80 Hour Practicum - Day Three

Today in the classroom, I was able to lead three activities.  The first activity I was able to lead was the morning routine.  It felt really good to be doing something in the classroom right away in the morning.  I greeted students as they walked in and reminded them to select which lunch they wanted, etc.  Then, after the morning announcements, I was able to start leading the morning routine.  Each week, there is a new helper assigned to go through the morning routine.  The student and teacher go through the date, day of the week, days school has been in session, the weather and season, and the time.  These activities meet four different math standards and build math skills through repetition.  When I led this routine, I was a bit unsure of myself but I know that I will get more confident each week as I lead the activity.

After the morning routine, the students and I read the morning paragraph describing the major events of the day, such as the spelling test that I led at 11am.  This was my second time leading the spelling test and I was a lot more confident and had more instructions that last week so I think it went really well this time around.
I also read a book to the children today.  It was a Berenstain Bears books about new neighbors moving in.  I really liked this book as a child so I was excited to read it to the students.  However, I was also nervous because my voice is naturally very monotone and I have a hard time reading with expression.  I tried to add some while reading and I thought I did a pretty good job but my cooperating teacher wants me to work on my expression so I am going to read another book next week and practice in the meantime.
Overall, the day went well and I am proud of myself for getting up in front of the classroom and working on my teaching skills.