) Monday (2/25) (day & date) Today I learned how to use the copy machine. (start each sentence with “I learned…”) Tuesday (2/26) I learned that my coop has 2 children: a girl named Heidi and a boy named Brian. They are fraternal twins and attend Illinois State University. Wednesday (2/27) Today I met our speech and language therapist. We had a classroom planning meeting. I was impressed with the therapist’s knowledge of the students and their IEP goals. My coop asked lots of questions about how to address their goals throughout the day. I learned that many of the activities that we routinely do, such as opening, help address those goals. Thursday (2/28) (indicate days you are absent) I did not attend placement today. I was sick. Friday (2/29) (indicate days & reason why you didn’t attend placement) No School-Spring holiday

8. Photos •follow the photograph policy of your school •caption photographs •take a wide variety: classroom activities, the environment, etc. •PPT is a good application for combining photos and captions •absolutely NO photos of children can be posted on Facebook

9. Resources •teacher handouts •classroom newsletters •teacher training information •school information •student work Categorize the artifacts into various subsections by topic (language, math, staff information, parent information)

10. Connection Papers •connect a placement experience to class •specifically cite a reading, class discussion, or Paley book •1-2 pages long •try to make sense of the experience. How did the experience challenge or reinforce your beliefs as a teacher? •opening paragraph from an actual connection paper: I recently made an important connection between Vivian Paley’s The Girl with theBrown Crayon and my placement. The Girl with the Brown Crayon tells a wonderful story about wonderful teaching. I have observed this same manner of teaching in my co-op’s first grade classroom, particularly during literacy activities. The Girl with the Brown Crayon proved an important belief in early childhood education: No matter how young children are, they can understand stories. Paley’s extensive use of Leo Lionni’s stories amazed me. She discussed the ways that the characters entered “our stories, our play, and our ordinary conversations” (p. 49). Under her guidance, the students made insightful connections between Lionni’s stories and their own lives. These connections dealt with friendship, race, and gender; all of these issues are relevant to children’s lives. I admired the way she tackled these issues by helping her students focus on difficult moments in their own lives. Reading about these difficult moments helped me see the power that stories can have on people.

11. Parents (Week 7) (title and week) Monday: I met Emma’s mom at arrival. Tuesday: Mason's dad came to the room before school started to drop off the treats for her birthday. I introduced myself to Mason's dad and helped Mason carry the juice to the snack table. Wednesday: Casey's Mom picked her up from school today. I introduced myself and complimented Casey’s work today during math tub time. Thursday: no contacts today (list all days even if you didn’t have contact) Friday: I sent out my letter of introduction today.

12. Lesson Plans for Mentor Sessions •word processed •must be handed to mentor when s/he arrives. •use lesson plan format (website) •during the session with your mentor, take notes in the “post-lesson reflection” section. •post-lesson reflection section must be completed and submitted in the next notebook packet.

13. Letter of Introduction •1 page long •nicely presented: neat, no grammatical or spelling errors • include a picture •give professional AND personal information •what can you share about yourself that will help you connect to your students and families? (pets, what you liked to do when you were in school, girl scouts, favorite food, birthplace, etc) •include contact info (email & school #) NOT your home phone

14. General formatting & management tips: •follow format specifications exactly •read & reread the syllabus •you can print back-to-back •please place papers back-to-back in protectors •have tabbed notebook ready •when your work is returned, place into your notebook sections immediately •carry a notebook/clipboard for recording comments, observations & your thoughts •type up comments & observations daily •be professional in all recordings-don’t write anything that you wouldn’t want your coop or a parent to read.

15. Homework • Go shopping! • Begin to write your letter of introduction • Print out mandatory paperwork forms off website