Independent Component?

Trying to fit a lesson plan into Common Core has proved to be harder than imagined. The way I was taught and the way that is being taught now have drastically changed. I think the easier side of it is noticing how each student learns and focuses. When it's a harder topic you have to find ways to keep the students engaged. Third graders have really short attention spans when it comes to something that isn't crafty. Hopefully once break ends I'll be able to implement more techniques that I've learned. 

Starting Independent Component

Picking a start to my independent component was probably the hardest part of it. I had to decide on a subject to try to help to teach and I have to adapt to my mentor's teaching style so that I don't catch the students off guard. It's actually been a lot of fun, being able I answer questions is the best part. I've mostly been focusing on helping with Math, English and work on the computers, such as, Powerpoints. I hope that the rest of my independent component runs as smoothly as it is now. 

Blog 10: EQ

1. Review this.

Essential Question
Once a topic is chosen, the student will develop a working essential question. The purpose of the working essential question is to help the student build a strong foundation of research which will allow him or her to create an essential question that encourages depth and rigor in the chosen topic. An essential question must:

Provide a framework for studies (It calls for breadth and depth of research, Is not a yes/no question)
Take a stance (It allows you to argue some point, Cannot be a recitation of facts or a list)
Format (It is specific, The wording makes sense)

*I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ.

2. Review the following EQs and

Tell us if each meets the rule of three.
Tell why they do or don't.

a. What is the most important factor in healthy weight loss?
       This EQ meets everything that is asked for because it's properly worded, it takes a stance and it also allows to be debated.
 b. What is most important to securing a conviction in a criminal investigation?
       This does meet criteria because the wording makes it very specific and allows for deep research, it's not just a yes or no answer.
 c. What is most important in creating a hairstyle that best satisfies a customer?
      This does not meet the criteria because it's not specific when it asks for the most important thing or when it says "satisfies."
 d. How can an anesthesiologist best treat chronic pain?
      Yes, because it allows for a lot of research with the way it is worded and it also meets the criteria  above.


3. Based on your review of the rule of 3 and your experience with assessing four EQs, please write another draft EQ for your senior project.

What is the best way a teacher can teach in order to raise standardized test score in a classroom?

Blog 9: Lesson 1 Reflection

Content:

1. Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your Lesson 1 Presentation and why?
I was proud of how I was able to show everyone what's it's like to be learning something new that was never introduced before, and how complicated it is to teach as well as learn something that you don't even have the funding for. 

2. Questions to Consider
       a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 1 Presentation (self-assessment)?

       AE       P          AP       CR       NC

       b.     Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 1 component contract.
I think I deserve the P because I met all the basic requirements on time and I also hit all the points I had to during my presentation. Nothing was left out and I met time. 

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 1?
I think I had an advantage because I was able to use electronics which made it flow and I had a sense of how my final presentation would look. 

4.  (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 1?
I would've had more than one working answer and I would've taken more time on thinking of a better hook. 

What do I do?

During my last few visits I have been able to see the kids progress with their reading, writing, and spelling. Both last week as well as this week I was able to help the kids with technology, specifically helping them create Powerpoints on their own. It's been a crazy experience because it's something that we find so simple but for them, step by step instruction is necessary. I think the best part would have to be seeing them smirk and giggle once they've figured out how to do it on their own. It's such a rewarding mentorship and I wouldn't trade it. (:

Blog 8: Research and Working EQ

1.  What is your working EQ?

What is the best way to heighten the scores of standardized testing among elementary school kids?

2.  What is a possible answer to your working EQ? Please write the answer in thesis format. 

EQ:  What is the best way to heighten the scores of standardized testing among elementary school kids?

•  Tecahers should be encouraged to have a better test/lesson alignment in order to teach to the test in the most efficient ways. 

•  Students should be introduced to concepts of technology and digging deeper from a younger age than 3rd grade. 

3.  What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ?

The most important source are the educational articles that I read that break down Common Core step by step and let you know how it should be taught to get the best from it. 

4.  Who is your mentor, or where are you doing mentorship, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?

My mentor is Traci Johnson and she works at E.J. Marshall Elementary in Chino. What I do there helps me with mentorship because I'm able to work with kids and help them learn skills that Common Core is asking of them. 

Title: Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Approval

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

For my independent  component I plan to  help my mentor plan a lesson for the class and help execute as well as teach. This way I can get a feel for how it's like to not only understand a topic but also help others grasp the idea of different concepts and how to use and expand on them.

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

I plan to meet the required hours by visiting my mentor more than once a week and I also plan to mentor other teachers and gain knowledge and hours from them as well. 

3.  And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

I plan to work side by side with my mentor to create lesson plans and I hope to learn the right skills so I can teach as well. I will be staying updated on the teacher websites my mentor has provided as well as read material she thinks are essential to me. 

Mentorship So Far.





Through my mentoship I have realized that the passion I have for teaching is bigger than what I imagined. I have been grading tests and helping kids with their fluency. During this, I realized that it brings me a lot of joy to be able to say that I taught someone something that they thought was out of their reach. I have learned a lot from my mentor, such as, the different teaching styles that are needed by and individual student. 
Especially with the new CCSS I have seen a lot of change in the way tachers are teching a lesson as well as what's being taught.I really want to be the person that inspires a kid to want to gain knowlegde and explore beyond. I hope my mentorship continues to give me the same emotion throughout the year.  







Blog 6: Second Interview Preparation

The purpose of the second interview is to justify your mentor as an expert in the field.  Thus, you will be asking them at least 5 questions about their background and/or the background of the organization or company where they work.

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?

My mentor is Traci Johnson and she is a third grade teacher at E.J. Marshall Elementary School in Chino. 

2.  What five questions will you ask them about their background?

- What inspired you to become a teacher?

-What qualifications are needed for this job? 

-What was the hardest course you took and why? 

-What have been the major differences that you've seen during your years of teaching? 

-What qualities are needed to become successful in this field ? 

Blog 5: Mentorship Reflection

Based on what you have done for your senior project so far, answer the following questions (be specific and use examples).


1. Mentorship question: Describe your experience in how you found your mentorship?  If you haven't found one yet, describe your experience so far in the search of a mentor.

Finding my mentor right when school started was hard at first because I was trying to decide whether or not to change my topic from law to education. Finding my summer mentor was really easy because Ramiro Cisneros is Jessica Castillo's uncle and I've known her since freshman year and because the mentorship location was very close to my home. Once I went back to school the hard part was deciding if I wanted to do education in the public system or the private system. I ended up going public to be able to chart the changes from standards to Common Core. After I established what I wanted my topic to be finding a mentor was easy because every so often I go back to help my third grade teachers and they gladly took me in to shadow their work.


2. Research question: What has been your most important article you have read so far and why?

I think that there have been two articles that have been very important to my topic. The first was called Don't Teach To The Test and it talked about how the standards were implemented as well as showed that one of the main causes was the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). It was said that teachers shouldn't be teaching to the test because it takes away from any other subject that isn't Math or English/Reading. The second article gave me all the background on how, when, and why the NCLB was started. It was called No Child Left Behind: Just The Tip of The Iceberg. It gave me a thorough history on the standardized testing and why it didn't work in most cases. I think these are very helpful now and will be later on because they will both help me show a transition from the California K-12 Standards to the Common Core standards.

Senior Project & Research

The way senior year started with finding  articles for senior project right off the bat, kind of got me off guard. I like the fact that we're starting early though, as opposed to waiting closer to the due date. During the first research I found it hard to correlate my topic to the articles I was finding on google. I tried google scholar as well and nothing seemed to pop up. After our trip to the library, it's like I was opened up to a new world. I found two useful articles that closely related to my topic in under 15 minutes. It felt like a whole world of knowledge was hidden from me. I now know how to look for specifics and how to rule out articles that will not be beneficial to my research. I feel that now that I know how to properly use the library it will be easier to find the research I'm looking for.

Blog 4: Interview Preperation

1.Who do you plan to interview? Why?

I plan on interviewing Mrs. Day, a third grade teacher at my elementary school because I am focusing on how elementary school teachers prepare their students for testing and what are the methods that work. She also has a lot of experience because she was my elementary teacher and has been there before me. She knows different ways the test has ran and has a lot of experience in trying different methods in order to raise the scores.

2.You have to ask 5 questions. What additional questions to you plan to ask?

• What do you think is the best method to preparing students for the test?
• What's the hardest part in preparing the students?
• How is teaching affected by the standards that have to be learned by the end of the year?
• How to you include other lessons besides those of the California standards?
• In your opinion would a change in the testing be for the better? What parts should change? 
• How have you tried to transition into common core?

Blog 3: Topic Choice and Working EQ

1.  List your topic here: 

The topic I chose for my Senior Presentation is the academic performance of elementary students.

2.  Write a question that helps to focus your research this month.

What is the best way to heighten the scores of standardized testing among elementary school kids.

3.  Post the working bibliography (WB) on the right hand side of the blog and share it so anybody can view it.

Below is the link to my spreadsheet with my working bibliography. 

Working Bibliography

Blog 2: Summer Mentorship Component

Literal:  

1. (Know) Using Google doc (drive) link a log of specific hours and a description of your duties to your blog post.

Below is the link to my summer hours. 
 Mentorship Log

2. What is the contact name & number of where you volunteered?  

Ramiro Cisneros 

(909)730-2881

3. (Need to know) What questions were raised because of the 10 hours of experience?  List them. 

• Why do charges differ from person to person?
• Why are closed out files so important? 
• How long can a trial run?
• Why are minor cases confidential?    

Interpretive

4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

I think that I gained a lot of patience from working on a single case for 3 hours. I had to put files as big as 3 binders in an order as well as according to different sections. I also gained a lot of knowledge in the field of law and how much time and dedication it takes. Through the mentorship I also came to realize that I don't have a great passion for what the DAs do. 

Applied

5. What is your senior project topic going to be?  How did what you did help you choose a topic?  Please explain.

For my senior topic I will be doing something in the realm of teaching elementary kids, specifically 3rd or 4th grade. I came to this realization because I have worked with these grades volunteering recently and came to the conclusion that I have a greater passion for teaching than for law. Mentoring at a firm helped me realize this because I would be there and realized I wanted to be doing something else.   

Blog1: 2-Hour Presentation

Content:

1.  What presentations did you see?

The presentations I saw ranged from category to category. The ones that stood out to me were HLE Officer, Real Estate, Archaeology and Neonatal Care.

2.   What questions do you have that haven't been answered about the senior project? This can be about the senior project in general, any components or about a presentation topic you saw or what they said. 

The questions that haven't been answered are: Do the teachers assign the individual components? How is the rubric broken down? What is the best way to get good answers and strategies from out mentor?
 
3. What has the most important part of the senior project based on what you are seeing in the 2-hour presentations?

I think that the most important part is the research because you have to refer back to how you found your answers 
and whether is was mentorship or a written source. If you don't know the information you want to present then you'll be reading a wall of text from the power point.  

4. What topic are you considering doing and why?

The topic I'm considering is in the field of law because I'm hoping that after iPoly i can study law and become something like a public attorney.

5. What are you doing for your summer mentorship?

For my summer mentorship I'm hoping to fin someone in the field of law so that they can answer all of my questions and I can get a feel for the job. I have emailed a few people and am waiting for a reply.