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To Read or Not to Read      Growing up I always had an immense passion for reading. I loved the way you could absolutely lose yourself in a book. It doesn't matter where you are, what you are going through, or what is expected of you, the moment a good book is in your hands it can all just slip away. This feeling has always captured me, and I admire any author who can not only do it once, but who repeatedly writes books that are just inescapable. This wonder and emotion is something that I knew I wanted to pass onto my students. I have always loved to read, and there is never a moment that I am not "currently reading" a book. However, I do go long stretches without cracking it open. This class allowed to reignite that passion and love I have for reading.       I want to teach Kindergarten for a million reasons, and I truly admire a well written or beautifully illustrated picture book. However, I have debated teaching other grades simply for the desire to read.

Book List for Unit 10 books in my Kindergarten Vocabulary Unit 1. Giggle Giggle Quack by Doreen Cronin Lesson #1 Conceptual Categories This book is an adorable story about a farmer who leaves town and decides to leave his brother in charge. Although he warns him about duck, things still get a little wacky at the farm. The book is used an introduction to ways we categorize things, objects, and in this example animals.  2. Polar Opposites by Erik Brooks  Lesson #2 Opposites This book is a great visual for students who want to learn more about opposites or who may not have understood opposites based on just the video in the lesson. This book proves an excellent visual and reference for students who may be struggling.  3. The Hueys in What's the Opposite? by Oliver Jeffers Lesson #2 Opposites In this fun book, students learn what an opposite is alongside the main character as he sorts through what words are and what words are not opposites. It is also

Practice Lesson Presentation      Throughout my time at Columbia College I can not count the number of lessons I have written. However, I have never used this format or used categories such as the Blooms Taxonomy, Research Based Instructional Strategies, Activity Groupings, or a section for Checks of Understanding. Each of these categories was new to me and took me a while to decode and determine what to place in each box. For example, I had been introduced to Blooms Taxonomy previously, but I have never been asked to describe a lesson as one section of Blooms. It was interesting to take a step back and truly consider what exactly I was asking students to do within the lesson. I also felt this way about the instructional strategies section. As teachers, we often use resources such as books or the website to find lessons; however, I have never looked up the research behind each method. I simply take lessons or ideas as they are without diving into the why behind them. I also enj

Fun Way to Teach Vocabulary! #1 Vocabulary Day!      At first this might sound crazy; however, imagine a day where students could choose anything and be anything! That is vocabulary day at its finest. Each student will select a word, for my example I will use decadent. The student will then be asked to find the meaning of the word. On vocabulary day students will come to school dressed as their word or in a costume that allows us to guess their word. Students will also be asked to turn in their word with the definition and their interpretation for vocabulary day. If my word was decedent, I would come to school in a crazy costume like a pizza costume and allow students to guess before providing them my word and definition. #2 Game Show      Learning vocabulary consists of so much more than simply sitting behind a dictionary. In order for students to truly learn a word, we must teach them how to use it. Students should be able to define the  word, find a synonym or antonym, or

Word Walls      I LOVE WORD WALLS. Is there a better way to review and glance back at the year than a word wall? I love the convenience for students, the ability to easily edit, and the variations a word wall may possess. In my own classroom, I intend on having a word wall for each content area. The goal is to have an area in my classroom dedicated to each subject so that students are able to close one tab and open another by focusing in on the key vocabulary and objectives for the day in a consistent area. This also allows students to have access to a wide vocabulary throughout the year, without the fear of a word "going away." Students are consistently seeing the same words as well as being introduced to words in all content areas. Ideally, this will encourage students to increase their reading, writing, and speaking vocabulary in a more natural setting.  Resources: Top Left:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Math-Word-Wall-1st-Grade-Commo

Week 1: Reflect on the first class, including any takeaways & share two truths and a lie. Reflect:   After attending the first class I was surprised to discover the similarities between this course and other previous courses, such as language acquisition and diagnostic and corrective reading. This first session appeared to be a mini review of those classes and their key points. One example of such review was the five components of reading, which consist of phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Another key point consisted of the main components of language arts: listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, and visually representing. The final point I found to be important was Debbie Miller's point of modeling. We often tell students what to do; however, it is just as important to show them what to do. Two truths & a lie: I have broken both my arms twice. I have been to Mexico four times. I have cut my pinky finger off.

Hello everyone!       My name is Carington Key. I am twenty years old entering my senior year at Columbia College (which is CRAZY) studying Elementary Education. When I graduate I want to teach Kindergarten, but I have absolutely no idea where. However, I didn't always know that I wanted to be a teacher. For many years I was confused and only sure about one thing: I love kids. I knew that the only way I would feel fulfilled in life was by working with children, but I debated many paths. Thankfully, once I reached Columbia College and entered the Introduction to Education course, my fate was sealed.  After graduating, I intend to go to the University of Missouri and gain a masters in Teaching Reading followed potentially by a doctorate in administration  My goal is to someday become a reading specialist and eventually an elementary principal.       In the little spare time I have I love to read (Nicholas Sparks & Stephen King), do yoga, shop, and obsessively clean. At