Meaghan+White

I really enjoyed reading the Tchudi and Mitchell article and I thought it offered a lot of great suggestions for the beginning of the school year. Prior to reading this article, I did not understand just how vital the first few weeks of school are and more importantly the first day. The first day of school sets the tone in the classroom for the rest of the year. I think it is incredibly important to create a list of class rules with the students and make it clear to them that I am in charge and should be respected. I also think it is very important to outline the consequences for breaching one of the class rules/contract. That being said, I also think the first day of school is a very exciting time and holds a lot of opportunity for what is to come in the school year. I really liked the suggestions this article made about getting students comfortable in the classroom and offering suggestions on how to do so. I think it is important for students to not only feel comfortable with the teacher, but with the entire class. This article made me aware of how challenging the task of creating a safe and supportive environment for all of my students would be due to the fact that students have different needs and individual strengths. Another topic the article stressed was the students being comfortable with the teacher. To establish this I would begin the first day of class introducing myself to my students and showing them that I am human and have a life outside of school. I think that showing them some personal aspects of my life will help me relate to them on a more personal level and connect with them better. After a brief introduction I would have a list of questions on the board and ask students to introduce themselves and answer one of the questions. I think this would be a good idea because it would allow students to become comfortable speaking in front of one another and allow me to give them personal attention. I will also make a point to learn each students name, so they know that they are important and worth remembering. I also really liked the idea of creating silhouettes. This is a great team building activity and allows students to get to know one another on a more personal level, and by doing so we would be creating a more welcoming and supportive environment for students to participate in. This article certainly gave me a lot of great ideas to think about and reflect on as I embark on my teaching career and plan my first days/weeks of the school year!
 * 8/27/13 Getting Started - Reflection**

I'm not really worried about my online identity and what shows up when people search my name. I hadn't ever done this before so it was interesting to see what came up when I searched for myself. When searching the web my Facebook account and pinterest showed up, none of which have anything scandalous. I may need to censor what I put on pinterest as far as reposting recipes for alcoholic beverages or mildly inappropriate jokes. I guess you can never be to careful as a teacher with way things go these days. I would like to make more of a professional presence on the internet. I hate twitter and only made an account to use in this class. I could use this as a way to post educational related items and make more of a professional presence on the internet.
 * 9/5/13 Online Identity**

[|Meaghan's Life Map]
 * Life Map URL:**


 * Teaching Philosophy:**


 * Ideal Classroom:**


 * Twitter Username:** @Meaghan_White3


 * Placement:** Clayton Middle School teaching 6th grade LA/SS with Barbara Hudack

Name Inquiry Project


 * UNIT PLAN:**


 * In the spring I will be teaching //The Devil's Arithmetic// by Jane Yolen
 * At this point I think the theme of the unit is going to be identity - I think this is important to teach because students are going through a variety of things and they have their own identity unique to their life experiences. I feel that it is important to embrace each students differences and what they bring to the table.
 * I feel that students will gain insights into others lives, and though it is hard for students this age to feel empathy it is vital that they have the opportunity to learn about others hardships and how experiences shape and individual.
 * Materials: Copies of //The Devil's Arithmetic,// paper, pencils, excerpts from //Anne Frank,// Holocaust poems, guiding questions, selected vocabulary words.
 * Possible learning activities:
 * Examine descriptive language used in Holocaust poems
 * Compare experiences of Hannah and Anne Frank
 * Create their own character using Voki
 * lessons on symbolism, author tone, voice and purpose
 * Foreshadowing lesson: analyze poem used in novel


 * POEM:**

MSL Seniors (Using the observation poetry exercise)

Incredibly hostile and stressed out. What's due tomorrow? Who cares! I'm going out : )

Is this optional? Read the email to see. All I know for sure is the Unit Plan will be the death of me.

Mini Lessons, Methods, Assignments --OH MY! Someone please tell me where I can hide.. until JULY!