6th week in teaching practice

I started this week with fresh mind and full of energy after I took two weeks break. The theme for this week was 'people who help us- doctors and nurse' and the letter of the week is 'V' which they learn it before. Before I start teaching them we had a discussion time about what they did during the holiday and each child had the chance to speak. What I realized that the students forgot everything even the small things like our classroom routines. I started the lesson and we negotiated about doctors for example what doctors do? Who help doctors? And what doctors use? I used some pictures and rialia of doctors' tools such as plaster, bandages and medicines. Also I asked two students to come in front of their friends and be the doctor and the the nurse. Furthermore, we went to visit the school nurse in her clinic and they had amazing session with exploring and participating in learning.

After that day when I asked the students what we did yesterday and who we visited they were not responding and they showed that they did not understand what I asked them. I spoke in Arabic more than English and sometimes I was mixing the two languages with out I recognized it. I felt so sad that I spent long time in the first whole with asking lots of questions and without receiving answers or attentions. I used the behavior chart which is the smiley and the sad face but it didn’t work. Moreover, I did with them some exercises to grab their attention and it worked for a moment then when I moved to the letter of the week some of them were responding while the others were distracted.

On the other hand, with all of these issues that I faced and the mistakes that I did the students had a good time in finishing the activities which they had to do a doctor bag in the Art area, create their own vase for the letter 'V' and they played very well with the doctors equipment in the role play area.  

What I had problem with this week and I have to think of is their behavior that I have to manage it again and I have to go through the rules and insist on following it and use praises more.

These two students' were playing in the role-play area with the doctors and nurse tools.

  

 The students' were finishing their doctor bag.

 

The students ' were creating their vase.

Role play activity

Last week we talked about the firemen as one of the people who help us and we had lots of fun activities that we integrated with that theme. I introduced the theme with a story about the fire engine and we went through some books about firemen that we discussed the pictures together. During the activity time we did fire truck and it was group work in outdoor area. To make the lesson more meaningful we went to the fire station in the next day and the students enjoyed it and I noticed that in the next day when they talked about it during the 1^st whole. They were enthusiastic while they negotiated about what they saw and did in the tour. Because of that, I decided to make something new and take risk to do a small role-play with the students even if it is their first time.

To start the role play I discussed with the students about what they did in the fire station and what they saw. Then I asked the students to close their eyes and imagine that there is a fire on a house. After that I let the students to lead the role play and what I did was I helped them by asking some questions to move on. We had fun together and they liked the role-play. We sang together and we did some actions at the end of the role-play. The students were totally engaged to the drama however there were few students distracted with the things around them in the class and what I did was I involved them by asking them to be in role of something.

Next time I will integrate my lesson again with a small drama if it is suitable with the theme because I found lots of students that were silence in the lesson they participated in the role-play. They were also asking to repeat the role play in the next day and we did it again in front of the HOF which she like it either.