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Fw:WeekofAugust25thStudentTeachingUpdateJaclynKlein

Fw: Week of August 25th Student Teaching Update

Klein <[email protected]>;

From:JaclynKlein
Sent:Sunday,September7,20143:41PM
To:DIANESTILLEY
Subject:RE:WeeklyStudentTeachingUpdate

Goodafternoon!HereismyweeklyupdatefromIndianola!

1.Howdidyouspendyourtimethisweek?Whatresponsibilitiesdidyouhave?

Thisweek,IofficiallytookoverallofMs.Keller'sclassesandresponsibilities.Howmytimewasspent
inclassesvariedforexample,myseniorcompositionstudentshadalotoftimetoworkandrevise,soI
wasmostlyjustmonitoring.Contrastingly,myfreshmanEnglishstudentsneededalotofredirectingto
stayontask,soIwasconstantlytalkingtogroupsofstudentsandkeepingthemfocused.My
responsibilitiesoutsideoftheclassroomnowincludegrading,attendingELLandIEPmeetings,and
planning(ofcourse).
2.Whatwereyourmostsatisfyingexperiences?Whatwereyourmostchallengingexperiences?

Mymostsatisfyingexperiencewasprovidingareallysuccessfulwritingpromptformy11th/12th
graders.Lastweek,itwaspullingteethtogetthemtowriteaparagraphofanything,regardlessofcontent
orstructure.Ireallyjustwantedthemtohavepenonpaperandgettingtheirideasoutthere,without
worryingaboutstructure.Theirpromptwasa"HadToTattoo",meaningiftheyabsolutelyhadtogeta
tattootoday,whatwouldtheyget,whereandwhy.Itrelatedinthetextbecauseourmaincharacterwas
alsogiventhechancetochooseatattooonthespot.ItwasahugesuccessIhadstudentswhowere
takingtwoorthreeparagraphstotalkaboutthemeaningbehindtheirtattooandtookalotofpridein
theirchoiceandjustification.Itwasreally,reallysatisfyingtoseethempumpedupaboutwritingandthe
text.

MygreatestchallengelastweekwasmanagingmysecondperiodEnglishstudents.Ibelievethatgroup
workisreallyimportantinlearning,buttryingtokeepthesestudentsontaskisextremelydifficult.Ialso
fearthatIhaven'tmademyexpectationsclearenoughforthem,becausetheirgroupworktimeinevitably
becomessocialhouruntilIneartheirtable.I'mworkingonaplanforthatnextweek.
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3.Whataretheplansfortheupcomingweek?
BasedonthepapersIgraded,my12thgradersaregoingtodoasplitunit.We'regoingtotakesome
timetodiscussmorespecificallyhowpeerrevisionworks,andalsotalkaboutfluencyandsentence
structure.The11/12classisstillonDivergent
andwillbeforseveralweeks.They'vegotashort,graded
writingassignmentthisweek,andwillbefocusingonthecomprehensionskillsofMakingConnections
andMonitoring.Hopefullybytheendofthisweek,theywillbepartnerreading.The9thgradersare
finishingup"MostDangerousGame"onTuesdaywithashortquiz.We'llspendadaycoveringirony,
thenmoveontothenextstory,"TheGiftoftheMagi."
Hopeyouhadagoodweekend!I'llseeyoutomorrow!
Best,
Jackie

JackieKlein
SecondaryEducation|English,rhetoric,theatre
DrakeUniversity,2014
[email protected]

From:JaclynKlein
To:DIANESTILLEY
Sent:Sunday,August31,20141:01PM
Subject:WeekofAugust25thStudentTeachingUpdate

Goodafternoon!HereismyweeklyupdatefromIndianola!
1.Howdidyouspendyourtimethisweek?Whatresponsibilitiesdidyouhave?
Thisweekwasdefinitelyanadventure.Ibeganmirrorteachingandcoteachingsomeperiods
withMs.Keller,takingovertheclassesfullybyFriday.Istartedwithjustleadingthedailynormsin
theclassroom,liketakingattendanceandaskingthestudentstoshare"GoodThings"abouttheir
lives.Wealsotagteamedtroubleshootingtechnologyissueswithstudentsandredirectingstudents
tokeepthemontaskduringworktime.
2.Whatwereyourmostsatisfyingexperiences?Whatwereyourmostchallengingexperiences?

Ithinkmybiggestsuccessthisweekwasdevelopingpositivestudentteacherrelationships.Some
studentsareveryeagertotalktome,butIspecificallysoughtoutthequieterstudentstoconnect
withandfounditverysuccessful.Thefreshmanespeciallyrespondpositivelytotheattention.My
mostchallengingexperienceswere,asexpected,classroommanagement.AsIdiscussedwithyoua
littleonFriday,IhavegoodinstinctsofhowIcouldbetterbekeepingcontrol,Ijustdon'treactas
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quicklyasIshould.Ms.KellerpointedthisouttomeonWednesday,andnotedthatit'seasiertobe
moreauthoritativeandsetuptheexpectationsearlyonintheyearthanitistotrytoreignthemin
inafewweeks.Reactingmorequicklyandappropriatelyisagoalofminethiscomingweek.
3.Whataretheplansfortheupcomingweek?
TheplanforthecomingweekisformetotakefullcontrolofMs.Keller'sclasses.Theninthgrade
classwillbestudying"TheMostDangerousGame"andworkingonidentifyingelementsof
literaturewithinastory.The11th/12thgraderswillcontinueworkingthroughDivergent
.
Specifically,they'llstartkeepingtrackofcharactertraitsonagraphicorganizerandbeginpartner
readingwithaDirectReadingThinkingActivity.The12thgradecompositionclassiscontinuinga
unitonprecisionoflanguage,specificallywordchoiceandbrevity.They'lljournal,peeredit,and
reviseafinaldraftbyFriday.
I'llletyouknowsoonwhenanobservationworksforthefollowingweek.Ihopeyou'reenjoying
yourlongweekend!
Best,
Jackie

JackieKlein
SecondaryEducation|English,rhetoric,theatre
DrakeUniversity,2014
[email protected]

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11/30/2014

StudentTeachingWeeklyUpdateJaclynKlein

Student Teaching Weekly Update

<[email protected]>;

Goodafternoon!
HereismyweeklyupdatefromIndianola!
1.Howdidyouspendyourtimethisweek?Whatresponsibilitiesdidyouhave?
Thiswasmythirdweektakingoverall3classes;however,duetomyabsences,Ididnotaccomplishall
ofmyplans.OnMondayIbegansomepromptswiththe12thgradecompositionclass.The9thgraders
finishedupandturnedinasmallprojectonirony,thenweregiventimetoeitherfreereadorworkonan
independentreadingproject.The11th/12thgradersreadindependentlyinDivergentandmade
connectionstothetext.Aftermyillnessstruck,Ispentalotoftimegradingpreviousassignments(as
midtermiscomingup)andcollaboratingwithMs.Kellerandanotherspecialeducationteacher.

2.Whatwereyourmostsatisfyingexperiences?Whatwereyourmostchallengingexperiences?

Mymostsatisfyingexperiencewassomeofthestudent'sreactionstomyreappearance.Manywere
genuinelyexcitedtohavemebackasthemainteacher.Theymayhavejustbeenexcitedtocontinueonin
unitornovel,butregardless,thatwasareallynicewelcomeback.

Mymostchallengingexperiencewasseeinghowthe11th/12thgradeclasshadchanged.Aftergetting
our30th(andcounting!)studentintheclassroom,legallyIhadtohavesomesortofextraaidinthe
classroom.Ms.KellerandIdecidedacollaborativeclassbetweenthetwoofuswouldbebest.However,
becauseofmyabsence,theatmosphereoftheclasschangeddramatically.StudentsthatIhadhadno
problemswithpreviouslybeganactingoutandwhileIwasgoneshesentastudenttotheofficetwice.
Thisparticularstudenthasraisedtroublebefore,butIofferedtotalkitoverwithhim,andwesettled
thingsbeforewegotintoapowerstruggle.
I'mnotsureentirelyhowtohandlethissituation.Whileontheonehand,Iabsolutelyneedhelpwith
managingtheclassroom,IthinkIhaveabetterrapportwiththestudents(sinceMs.Kellerhasbeenoutof
theclassroomforafewweeks).ButIalsoknowthatIcanbeabitlaxonauthority,andMs.Keller
probablywantstoestablishstricterrulesforwhenIturntheclassbackovertoherinafewweeks.It'sjust
averyfinelinetobewalking,andIexpectthatitwillcontinuetobeachallengeforme.

3.Whataretheplansfortheupcomingweek?
My12thcompositionclassiscontinuingtheirunitonideas.Monday'sclassislecturebasedonthe
transactionaltheoryandauthorialintent,thencomposingandrevisingapoemandexplanation.I'm
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reallyexcitedformy9thgradeunitwe'restudyingthemebycomparingBluesmusictoO.Henry's"Gift
oftheMagi."OnFriday,they'llbetakingashortformativeassessment,justtoseewherethey'reatwith
theliteraryelements.11/12thgraderswillbesimultaneouslyreadingoninDivergentandalsorevisinga
creativeessaytheyturnedinlastweek.Thetimingisn'tideal,butIthinkthestudentswillbeableto
accomplishboth.

Hopeyouhadagoodweekend!Seeyoutomorrow!
Best,
Jackie

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11/30/2014

WeeklyStudentTeachingUpdateJaclynKlein

Weekly Student Teaching Update

<[email protected]>;

Goodafternoon!
HereismyweeklyupdatefromIndianola!
1.Howdidyouspendyourtimethisweek?Whatresponsibilitiesdidyouhave?
Thiswasmyfinalweekofhavingcontrolofallclasses.The12thgradershadaunitoncommunicating
ideas,the9thgraderscontinuedtheirshortstoryunitwith"GiftoftheMagi"andthe11th/12thgraders
arestillworkingthroughDivergentandbeganrevisionsonacreativewritingprojectfromlastweek.I
againhadfullinstructionaltimeforeachoftheclasses,aswellassomeresponsibilitiesconcerningthe
IEPsand504sofsomeofmystudents.IcoordinatedwithMs.KellerandthespecialeducationteacherMs.
Hazeltononorganizingthe11/12classforthecomingweeks.

2.Whatwereyourmostsatisfyingexperiences?Whatwereyourmostchallengingexperiences?

OneofthethingsIparticularlyenjoyedthisweekwasthevastarrayofmediaIused.Ifoundagreatunit
outlineonhowtoteachthemeusingbluesmusicandwasabletofleshthatoutformy9thgraderstoalso
alignwith"GiftoftheMagi."My12thgraderswereworkingonideasandformalistvs.transactional
theory,sowestudiedpoetryfromslampoetryperformancestoeecummingstoasongbytheWhite
Stripsbeforegettingintotheirowncomposition.Ireallyenjoyedbeingabletoincorporateseveral
differenttypesandstylesofmediaintomylessonsthisweek.

Unfortunately,theweekdidn'tgoperfectly.Imadeabadcallwithmy9thgradeEnglishclass.Theirtwo
weeksforaseatingarrangementwasup,andsoIallowedthemtositwherevertheywanted(withthe
understandingthattheyneededtostillbeproductiveandrespectful).Iwasgoingbackandforthon
keepingtheminachart,butultimatelydecidedtogivethemasecondchance.Wedidthisforoneday
whilewetalkedaboutcharacterization.Theynextday,whentheyhadaquiz,abouthalfofthemcalledme
overtotellmethatwehad"nevergoneoverthis"whenitwasjustthattheyweresittingbytheirfriends
andnotpayingattention.Ihaven'tgradedthequizzesyet,butIamnotlookingforwardtoseeinghow
muchthedistractionimpactedtheirgrades.We'lldefinitelybebacktoaseatingchartonMondayIam
justdisappointedthatreteachingthisskillcouldhavebeenavoidedifIhadstucktomyguns.

3.Whataretheplansfortheupcomingweek?
The12thgradeclassistransitioningbacktoMs.Keller'scontrol,sowe'llbecoordinatinglessonson
howtoconductaliteraryanalysis.Wewerebothdisappointedbytheirworklastweek,andsohave
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decidedthatsomeareasneedtoberecovered.The9thgradersarefinishingtheirshortstoryunitwith
LadyandtheTiger,thentakingafinalassessmentonThursday.I'mlookingforwardtobeingabletoseea
unitallthewaythrough,frompreassessmenttofinalassessment.The11/12thgraderswillcontinue
revisingandreadinginDivergent,aswellashopefullydoingsomeinteractivetechniqueslaterintheweek.

Hopeyouhadagoodweekend!SeeyouonFriday!

Best,
Jackie

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StudentTeachingWeeklyUpdaateJaclynKlein

Student Teaching Weekly Updaate

<[email protected]>;

Goodmorning!
HereismyweeklyupdatefromIndianola!
1.Howdidyouspendyourtimethisweek?Whatresponsibilitiesdidyouhave?
ThisweekIbegantophaseoutintheclasses.The9thgradersroundedouttheirunitonliterary
elementsandtooktheirfinalassessmentonThursdayandFriday.The12thgradecompositionstudents
startedaunitwithMs.Kelleronhowtomoresuccessfullywritealiteraryanalysisandrealizingthey
neededsomeexplicitinstruction.The11thand12thgradersfinishedtheir5paragraphessaywriting
assignmentandcontinuedwithreadingDivergent.Istillhadcompletecontrolinthe9thgradeclassand
beganphasingouttojusttroubleshootingandredirectingstudentsinComp.and11/12bytheendofthe
week.

2.Whatwereyourmostsatisfyingexperiences?Whatwereyourmostchallengingexperiences?

Mymostsatisfyingexperiencewasgradingthefirstpartofthe9thgradeEnglishtest.Over90%ofthe
studentsscoredan85%orabove.Itwasreallygratifyingtoseehowstudentsimprovedandtoknowthat
theynotjustgotthematerial,butthatastrongmajorityofthemhadmasteredit.Itwasalsoabitofa
reliefasconfidentasIaminmyinstruction,therewasstillsomepieceofdoubtthatsaid,"WhatifI
didn'tteachthiswellenoughandMs.KellerhastogobackandreteachallofthisassoonasIleave?"
Thankfully,thatwon'tbehappening:)

Mymostchallengingexperiencewaswiththesame9thgradeclass.Priortothefinaltest,wetooka
quizthatseveralstudents(tousetheirterm)totallybombed.IgavethemuntilWednesdayafterschoolto
contactmeaboutamakeup,asIdidn'twantthemtotakebetakingtheirfinaltestandthenthequiz.Out
of12studentswhogotunderaC,only2cameintomakeupthequiz.Itwasextrafrustratingbecause,
despitemyrepeatedwarningsandposteddatesintheclassroom,Istillhadstudentsasktomakeuptheir
quizafterthetimehadpassed.IspokewithMs.Kelleraboutthisfrustrationandsheagreedthatitwas
unfortunate,butnotmuchcanbedone.Ireallywantmystudentstobesuccessful,buttheyneedtolearn
thattheyhavearesponsibilityintheirlearningtoo,andtheyneedtostepuptotheplate.

3.Whataretheplansfortheupcomingweek?
MylastdayatIndianolaisWednesday.OnMondayI'llbedoinganobservationwithatheatreteacher
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inthedistrict,andIimaginetheothertwodaysI'llbecompletelyphasedouttoobservationinallthe
otherclasses.Theexceptionwouldbeinthe11th/12thgradeEnglishcoursethemorepeoplerunning
interferenceinthatclass,themoresmoothlyitruns,soI'llprobablystillhelpoutthere.Ihavequiteabit
ofgradingtocompletebeforeIcheckoutofthedistrictcompletely,sothatwillprobablytakeupmuchof
mytime.

Hopeyouhadagoodweekend!I'llseeyouonTuesday!

Best,
Jackie

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