Level III Field

Experience
Notebook

Katie Oetker
210:120:02
Lynne Ensworth
Cooperating Teacher: Chris Weih

Grade: 5th
Jordan Creek Elementary
West Des Moines, Iowa
515-633-5200
Summary of Important Events
One of the best parts of my experience was seeing my teacher make
learning fun. He was definitely strict when it came to discipline and getting
homework turned in on time, but he made things fun for the students.
Instead of just lecturing and having them sit there for the whole period, one
day he found a you tube video that went a long with the lesson and we
incorporated that as a break for the students. Sometimes it is necessary to
mix up the way you teach to keep students motivated and willing to learn. It
was great learning how to get respect from students as well as showing them
that learning doesnt have to always be boring and non-interactive.
One of the most challenging parts of my level 3 experience was
transitions. The students were always transitioning into other rooms so every
period they were lining up to go to their next subject. My teacher didnt have
a set way that they lined up so it was sort of just chaos for a few minutes
until the movement of students actually occurred. I felt like a lot of time was
wasted during this time and students got really loud and werent managed.
This was especially hard for me to try to incorporate good transition
techniques when I began teaching because students werent use to having
any so they really didnt want to listen to me.

When I have my own classroom, students will know exactly how to line
up and how to behave in line. I really like having a structured room so it is
important that students learn these skills and rules at the very beginning of
the year so they can practice it every day. I will always remember that you
can usually find a you tube video to go along with any topic, you just have to
make sure that they are appropriate. This is a great break for students and
gives them fun examples to look at. I will also try to incorporate high-five
Fridays because it gives students a positive thing to do and it gives them a
fun short break from their learning.
Daily Journal Reflections
Day 1
I couldnt have imagined a more perfect first day of 5th grade. Right
away my teacher let me know whenever I felt comfortable taking over to go
ahead. I knew right away this was going to be a great experience. My
teacher teaches 4 sections of writing and one section of reading. I was a little
concerned about this set-up but I love it.
The first part of the day the students went to art so we had time in the
morning to discuss the lessons that I would be taking over during the week.
He gave me the writing book for Thursday and Friday to look over because I
would be teaching all day. The book they use has all the lessons laid out very
well for anyone to teach so it was very easy to follow along. We also found an
activity in one of his books to do on Wednesday because it is a shorter day
because of early out. This day is for skill teaching so we found a lesson on

sentence fragments that I will teach all day Wednesday. By this time I felt
very excited to get the day going.
When the students returned from specials it was homeroom time so I
got to read aloud a chapter of the book they are reading. After that the
switches began and I observed 2 lessons of writing. When it was time for
lunch, I talked with my teacher and he said that if I felt comfortable enough I
could teach one of the lessons. I taught the last lesson of writing to our
homeroom class since I am more familiar with these kids. I absolutely loved
it.
The last thing we did was reading. This was the first day of their ability
level reading groups. It was kind of chaos because they were trying to figure
everything out. The students were sent to their reading groups and I
observed my teacher introduce the mystery theme of the books. Because
things started later he ran out of time and had to wrap things up early. He
told me that it is very important to be flexible because you never know
exactly how a new unit will go. I had a great first day and cant wait for the
rest of the week.
Day 2
Today students had their specials in the morning so we had a break. I
took the students down to music then that teacher takes them to PE. During
this break, I talked with my teacher about teaching my lesson tomorrow. We
have shorter switches tomorrow because the students get out early. Instead

of following the normal curriculum this day they usually take it to do skill
building. He suggested I teach a lesson about complete sentences. He gave
me a lesson from a book that included a worksheet so I got that planned and
made copies of the worksheet for every student.
Today we are continuing to learn about the book Hostage. We didnt
get very far on it yesterday because we pretty much just talked about
mysteries and introduced the book. I also brought in my mystery box we
created in my science class. I put an object in it and they had to ask yes or
no questions to try to figure out what was in there. This got their minds open
to questioning and trying to solve a mystery which is what happens in their
book. It was a great way for the students to get involved and excited for the
unit. However, they got the first object right away but the second one was a
lot of fun. My teacher also read the book Charlie Anderson to them to get
them thinking about mysteries.
Today my teacher tested me by asking me everyone in my
homerooms names. I was pretty proud I got them all right. I think I will be
pretty good at remembering students names when I start teaching.
I have really observed that my teacher tries to make learning fun for
the students. He has great energy and responds positively to everyone and
tries to make them laugh as much as he can. He also knows when he needs
to be serious. It is good to see that he can have a fun yet serious relationship
with the students. They know that they can have fun in his class but they

also know when they need to be serious. I hope that one day my class will be
the same way because it makes learning so much more fun.
Day 3
Today the students got out early so our switches were only 30 minutes.
Today was the day that I started teaching my own lesson on my own. I was
sort of nervous to begin with but I had a planning period in the morning while
the kids were at specials to go over everything with my teacher and make
sure I had a good plan.
The first switch we have is a class with three students that need extra
help so there is at least one aid in the classroom to provide one on one
support to those students. Having more adults in the room made me rather
nervous, but I knew that they were there for my support as well. The first
lesson went alright except I didnt have many visuals to show the students. I
felt like it was kind of hard to explain the concept of subject and verb with no
visuals. After this lesson was over, I met with my teacher and we talked
about how to alter the lesson. So before the next class came in, I typed up
some sentences on the computer and put it on the screen. This made things
so much easier. I could teach better and the students could learn better.
They were also definitely more involved because I came up with questions
about each sentence that were on display. Seeing the sentences made the
answers to the questions more clear. I wish I had done this for the first class
because I felt they really would have benefited from it.

Starting this day, I truly felt like a teacher. At times my teacher sat in
the hallway where he could still hear me, but wasnt a distraction to the kids
and also to make me feel more comfortable. Being in the classroom by
myself made me so much more comfortable and my confidence as a teacher
went way up. This is something that I have been working on for a long time
and I feel like all my work towards it has finally paid off.
By the end of the day I was a real teacher. It was amazing. I couldnt
have had a better first day of teaching. I feel like I am finally on my way to
having a career as a teacher and I cant wait for it to finally be here.
Day 4
Today I taught the whole day and we had full periods. I ended up
adapting the lesson a little bit because we had a Halloween book that went
along with the lesson. Because the curriculum is laid out for us, we know
exactly what to say and what to have the students do. I ended up playing the
book being read aloud by Jerry Seinfeld. It was his book Halloween. The
students loved hearing him read it aloud because he has so much emotion in
his reading.
We are teaching about personal narratives, so after we listened to the
story, I asked the students a series of questions about the types of things
that went into his story. We also discussed sensory details. We talked a lot
about the different senses and the students gave great examples of different
sensory details they could include in their own writing.

After we discussed personal narrative more, students had time to work

on their own story. During my first class, I went around and helped the
students who needed one on one attention. They need help creating graphic
organizers to help them organize their thoughts before they begin their story.
I was glad that I was able to help them and it made me realize how important
it is to help students with special needs and not forget about them.
Another thing I learned today was how almost any YouTube video
(appropriate) could be used to discuss personal narratives. My teacher
played the Oprah video when the Black Eyed Peas played in Chicago and the
audience broke out in dance. It was a great way to mix up what was
happening in class as well as talk about personal narrative. I asked the class,
If Oprah was writing a personal narrative about this event, what all would
she include? I think it really helped students to because it was a visual of
another example. It is also important to make learning fun and this was a
great way to get students interested.
Day 5
Today we had shorter periods again because we had student senate
elections going on. It was so much fun to listen to their speeches. I taught all
day again. I pretty much just followed the curriculum again. I realized by the
end of the day that teaching the same lesson four times gets kind of boring.
It is great to not have to plan lessons because it is all there for you, but they
arent the most exciting lessons.

Yesterday, I was able to adapt the lesson and incorporate some

technology into it. I think that if this was my classroom I would be doing that
a lot more. I think that if I get bored teaching the lesson, the students have
to be bored too. They do a lot of writing and I wish that I was there longer so
I could see their final work. They continued their story they started the other
day. They will work on this writing for a while then they will eventually have a
finished piece. I wish that I could see how they all turned out.
I was so impressed with my students. They could not have been more
well-behaved and welcoming to me. Today was kind of sad because I didnt
want to leave at all. Like we were told, we wouldnt want to go back to
school. That is exactly how I feel. I feel so ready to be in the real world and
this experience has opened my eyes and made me realize that I will be
teaching on my own very soon and I can do it. I am so excited.
Lastly, one thing I loved about today is that my teacher called it highfive Fridays. Students get like 15 seconds at the beginning of the period to
give each other high-fives. It is such a great break for the students and when
my teacher did a count down from 5 they knew it was over. I thought the
management of this was great because it didnt waste much time but it gave
the students something fun to do. I love this idea.

Teacher Interview
What takes place in your classroom before the first day of school?

Set up bulletin boards, discuss health/academic concerns with staff,

coordinate schedules, have welcome back night where parents can
introduce themselves as well as drop off students supplies

What types of things do you make sure you do on the first day students
attend school?
Go over rules, but dont overwhelm students. Make sure students
always leave the first day happy.
What behavior plan is used in your classroom? Is there a model or plan used
throughout the school?
The whole 5th grade has a check system they use for behavior and
missing assignments. The first check is the first warning, second check
is another warning, and the third check is a warning and lunch
isolation. A fourth check requires a short parent-teacher meeting to
discuss the students self improvement plan. If a fifth check is given,
the student will meet with the principle and devise a plan to eliminate
the problem. (see documents) The entire school also follows the
character counts plan.
What type of grading/assessment system do you utilize? What role does
standardize testing have in your curriculum/school district? What is your
district doing to meet the No Child Left Behind mandates?
Letter grades are not given at the end of each semester in 5th grade.
Their homework receives grades so they can monitor their progress.
Their report cards focus more on skills development. To meet NCLB, the
district identifies the 40th percentile and below and develop
accommodations to help them be successful. For reading, students are
split up based on their ability. Students who need extra help and arent
as skilled in reading are in a lower level reading group. Their writing
homework is graded based on a rubric. (see documents)
How do you foster parent and community involvement?
There is always open communication. I am always sending and
receiving e-mails and phone calls. I encourage class visits to get to
know parents. Before school we have meet the teachers night so I get
to meet them pretty informally before school starts.
How do you accommodate students with special needs?

We have monthly staff-wide meetings to learn to accommodate

different needs students may have. I co-teach one of my classes with a
special education teacher. This class has three students with IEPs that
require them to have an associate available to them for one on one
attention so there is also another associate helper in the room with us.
This gives these students several go to people when they have
questions or need help.

What is your budget for supplies and printing for the year? How do get
materials you need?
Our print budget is $1000 a year. We have a very generous parent
support program. We get enough donations to fund a lot of extra things
for our school. One parent is even paying our admission and bus
drivers to take us to the science center. We are very lucky to have such
great parent support.
How many hours a day or week do you spend on schoolwork and meetings
beyond the regular school day?
I usually come in 4 hours on Sundays. I usually spend an extra 8 hours
a week doing extra preparation work or meetings. If I have a lot of
papers to grade its usually 14 extra hours a week spent at school.
Initially, how do you arrange your classroom setting and why do you choose
that arrangement?
We do a lot of cooperative group work so I like to use clusters. I also
like to change the seating arrangement once a month so the students
have new partners to work with and help them edit their papers.
What content subjects do you teach? How did you know what to teach when
you began in this district? Do you present content in thematic units? Does
your district test based upon district standards in each content area?
I teach writing. We are given a book called Writing for Meaning and it
tells us exactly what to do. I am very lucky to have this because not a
lot of extra planning is necessary. Our whole district uses these books. I
do teach in units. I also teach reading and right now we are doing a
mystery unit. I do teach to the writing standards of our district. I take
down data after grading their papers. I also conference with each
student to observe their progress.
How do you integrate technology into the curriculum?
I use YouTube videos whenever I can. I use the Elmo to display papers.
The students play spelling city online to practice their spelling words.
The students type their drafts in writing. The students practice their
typing skills on Type to Learn. It is also important to be able find
something else to do when technology fails!

What is the most important piece of advice you can give me as I enter the
teaching profession?
Teach to your personality. Dont be something your not because kids
can see through it. Make teaching and learning fun for everyone.
How do you collaborate with other teachers?
Be flexible with the mindset of what is best for the kids. Be open to
ideas. Some teacher are very set on what they want to you have to be
open to others and be able to adapt to what others want. We dont
have a lot of meetings we just find time during the day to talk and
send a lot of email back and forth. Just know that there will be good
days and bad days.
What are some resources you would recommend me acquiring before I start
teaching?
First Days of Teaching by Henry Wong
Strategies that Work
The Daily Five
What are things you to do establish positive relationships with students as
well as maintaining being a figure of authority?
Have class meetings so students know that they are important. Share
experiences with each other. Make connections with students so they
have respect for you and more willing to listen to you when dealing
with behavior issues. Make things fun but not too fun that things get
out of hand. Make sure students know that there is a time for play and
a time for work and they need to respect both.
Observation of Teacher Transition Techniques
List the ways your teacher has organized the classroom for hands-on, active
lessons. Make a list of at least 3 suggestions for yourself when you have your
own class.
Desks are in clusters so students can interact with each other and
share their ideas.
There is a classroom library that students are able to check books
out whenever they want.
Have classroom computers set up around the outside of the room so
students can work on things without being distracted from other
people in the room.
List the ways your teacher gains the attention of the whole group. Make a list
of at least 5 suggestions for yourself when you have your own classroom.

He would say loudly Hey everybody listen up

When everyone is quiet I will tell you the next directions
Stand there and raise your hand until everyone is paying attention.
Clap your hands
Turn off the lights

How does your teacher get students involved at the beginning of each day or
each lesson? Is this effective? Would you do it differently? If yes, how? Make
a list of at least 3 suggestions for yourself when you have your own class.
He has them turn in their homework from the day before if there was
any. Then he has them quiet down and they review what they talked
about the day before. I think this is effective. The only thing I might
change would be to let them know what they need out and the things
that they are going to use for the day. Have them get started on
writing or something so we know when they are ready to begin class.
Make a list on the board of what students need to get done before
class starts.
Make sure students always have a book with them so when they are
ready for class to begin we can tell because they are free-reading.
Have a list of questions on the board depending on the subject that
they know they have to come in and answer right away. This gives
them some background on whatever they are going to talk about that
day.
How does your teacher line-up or dismiss students? Is this effective? Would
you do it differently? If yes, how? Make a list of at least 3 suggestions for
yourself when you have your own class.
If there was homework due that day, he will get the papers and read
everyones name. Once he reads a name they can line up. This gets
them in line effectively and he can also tell what students didnt turn in
the homework or if their name wasnt on the paper he can tell this way
too.
Sometimes he would just say, line up. This wasnt very effective
because the students would get very noisy. I would have table groups
line up when they are quiet or call out people by what color they are
wearing or something like that.
Each student has a number. Call out certain numbers and have them
line up. For example, odd numbers, even numbers, numbers 1-15, ect.
What are the parameters the students are to follow when moving through
the hallways? Is this effective? Would you do it differently? If yes, how? Make
a list of at least 3 suggestions for yourself when you have your own class.
The students really knew how to follow rules when they were in the
hallway. They knew not to run or get too far ahead of one another. I

never had any behavior issues in the hallways. It seemed to be

effective because there were never any issues.
Have a poster of the rules by the door so students know how to act in
the hall.
Walk backwards when walking them places so you can always watch
the students.
Have students do a certain action when they are walking such as
always cross your arms or choose another action and play a follow the
leader type of game to keep them in line.

How does your teacher wrap-up a lesson or a class period? Is this effective?
Would you do it differently? If yes, how? Make a list of at least 3 suggestions
for yourself when you have your own classroom.
The students always had the last part of the class to work on their
writing so when class was almost done, he would dismiss them to their
lockers to get their binders for their other classes. This seemed to work
ok because they have gotten use to this routine.
Have a certain action to do (clap, snap) so students know its time to
put their things away.
Flicker the lights so students know to pack up their things.
Have a timer set and when the timer goes off students know that it is
time to pack up and that class is over.
How does the teacher make the most of the class time? Address the amount
of time spent on teacher-led instruction and seatwork. Is this effective?
Would you do it differently? If yes, how? Make a list of at least 3 suggestions
for yourself when you have your own class.
The beginning of class is spent going over what they learned the
previous day. Then something new is taught. Students usually have the
last 20 minutes for free write time to work on their drafts. This was
effective because writing is very important and it is necessary for them
to have enough time to work successfully on their own.
Allow more share time for students. Sometimes they get stuck on what
to write about and talking with a partner and giving each other feed
back can really help both partners.
Have students lead the discussion about what they learned the
previous day instead of the teacher lecturing about what they learned.
Have students use white boards to answer the questions at the
beginning of the lesson so it is more interactive.
List the ways in which students are encouraged to be actively engaged in
learning. Make a list of at least 3 suggestions for yourself when you have
your own class.
Always have questions that you can ask students to get them involved.

Make the class interactive so they arent just sitting there. Having them
move around or do hands on activities will encourage them to do the
work.
Allow students choice, especially in writing. Let them choose the topic
they get to write about. Also let them choose the books that they get
to read. It is more encouraging to read a book that you choose rather
then what you were told you had to read.

What are the noise levels your teacher expected for the classroom? Would
you do it differently? If so, how?
There wasnt a specific volume level that was given, but when things
got too loud, he made an announcement that things needed to quiet
down. This was effective most of the time but when students didnt
listen, it got distracting for other students when he had to stop the
class to tell people to be quiet.
List the ways in which the teacher plans for student contributions to class
activities. Are these equitable? Make a list of at least 3 suggestions for
yourself when you have your own class to ensure that student contributions
are equitably solicited and or recognized.
He has sticks with the students numbers on them.
Mentally take note of who you have already called on.
Make checks on a class list of who you have called on.
Call on people in order around the room.