Lauren Erickson

Week 5 Log
Feb 24 - 28
This was my second week of bell-to-bell teaching. On Monday I conducted a whole-class review
with the students as an opportunity to see the topics from the unit one last time and get their questions
from their over-the-weekend review assignment answered. I created the review and the test and got
feedback from the other teachers before it was administered. Throughout the week, I graded tests and
entered all of the data into the google doc, which all of the Algebra teachers use to track progress. On
Tuesday, I transitioned the Power Algebra classes from Unit 6 to their new objective, which was to
complete Carnegie sections. We discussed the importance of completing computer sections and how
Carnegie would help to improve their Algebra skills. Because the classes are 90 minutes, I made sure to
give them a break and check in with students regularly to ensure they werent getting stuck on a
question and not able to advance. On Wednesday, I introduced a new project-based unit called
Statistical Analysis of the Olympics in the Modern Era. My mentor teacher created the project, so she
introduced it to one of the four classes so that I could see what kind of approach to take with it. After
we showed a presentation that went over project details, she left the classroom and I facilitated the
brainstorming that took place the rest of class. There were pre-checks for statistical prior knowledge to
grade as well.
Throughout the week, I made myself available before and after school for students to come in
and fix their tests since 6 week grades were due Friday. A few students took advantage of the
opportunity, however, there are still many students who need to make up missing work and either take
the test or fix their mistakes. For Friday, I created a jigsaw activity for students to review mean, median,
mode, range, and outliers before their formative assessment (Daily Do You Know It). Students were put
into topic groups based on what problems they missed from the pre-check. Then they reviewed the
designated topic via an online math resource that is kid-friendly. Once they learned the topic, they were
put into mixed groups to teach their classmates about what they learned in the context of collecting
data on the ages of their siblings. The activity gave each student and opportunity to contribute, however
I noticed that some students did not participate, perhaps because they were unclear of the expected
procedures. I think that in order to be effective, this activity would have to be used more regularly so
they understood their roles better.
For Literacy last week, our theme was Reading with Purpose. On Monday, I asked the students
to complete an interest survey so I can select relevant readings and get to know them better. For
Tuesday, I used an Anticipation Guide to familiarize students with our upcoming article about minimum
wage. On Thursday, I did a Read Aloud for students to model reading with purpose by answering the
questions from Before Reading Cards which we made as a class. Then on Friday, they used Before
Reading Cards and to anticipate the article they read. Afterwards, they reflected on their Anticipation
Guide to determine whether their opinions had stayed the same or changed. I plan to use a similar
activity next week as well so they can have another opportunity to read with purpose now that they
are familiar with the activities. This week I also completed two Essential Behavior Checklists, a standard
procedure for students with IEPs. Additionally, I attended a 504 meeting for one of the students that I
have been teaching who is in Ms. Lamberts classes.
The most rewarding part of the week was watching the students in my Power Algebra class
become motivated to complete computer sections. The first day we did computer sections, they were
less-than eager to work on the computer for the entire class. However, the second time I saw them
during the week, they knew exactly what they needed to do in order to improve their grade and
Lauren Erickson
Week 5 Log
Feb 24 - 28
learning. They even celebrated when they completed a section so the class overall became more
motivated.
The most challenging part of the week was grading tests and trying to be consistent in my
grading. I think I could use some more practice aligning assessment with standards so that grading wont
seem as subjective.
This week, I will be teaching Literacy and Power Algebra. In Literacy, we will add to our
vocabulary wall, read a new article and focus again on Reading with Purpose. In Power Algebra, our
main focus will be on completing computer sections and giving passing students an opportunity to make
up missing work.