FIELDWORK 1
Chester Elementary School, Chester, NY, 10918
Ms. M’s Kindergarten Class
Chester Elementary School
ABadCaseofStripesFreeBulletinBoardActivity-16i9ngc
This activity I did with the kindergarteners in my Fieldwork 1 classroom. I read the book “A Bad Case of Stripes” by David Shannon, and after had a discussion of what makes one person different from another person. The children talked about their interests, likes, and dislikes, and I explained these differences are what define us from one another. The lesson the children took away was “it’s okay to be different.” After the group discussion, the children chose whether they wanted to color a boy or a girl, and colored the pictures with things they like, their favorite hobbies, their favorite colors, etc. After, I made a class book with all of their pictures, so they are able to go back to it whenever they like.
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FIELDWORK 2
: Circleville Elementary School, Pine Bush, NY 10919
Ms. P’s Fourth Grade Class
Circleville Elementary School
My fourth grade fieldwork class made ornaments using pipe cleaners and Borax solution.The children twisted the pipe cleaner to make a design and then left it in a cup of three TSPs of Borax solution and a cup of boiling hot water overnight. The next day, the solution hardened and created an ornament for the holidays.
The learning target for this particular day was, “I can work in a group to build a tower with certain materials.” The materials were straws, and the challenge was the children could only use ten straws to build the tallest tower they can. Some students ended up making a base, while some tried to stack the straws on top of each other.
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STEM NIGHT
This video describes the game of “circles and stars,” the game that was played with the children during Stem Night on November 8th, 2018.
STEAM education is apparent in almost every aspect of life, and while implemented in schools builds on a child’s inquiry skills, creativity, and design skills. STEAM education is important and necessary, especially in early childhood, because it helps children be more prepared for school and future careers. STEAM learning develops conceptual understanding as a child is making connections with the world around him or her, and discovering deeper meanings within that world.
Blooming Grove Day Care Center, Blooming Grove, NY 10914
Teaching Assistant for Preschool Class
2015-2017
This is a picture of preschoolers at Blooming Grove Day Care Center in Blooming Grove, NY, playing with “sea animals,” during our thematic unit. On this day, I led this lesson with the children. The children learned about the different animals that live in the ocean, including whales, sharks, stingrays, etc. The children learned about the habitats these animals live in, and what helps them survive in the water.
Small Steps Early Intervention Center, Nyack, NY
Teaching Assistant/ One on one aide for two year old boy& two year old girl
2014-2015
Picture of early intervention classroom I set up according to Early Childhood Education research. Below are some examples of questions me and my head teacher asked ourselves while designing the classroom in order to best promote learning and autonomy in the young children.There are many toys/games that we provided to influence STEM learning, including…
STEM CENTERS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
This website is an excellent source for early education teachers, especially those teaching children on the younger side. There are many ideas for incorporating STEM education in classrooms for preschool, kindergarten, first and second grade. There are tons of science, math, engineering, and technology activities for each grade.
According to https://centerforchildhoodcreativity.org/roots-stem-success/, there are six research-backed findings:
1. STEM thinking begins in infancy
2. To become strong STEM thinkers, children need more play.
3. STEM amplifies language development, language enables STEM thinking
4.Active, self-directed learning builds STEM skills and interest
5.Mindset matters to STEM success
6. Children’s abstract thinking potential can be unlocked through both adult support and executive function skill development.
Many of the children at Small Steps were nonverbal, and communicated mainly through simple sign language.
This is a video of me signing one of the child I worked with favorite books, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. I had signed the story for the child using simple signs so he would understand what I was saying, and then learned the whole story for ASL class.