Field Placement 2

Again when I arrived to the classroom, the students were participating in their annual morning game. After their fun and energizing game the students sat on the carpet for show and tell. Each time one of the students finished presenting their item they asked if there was any "thoughtful questions or comments." This was interesting to watch because the studies truly embodied being thoughtful and respectful to each other. this activity also taught them to have respectful social skills which I believe is so crucial to learn at a young age. After these morning activities the kids moved to the tables to begin their core subject and started with math. They were learning number lines and how to use number lines to assist them in both addition and subtraction problems. This was interesting to me because when I learned subtraction and addition I remember being required to learn it by simply knowing how much to add, or subtract, and taking time tests on it. This showed me how education is constantly changing to find different and unique ways to teach the kids to learn most efficiently. After math was spelling, and for spelling the kids were split up with the other second grade classes based on their level of learning. Mrs. Ferek explained that they took a test in the beginning of the year to test their reading and spelling capacity. This shows how tests create an immediate label on the kids, but I do understand why there is a need for it. The group that was with Mrs. Ferek seemed to be the struggling group because most of the kids were off task and very confused about their spelling words. One kid in particular kept asking for “the ball” which was a small ball that Mrs. Ferek gave to him so he could play with it while working on the spelling words. This showed me how if a kid is struggling with concentration, there needs to be available accommodations for the child in order to help keep the child focused.