Weeks 1 & 2

When I first went to visit Ms. Gustafson's 6th grade class they were in their fourth week of school. They had already acclimated to Ms. G's teaching style and knew her expectations and rules. Honestly, I was very impressed by them. They were all so excited to answer the questions she posed while discussing Ancient Mesopotamia. I loved how many of them found ways to connect the information to their own experiences. I was also impressed by how promptly obedient they were when given specific instruction. Overall I as just blown away by how great the class was. It made me really excited to be get started with my teaching!

The next week I headed into class with a lesson plan on Mesopotamian Geography. I wanted to focus on just getting them comfortable with moving in the space, so I just focused on basic locomotor steps. I assigned different sides of the room to represent various bodies of water found in Mesopotamia. We then took time exploring different qualities about these bodies of water and the surrounding regions. I let the class come up with the main movements of the sequences we did, which helped them get comfortable with creating abstract movement.  Overall, I think the lesson was well thought out and integrated the content well. 

I think my first teaching experience with this class was very informative. I learned a lot about the space. After having them jump I realized that it shook the floor of the portable pretty intensely and probably disrupts the class next door. I will probably steer away from that moving forward. I also noticed the few students who really like to talk to each other. I will need to make sure to separate them in order to help them focus. I also noticed the few students who love to help out. I really appreciated their willingness to participate but need to make sure to share opportunities with others. Another thing I learned is that the class as a whole (and maybe it's just this age group) really enjoys the floor. Normally in dance this is a great thing, but because we are in a small classroom I need to be very thoughtful in how I utilize it. Lastly, I learned that this class is capable of so much. I think I can really push them in their creativity and have them perform well. 

I am so excited to keep getting to know the students and create lessons that will help them learn the social studies content, as well as basics of modern dance. This semester will be really fun!