Done with Semester One!!

Hi Everyone,
I am happy to report that as of 9am this morning, I have completed my first semester of CTEP! It is very weird to not have any work to do and for everything to be finished, but I will take it!

These past few weeks have been busy and full of lots and lots of work. I have had several papers, lesson plans to finish up, my sustained teach week, and a final to complete.

My Sustained Teach Week went pretty well. It was definitley fun and challenging to have and implement all the lessons for a full three days. Using the curriculum as a guide, I had to create and write up lesson plans for the major content area's and I created my own Social Studies Mini Unit. For this mini unit, I had to create lessons that taugh my students about Ellis Island Immigration. We started off by reading a book about a little girl coming from Ireland to Ellis Island and asking students what they know about Ellis Island already. The next day, students had a chance to do some research about Ellis Island and on the third day students wrote diary entries as if they were immigrants who had come over from Ellis Island. The students diaries were great!!

Yesterday, I went into my classroom to say goodbye and the Students had planned a surprise going away party for me! It was so sweet. They also gave me a little canvas bag that they had signed for me. It is definitely a great memory to have.

This semester if my classroom, has been great! I love my classroom and my mentor teacher and am really sad to leave them!

I have met my new classroom and they are so cute. I will be in a 1st grade classroom in Orange.

Well I am home for winter break now! I am excited to relax and read!!

I hope you all have a great Holiday Season!!

- Rachel