November 20th, 2020

PS1
Rayelle Joevenazzo
Reflection #1

This marks my first week teaching in a three-four split classroom at Coalhurst

Elementary School. I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to not only work
alongside such great students, but to also have such a helpful TA, that has been showing me
the ropes and being such a big support. After completion of my first lesson, it really dawned on
me that I need to do a dry run of my experiments first, to make sure they run seamlessly and
without any obstacles. For example, I needed to test the durability of the cardboard for my,
“Testing the strengths of different stocks of paper” experiment. The cardboard was hard to
puncture with a pencil and many students had troubles with this. I should reverse the steps on
my worksheet so that the students would first soak the paper, punch a hole in it, and then test
the durability with a weight/mass. I believe that if they would have done the steps in this order, it
would have been a more accurate, fair test. The students in this class have such a broad range
of learning levels and a couple of the students will fly through the worksheets. It was mentioned
to me by my UC that I should make a checklist on the board. This will allow the students to take
their time going through the worksheets, ensure that the worksheet is fully completed, and that
all the to-do boxes are checked. To regain my students' focus I will ask them, “may I get your
attention at the front of the class now”, while being conscious of my weight time. I also really like
to use stop, look, and listen to get the class to focus in, to assure that we can continue, as a
group, to move on with the lesson and are all on the same page. 

It is quite an adjustment that the students and teachers have had to make due to Covid-
19. I noticed that at each recess the students have a specific door they exit out of and enter
through. They also have designated areas of the field/playground that they’re allowed to play
within. There are at least fifteen bottles of sanitizer in our classroom that are labeled with
specific students' names. From the looks of it, the students have adapted very well to having to
wear a mask in the classroom.
November 27th, 2020
PS1
Rayelle Joevenazzo
Reflection #2

This week, in the classroom, I have been more aware of my classroom management
skills. I have been trying to complete my goal of using high and low teacher presence. I have also
accomplished my second goal, which was to memorize the student’s names and to learn a couple
facts about them. I have observed that this group has a wide range of learning levels which has
been a challenge for me. Since I’m teaching science, some of the students won’t even be halfway
done, while others will be totally finished with the experiment or task. When I suggest to the
students who are done that perhaps they could help the students who aren’t yet finished, they
voice to me that they rather read or draw on their own. I don’t see this as a problem, but it would
be nice if more of the students who excel could assist the lower level learners. I will make a
conscious effort to assign groups that have the lower level learners, partnered with medium level
learners, and medium level learners partnered with higher level learners. I find from past
experiences, that if higher level learners are partnered with lower level learners, the higher-level
learners go ahead or get frustrated because they have to explain every step to their partner. This
is because the learning levels are too drastic, and the learning gap is too wide. I have also made
folders for, “when you’re done”, that have crossword puzzles i’ve made in them, that pertaining
to the science unit, item searches, and word searches.

Staying on task and effective group work will be my new goal, since I have accomplished
my first goals that I set for myself a couple weeks ago. I can see how the implication of these
goals is improving my teacher persona and classroom management skills. I am also conscious of
these goals, since I have set them for myself. 
December 4th, 2020 
PS1
Rayelle Joevenazzo
Reflection #3

In my practicum placement I am teaching a couple lessons here and there, but I am

mainly focusing my lesson planning on teaching the Science, Building with Materials, unit. In
this unit I have been introducing bridges, architecture, and engineering to the students. I will
introduce the experiment they will be doing by firstly explaining where they see and where they
use these different materials and buildings. For example, when we tested the strengths of
different stocks of paper (cardboard, loose-leaf, and parchment paper) I showed them examples
of where they would have found these materials in not only their classroom and school, but in
their house too. 

I’ve been teaching Science for three weeks now and have just completed the experiment
with the class that was, Spanning A Gap, testing the strength of different spans of arches. I will
be assessing this worksheet to better understand where students are sitting in this unit, and how
well they are comprehending the material. At the end of every experiment/worksheet I have the
students fill out a “daily journal” that I take in and assess. This is my type of an “exit slip” to
better understand any questions the students have. Based on the responses I get back from my
daily journal, I may need to go back and review an experiment or topic more in depth. The use of
this exit slip allows me to assess the students' learning and answer any questions they have. I
enjoy the use of exit slips because it allows me to assess the students learning day by day,
experiment after experiment. 

I have also been able to incorporate multimedia into my formative assessment by getting
the students to research and answer questions with their chrome books. Incorporating this use of
technology will demonstrate a purposeful integration of communication technologies within the
classroom. As a class we will fill out a chart that answers if each one of these bridges is strong or
weak and to explain why we as a group believe this. This lesson will also support literacy
understanding because the students will pick a bridge that they think is the most sturdy/ strong
and then fill out a questionnaire on a worksheet explaining why. I am also in the process of
making an online survey/quiz on Kahoot. 
December 13th, 2020 
PS1
Rayelle Joevenazzo
Reflection #4

Now that I've been in the classroom for over a month, my planning has become
significantly better than when I originally started. When I first started planning my lesson’s I
thought I would be able to complete an experiment in a day. After a couple days of teaching
Science, I realized that an experiment would actually take 2-3 classes. I have altered my lesson
plans by covering an activity a day, rather than three activities in one class. This has allowed me
to be better prepared for my lessons. I also plan my slides in advance and have the link to movies
or sites, right in the slides ready to go. I find when I have taken the time to plan my lessons, in
depth, they have gone smoother and better than planned. I realize that you can never be too
prepared, and it can really show in your teaching, which lessons you’ve prepared for and pre-
planned for, and which ones you haven’t. Moving forward into PS2, I will carry my time
management goal forward since this continues to be an area of growth for me. I believe I can
improve on this goal with practice and once I have a better understanding of the students learning
levels and time management.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Coalhurst Elementary School. The school
atmosphere, staff, and students have made this practicum better than I ever could have imagined.
I have been welcomed with open arms by the students and broke down barriers with some of the
students who were at first, hesitant of my help. This has been an experience that I will never
forget, the memories and information I have learned in this practicum will guide me through my
future endeavours to becoming the best possible teacher I can be.