Robious Middle School
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Robious Middle School
In January 2012, I began my internship at Robious Middle School. I started in Mrs. Couillard's sixth grade School Based Gifted science class, then added Ms. Moore's seventh grade Center Based Gifted science class in February. I was nervous at first. I had no desire to become a teacher and it had been years since I had learned the material I would be teaching. Luckily, I got up to speed quickly and I ended up having a lot of fun. I love every one of my students and I am very thankful for the experience.
Mrs. Couillard - 6th Grade SBG
Working with Mrs. Couillard's sixth grade science class has been an absolute delight! The entire class was so friendly and I immediately felt welcomed. When I first arrived, the class was working on group lesson plans to review SOLs with the eighth graders. I got to interact with each group and help the students develop their lesson plans. Working so closely with them helped me learn everyone's names and I quickly grew comfortable standing up in front of the classroom. After observing and helping for about a month and a half, I began to play a bigger role in the classroom. I performed demonstrations and helped teach a unit on the Properties of Water. When Mrs. Couillard traveled to Qatar for a week, I got the chance to lead lessons. I cannot imagine working with any other sixth grade class. Mrs. Couillard's "nerdlettes" are the absolute sweetest kids, all of whom are excited about learning. The interactive and hands-on atmosphere along with Mrs. Couillard's humor and love for teaching made the class very interesting and engaging. Seeing my sixth graders became the the highlight of my day and I am very sad to be saying good-bye.
What We've Done...
Several sixth grades science teachers at Robious Middle School received a Partners in Art grant to work with the students on an interdisciplinary learning expedition combining math, art and science concepts. Throughout the year, local artist Lisa Johnson came into the science classes to teach the students art techniques and worked with them to design a mosaic that represents Virginia’s Watershed System. The students collected their findings in art journals by painting and creating collages.
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When I first game into the class, the students were in the middle of their unit on animal behaviors. They studied and identified the different types of relationships between animals, like mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism. I had to refresh my memory on everything quickly so I could help in class. Mrs. Couillard emailed me the PowerPoint presentation ahead of time and I looked over worksheets before the students received them.
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I didn't have to do as much review for the unit of the Properties of Water. My background in chemistry allowed me to expand further on the lesson and share a few fun facts about H2O. During this unit, I had the opportunity to run a whole class by myself under the watchful eye of a substitute. I helped students do lab stations that demonstrated cohesion, adhesion, surface tension, and capillary action.
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Robious Middle School has begun using a website called "Edmodo" to connect students with their class while they're at home. The website is similar to Facebook, but password protected and regulated by teachers. Mrs. Couillard's students all have Edmodo accounts that they use to discuss topics they didn't have time for in class, take quizzes, and share interesting facts. Recently, the class used their Edmodo to take a quiz on Biomes. The online quiz was easy to take and allowed students to view their results immediately. If only logging on was so simple. The students also recently took a survey to show what they know about weather. Using the survey results, Mrs. Couillard was able to plan for her lesson, making sure she covered topics students frequently missed on the Edmodo survey.
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Ms. Moore - 7th Grade CBG
My seventh grade class was equally as fun to be a part of as my sixth grade class. It was interesting working in both classrooms because of the different, but both very effective, teaching styles. I had had Ms. Moore as a seventh grader so it was a lot of fun returning to her classroom. When it came time for me to teach a lesson on mitosis, I pulled out my seventh grade science binder and taught from the worksheets and notes I received in her class five years ago. I was amazed by how much respect the class has for Ms. Moore. They all know how to have fun in class, but at the same time know when to be serious and learn. It was an amazing experience working with the CBG Teacher of the Year. Ms. Moore is a phenomenal teacher and is truly deserving of the honor. Now that my time in the class is coming to an end, I am sad to go, but extremely happy I had the opportunity to spend part of my internship in Ms. Moore's class. I could not have asked for a better class!
What We've Done...
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In February, I taught a lesson on mitosis, a type of cell division. I pulled out my binders from my seventh and ninth grade science classes and created a PowerPoint and fill-in-the-blank notes. From the worksheets and sources I found online, I created my own "Phases of Mitosis" matching worksheets. I was very nervous about teaching a whole lesson, but taking the risk and stepping outside of my comfort zone was worth it and made for a very interesting experience.
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Ms. Moore's class spent a long time studying the prothonotary warbler. The warbler migrates between the eastern United States and Central and South America, coming north to breed. Thanks to a grant from VCU, the class got to be a part of VCU's Team Warbler by building warbler bird houses and went on a canoe trip to see the birds in their habitat. On their field trip this year, the students incorporated other valuable lessons about ecosystems and watersheds. They tested the river's water quality and learned about the negative effects humans have on the river every day, and what they can do to help protect the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. |
The lesson on the prothonotary warblers flowed nicely into the lesson on the Chesapeake Bay. Using a lot of the information they learned from their field trip, the students made many connections between the harm being done to rivers, and the effect it has on the Bay. They discussed the water quality tests they performed on their field trip and related the effects of turbidity, dissolved oxygen, etc. to the massive decline in oyster population, in addition to the over harvesting of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.
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It was interesting working in both an SBG class and a CBG class because of their different curriculums. Much of the same information is taught, but in a different order. Earlier this year my sixth grade SBG class covered animal behaviors and now my Ms. Moore's seventh grade CBG class is learning the topic. With no communication between the classes, it was funny to see both classes play similar dice games to learn about animal population. I'm enjoying being apart of the class while they learn symbiosis, food chains, and energy pyramids, because I feel confident enough to help out and answer questions.
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