Elise Schiccatano

Journal Responses
Dr. Selvaggi
Journal- Response to Field (2)
Co-op: Mrs. Salvatico
Grade: First Grade
* I separated the first week into 2 journal entries to make up for the day we didnt
write because of our on-campus seminar.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Today was an interesting day! It started out like any other day, with the class
coming in and cutting out their new sight words. Then, as usual, I led morning
meeting and went over the new sight words with the class. To make things more
fun, I decided that we would be practicing our sight words pretending we are
playing basketball. I told them to dribble, dribble, and when we are finished spelling
the word, we are going to shoot the ball together. I decided to use this basketball
technique because several students in the class told me about seeing one another at
practice in a YMCA league and a few students even brought their medals in. This was
a cool way to let the class know that I have been listening to what they have been
saying. I could tell that they were extra excited doing sight words today.
After sight words, Mrs. Salvatico asked me if I wanted to do word families again. I of
course took the opportunity and this time we were learning Ad, Ed, Id, od, and ud.
I had even less prep time than I ever have, but I decided to go with the flow today.
The class caught the words and they tapped them out.
After this, Mrs. Salvatico taught a mini-lesson on writing. The mini-lesson
was about freezing words again. We sang The Itsy Bitsy Spider and then we changed
up the lines. We added walking movements and different adjectives. Mrs. Salvatico
then had the class begin or continue writing a story. I helped James write a story. I
heard that last time he didnt write a story so he had to stay in for recess where he
cried on the floor.

I know James loves video games so I brainstormed with him and told him we
would write a story together. I told him that it is fun to write about things that you
like. He didnt get far, but it was a start and I felt like I accomplished something.
It was time for recess, and I asked Mrs. Salvatico if I could stay later (I needed to
make up an absence). I also always had to leave right when Readers Workshop
began so I wanted to see that. Mrs. Salvatico said that would be a great idea and that
she had someone coming in from the IU to look at Colter during Readers Workshop.
This was a follow-up from Colters benchmark testing when Mrs. Salvatico told me
that she really felt like Colter could benefit from participating in Readers Workshop
with the class.
An interesting thing that happened was that I met the Superintendent of the
district. I felt like I was meeting a celebrity! I was very honored. Then, I took the
class to art class. Before I left, Mrs. Salvatico told me to prepare for Wednesday and
that I would be practicing word families with the class as well as sight words again.
We both agreed the key to Wednesday would be to not give the children choices
when they are completing activities. This is to keep them on track.
Art class was very interesting. I stayed until 12:30 and it was nice to see the
class dynamics outside the classroom. It was fun to see that some of the students
were very talented artists and that the classs skills were all over the spectrum
based on skill. It was interesting to see where children were developmentally in
their art.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Today was not the best day ever at field, but that is okay. It was raining,
pajama day. On top of that, the students had new chores and they came into school
more hyper than usual. I knew today was going to beinteresting. During word
family practice, I feel like I had a solid lesson prepared and practiced. The class was
difficult to manage. I had to stop during the lesson several times. I also tried
different techniques. It failed and I felt completely defeated. Mrs. Salvatico actually
intervened in the middle of the lesson and told them that they are not to disrespect
me and that she observed poor behavior. She also told them that she was

embarrassed and ashamed of them. She told them how I am a teacher and I am
going to be respected like one. After that, the class was quiet and better behaved. I
got the impression that they had not heard her raise her voice like that before. I felt
a little uncomfortable while this was all happening, but in hindsight I appreciate that
Mrs. Salvatico stood up for me and demanded respect for me. It was very nice. At the
same time, I was a little embarrassed that I couldnt keep the class under control. I
did talk with Mrs. Salvatico and we talked about how today was an off-day based
on a lot of factors. She apologized to me and told me that recently, she has been
learning that the class has not been very well behaved when substitutes come in and
she feels like they may think that they can get away with things when she is not
around or looking. This made me feel better, but it was also a little bit intimidating
because I was going to have to leave there and the next time I saw the class it was
going to be time for me to present my first observed lesson. Today was honestly one
of those days where I was ready to go right home at 11 and regroup. It was so
different from my day on Monday. I did feel creative when it came to teaching sight
words. I made up a swimming technique since it was raining. They thought it was a
lot of fun. That was definitely one of the more positive things that happened today.

Monday, October 27, 2014 and Wednesday, October 29, 2014

On Monday, I became a real teacher. I was so nervous for my lesson
observation today. I felt that the lesson I was presenting was interestingly complex.
There was a reading component, a science component, and a lesson on schema all
built into one. Once I began presenting my lesson, I felt confident that many of my
fears were gone. I felt that the flowed and that the class was involved and well
behaved. I was very proud of my class, but even more proud of myself. I feel that my
confidence soared. It was a huge improvement from last Wednesday when I left kind
of upset. Mrs. Salvatico said that my lesson went very well and she emphasized to
me that she could tell I was well prepared. Hearing this from someone that I respect

and admire meant so much. It was so interesting to me how the classroom dynamic
can change. It was also interesting to me how the class acted when being observed.
A part of the lesson that I wish I did better on is that I wish I used more realworld examples while teaching about why leaves change colors. I incorporated
students experiences of their travels to school and seeing the leaves outside their
car or bus window. At this age, and at any age, children or adults can benefit from
showing interest or being relate to the topic. This essentially causes a person to
learn more. So, that is something I wish I could have added more of.
On Wednesday, the class was definitely excited that Halloween was two days
away. By the end of the day, I was wishing I had been able to attend the Halloween
parade on Friday during school. I always had the fondest memories of my Halloween
parades in elementary school.

Monday, November 3, 2014 and Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Monday, the class seemed more tired than usual. They were excited to talk
about their trick-or-treating experience. While I got to hear many of their stories, I
wished we could have talked about everyones Halloween experience during
morning meeting. Morning meeting was very sluggish, but my word families lesson
went well. Today was especially cool because Mrs. Salvatico switched Readers and
Writers Workshop for the day. She asked the students she was going to see how
their writing has improved from the beginning of the year until now. She gave
everyone blank booklets and told them she was going to say the rhyme as much as
they needed, but they were to write the rhyme Jack and Jill. She told them that she
wasnt going to be able to help them spell their words, but they could use resources
within the classroom such as their sight words posted around the room to try and
figure out how to spell words. I found this to be a valuable assessment and also a
quick one. I walked around during this and saw the students on all different levels.
Some students werent spacing their words, others werent using punctuation, while
others were completed with relatively accurate spelling and already onto drawing

pictures to correspond to the rhyme. I can see myself using writing assessments
exactly like these when I have my own classroom.
On Wednesday, I stayed until 12:30 to make up field. For Writerss
Workshop, we read a story, Soft House by Jane Jolen and we discussed how the
author uses actions or thoughts to convey how she is feeling. I saw several students
try to mimic this technique in their writing and I was very proud.
I agreed to go out to recess with my class today. I was very curious to
observe the class in this setting to see how and who they interested with during this
time. I think it was very telling. Plus, the class loved that I played Bubblegum in a
dish with them. After recess, during snack, I spent time with Garrett going over
sight words with him with the Ipad. The other students were jealous, but I wanted
to do this activity with Garrett because I wanted to observe him more as my case
study student. After snack time, I went to gym class with my first graders. I was so
excited to do this. I was amazed on how the gym teacher looked as if he carefully
designed his lesson on brushing teeth and proper teeth care. Not only did he tell the
students about it, he modeled it with objects such as toothpaste, mouthwash, floss,
and a fake set of teeth. Then, after the modeling, he brought it to life with games. It
was really fun to see gym class and was the class that the class really insisted on my
staying for.
Monday, November 10, 2014 and Wednesday, November 12, 2014
On Monday, I was absent. By the time Wednesday rolled around, I still was
not feeling my very best and it definitely affected my personality at field. I was also
disappointed because I had just finished making up the last absence I had. I was not
as lively and it was hard to get through the day. This makes me wonder about how
teachers probably go to school all the time when they are not feeling great. It must
be hard to do all that is required of them. I have gotten sicker this semester than I
ever have in any semester at West Chester University. The class asked me to go out
to recess with them and I feel like I really let them down. I told them I did not feel
well enough.

On Wednesday, I brought Ipad activities that I wanted the class to try during
snack time. Some were games and some were practice. I found that the class really
liked a game called Futaba. This game allowed for multiple players and the
concept of the game was to have students identify the word that corresponds to the
picture and do this while racing against your classmate. Though this game was
really fun to the class, it offered more learning opportunities than they would know.
The student who is playing has to first identify the picture and then use their
schema to decide what the picture is of based off of what they know. Then, they have
to match up the picture with the correct word out of four offered words. This is nice
because if the student doesnt know the word, they can typically figure it out based
off using the process of elimination. I needed to manage this game and I eventually
caught on and had students of similar abilities facing each other in this game. I
witnessed two players of very opposite skill abilities go against each other and the
result was not good. I pulled her aside and told her how tricky the game can be
because its a race. The class really liked the game and I promised that I would bring
it back to let them play again. Another negative of the game is that it was hard to
give the entire class a chance to play in a short time. I found that snack time is the
best time for me to experiment with different games. I wanted to make-up half of my
field today, but because I was not feeling well at all, I decided that I would make the
best of my extra time and do this on a day where I felt up to it. Other than the Ipads
at snack time, I feel like the day wasnt very eventful!
Monday, November 17, 2014 and Wednesday, November 19, 2014
On Monday, I returned to field refreshed and excited to see my favorite First
Graders. I knew that this week I was going to stay until 12:30 each time I was at field
because I wanted to make-up my absence before Thanksgiving break. So, I was
excited to see what I was going to experience these days. Monday started off like any
other day. Except today, I had an exceptional morning meeting. I was direct and I
received respect in return. This left me in good mood for the rest of the day. Also, I
was excited to learn that I would be getting to experience music class. So, so far, I

had gotten to experience art class, gym class, and now music class with my first
graders.
At snack time I worked with several students and I used different Ipad apps
for different students based on their appropriate levels. I knew Ava needed help
with her handwriting, so I used a sight word app and practiced with her. I realized
that the Ipad can really excite kids in so many ways. It seems so simple, but any
chance to utilize technology really gains their attention. During many days of field, I
noticed girls in the class were always making fake cell phones and the boys were
always talking about video games. It was very telling as to how much technology
dictates these childrens lives.
Music time was awesome. The teacher used classroom management skills
from the moment they walked into the door until the moment they walked out. I
found it fascinating how personable the teacher was with the kids. It was fascinating
to me because you realize that these teachers who teach specials see the class
once, maybe two times a week and they learn everyones name and know about
them. It was interesting to me to see how the students knew all of the rules and
classroom procedures. Overall, this was a fun class to observe and I like how there
was a lesson tied into it and you could really see how everything was brought
together for the class to learn. I also liked going to music because it was really
interesting for me to see how children who show certain behaviors in the classroom
are also showing similar behaviors in their specials. For example, disruptive
students in the regular classroom were also disruptive in music.
I would say that Wednesday was one of my favorite days of all at field. I
stayed until 12:30 this day as well. I went to the author visit along with the
Kindergarteners and the other first graders in the school. I saw the true value of
having an author come to visit and have children experience authors as they are
learning to become authors themselves. What was really cool to me was that I had
discussed this author, Brian Collier, in my teaching social studies and health course
at the university. After he talked and we went back to the classroom, I decided to go
back to the library and tell him that and shake his hand. And, I did exactly that and it
was a really good feeling.

After Readers Workshop, the class went to gym and I talked with Mrs.
Salvatico about my upcoming lesson observation. We decided that I was going to do
a guided reading lesson based on my interest in observing these in the past. After I
talked with Mrs. Salvatico, I went to gym class where I played Star Wars theme
games. This gym class had less of an educational value and more of a fun value, but I
like how he mixed it up.
Monday, November 24, 2014 and Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Seminar on Campus and Thanksgiving Break
Monday, December 1, 2014 and Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Monday was my second lesson observation. I wanted to take a different
approach with this lesson compared to the last. I was much more relaxed and I
didnt over-prepare. I had 5 students complete a guided reading lesson with me. I
loved doing everywhere as Mrs. Salvatico did. After completing the lesson, it was
determined all around that if I were to have gone back and done it again, what I
would have done differently is put a larger focus on the teaching point of the lesson,
which was focus on putting yourselves in the characters position in order to think
about how they are feeling in that moment.
Wednesday was a monumental day for me at field. I completed the morning
meeting as well as sight words and then I decided to get creative with my word
family activity. I loved using the whiteboard application in the past so I used it again
and I tried different activities that I thought would be effective. For example, rather
than just having my pick a word, I had a student come up, draw a picture of work
with the right ending and then they would show it to the class and the class would
guess from there. The class loved the teacher role I gave them. One girl even said,
this is the best lesson ever and I found that completely endearing.
But the very best part of all was when I read the classroom and saw that
maybe it was time to wind down the lesson. I quickly walked over to Mrs. Salvatico
who was on the phone. She said the class was learning about how to lists and their

purpose. I said I felt completely comfortable going over a lesson with them. The
lesson flowed. It was super interactive and what I felt was very informative. They
used whiteboards at their desks and I had them write lists of anything they wanted
to show us. A lot of the class told me their nighttime routine. I pointed out how one
person gets ready for bed may be the complete opposite of how someone else goes
to bed. I would have students come up and we would read their list together and I
would add movements or act it out to show the students how based off of the list, I
have never done this before, but after reading it, I have a much clearer picture of
how to do a task (i.e. horseback riding). This moment in class when I was teaching, I
felt more in my element than ever before. I was euphoric and so excited. Mrs.
Salvatico walked by during my lesson and told me that I was doing an awesome job
and completely in the zone. Afterwards, Mrs. Salvatico pulled me aside and thanked
me. She told me she was on a very important call with the Superintendent so it made
me feel even more helpful. Teaching this lesson made me feel confident and proud. I
am a teacher.

Monday, December 8, 2014

Last Day of Field
Today was a day full of a lot of emotions. It started out with the breakfast for
the teachers. I was so excited when Mrs. Salvatico showed up. I brought a gift for
Mrs. Salvatico as well as the aid in the classroom, Linda. When I got to the classroom,
students were coming up to me non-stop and this continued through the end of the
day. We ran our morning meeting like usual, except the class had a little bit more
energy than usual.
After morning meeting, instead of sight words or word families, Mrs.
Salvatico had me read the book, How To Lose All of Your Friends by Nancy
Carlson. This book was a great book to go off of my lesson last Wednesday on Howto lists. The book was sarcastic and funny and was well received by the class. After I
read the book, the class spent time at their seats preparing a materials paper and
steps on how to do a task. This was nice to get to go around the classroom and work

on a piece of work with students for my last day. After that, Mrs. Salvatico called the
class to the carpet before recess where she gave me a hug and a beautiful orchid
plant. She also gave me a book signed by the entire class called, What Do You Do
With an Idea? When I got home, I read this book and a key idea is confidence and
believing in yourself. She also handed me a pile full of notes from the class. I cried. I
gave Mrs. Salvatico her gift and then she had to leave for the day for a meeting. Then,
I went out to recess with the class. Today, we played tag. The entire class was so
excited. Then, we came back and it was snack-time.
One very meaningful thing that happened at the end of the day is that James,
a boy who I had struggled with the entire semester to get to write (who was actually
writing earlier in the day) came up to me and gave me a hug and told me he was
going to miss me so muchwith tears in his eyes. I sometimes thought I was pushing
him too hard or that he didnt like me because of this. This certainly was a
wonderful end to the semester with him! I am so thankful to have had an amazing
field experience this semester and to have been placed with a role-model teacher
who will be a model for me in the teacher I want to be for the rest of my life.