Time Keeps Flying By!

Another week, another story to tell!  This week flew by, just like the rest.  I had two unit tests scheduled and a county public speaking contest quickly approaching.  The students all worked hard to review and prepare for all of these upcoming events.

Monday started with a catch up day in Introduction to Agriculture.  We wrapped up the Dairy Judging unit and worked to make sure everyone entered their placings the way they needed to on the entry cards.  We also had several presentations of posters from the conservation unit.  After students were finished they were given time to update their AET.  Horticulture worked through an activity to compare and contrast the needs of seed propagation versus cuttings in order to wrap up the propagation unit.  I worked through speech presentations each day with students in FFA/SAE in order to prepare for the contest that is this coming Tuesday.  Veterinary Science learned about the avian digestive system, and then compared and contrasted what happens in each of the different types of digestive systems.  I wrapped up the school day with agriculture mechanics.  We continue to work through calculations of Ohms law, as well as how to calculate kilowatt hours.  I wrapped up the day with an organizational meeting for the planning of an Athens FFA Alumni, which was a great experience!

Tuesday I introduced Soil and Hydroponics Management to Introduction to Agriculture by having them begin a two day lab completed on the computer.  Students worked through different activities and quizzes on websites in order to see where they stood on their knowledge about soil.  I believe the activity went really well.  I wasn't planning on it taking two days originally, but I am glad that I gave the extra time after seeing that not everyone was able to get as far as I expected them to on Tuesday.  From there I moved into a review day with Horticulture in order to ensure that they were prepared for the test on Wednesday.  Veterinary Science was a fun, interactive day as we worked to assemble particles of "food" to send through the digestive system.  Each student was assigned a part of the digestive system.  To review the functions then, we passed the particles of food down through the digestive system.  I was really pleased to see the activity unfold.  It lead really well into the review of the digestive system unit prior to the test on Friday. 

I facilitated the second day of the soils lab with Introduction to Agriculture on Wednesday, and tested Horticulture on propagation.  FFA/SAE continued to give their speeches to the class, and provide feedback for each student who presented.  I had intentions of reviewing the digestive system with Veterinary Science, however, I decided to facilitate an activity where the students worked through their notes and books to create questions to review the information from the chapter.  I wanted to see what they thought was important, not just tell them what was important.  Agriculture Mechanics continued to work through how electricity enters the house from the power line and the different types of cable.  We also spent some time reviewing classroom expectations and consequences to ensure that everyone was on the same page.

Thursday.  I can't believe how quickly Thursday came around!  Introduction to Agriculture discussed how not all soil is the same, and completed an activity to show how different factors affects soil.  Students worked to draw pictures to represent those factors.  With the weather warming up, Horticulture has begun to clean up the greenhouse in order to start planting seeds.  I designed a Jeopardy game to review with Veterinary Science using the questions they had created the day before.  I liked seeing what they thought was important so that I could reemphasize anything that they may have missed.  Agriculture Mechanics spent time learning about the difference between various wires.  Before I left for the day I made sure that everything was in order for Friday, as I was spending Friday in State College for a meeting.

Friday was a great experience.  The student teachers were all brought back together, and we were able to work in small groups to fine tune lessons that didn't go quite as planned.  We also worked through stations in which we were dealing with different scenarios that we may find ourselves in down the road.  Some of the scenarios were really thought provoking, and a great way to get us thinking about situations we may find ourselves in.  Overall it was a great experience!

This week should be another great one.  I am excited to continue working with each of my classes as we continue through this journey.

The Journey Continues....

What a busy week!  I feel like I blinked and it was Friday again.  This week began with a trip to Harrisburg for the State Legislative Leadership Conference with 6 students from Athens.  The three day event was packed full of workshops and things to do.  When I was a student participating in events like SLLC, I thought I left tired.  Boy, tired didn't even begin to explain how I felt after leaving the conference as an adviser!!  The kids learned a lot, and had fun while doing so.  We had the opportunity to complete community service by cleaning out a house in downtown Harrisburg, which was an interesting experience in itself!  Overall, everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves.  The conference was concluded with a breakfast with our legislators on Tuesday morning, which was followed by a tour of the Capitol.  Athens, Troy, and Canton FFA (all located in Bradford County) toured together.  Our legislators were all busy, so we weren't able to meet with them after they left the breakfast, but they made sure we had a guided tour of the Capitol building.

Wednesday we found out half way through the day the kids were going home early due to weather conditions.  The day was spent going over the work students completed while we were out on Monday and Tuesday.  We did not have eighth or ninth period, so my second section of Horticulture and my class of Ag Mechanics did not have class on Wednesday.

Thursday was another short day due to a two hour delay (down South, they would have had the day off for the road conditions we came to school in!).  Thirty minute periods.  That is a challenge!  How do you accomplish anything in just thirty minutes time?!  I continued to work through a mini dairy judging unit with Introduction to Ag, provided work time to edit speech manuscripts for FFA/SAE, introduced grafting with Horticulture, and continued to work on calculating watts, volts, and amps with Ag Mechanics.  Vet Science was given a work period to finish up work that had been assigned while I was out because a lot of students were out sick or on the trip with me.  Before I knew it, the short day was over. 

Friday, already?!  I couldn't believe that the week had already come to an end!  Today we had a representative from PDE come to conduct a Chapter 339 visit.  I was fortunate enough to be involved in some of the process, however, since we missed so much of the beginning of the week, we felt it was more important for me to remain in the class teaching the students.  I wrapped up the dairy judging unit with Intro to Ag by having them work to judge the Hoards Dairymen Contest.  FFA/SAE students each met with me to go over what they were working to make changes on in their speeches so that I could answer any questions before the Final Draft is due on Monday.  I am working to wrap up the Propagation unit with Horticulture, and conducted an activity to demonstrate how to complete successful cuttings using fruit roll ups and twizzlers.  The activity went well for the most part, but I think most students were more concerned about eating the candy than learning the material.  Vet science reviewed ruminant nutrition in order to prepare for an activity on Monday (I am really excited for the review activity I have planned!!).  I finished the day by working with Ag Mechanics to teach them how to calculate their electric bill.  I had a few students really understand how to properly complete the problems, but I had other students who just would not stay on task.  On Monday, they will have a new seating arrangement in hopes that they will respond better.

Friday night we had our last Bradford County Dairy Judging practice before the spring contest.  I was out helping with that until almost 10:00 PM.  Oh, the life of an ag teacher!  There is always something to be done!

As I look into next week, it is going to be a busy one as well!  I will be reviewing and testing my Horticulture classes as we wrap up propagation, as well as my vet science as we finish digestion.  I will begin Soil Management with Intro to Ag, and continue public speaking with FFA/SAE.  Ag Mechanics will continue through the Introduction to Electricity unit as we prepare to move into Basic Household Wiring.  The work keeps piling up, but it is worth it!

Half Way Point.....Can it be?!

I feel like this week went by even faster then the past weeks.  I can't believe I have reached the half way point so quickly!  I feel like so much has been accomplished, but I still have so much more yet to do.  This week has been full of a lot of review as I worked quiz and test my students on what they have covered so far in their classes.

I spent time with my Introduction to Agriculture class finishing up posters on Conservation.   My intentions for this project were for the students to take the information they learned in class and do research to make it more personal.  I wanted students to begin to think about the issues that arise within soil and water conservation that affect their lives.  However, I realized as they were doing their research that the students weren't seeing just how important this topic really was.  After spending a day presenting posters, and reviewing the unit as a whole and taking a quiz, I decided to have the class participate in a class discussion.  I began to ask the students what they learned.  They spit back the information that had been given to them, telling me how we had little fresh water, and we needed to conserve it.  However, I still didn't see that they really understood the importance.  I asked them what we could do with this information to really make a difference nationally, and even globally, in soil and water conservation.  Answers such as creating brochures, and commercials were thrown around, which didn't seem like bad ideas.  However, I then challenged them to think about whether or not those things would actually make a difference.  The room was silent.  I asked them if anyone had changed anything they do after learning about our limited water supply, and the effects soil erosion and pollution could have on them.  No one had.  We then talked about if it really mattered for them.  They realized in America, we have it easy.  We EXPECT water to come out of the faucet when we turn it on.  We EXPECT there to be enough land to produce the endless amounts of food that are available to us.  I then challenged them with this question:  If you had to carry every ounce of water you use in a days time, would you then conserve water?  Would you still EXPECT a fifteen minute shower?  It was then that I saw the students start to get it.  When we talk about the water cycle, and water availability, it isn't a national issue, it's a global issue.  We wrapped up the discussion to wrap up the unit.  I learned a lot, and will make a lot of changes before I work through this information again in the future, but overall, it was a really good learning experience.  Next week I will be working through a mini Introduction to Dairy Judging unit before moving ahead with soil and hydroponic management.

I worked through speeches with my FFA/SAE students, who will all be presenting their speeches at the county contest.  We went over different ways to prepare for the contest, and worked on digging deeper into subjects in order to vamp up their final drafts.  We will continue to work through the public speaking unit as we begin presentations on Wednesday of this coming week.  I am excited to see the students progress with their public speaking skills!

My two sections of Horticulture were productive this week.  We worked through the last part of seed propagation, took a quiz, and will now head into asexual propagation.  I am really pleased with the students response to my instruction.  I believe that they are really learning the information well, and they are being really patient as we wait for the supplies to get into the greenhouse!

This week I picked up Agricultural Mechanics with the Electricity unit.  A class full of high school boys, who laughed at me when I told them my first classroom expectation is Respect.  I have made it half way before having a difficult time, so I can't be surprised, but this will undoubtedly be a class to test me.  I feel that I have done well in sticking to my consequences, however, I am nervous as they begin to reach the point where I planned to remove them from the class.  I have found the key with them is to keep them busy, however, I can't have them in groups, as they have not proved that they can handle that yet.  I believe this will definitely be a new adventure as I continue to work with this class.

This week we also had the delivery of our strawberries, which was a fundraiser I helped put together.  They first moved ahead two days on delivery, then were pushed back a day, making the final delivery date Wednesday.  We had a busy day as we worked to make sure everything was handled smoothly.  Friday was another eventful day.  Halfway through third period Mr. Steinfelt had a fire call, after the second call went out, the school arranged for immediate coverage, and I taught forth (which was already my class) and fifth (not my class) on my own.  I feel that I was better prepared this time, and overall, it went pretty smoothly.  I have learned that you never know when duty may call, that is for sure!

I am really enjoying my time in the North.  I find myself working later and later every night, and I look forward to the extra time to get work done on the weekends, but in the end, it is rewarding.  I look forward to this second half of my experience, but I know it will come to an end all too soon.

Many Lessons to be Learned

We did it! We had a full week of school for the first time all month! No delays, no cancellations, a full 5 day week!  So much more can be accomplished when you see the students five full days in a row!  This week has been full of good moments, and some not so great moments, but with each comes the opportunity to learn and grow.

Monday morning began with my Introduction to Agriculture class.  We only had soil erosion to get through before we began working on our unit project.  I planned an activity that had the kids use their books to answer a question.  I wanted the students to see that their book would be a great resource to begin their search for information for their projects.  However, I under estimated how much time it would take the class to read the two pages of information I wanted them to read.  What I thought was going to take 10 minutes, quickly became 20 or 25.  I wrapped class up, and immediately started thinking about how I could make things better on Tuesday.  My FFA/SAE class spent the period working on debriefing from FFA Week.  I had them work together to make a list of things that went well, and what they would do different for next year.  I was pleased with their work and the information they came up with.  This class was followed immediately with my first section of Horticulture.  Monday was dedicated to reviewing the crossword puzzle they had been assigned as homework, and introducing the terminology that was needed to begin teaching the punnet square.  Both sections of Horticulture went pretty well on Monday, leaving me excited to teach the punnet square on Tuesday.

To bounce back from Monday, I planned an interactive activity for my ninth grade class.  On Monday they read about twelve specific things that can be done to prevent soil erosion.  On Tuesday, I had the class line up based on height, and then partnered students up.  Each group was given one of the twelve practices they read about, and asked to draw a picture representing that practice without using words.  After the groups were finished, we did a gallery walk around the room.  Students looked at each picture, and worked to identify which practice it was representing.  The participation from the group was good, and I think it tied in nicely with the previous days work.  My punnet square activity went over well in Horticulture as well.  I had students ranging in experience with the punnet square, from those who didn't know what it was, to students who were learning about it right now in Biology.  We spent the class working through scenarios, and ended class with each student writing their own scenario and completing the punnet square to go along with it.  I also picked up Veterinary Science on Tuesday, I took the whole period to introduce myself, get to know the students, and go over classroom procedures.  Overall, it was a good day.

Wednesday, arguably the most difficult day of this week.  The students were tired, the week was only half over, and, after all, this was the first full week in quite some time!  I provided first period with a rubric for their project and explained to them what I was looking for.  I asked if they had questions, and, seeing none, we went to the library to begin research.  I quickly realized that their was confusion, and not just from some, but majority of the students.  However, I don't believe it was a wasted day, because the students had time to learn about resources available to them from the librarian.  When third period came around, half of the students in my FFA/SAE class were absent.  The lesson I had for them was going to go over better if I had more students, so I gave the class the period to work on updating their record books.  Horticulture.  My plan was to go over the definitions that were covered in the crossword puzzle and make sure that they were really understood.  Instead of clearing up confusion, I created more of it.  As students questioned, I began to question myself.  My first section left, and I felt defeated.  I worked to improve what information I had before I had the class again eighth period.  Veterinary Science was a success, we learned the parts of the digestive system, and the class then worked in groups to create a model using play dough.  After they finished, we discussed the order they had the parts in and made sure that everyone had that correct.  My second section of Horticulture went better than the first, but we were able to spend half of our time in the hydroponic greenhouse taking care of some things that needed to be done. 

I began Thursday by working to further explain what I expected from the students in Introduction to Agriculture with their soil or water conservation posters.  I explained that I wanted them to focus on one specific issue and do more research on it.  Overall, their was less student confusion, and I was able to answer questions and help point students in the right direction.  I feel I also redeemed myself in Horticulture.  The confusion on Wednesday came from explaining scarification and stratification.  I decided to do an activity on Thursday where I provided half of the class with an article on stratification, and half the class with an article on scarification.  They were told to take notes, put things in their own words, and half the information ready to present to the other half of their peers.  The students took longer to read than I had anticipated, but after they finished, I think they really enjoyed teaching each other.  I had them partner up once, and then after they taught their first partner, I asked how many people took notes.  Seeing no hands, I had them rotate partners, recommending they take notes this time!  After they finished, I had two students stand up and explain the opposite of what they originally read about.  I was pleased with how well they did!  Veterinary Science was given a similar task.  After learning the parts the previous day, using a Go Get It e moment, they were each given a part to research and determine it's function.  They then shared with the class what they found.  Again, I was pleased with how the activity turned out, but realize how much quicker it would be if we were fortunate enough to be a one to one school.

Friday rolled around, and the kids were all dragging.  It was the first full week for them in a while, and you could tell.  The entire period was set aside for research for Introduction to Agriculture, so I spent time walking around clarifying any questions that came about.  FFA/SAE spent the period in a speech manuscript boot camp.  After reading their speeches, I decided to set up stations for them to go through to help them better prepare their speeches for the contest.  They responded pretty well, and either Mr. Steinfelt or myself was able to give each student one to one feedback on their rough draft.  We had a lot of maintenance to get caught up with in the greenhouse, so both classes of Horticulture spent about half the class out working on changing water, cleaning the tubs, and adding fresh water and nutrients.  The other part of class was spent on talking about the four things needed for germination. I wrapped up the week of the digestive system by assigning a project.  I groups of two, they were to create a digestive road map.  In this map, each part was to have an "attraction" that would describe the function of that part of the digestive system.  They were provided the example of a "saliva stop" water park for the mouth.  The attraction then needed to have a description to show that they understood the function, without just stating what the function is.  I got this idea from my ag teacher, Janine Stottlemyer, and absolutely love it!  The kids were able to use their creative juices to make connections to the parts and their functions!  I am really excited to see the completed projects on Monday!

As I look into the week to come, I will wrap up Soil and Water Conservation with Intro to Ag, and begin a mini unit on dairy judging.  I will continue working on Public Speaking with my FFA/SAE kids, and Horticulture will continue with plant propagation.  I will continue with Digestion with Vet Science, and add electricity with one section of Ag Mechanics I.  It will be a busy week, but I am excited to continue this journey!

National FFA Week on the Flip Side!!

National FFA Week; a time for FFA members, alumni, and supporters to advocate for agricultural education and FFA.  Throughout my years as an FFA member, I spent many hours trying to help plan activities that would make for a fun, memorable week.  Now, this year for the first time, I was helping from the side of the advisor!  My students worked long and hard to plan a week that would help to increase agricultural awareness among the members, student body, and the community. 

In order to increase awareness of the local agriculture program within the community, the students decided that they would like to partner with the local Tractor Supply to help promote the Scholarship Campaign they ran through FFA week.  After talking with the manager, the students decided to dedicate Monday, their day off, to setting up a display at the store and strike up conversations with customers about what FFA is, and how it has been beneficial for them!  They also decided that it would be best for every student to be wearing Official Dress.  The response from both the customers and the management were beyond positive!  At the end of the day we were assured that our presence helped a great deal with increasing donations to the scholarship campaign.  I would highly recommend partnering with Tractor Supply to every program at any point of the year, but especially during FFA Week!

This week Tuesday was an in service day for Athens faculty.  During the morning program we had a guest speaker presenting about how to integrate literacy into curriculum.  I learned a lot of new and forthcoming information and techniques!  Look for a blog about these strategies to be coming soon!

The original plan for Wednesday was for the school to participate in a Trivia Day.  However, with the last two days of last week being snow days, the students didn't have all of the prep work and advertising of events done, so everything got pushed back to Thursday.  The FFA/SAE class spent Wednesday planning for the rest of the week.  Introduction to Agriculture reviewed the information that was covered the previous week since they had an entire week off from school to forget information, and then was given time to update AET and ask any questions they had about the program.  I had one section of Horticulture that I had covered my introduction with last Wednesday and another section that I did not.  We had work that needed done in the greenhouse, so my first section had a work period to get that taken care of, while my second section went through introductions of me to the students and of the students to me.  I also covered my classroom expectations and procedures, and introduced the plant propagation unit to them. 

Thursday was an extremely busy day.  We had about three days worth of FFA Week activities crammed into one day!  The day began with an early morning at the school to prepare for a faculty appreciation breakfast.  Several students came in early to help cook and serve over 30 faculty and staff members breakfast and then clean up afterwards!  The faculty were extremely appreciative!  We then held Trivia Day, which entailed an agricultural related question being asked over the loud speaker at the end of every period, and the first student in the office with the correct answer received a coupon for a free chocolate milk!  We also celebrated Blue/Gold day, and most FFA members who own official dress participated by wearing it to school!  The FFA/SAE class put together a PowerPoint showcasing ways to get involved in FFA that they wanted to share with every ag class.  Affiliate membership now means that every student in the ag program in an FFA member, however there are some that still refrain from being an active member.  As a class, it was decided that in order to increase awareness amongst these members, they wanted to make sure they knew exactly was available to them.  Every class period on Thursday was then presented this presentation by actively involved FFA members.  The kids did an awesome job of sharing personal stories that really got teh classes attention!  I was very proud of them!  There was a regular scheduled FFA meeting during PM Advisory on Thursday as well, during which we had our group picture taken for the yearbook! Perfect timing for an awesome picture showing off a lot of blue and gold jackets!!!

Friday.  Boy did that get here quick!!  Throughout the week we had a sign up in every lunch period for a Pedal Tractor Pull competition.  During each lunch period on Friday, then, we had those who signed up come down and compete against each other.  The male and female winner from each period then came down at the end of the day for a pull off!  The school had a lot of fun seeing who was the strongest and could pull the sled the furthest! Throughout the week there was also jars with teachers names who had volunteered to participate in a "Kiss a Cow" contest that were set out each lunch period.  The teacher with the most money collected then had to kiss a cow at the end of the day on Friday! 

Overall it was a packed full week!  The students were pleased with the turnout and results they had from their very abbreviated National FFA Week! Next week should be a little more "normal!" I will begin working on a conservation poster project with my Introduction to Agriculture class, dig deeper into plant propagation with Horticulture, begin public speaking with FFA/SAE, and pick up Veterinary Science with a digestion unit!  I am quickly learning that no plan will go exactly how you thought it would, but that planning ahead definitely pays off as you work through the last minute changes!  This is such a learning experience, and even though it is a lot of work, I am truly enjoying it!  At the end of the day, the students make it all worth it!

A Week of Adventure!

What a week of adventure this has been!  I have had many exciting experiences all wrapped up into one week!

I began the week by continuing my soil and water conservation unit with my Introduction to Agriculture class.  On Monday we began by going over the worksheet that was provided for the students to complete on Friday with the substitute.  The students were then given paper to complete a drawing of the Water cycle using all of the definitions we had just went over.  The students responded well to the activity, and were really able to display their understanding of the water cycle.  I finished the class by having the students review all the things we use water for.  Everyone wrote this down and then were assigned homework to keep track of each time they used water throughout the next 24 hours.  My SAE/FFA class was given time to work on National FFA Week activities.

Tuesday was spent going over water consumption with Introduction to Agriculture, where we were able to come up with a class average on water consumption.  We then talked about all of the hidden water that is consumed in the production of our food and clothing.  It was an eye opener to the students to see how much water is actually used in just one days time!  The SAE/FFA class worked to finalize FFA Week activities, get the final approval, and present everything to the class.  Overall, it was a good day!

Wednesday: the day of my first observation from my University Supervisor, Dr. Foster!  I was prepared to conduct a lab with my first period class, an activity with my SAE/FFA class, and planning to take over both sections of Horticulture by introducing myself and getting to know the students.  First period went well, the students responded well to the pollution lab that I had planned for them, and I wrapped up in time to bring them back and tie everything up before the bell rang.  Third period brought on my SAE/FFA class, and they enjoyed the activity that they had to learn the four styles of leadership.  They finished in time to take a few minutes to work on details for FFA Week.  Forth period was my first section of Horticulture.  The students took longer to finish their exam from the previous day than we anticipated, so I was rushed to get through just the very beginning of my introduction.  Overall, I was rushed and the students knew it.  I planned to go over the information on Thursday to make sure that I really got my classroom expectations and procedures through so that they understood.  We then moved into the Ag Mechanics I class fifth period.  I am just helping out with this class at this point, and the students are working on a welding project.  It wasn't until about half way through the period that things got interesting.  A few of the boys in the class decided that instead of walking to the other side of the shop to cool their metal, they would simply open the shop door and dip their metal in the snow: not a big deal!  That is until they noticed the smoke that was reaching into the sky from the other side of the school!  They called Mr. Steinfelt over (who is a volunteer firefighter) and showed him, and they all proceeded to turn on their scanners.  It wasn't long before everyone knew that there was a house fire on First Street in Athens.  Within minutes, the phone rang in the shop, and Mr. Steinfelt answered it.  After he got off the phone, he came and informed Dr. Foster and me that he may have to leave.  It took a few seconds before I realized he was serious!  There are a few teachers in the building who are released from their positions whenever an emergency needs to be handled.  As Mr. Steinfelt waited for the sub to get their to release him, he went over the plans for the rest of the day.  I was not allowed to take kids in the shop for 6th period, but that he hoped to be back for 9th period.  Needless to say, the day got more interesting then I had anticipated!  It all worked out, and the remainder of the day went about as good as can be expected in the given situation!  Overall, I was pleased with the day!  I finished my plans for the following day, and left to head home at a decent time.  I was sure that we were going to have school on Thursday, so I left some of my binders at school.

Thursday.  We were supposed to get a few inches of snow, nothing too bad, and nothing too early in the morning.  I figured we would have a 2 hour early dismissal.  I was wrong.  A few inches turned into over 8 inches that accumulated on top of the 12 inches we still had laying around.  I woke up to the information that we were indeed closed, so I had a whole day to get work done!

Friday was spent in State College for a Student Teacher Seminar.  There was a great variety of information covered and provided throughout the course of the day.  I was able to vamp up my resume and further understand what to put in and what to leave out of a cover letter.  I also learned a lot about what to consider before walking into a job interview!  Overall I really enjoyed being able to catch up with the other student teachers and talk through successes and challenges that we have been facing.  Athens had a snow day, so I didn't miss a day of instruction

This weekend Athens FFA traveled to ACES with 37 students!  It was definitely a whole new experience to attend a conference that I attended as a high school student as a chaperone!  I had experience with this feeling during National Convention, however, this time, I had developed rapport with students in the classroom, so I felt more like their teacher than I did at National Convention.  We were able to keep track of all 37 students with no problems, and they all had a great time!  I also learned a lot of valuable information about the AET system in the teacher workshop. 

As a student teacher, I was drafted to help with the courtesy corp duty on Saturday night.  The highlight of this experience was undoubtedly a hotel staff member telling Jessie Ross (another student teacher) and I that it was past curfew and we needed to get back to our room.  It took a few moments for it to sink in that he actually thought we were students!  In that moment, it really sunk in that I am not a student anymore! 

Overall, it was a very eventful week, and I learned a lot!  I am excited to get back in the classroom with my students on Wednesday!  We will see if the students still know what school is after having a whole week off!  I will pick up the Horticulture classes by beginning the Plant Propagation unit of instruction.  My FFA/SAE class will be conducting the FFA Week activities, and my Introduction to Ag class will more forward with conservation!  It should be a great week! I mean, it is National FFA Week, it is sure to be AWESOME!!!!

Week of the Snow Storm!

It is hard to believe that we have already completed week three!  The weeks seem to continue to go by faster than the last.  This week had several big moments, including picking up my second class, surviving my first Northern Tier snow storm (over 14” of snow, easily!), my first snow day which was followed by a two hour delay (hello short class periods), preparing my first set of sub plans, and my very first state record book contest.

 

Monday I picked up my ninth grade Introduction to Agriculture class.  We began a unit on soil and water conservation.  On Monday I introduced myself, got to know the kids, went over my classroom policies, and used the remaining time to simply define conservation and its importance.  I decided that as I observed that the class was pretty good, but there were a few groups of talkers.  So on Monday, I had the students fill in the seating chart where they were sitting, but explained that the right to pick their own seats was one they would lose if I felt necessary.  I debated this for a long time, and after talking with Mr. Steinfelt, decided it would probably work to allow them to feel that they had a say in where they sat as long as they were aware that it was a privilege that could be taken away any day.  I also decided to have the students write their bellwork and ticket out on one sheet of paper to be handed in on Friday’s for weekly participation points.  I explained to the students that it was important to take these seriously because they would be a great resource to study from.  Overall, the class went well.  I was excited to dive into the content on the second day!  My FFA/SAE class followed my Introduction to Ag, and we worked all week to plan FFA week activities.  Monday we worked as a class to determine the final list of events and then split up into committees to work on planning individual days.  I was really pleased with the ideas and discussion the students carried on throughout the course of the entire week.

Tuesday was the real test for my ninth grade class.  I planned an activity utilizing the “How Wet is Our Planet” activity out of the Project Wild Aquatic book.  I began the class by asking the students why Earth is referred to as the Water Planet.  This was a good way to lead into the discussion about how much water on Earth is actually usable for all of our needs.  I then turned the discussion to determine what all the sources of water are on Earth.  As students named off the sources, I handed them clear plastic cups that had that water source written on it.  After all of my cups were distributed, I had the students who did not have a cup partner up with someone who did.  I then posed the challenge to the class as a whole to determine what percent of water comes from their water sources.  I gave the kids 5 minutes, but had to extend that time frame because it took so long to log onto computers.  Once they had an answer or an educated guess, they were supposed to put the amount of water that would be if we put all of Earth’s water in a 5 gallon bucket.  After each group was finished, I had one person from each group come to the front table with their cup to place the sources in order from the most water to the least water.  As a class we then decided if the order made sense.  After they had them in an order that they thought made sense, we went through and each group told the class what percentage they found, and we then discussed whether that was correct or incorrect.  When we were finished with that, I began the discussion about which sources of water were actually usable for human consumption.  This led to the main point that I wanted to make, which is that even though over 75% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, less than 3% of water is available for human use.  Overall, I think the activity was a good way to show the students how little water is usable, therefore showing the need for conservation, however, if I did the activity again I would definitely change a few things.  First, I would color the water with blue food coloring so that students could see it better.  Second, I would have the water in a five gallon bucket, so students had a better visual.  I talked through all of this with Mr. Steinfelt immediately after class, and he agreed that those both would have improved the activity, but that he felt the point was still made.

Wednesday ended up being my first snow day.  I had a full day to contemplate how I was going to better improve my instruction to fully engage my students.  First period is a very challenging class to teach, I believe, and I wanted to find ways to get the students really excited to be there.  My mission for the day quickly became revamping my lesson for Thursday so that my students would all be actively engaged.  I had a plan to take a problem solving approach to determine ways to conserve water, however, a two hour delay on Thursday resulted in a 30 minute class period that partially killed that idea. 

 

Thursday I spent the beginning of class revisiting the information from Tuesday.  I had two students who missed the class, and the rest lost the information they learned somewhere in the 12 – 18 inches of snow we had lying on the ground.  I believe that it was a good idea to review that information and clarify some of the information so that the students really understood.   I then challenged the class to come up with a list of all of the things they use water for throughout the day.  After they had a list that they felt was complete, we talked about it for a minute, and then I broke them into groups to come up with a way to conserve water for each of the things that were on the list.  My mistake this day was not realizing the clock was two minutes slow, therefore not raping up the class in time to hear everyone’s ideas, and discuss what was going to be expected from them on Friday when the substitute would be teaching them.  I am a little nervous to see what happened on Friday since I did not have that discussion with them.  My FFA/SAE class worked to develop a proposal of the week’s activities to get approved by the principal.  They will be meeting with her this week.  Before we left on Thursday, I talked through my sub plans with Mr. Steinfelt, which included a video on the water cycle with a worksheet for my Introduction to Agriculture class, and work time for a speech rough draft for my FFA/SAE class.   After making copies and getting everything in order, Friday was planned and in a folder easy for the substitute to find in the morning.

I ended my week by attending the state SAE record book contest.  I believe this experience to be beneficial for me.  I enjoyed the networking opportunities as well as the learning opportunities that this event offered.   My favorite part about the contest was honestly seeing the wide variety of SAE’s that students across the state complete!  It was interesting to see how different students made different projects work for them!

I am excited as I look into this coming week.  I will continue forward with my conservation unit with my Introduction to Ag class, begin leadership activities with my FFA/SAE class as they continue to plan FFA Week.  I will also pick up both sections of Horticulture by starting with a propagation unit!  I plan to continue to find ways to vamp up lessons in order to increase student engagement!