Today was my first day shadowing Mrs. Black in the Kearsarge Elementary School's special education class room. I arrived to the school at 8:30 a.m., and met one of the other specialists. Immediately, two very cute second grade girls gave me hugs and proceeded to tell me all about their week long vacation. Mrs. Black then showed me around the elementary school, and introduced me to the teachers.
Next, I observed a class of 5 students that Mrs. Black teaches. The class consists of 4 first graders and one second grader. We worked on mastering the sounds that each letter of the alphabet makes. Mrs. Black and I then went into a room with an autistic student who has problems with social skills. In the room we read words and did various activities. At some points I acted as a model, modeling the behavior that the student should repeat. Mrs. Black would ask me a question, and I would model the way the question should be answered. While he was a good reader, comprehension questions seemed to be difficult. In addition, he would do something called scripting, which is where he would recall scripts that he has heard.
After my break, I worked with Mrs. Black with two girls who had trouble with english, and more specifically spelling. They finished writing poems, and then reviewed their spelling list. Lastly, we spent time with a boy in kindergarten who had trouble with oral motor skills. It was hard for him to slow down, and be able to take a sip of juice without spilling. Mrs. Black worked with him on the letter sounds as well as identifying images to go along with specific letters.
Tonight I will be coloring something called a social story. An educator and speech pathologist get together to make a social story which is written words with visuals. The story stays in school to help the student with something that is difficult for him. In this instance, an autistic student has broken his ankle and needs a cast. In order to help him with the process a story was made for him to read, and become more comfortable with.
I really enjoy being at the school so far. I have already learned so much from just one day, and I can't wait to see what I will know and feel by the end of the three weeks.
Highlight of my day: At one point during the day while I was walking with Mrs. Black, she said that this was her favorite time of the year because she could see how much the children she teaches have progressed. It really touched me when she said this because Mrs. Black is a genuinely kind person who seems to love her job, and love to help others.
Next, I observed a class of 5 students that Mrs. Black teaches. The class consists of 4 first graders and one second grader. We worked on mastering the sounds that each letter of the alphabet makes. Mrs. Black and I then went into a room with an autistic student who has problems with social skills. In the room we read words and did various activities. At some points I acted as a model, modeling the behavior that the student should repeat. Mrs. Black would ask me a question, and I would model the way the question should be answered. While he was a good reader, comprehension questions seemed to be difficult. In addition, he would do something called scripting, which is where he would recall scripts that he has heard.
After my break, I worked with Mrs. Black with two girls who had trouble with english, and more specifically spelling. They finished writing poems, and then reviewed their spelling list. Lastly, we spent time with a boy in kindergarten who had trouble with oral motor skills. It was hard for him to slow down, and be able to take a sip of juice without spilling. Mrs. Black worked with him on the letter sounds as well as identifying images to go along with specific letters.
Tonight I will be coloring something called a social story. An educator and speech pathologist get together to make a social story which is written words with visuals. The story stays in school to help the student with something that is difficult for him. In this instance, an autistic student has broken his ankle and needs a cast. In order to help him with the process a story was made for him to read, and become more comfortable with.
I really enjoy being at the school so far. I have already learned so much from just one day, and I can't wait to see what I will know and feel by the end of the three weeks.
Highlight of my day: At one point during the day while I was walking with Mrs. Black, she said that this was her favorite time of the year because she could see how much the children she teaches have progressed. It really touched me when she said this because Mrs. Black is a genuinely kind person who seems to love her job, and love to help others.
1 comment:
Madde, great details about your first day at KRES. I am sure you enjoyed being able to participate actively with the kids on your very first day. It also sounds like you were able to observe a wide range of student support services. Be sure to think about/organize questions you might have about the various teaching practices that you observed so you can talk more with the specialists about their work. Also, I have some helpful resources on teaching early reading skills and working with special needs children. Just let me know if you need any assistance. I look forward to reading more of your blogs!
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