Maria Ricchio Week 8

     This week I have been really focusing on structuring my lessons using gradual release of responsibility. In writing, I have been working on capitalization and punctuation with my 2nd students and they have been doing great. They enjoy interacting with the material, so during morning message I left out all capital letters and punctuation and they had to help me fix the errors. This was a great activity because it helped them see how important it is to write a proper sentence and help ME see that they understand what a letter/sentence SHOULD look like. I had 2 students tell me, "Miss Ricchio, these sentences look funny!" They were excited to participate and give their answers because they were onfident with the material. This shows me how important and beneficial the process of gradual release is. The more practice they get with watching me model and working together as a class, the more they are able to accomplish tasks on their own. However, my students struggle with staying on task when they are in small groups or partners, so this is something I know we need to work on in order to get better/more efficient.
       Another thing I have noticed this week in my class is how important it is to adapt to new situations, new guidelines, rules, etc. This week my mentor and I began using different techniques to work on our classroom management and it is has made a huge difference. My teacher does a count down system that they really seem to be enjoying which makes our transitions quieter and quicker. As a teacher, I need to remember that something that works one year might not work the next. It's important if you see something not working, that's your cue that changes need to be made. I'm really happy I get to see what that looks like and how to approach certain issues in the classroom.