WEEK 5

WHAT
This past week I had my first troublesome experience. Teaching 4th graders how to simplify fractions is not the easiest task. In the beginning of the week I taught them simply how to make a fraction. They learned how to make fractions from part of a set and from part of a whole.
On Thursday however when I began to teach about equivalent fractions, I could see that the students were completely lost. I was so nervous to teach this lesson that I asked my cooperating teacher before I began the lesson that if she wanted to jump in and help at all to feel free. Considering she has more experience teaching this topic, I felt that a little extra help would be wonderful. Thanksfully she stepped up to the plate and helped me out.

SO WHAT
I have had to rack my brain on how to teach equivalent fractions. I had to completely change my approach to this lesson because I could tell from the blank faces that I was not making much sense to the students. I had began the lesson with teaching through manipulatives, but that was not working very well.
I decided just to have the students work on the worksheet that they were going to work on after they got the lesson. I realized that my best approach was just to work through multiple problems with the students. As we worked through the worksheet and the students got more and more practice, the students began to catch on and I finally felt some reassurance.

NOW WHAT
Because Friday was Valentine's Day, it was a hectic day with an assembly and all the Valentine's parties going on. So we did not get to have math, or our usual Friday math quiz. Tomorrow is also a holiday, so it will be another short week. So I'm going to have to really work hard to review on Tuesday so that the students will be able to remember the material from last week and so that they will feel ready for the quiz.
This upcoming week my cooperating teacher will be gone on Thurday and Friday at some type of conference. So there is going to be a substitute teacher. I'm not exactly sure on how to approach my teaching on these two days because I don't want the substitute to think that I am trying to step on anybody's toes. But I also want to fulfill all my student teaching responsibilities. It's going to be an interesting week!