Entry 32

School Placement: Carlisle School

Cooperating Teacher: Mancino Craighead

Grade(s)/Subject(s) of Placement: 6-12 (Sports Medicine, AP Statistics, PE (6-12))

Date: 10/14/14

Summary of Today’s Activities:

Today is the first day back to school from our fall break (aka Columbus Day) so we are running a Monday schedule, even though it is Tuesday.
Sports Medicine (2nd, 4th - short periods) - Today I finished up Chapter 6 (Sports Physicals) with notes (PowerPoint) and a short activity; the lesson focused on clearance from a physician. The activity consisted of a compilation of sports (I typed up 32 different sports on a sheet of paper, then cut them into individual sports). After a short discussion about different classifications of contact sports, I distributed 5-7 sports to every pod of students. The pods were asked to discuss each sport and label it as a full contact/collision, limited contact, or non-contact sport. When they were confident with their decisions, 1 member of the group wrote their sports on the board under each category. A class discussion was held to make sure we had an understanding between contact/non-contact sports and the risks associated with each. *Dr. Brenner also joined us for 4th period today - God bless her soul after that class!
PE (5th period) - Because the upper/middle divisions were running a Monday schedule and the Lower division was running a regular Tuesday schedule - there was a small scheduling conflict in the gym. We had to wait about 10 minutes before we could take the court, so I tried to explain to the class (while they were sitting on the bleachers) about the next unit we were getting ready to jump into - Soccer. However, it was super loud in the gym and I think I wasted my time and effort on that one! When the 3rd graders left the gym, we lined up for exercises in our new placements. We also struggled a little through the exercises today - I need to start pondering new exercises to keep them fresh and on target. After exercises, I brought them back to the bleachers to have a better discussion about our new unit. For our pre-assessment, I chose a "hot seat" approach which had its pros and cons (see discussion in reflection). *Dr. Brenner also joined us for this class - she might think we are all crazy now!
AP Stats (6th period) - Started off with a z-score practice Warm-Up as I checked for their homework. As we transitioned into our lesson of the day - Standard Normal Calculations, we practiced solving a few problems using our new "checklist." I never have enough time to get everything done in this class- it is already time to go!
Middle PE (7th) - Dress out, daily exercises as usual. We introduced a new game to the middle division today called Battleship. The class is divided into groups of 5 - 4 people with knees on the mat (battleship) and a runner/retriever. Each group is given 2 bowling pins to protect (can only use your body to shield). At the sound of the whistle, the retriever runs to the middle to collect balls to give to their group. The groups start firing balls at other groups in effort to knock down other groups bowling pins and protect theirs in the process. After each round, the group rotates the runner/retriever. The students absolutely loved this game!

Reflection about Today’s Activities:

Since I had the pleasure of Dr. Brenner joining us today - I will reflect on what she had to offer. Apparently, I'm in such a habit of running chaotic class discussions it is going to be harder than I thought of getting out of that routine. I need to stress to my class that discussions can only enhance the class if every voice is heard (so talking over top of each other is counter-productive). Students to be called on before offering their opinion/suggestion. Another thing that could be altered for better deliverance is the "hot seat" pre-assessment in PE. The purpose was served, but the production needs to be addressed. Instead of having the students raise their hand to answer the question - I think I should incorporate a soccer component - such as raise the ball over their head, pass the ball to the goal, or dribble to a certain place. I like to incorporate movements appropriate the to the unit where possible. Just a suggestion for next time!