Language Arts...

My middle school student teaching has begun and I feel like it is almost over even though I just started teaching. I have planned and taught my first two lessons. Middle school feels so much easier than elementary in the fact that I have one prep. For the elementary school, I did not have time to make a great lesson for language arts. Language arts was the last subject I added, and I didn't have the time to figure out the most successful route for the youngsters.

With middle school, I need to watch that I have a mix of opportunities for the students because they get bored if I talk to long. On Friday, I felt like I talked to whole hour, and I was sick of hearing myself speak, and the students were sitting in their chairs about to fall over. I know sometimes they will get bored and learning does not always have to be fun. I just don't like to see a sea of dull, unenthused students.

As for my lessons, I have already changed my Monday plans. I can't get to far ahead in planning because things change constantly. After teaching Friday, I saw a need for extra instruction done in a different way, so I had to modify and change things. I also had a few students that found the worksheet to easy. They were supposed to find two new words to define and write in a sentence from the novel we are reading. I had three or four students say that they knew all the words. The book is written in an easier way, but for the average eighth grader, they would be able to find new words. I changed my worksheet, so they could find a word or a piece of figurative language. I am glad I didn't make those printouts yet!

My fifth hour class is a challenge. They love to talk, and there are six or seven students that are friends. This makes for a tricky teaching experience. Mrs. R says the best thing for these classes is to keep them busy. After Fridays lesson, I see the importance of this concept. I am actually playing with the idea of changing some seats around. I know who talks a lot. Couldn't I just move some of the key players to more prime locations? Maybe I will give them a warning, and if that proves to be unsuccessful, Monday will be moving day. I'm good at splitting up and noticing trouble areas. I am going to have to think about this a little more. There is always something to ponder about.