I'd be so happy I could...melt!!
I'm Feeling: 
accomplished
Oh, I'm so happy. Sooooo so happy!!
Yesterday, I had to do my own Read-Aloud lesson with the first graders because the project is due Monday. So, with some help from Mrs. D last week, I crafted a lesson that I was feeling pretty OK with. Actually, I was super excited until the night before, when I became so nervous that sleeping wasn't easy - it took me that long to realize, HOLY SHIT, I have taught before, but never my own lesson and never to 18 kids all at once!!! OMG!!
I was so nervous all day, my stomach was doing flips. Finally at 2, she handed the class over to me.
I was on my own with the kids for the first time for a whole hour and I didn't crash and burn. Holy smoke. I'm proud of myself.
My pre-reading activity went shorter than I had anticipated, which was a good thing. We talked about the four seasons ("Fall, Spring, Summer and Snowy!!" according to one student), and then what we see the trees doing during those seasons. Then I read The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree (by Gail Gibbons) to them, pointing out the leaves of the tree in each season. They liked it.
Then, I had them fold a strip of paper into fourths (they thought it was really cool when they unfolded the paper and all of a sudden there were squares on it!) and write in the boxes, "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter," then draw a tree trunk in each box. That was really fun to watch. Then I separated them into 3 groups and had them sponge-paint on the leaves - pink for Spring, green for summer, yellow for fall, leaving the winter tree bare.
"But Miss Battinelli, shouldn't we paint white on the trees?"
"Huh?"
"For snow! I want to put on white."
Crap, Miss Battinelli hadn't thought of that. Quick teacher-thinking...
"Yes, Abby, but what part of the tree are we painting in the other boxes?"
"The leaves!"
"Yup, exactly. And in the winter, does an apple tree have leaves on it?"
"No, they all fall off."
"Yup. So that's why we're not going to add anything else. What if you looked at your picture later and forgot what you painted? You might think that an apple tree had white leaves in winter!"
"Oh! That's silly!"
Whew.
So except for washing up, the whole thing went really smoothly. Colby ended up with entirely green hands. Mrs. D asked him why he was totally green and not to touch anything until he washed his hands. So, naturally, Colby rubbed his hands all over his face and became a green, smudgy Smurf-esque child. Fabulous.
Well, there's always one, they say.
But Mrs. D gave me great feedback. She said she was really impressed with my transitions, and that the painting tables went surprisingly smoothly (surprised the hell out of me, too!!), and that I talk so well to those kids, I'm going to be very good when I take over in February - that I'm a natural.
Thank God. Now, to meet the parents tonight at Curriculum Night. Wish me luck!
accomplished
Oh, I'm so happy. Sooooo so happy!!
Yesterday, I had to do my own Read-Aloud lesson with the first graders because the project is due Monday. So, with some help from Mrs. D last week, I crafted a lesson that I was feeling pretty OK with. Actually, I was super excited until the night before, when I became so nervous that sleeping wasn't easy - it took me that long to realize, HOLY SHIT, I have taught before, but never my own lesson and never to 18 kids all at once!!! OMG!!
I was so nervous all day, my stomach was doing flips. Finally at 2, she handed the class over to me.
I was on my own with the kids for the first time for a whole hour and I didn't crash and burn. Holy smoke. I'm proud of myself.
My pre-reading activity went shorter than I had anticipated, which was a good thing. We talked about the four seasons ("Fall, Spring, Summer and Snowy!!" according to one student), and then what we see the trees doing during those seasons. Then I read The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree (by Gail Gibbons) to them, pointing out the leaves of the tree in each season. They liked it.
Then, I had them fold a strip of paper into fourths (they thought it was really cool when they unfolded the paper and all of a sudden there were squares on it!) and write in the boxes, "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter," then draw a tree trunk in each box. That was really fun to watch. Then I separated them into 3 groups and had them sponge-paint on the leaves - pink for Spring, green for summer, yellow for fall, leaving the winter tree bare.
"But Miss Battinelli, shouldn't we paint white on the trees?"
"Huh?"
"For snow! I want to put on white."
Crap, Miss Battinelli hadn't thought of that. Quick teacher-thinking...
"Yes, Abby, but what part of the tree are we painting in the other boxes?"
"The leaves!"
"Yup, exactly. And in the winter, does an apple tree have leaves on it?"
"No, they all fall off."
"Yup. So that's why we're not going to add anything else. What if you looked at your picture later and forgot what you painted? You might think that an apple tree had white leaves in winter!"
"Oh! That's silly!"
Whew.
So except for washing up, the whole thing went really smoothly. Colby ended up with entirely green hands. Mrs. D asked him why he was totally green and not to touch anything until he washed his hands. So, naturally, Colby rubbed his hands all over his face and became a green, smudgy Smurf-esque child. Fabulous.
Well, there's always one, they say.
But Mrs. D gave me great feedback. She said she was really impressed with my transitions, and that the painting tables went surprisingly smoothly (surprised the hell out of me, too!!), and that I talk so well to those kids, I'm going to be very good when I take over in February - that I'm a natural.
Thank God. Now, to meet the parents tonight at Curriculum Night. Wish me luck!