Second School placement ends in time for Easter

It’s all Greek to me:WC 9^th March

This week consisted of teaching decimals and rounding in Maths; planning an eggs-periment in Science (yes it was all about eggs); how to be a persuasive Viking leader in Topic; and recounting the myth of Icarus: The boy who flew too close to the sun.

Life as a primary school teacher has meant that I have to be versatile in many different lessons, knowledgeable to some extent, and convey across to 32 children that learning is fun, engaging and worthwhile. Hopefully I manage it on a daily basis and have inspired the children to one day use the many skills learnt and to apply them in a whole manner of life situations.

Luckily for me, last term I observed a year 4 class, at my main placement, carrying out the observation lesson for the science experiment I was to teach. Little did I know back then, that that one hour would provide me with enough information to confidently take on the planning and turn it into my own words and differentiate it for my own classes needs. I did ask the class teacher last week, whilst visiting for the Oscars ceremony, where she has kept some of the resources, and was pleased to find it all filed away in the specific subject folder. This is one trait I wish to develop myself as it will enable other teachers to find resources and adapt them where required.

The eggs in question were placed in 6 different liquids and will be kept in tightly closed jars for one week until the observation lesson. This will help show the children how the shell of an egg reacts similarly to the enamel of teeth and that certain liquids will damage the shell more than others.

As for persuading a Viking leader – this was a good way for the children to use persuasive techniques. Later on this term I will be moving onto the DAFOREST method of remembering what is needed to be persuasive but this week’s lesson concentrated on Viking settlers, what they did as well as invade villages, and what makes a good Viking leader. All of this was put into a poster and the class were shown various examples including the ‘We Need You’ Lord Kitchener posters.

The English topic looked Greek myths and after looking at the story of Pandora’s Box, we concentrated on Icarus and his father Deadalus. This really excited the class because everyone dreams of flying and after showing them two different stories plus a video clip, they could see that a myth can change ever so slightly but have different parts changed to suit the storyteller and audience. At the end of the week a recount was created for their Extended Writing, and some of the pieces really showed how much had been taken on board including the spellings of challenging Greek names. 

A long wait to decide my fate: WC 16^th March

On Monday the observation part of the experiment was completed and it was amazing to see all of my class as scientists pondering the question as to which liquid did the most damage to the eggs. It was tricky because although the coca cola and coffee hadn’t seemed to do much damage, it had however stained the egg. This was hard to see at first for some children who though no damage had been made.

The vinegar and orange juice were the worst offenders and it was deemed that the sugar inside the juice and acid in the vinegar slowly eroded the egg shell within a week. The egg in orange juice was totally clear of shell and the smell was disgusting. Seeing the children’s faces when looking at the eggs via the visualiser created the ‘wow factor’ I had hoped for. Each group when given an egg to examine, did so carefully and wrote their thoughts on smell, touch and sight. 

I look forward to doing this again and possibly next time plan even further in advance with some eggs being inside the liquids for a couple of weeks if not a month.

For two days this week I had to be observed by not only my tutor (for his 4^th visit) and then my teaching interview at my main placement school in front of both the head and deputy. I was not sure of which one I would be more worried about. The person who keeps a check on me every few months and is slowly grading me toward Good/Excellent or the two at the top of the very school I wish to work at.

Firstly let’s settle the matter of the tutor observation. He hadn’t seen me at this school before and also not in this year group. I decided to go slightly outside of my observation comfort zone and teach a creative drama lesson in which the entire class was split into 12 groups to act out the 12 Labours of Hercules. It was only yesterday that they had started to look at this myth and I wanted to improve on their recount skills from the Icarus story of last week. 

In the lesson I had tried to ensure the children were evenly split by the acting skills I had seen during their play scripts lessons last term and also attempted to balance those less able students with more able whilst at the same time keeping overpowering children away from each other in case of a ‘too many cooks’ situation. It proved to be a success however whilst each group was showing their performances off, I didn’t fully explain to the rest of the class that they were to watch attentively and give a star or wish to their peers performances. This meant a few were sitting around doing nothing waiting for their turn. My tutor did commend my bravery for this lesson especially as it got everyone involved in the acting process and genuinely helped the entire class remember some if not most of the Labours.

On Friday was the ‘big one’, I was given the task of teaching a year 6 class from my main placement, on the subject of the Ten Commandments, during an RE lesson. This was something quite new to me because I am usually at University on a Friday, or was used for PPA time both schools. Being a Christian is something I value and this is one of the areas I had a little bit of knowledge in plus I had dinner with some good friends both of whom are regular church members and gave me some very good advice.

The lesson being taught was to consider ‘How the Commandments fit in with modern day society’ and so I posed this question to the class and had a nice debate running on which of the Commandments was most important and why plus should any of them be kept, removed or simply amended to suit the religions of today. It was more pupil led than teacher led and hopefully that came across in the lesson. 

Afterwards I had to wait a full 90 minutes until the phone call and am pleased to say that it was a success. Being a trainee teacher already based at the school; having a good relationship with both the children and teachers; knowing the schools layout; their non-negotiables; and finally showing some promise during my time at the school, on top of the interview and lesson – they feel I am the right man for the job. I am not sure which year group I will be placed in but it will be in either years 3, 4 or 5.

Second School Placement completed with lots of tears WC 23^rd March

This week was the last of 5 full teaching weeks and 7 at St Peter’s. It has been a busy process especially with planning, marking, parents evening, assessments, dealing with parents, and learning a whole new set of rules and timetables.

My University manual of guidance stated that I had to track 6 students ranging from High Ability through to Low Ability. For this I needed to copy work from English, Math and Science so I did exactly that as well as a written assessment they each completed. It was very good seeing them from one sub-level to another because there was a clear indication of progress throughout. This gives me confidence in placing the correct level/mark for when assessing formatively.

I was very pleased that the final week’s English was based around creating a collaborative Hogwarts School Prospectus. Being a body-double on the set of Harry Potter I have fond memories of the films and this was a chance to link my past career with my new one. Some of the children had read a lot of the books and this made creating groups a lot easier. Initially I went down the list based on Writing Ability and delegated the first 8 students as ‘leaders’ of their foursome. Using the persuasive techniques learnt in a previous lesson plus the DAFOREST mnemonic, I gave the class 8 different ways to persuade in their writing. The end result was pretty good and I can comfortably say that they will be using their new skills in future work.

The final day for me was Thursday despite school not ending until Friday. It was very emotional and whilst I was out during PPA the children had made some cards and I was presented with a lot of goodbyes plus a Q&A session was held with the children asking me what I had enjoyed doing during my time at the school. I had a great experience, learnt so much about a one-form entry school, planned more than I could have imagined, taught some truly inspirational children and wish them all the best of luck.

Away from school I was very lucky to meet and listen to Andrew Pollard talk about his Reflective Teaching Book. He is someone who has gone from being a primary school teacher in the 70's to helping to create policies for teaching and researching into what makes children tick. I can see a lot of what he said about his younger self in myself and I wonder what the future holds for me.

2nd Term passed and a lot to look forward to next year

This week is memorable for many reasons. Firstly the Choir sang at the local conference centre alongside many other schools who use the School Music Service, I finished a science project I had been working on for the past two weeks, my tutor has noticed an improvement in my teaching, and it was my last day at University until we all go back in January.

Last week’s reflection was focused on achieving Standard 8, and in particular 8.1, which for some people can be difficult especially as it often requires juggling work and study with something to attend at lunch and after school. Luckily for me I have always been a busy person both in childhood and as an adult by joining the local Scout Organisation, coaching a football team whilst studying my degree, and running with a local running club during the past two years (proudly won their club championship and am also men’s captain).

I had to swap my break duty with a colleague on Tuesday due to a final rehearsal at the centre and this shows interpersonal skills because I need to strike a chord with those I work with and not expect someone to simply cover me because I need it. During the event I assisted the Music Teacher in making sure our students were kept both safe and on task- we were the best behaved in my opinion. If you know me I am all for making friends and did just that by introducing myself to all the other teachers from the other schools. You never know who you could meet at a job interview or on a course and teaching is a small community. One of the schools had a problem with a song that I knew and the teacher was thankful for me briefly singing along.The evening was a huge success and many parents and school friends attended to watch the performance. I felt extremely proud of the students and can’t wait until I am able to organise a choir to go to such an event.

Finishing my circuit game for a Science Evening that took place during the week was one of my mini-projects althoughI kept experiencing problems with certain parts of the circuit. However, when I added a second battery, it allowed the bulb to become brighter and despite originally wanting to use a buzzer (it’s a game in which you slowly and carefully manoeuvre a looped piece of wire around a windy path from one end to the other). Some of my class helped to put it together and a few were chosen to be Science Ambassadors as well for the event.

2nd Half Term University Observation

Wednesday loomed and I was nervous about teaching in front of my tutor but prepared myself as well as I could. The last Math’s lesson I was observed in, gave me a few things to progress and improve on including; Subject Knowledge, use of assessment, praising appropriately and explaining why, and giving a plenary. I managed to do all of these however didn't give a good plenary and this is something I need to work on. I rushed it and forgot to include the LO although during the lesson I did point out to the class that they had managed to achieve each of the Success Criterion and explained why I moved them around the classroom (recent assessment and also to get year groups working together). With the starter I assessed quickly who grasped the concept of the lesson and didn't move onto the main task until I was confident everyone was ready to do so.

During my last two days at University I helped to deliver a SEND presentation on Down Syndrome and learnt a lot from other presentations who focused on Autism (4 groups), another Down Syndrome, and how Support staff are used in the classroom. Ours was 2^nd to last due to the majority of the group coming from Group C. In hindsight I wish the course would have given the list of topics and said all needed covering so first come first serve. The actual result was a few similar presentations and a lot of us felt it could have been more useful with a group looking at ADHD for example or even someone with Speech and Listening Difficulties.

Two ladies from the a local LEA came to discuss life after training and how to apply for our first teaching job. It is scary to think that in a few months we will be searching for jobs, whether it be our training school, second placement or other. I have been in many interviews although this is going to be one of the most important ones in my life ranking alongside both my University interview and the one I did to get on this course.

I am yet to start thinking about 2015-16 especially with January to come. 

My first observed lesson.

On my return to school after University I was brimming with confidence and full of ideas. My first lesson was about researching a famous person on the Internet such (Usain Bolt and Mo Farah among the favourites) and making notes to create a biography. 

Science Lesson Observation 

Focus: How does the teacher check for prior knowledge?

I observed for just the starter.

LO: To know which types of materials make shadows.

LO: Can translucent objects make shadows?

• First questions included what the class knew of light. When given an answer, teacher expanded on this and asked how/why do they know if it’s a true fact. This made if more interesting because not only was an answer required but also supporting evidence.
• How it is a fact and not opinion was the phrase she used.
• The use of real life context also aided the class to think of answers.
• Interactive whiteboard was used by teacher to put answers.

On reflection this was a useful observation because it allowed me to see the value of knowing what prior knowledge the class have and despite knowing what they should have covered previously, it's always wise to never assume.

I should have observed the entire lesson and seen if any other more prior knowledge came from the class. 

Mentor Meeting

During my mentor meeting on Wednesday, we discussed my Science observation and talked about my pending Spanish lesson plan and I was confused about the difference between a Learning Objective and Success Criteria. She went through what each one represented and hopefully it will stick in my head.

Spanish Lesson Observation of me 

I took the starter of this lesson

LO:  To introduce myself and provide basic information in Spanish

SC: I can recall and use basic vocab to describe; name age and nationality - ALL

SC: I can have confidence in my speaking and listening skills - ALL

SC: I can speak in more than one sentence at a time - MOST

SC: I am able to use previously learnt vocab - SOME

I started off by going through the alphabet as a starter and then introduced 'What is your name?' 'How old are you?' and 'Where do you live?’

I said the Spanish and asked the class what the English was. This enabled me to gauge the ability of the class and which ones stood out from the rest. The hardest one was ‘Cuentos anos tiennes?’ because it doesn't have a word similar to English. 

The class teacher took over for the main and this involved using the questions learnt, applying the knowledge by copying sentences from the interactive board, into their books and filling in missing words.

From this lesson I learnt quite a lot about what's needed of me in future teaching. My feedback (a lot of positives with added constructive criticism) had been given at time of typing but I wish to keep some of it to myself and only reflect on how I felt directly after my session. Luckily Miss G took the second Year 6 class as soon as this one had finished so I could also see similarities and comparisons. 

First lesson

• There were a couple of really strong students who could do all of the tasks I set. This class I do not teach a lot (they are the other Yr 6 tutor group) so it was helpful to notice who has was willing to answer questions and add extra vocab.
• I asked questions in Spanish to illicit a response. This was often harder than I thought because my own vocab and pronunciation is not strong enough yet.
• When asked to get into pairs, the class responded quickly and engaged in conversation. This then resulted in some excellent responses when selected to present to the whole class.
• I should have used the lolly-sticks because still not clear with all of the names in this class.

Second lesson

• It was opened similarly to mine, although the teacher is able to talk fluently when greeting the class and has of course better understanding of the entire lesson.
• She used the interactive board to show Spanish words with English meanings - something I could have used.
• Instead of working in just pairs, she asked the class to get into groups of 2's, 3's or 4's. 
• The children presenting afterwards, relied heavily on the interactive board. Would this have been the same in my lesson?

Second School Placement

There is nothing much to say except I arranged a meeting with the Head from a local school and was able to confirm that I have a placement in their Yr 4 class for my 60% teaching block.

It's a school close to where I live and I was recommended it by a couple of their pupil’s parents who I run with at my running club. Being a one-form entry school, there is a huge difference in number of students and also a lot easier to get from a-z across the whole school.

My Day at University

This was all about how to plan lessons. The subjects were: Maths, English and Science. All of the sessions were held by teaching professionals and each had their own unique way of delivering a lesson.

MATHS PLANNING

We were shown additional resources on Blackboard to use and this contained plenty that I will be no doubt using including; Sets of test questions, plenary or starters, mathematical challenges for G&T, mathematical vocab and also other useful websites.

A first starter was shown to use which involved the simple use of a piece of paper. 

• Fold it until it creates 16 sections and write a single digit number 0-9 on each space.
• You then ask the class questions and they have to re-fold it into place to create answers.
• Find a multiple of 5, find the smallest 2 digit number, link up with someone else in class to make a certain number.... the list is endless.
• The hope is to get a visual method of assessing the class without implying it.

Helpful hints

Observe ----> look listen and note what the class do.

Assessment ----> analyse and decide what's needed to be learnt.

Planning ------> how to build on what they know.

What has changed in the curriculum?

Probability and data is less prominent.

Students are expected to build firm foundations and NOT accelerate content learning. 

A second starter was shown and it also involved the simple us of paper.

Helpful hints

Create a learning hook/starter: Why should children care?

Vocab: see maths vocab website.

LO: What is the aim?

Support: Differentiation and resources used.

Particular Challenge: Check out the NRich Website.

Resources Needed: Don't leave them until last minute.

LITERACY PLANNING

Helpful Hints

Need to think about the END GOAL.

Need to give the message that all children are R/W's but are at different stages of learning.

Writing isn't just formal pieces.

Children should be learning about text that they have empathy with and are interested in.

Value the texts read by the lower attained reader but open the door to other texts. 

When using extracts - ensure they come from text that is known to the students.

Text Integrity

Choose appropriate ones that are have a good back story for planning.

Not just books but could use Top Trumps/Game Cards or even instructions for games, LEGO etc.

The Specifics

Find every way to show that you notice the children are R/W and give power to them by letting them know that they CAN read and write.

They should be able to integrate life context into their writing.

Behaviour Development 

Coherent thoughts

Better Vocab

Higher choice of reading material

Sense of achievement - they want more

Curiosity and the need to explore further

They contribute more to lessons and take responsibility for their work

Higher level of concentration because they want to do better

Planning

• We looked at a couple of poems and analysed the planning sheets that we were given. A lot was discussed about how the poem makes you think and not just what the poem is trying to say.
• When reading poems there is no right or wrong answer. Every opinion counts.
• Ask a TA to write words up on the board plus teacher add some that could be included.
• Always read it 3 times; teacher, together and then individually.
• Place in mixed ability groups so that whilst others are more able readers, the less able can then decode words from what they hear.
• Give children roles so that they can function as a group and work together.
• Share the group ideas with the class.
• Build on other group’s comments and then connect to literacy landscape by adding context.

SCIENCE

Helpful Hints

Always try experiments first before showing the class.

Make a list of essential equipment that should be within easy reach or know where it is.

Remember that some of the experiments, whilst seeming childish to adults, will shock and awe primary aged children and even secondary.

Planning

• We looked at Sound and how it should be taught at KS2 Level.
• Evolution is being introduced to Yr 6 in 2015-16.
• On B/B is a power point and has the National Curriculum in a file.
• Sound vibrates through things.
• Show a picture of a Slow Loris and compare the slow movement with lack of sound; making it less easy to track by predators.
• Use a tuning fork to hear/feel vibrations.
• See vibrations over different objects and also in water.
• Try different games such as grandmother’s footsteps; snatch the keys, sleeping lions.

Essentially the session was a huge lesson in itself all about sound and it modelled the way in which we could engage a class not only by power point presentations but by using different experiments dotted about the classroom.

Highlight of the week

I have my second placement organised and have also encountered my first official observation of me teaching.

Roll on next week and see what it produces.

Book review part 2: Primary English, Knowledge and Understanding

Hey to all who were waiting for the 2nd part of this book review. It's been a manic 10 days and most of it had been spent with INSET Training, 1st week at school and generally getting stuck in. 

However, today I finally read the final chapter and must thank the contributiors Jane Medwell, David Wray, George Moore and Vivienne Griffiths. 

This is Achieving QTS:Meeting the Professional Standards Framework books and gives 'all the subject knowledge you need to teach primary English'.

In a nutshell, it refers to the Teachers' Standards at the start of each chapter, gives Curriculum Context, and also highlights the Early Years Foundation Stage and Early Learning Goals. This is a great read for both KS1 and KS2 teachers. 

Chapters 8-14 have now been read and they cover; Punctuation, Cohession:grammar at the level of the text, The qualities of stories, The qualities of poetry, The qualities of drama, Looking at information books, and Electronic texts.

Since the 1st part of this book review, I have attended a Grammar and Language training session held at my new school. 

This was great because it backed up a lot of what I had recently read and I was able to put my newfound subject knowledge to good use.

The layout of the book was easy to follow, each chapter summarised key points, there were pedagogical links and also Masters Level investigations (which could prove useful in future learning). 

The content had been an eye-opener to literacy and has also provided me with some useful resources for Spelling Punctuation and Grammar (SPAG) lessons. When I have time, I will carry out a few of the self-assessment tasks, although some I may be able to do with my class. 

Sept 10th: Day 2 of teaching

A lot of my blog posts will be shorter than they have been recently. This is down to time constraints and the fact that I want certain ones to contain more information, especially if it includes my own teaching and or highlights across my training year.

With that in mind I will continue with my 2nd day at office (sounds a bit like being the President of The United States), and with the smart suits I am wearing, I certainly feel the part.

RISE AND SHINE
There was a paragraph from a book, up on the interactive board, with a series of punctuation missing. The class had to write the sentences in their R&S books and include all of the missing punctuation. This ranged from weve/we've, Ive/Ive, and were/we're, to speech without ''speech marks''. 

MATHS
After the morning registration had been completed, I led the students from my class and into maths. The teacher had been given Assessment Sheets from the Maths Subject Leader, and this was to be the focus of the week. I was given a high ability of students to sit with and monitor their progress, whilst they completed a few pages of printed test questions. The reason for this is to see what strategies they use, whether it be: trial and error, building on what they know, resources used, patterning etc. I noted down any questions that proved difficult, which way they worked a question out, and how they used the sheet of paper in front of them (did they work it out in their head or jot down calculations). I followed this with a series of questions, with the students using whiteboards to answer. This helped me to identify: their way of thinking, how they thought I had said a question, did they copy someone else's answer, and what they did to rectify a mistake. Whiteboards are great because as a teacher I can see a quick way of thinking, how much information is written down regardless of how much is given, and I can see lots of answers all together - which helps to assess if they need more time or can move on.

All of this information will be used to create the next few weeks worth of lessons, and gives the teacher and I, a chance to plan appropriately for the level our class our working at. 

ASSEMBLY
It was singing assembly today and although I am not required to be there, I decided to sit in and learn two songs I had not sung before.

BREAK
My day for being on duty and I have been asked to cover the KS2 area, which includes a lot of space.  I was required to roam around as much as possible and to keep my eyes peeled. 

LITERACY
To start, was a continuation of this mornings rise and shine. I spoke to a few students and explained through any mistakes they may have made plus some things they did correctly. The main part of the lesson was based on another paragraph from the same book, however for the most of it I asked small groups of students (4 at a time), to chose a book and read to me. This gave me a chance to gauge what level reading they are at, what made them chose the book, and whether it is suitable for their reading age or not.
There are two books for staff to write in; one to keep a record of what they are reading and when they got it from the library, and the other is going to be used for an adult to write about the way they are reading, any words mispronounced, and make suggestions as to what they should be reading.

SCIENCE
With the students on the carpet, the teacher asked the students what they know about light vocabulary. 4 pictures were up on the board, all representing some light. Two pictures created a debate surrounding which picture was of a sunrise and of a sunset. It was decided that the one with a red sky was sunset because it's similar to the evening sky. Similarly the other picture had blue sky in the background and this was decided to have shown an early morning setting.

Other pictures included a street lamp, light bulb and a lighthouse, and vocab included refraction, reflection, light source, natural and man-made, light years, rainbow, and electricity.

So much that came out this lesson. The students were asked to write down on different coloured pieces of paper- with each colour representing different levels of knowledge.
GREEN - Confident with knowing the fact on the piece of paper
ORANGE/YELLOW - Think they know the answer but not sure
RED- Would like to research the question on the piece of paper

The paper was on each table and after 5 mins discussing and filling them in, A person was chosen from each table to come up with their groups best choices of paper. Each of them presented their findings (skills learnt from yesterdays Literacy lesson) and the rest of the class fed-back on what they thought.

If GREEN - The class were asked to give thumbs up if agreed with statement
If ORANGE/YELLOW - The class were asked to help fill in some answers if possible
If RED- Most of the class agreed they would like to know the answers

Some statements included; How quick light travels, Who invented the light bulb, How an eclipse works, How does a shadow appear, and Why can we see the moon from space?. 

These were then put up on the Science Working Wall and the class have been asked to research the ORANGE and RED questions, and then fill in a GREEN piece of paper, to let the rest of the class know the answer.
This is a great teaching technique because the students have been asked to think independently and work as a team within the classroom. 

A Baptism of Fire

Baptism of fire: phrase of baptism, a difficult introduction to a new job or activity.

As usual I arrived at school early, only this time I had more bags with me,containing; my PE kit, resources, and stationary. The PE kit was because on Mondays we have the lesson scheduled and today's lesson simply served to deliver best practice information.

The teacher and I discussed what will be happening in the Literacy lesson. Being the first time that both of us will be with this brand new class, we wanted to get to know: what makes them tick, which students need closer eye on, if any stand out for more positive reasons, and also how they respond to our ways of teaching. 

Registration

The teacher and I went to the classroom to set up the PC, and rehearsed the lesson plan. The bell went and the students lined up in the playground, Due to the new 'soft' start with the classroom being open earlier, we will already be in the classroom ready to start promptly at 9 am.. today however for the first day we should have been outside (must remember that one of us has to go outside to meet the line after break and lunch whilst one stays inside).

After the class had found their new seats the teacher proceeded to go through the register whilst asking each student to put their hands up and this helped all of the teachers to put names to faces. Lunch menu was read out afterwards with about half of the children deciding to have hot dinners. 

One thing I did notice was how excited the class are to speak, which despite being a good thing, is not when a teacher or nominated student is talking. There were some ground rules laid out concerning how to behave in school and both myself and Miss G took note of this for future use.

With 5 Maths classes across Years 5 and 6, some of our students will not be based in their main classrooms.  I went through a list to work out where each student was going to and after a few hidden names, managed to find them all and I took my group off to meet their Maths teacher.

Maths

The teacher is new to the school and also a Year 5 classroom teacher. The two of us will be team -teaching and for many of the lessons we will share teaching until I am comfortable with taking on a full class.

About 8 of my tutor group came with me to Maths and were asked to find a vacant seat. She gave out some information regarding whats expected of the class and also asked them what they want to achieve. The working wall was pointed out which, although blank at the moment, will no doubt be nice and full in no time at all. As well as this, there is a table full of mathematical items, which will change to correspond to the lessons being taught.

I explained that we would like them to work independently and only ask a TA or Teacher for help as a last resort. In the following order should they ask for help; table partner, face partner, rest of the table, TA/Teacher. That way the students can often find out an answer quicker and share their own knowledge and ideas. 

Finally the teacher gave a mental maths Quick 10 and included questions surrounding; multiplication, money, subtraction, and rounding up. I walked around the class seeing how the students jotted down the questions, pointed out a few helpful hints, and it also gave us a chance to see how they respond to these types of SAT's questions. I was asked to read out the questions and pick students to give answers whilst she wrote on the white board any answers that needed clarifying. One question about 1p coins in bags of 100, and their how many in 17 bags, stumped some of the students because they thought the question was how much money was in the bags (£17), and this would have been an incorrect answer. When explained by another student, the class realised that the answer was indeed 1700 1p coins, which was the quantity.

Assembly came before break and I took the class from Maths to the hall. This was led by the headteacher and focused the value of the week which is 'Friendship'. She asked the children what this meant and gave some of them a chance to give their opinion. A few notices were read out just in time for for break-time.

Literacy
Starter
The time had finally arrived for my lesson to begin. Once all of the students filtered into class, I ensured they were quiet before giving the LO:To present an engaging report and asking the class to tell me what this meant. 
I was pleased that quite a lot of the students knew what a presentation means and also how to be engaging.

SC: To ask relevant open question.
SC To listen to answers and respond appropriately with additional questions.
SC: To take notes efficiently.

I then began to look down at my sheet of paper, mumble and talk very quietly, and this was to see if they could give me feedback about how I presented what I was saying. 

The teacher used the lolly-sticks (with student names on) to choose who to tell me what I was doing wrong, and what I should be doing instead. Look to the audience, speak clearly and not fast, and look around the room ensuring what everyone is being acknowledged. Yet again I was pleased with what I was hearing, especially with answers coming from all over the classroom. 

1st Activity
Being my first week and with the class not knowing a lot about me, I gave them a few minutes to come up with questions to ask me about my life. I didn't know what to expect but I was prepared for anything and sat in the front of the class on a chair.

Luckily I only had; How long have you been a teacher?; What is your favourite colour?; What football team do you support; and finally, Where did you go during the holidays?
My replies:I am fairly new to teaching, Blue, Arsenal, and Dorset. 
I wanted to know what sort of questions these were and what they could have asked instead or as well. Closed questions was the response, and I should have been asked open-ended questions that are more than just a quick one worded answer. Or the answers I provided could have then developed into another set of questions: 'Who is your favourite player and why?', 'What did you do before you came into teaching and why did you change your career?' and 'Where about's in Dorset did you stay and what did you do there?'

2nd Activity
This was an opportunity  for them to get to know their peers, and they had to ask questions surrounding what they did during the summer holidays. The teacher and I walked around the tables giving ideas of what to ask and this lasted 5 mins - including time to swap the questioning. The next part of the activity I asked them to go through the questioning , except this time to make notes of the answers. I was looking for them to take notes efficiently which included: bullet points instead of full blown sentences, getting the main conversation jotted down, and developing a question if an answer requires more information.

After another 5 mins, I chose 3 of the class to stand up and present their engaging reports. One of the students I picked was based on how well he had asked relevant open-ended questions and also write down quick notes. The answers gave were; which country the person had visited, a funfair they had been to whilst there?, and also whether or not they could understand the language? I said that whilst the questions started to become developed, they could have been up-leveled by asking: 'What the weather was like?' 'Was the country similar to the UK?' and 'What was their favourite ride at the funfair?'. 

Plenary 
I delivered a report about 'What I did this summer', except instead of filling it in with lots of information, I just gave a brief outline. 

Afterward I asked the class to dig deeper and wanted to check they had listened to my answers and respond appropriately with additional questions.I was asked more detailed questions to expand my answers.

The Learning Objective was achieved today by all and after my first actual teaching lesson, it was pleasing to see so many students wanting to ask and answer questions. They also achieved the skills of how to take notes and ask their peers additional questions.

PE

After lunch was PE and this term I am working alongside my mentor. This wil enable me to see how she delivers a lesson and then I do the same. 
Today's LO: To understand pre-requisites for participating in PE lessons.
SC: To use a changing room sensibly
SC: To understand why and how to live a healthy life style
SC: To identify what kit is require to participate in PE sessions

Each Year 6 class will be doing PE during part of a Monday afternoon, and then swap with the other Year 6 class for IT with my class teacher.
My mentor explained in the the school hall what is to be expected of them during PE, what they should be wearing and why, and what will happen should they not bring their kit to school.
One time forgotten will mean a letter home.

Afterwards she showed them the newly refurbished changing rooms and gave a brief on how to behave and also where they should hang their uniform. During the final part of the lesson, it was then discussed as to what will be happening during the initial sessions. Ball handling , Agility, and Tactics (Ball Skills).


2nd class for PE
Having seen the teacher deliver the LO and SC's in the previous session, I was then handed the reins and asked to tell the students what the pre-requisites are for PE. This was good because I hadn't spoken to a lot of the other Year 6 class, and it meant I could address them all at the same time and they have had a proper chance to meet me. 

ROUND UP
Today was always going to be nerve-wracking for me. Yes I have had plenty of experience in a classroom environment over the past year or so, but I am glad that my first lesson went by without a hitch and the students responded well to my way of thinking. 

Here's to a full and exciting year, many ups with hopefully not a lot of downs, but at the end of it all I can look back and see how far I have come in such a short space of time.