Day: 11 June 2022

During my Educ 490 practicum, I had the opportunity of teaching a unit on water conservation, where the objective was for the class to gain an understanding that fresh water is a limited resource and is not being replaced at the same rate as it is being used. Students had just completed a science unit on the water cycle, and had a good understanding of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff. Through these lessons, students continued their learning about water and its importance to communities and the environment. I enjoyed teaching this unit, as students had the opportunity to engage in hands-on, experiential activities of building their own rain catchers and measuring the rainfall over a period of time. Below are some of the students learning during this unit, enjoy!

Although I never got the chance to snap a picture of the students rain catchers before they brought them home to share with families, here is an example of a similar model that students made to gauge the rainfall over a period of time. They loved applying their measurement skills learned in math through this cross-curricular activity in tracking the rain measurements on their models.

In my second practicum, I taught a Grade 2 Mathematics unit focused on 2D and 3D shapes. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching this unit, as it provided students with foundational math skills through positive, fun, and interactive learning opportunities. It also created enriching learning moments focused on hands-on and experiential activities that engaged students of multiple learning intelligences alike. This unit connected with the mathematics curriculum content focused on learning multiple attributes of 2D shapes and 3D objects, including counting the number of faces, vertices, and edges of the shapes to differentiate the attributes. The following core competencies were embedded throughout this unit.

Communication:

• I can listen and respond to others.
• I can consider my purpose when I am choosing a form and content.
• I can communicate clearly about topics I know and understand well, using forms and strategies I have practiced.

Critical Thinking:

• I can use evidence to make simple judgments.
• I can ask questions, make predictions, and use my senses to gather information.
• I can explore with a purpose in mind and use what I learn.

Social Awareness & Responsibility:

• In familiar settings, I can interact with others and my surroundings respectfully. I use materials respectfully.

Here are some examples of students creation of 2D and 3D shapes throughout the unit 🙂