Planning for Reading and Writing Instruction

A book that i have always enjoyed as a child and i believe would be a good thematic unit is Mr. Popper' s Penguins. The class i observed for the field experiences was reading this book as a class and the students really seemed to enjoy it. I would use it for an animal unit in learning about penguins and birds in general. They are considered to be birds but do not fly, an interesting exception for students to observe. With reading each chapter, i would let the students free write about what they expect to happen next and allow them to draw pictures if they wanted. Since the book is about penguins living in the city, i would ask the students to write about what they would do if they were in Mr. Popper's shoes or how they would react if they were Mrs. Popper. Another activity would be to write a story as the penguin exploring a new environment for the first time. After seeing the interest in the first grade class, i know students this age would really enjoy this book and writing about it. To end the unit, i would ask the students to write about the bird of their choosing, using non-fiction books to find facts to incorporate into a story about that animal's life. I really love this book growing up and want to share it with my students.

My School Thoughts

As the semester keeps going on, I am starting to see the end of this chapter and the beginning of another. This realization came when i met with my advisor and saw how many classes i had left before student teaching next spring. This feels unreal to me because it seems like yesterday that i was a freshman just starting out. While i am nervous for student teaching, i really want to be in the schools. I am getting out to the schools more, especially for assignments this semester and i am lucky to be in kindergarten and 1st grade classes. Seeing the lessons, the students, and working with them enforces my belief that i want to be around children this age. Teaching seems the most logical place to start, but i am open to other options with my child development major. I see the hectic schedule the teachers i work with have and think " I know i can do this. The children make it worth it." I know teaching is not for the faint of heart and there will be struggles, but everything worth while is not easy and it makes you appreciate the success more.