Alana McSharry- Blog 7- "What I Use to Think But Now I Know"

"What I Use to Think"
*Students decide what they will learn during project based learning units.
*PBL units do not include standards.
*PBL units are not planned units.
*PBL units are unorganized and unstructured.
*PBL units are about the products during and at the end of the units.
*PBL units are long and drawn out.


"But Now I Know"
*The teacher decides what to teach students.
*The standards drive the students' learning when teaching a project based learning unit.
*Before teaching a project based learning unit the teacher needs to plan it.
*Planning is important because it causes the unit to be successful.
*Organization is key to a successful project based learning unit.
*The process students move through is more important than the products at the end of the unit.
*The process includes sustained inquiry into a certain subject or idea.
*Students have choices but those choices are within the boundaries given to them by the teacher.
*The project based learning units need to be relevant and authentic so students will solve a problem while they are learning.
*Assessment is an important component to project based learning units.
*Assessment can drive the learning and teaching.
*Students have a final product to present their learning.
*Students reflect on their work throughout the project.
*Students present the information from a unit to a public audience.
*Students need the opportunity to work independently and to create authentic work even when they are four-years old.

During the three courses I learned many helpful concepts and ideas to create a better learning environment in my classroom. I would like to work on creating PBL units for the other units that I teach in K4. I enjoyed the challenge of these classes this school year.

Alana McSharry- Blog 6- Workshop for K4 Teachers in Spartanburg

At the end of the fall class Dawn asked me to present Exercise, Eat, Sleep and Be Healthy to a group of K4 teachers at a school in Spartanburg. It was the first time that I would present a workshop to other teachers and I was nervous about the whole experience. I gathered all of my students' products, my books and my computer and drove to Spartanburg with a sense of nervousness and excitement. The principal of the school walked me to the library where there were about eight to ten teachers waiting on me. The principal was kind and informative about her K4 program as we walked to the library. Dawn introduced me to the teachers and I began the workshop. I presented the project using the PowerPoint I created during the fall class. Throughout the presentation I talked about my students and how they moved through the project. I passed out some of the books I read to the students to help them learn about healthy habits. I also gave the teachers the opportunity to read the students' healthy habit books. I passed out three examples of the books which demonstrated the different levels of the students in my class. At the end of the workshop I showed the videos created by the students. One video was about staying clean and the other video was about how exercise is fun. I think the teachers enjoyed the workshop and found it helpful. I offered the teachers the planner for the project and also gave them the opportunity to ask questions about the project. I enjoyed the whole experience and it was a confidence builder for me. I appreciated Dawn giving me the opportunity to share Exercise, Eat, Sleep and Be Happy to a group of colleagues.

Alana McSharry- Blog 5- Monarch Elementary and Drayton Mills Elementary

Monarch Elementary
During the visit to Monarch Elementary I observed PBL in a classroom from each grade level. In the fifth grade class the students worked on deciding the best stock to buy. They graphed the stocks for a couple of days. The students were engaged in their work and understood their assignments. The teacher walked around the classroom and talked with students to check on their progress. I was impressed with the focus of the students on their work. In another classroom the students were creating a perfect school building. Each group of students had to design a section of the school building. The design of one group included windows that opened to the outside. When I questioned the student about the importance of windows that open she expressed her concern about having an alternative way to leave the classroom in an emergency. This conversation impressed and intrigued me. The students took this project seriously. In every classroom that I entered the students were working either in small groups or independently with the teacher walking around and engaging with students.

Fort Mill Elementary
During the visit to Drayton Mills Elementary I observed more of the structure and design of a school that implements PBL. Each grade level has an open area for the students to gather and work together on projects. This area had tables and chairs that was appropriate for the age of the child. The school has a classroom that students can use to build or create an object. The teachers can schedule this classroom when their students are creating a bigger or more complicated project. It was interesting to visit a school that was designed for the implementation of PBL.

Alana McSharry- Blog 4- Coaching Cycle

During our coaching cycle Dawn and I talked on the phone about the current project and the project I did during the fall class. While talking about the implementation of this project I brought up the topic of students doing work independently. Dawn encouraged me to let students do their work by themselves as much as possible. The students have their own level of independence and it is my responsibility to meet them at that level and to help them when they need it. These ideas created an environment that helped my students complete their artistic representation of their weather projects. I watched my students working and waited until they indicated that they needed my help. This action on my part improved my students' independence and confidence. I learned to value the power of observation and the power of student independence. I appreciated Dawn's encouragement and helpful advice because it improved the implementation of the project.

Alana McSharry- Blog 3- Observation of Spring PBL

I chose for Dawn to observe a lesson that involved the students observing a rain making activity.

Here is the lesson.
Standards: 1. LDC-2o: Participate in a group discussion making comments and asking questions related to the topic. 2. LDC-13f: Represent thoughts and ideas in drawings and by writing letters or letter-like forms. 3. CD-10o: Notice and describe weather conditions, position of the sun and moon at different times and seasonal changes. 4. CD-11n: Represent what they learn during scientific exploration through drawing, modeling, building, movement and other methods.
Procedures: 1. Review the idea of rainy days with students. 2. Explain to students that they will participate in an experiment that will show how rain falls from a cloud. 3. Show students a cup with water in it. 4. Add shaving cream to the top of the cup. 5. Show students how to use the eye dropper to get water and drop it on the shaving cream. 6. Explain to students that they will do the experiment, discuss it and draw a picture of it. 7. Send students to their tables. 8. Place a cup with water and shaving cream on the table, a small cup with blue water and eye droppers. 9. Have students begin to drop the blue water onto the shaving cream. 10. Have students observe what is happening to the blue water and the water in the cup. 11. Have students discuss with each other what is happening and how it is similar to rain falling from the clouds. 12. Give students paper and have them draw a picture of what is happening in the cup. 13. Have students write about what is happening in the cup. 14. Have students bring their papers back to large group and share it with a friend.
Assessment: Students participate in discussions. Students draw about their observations.

During the lesson the students actively participated in the activity. The students talked about how the blue water moved through the shaving cream into the water in the cup. They talked about how it looked similar to rain. The students took turns sharing the eye dropper and worked well together.

After the observation the students drew and colored a picture of what happened to the blue water when it was dropped on the shaving cream. Then the students dictated a sentence that matched their picture. All of the students' pictures had detail and related to their observations. All of the students dictated sentences that explained the activity or rain in a correct manner.

In large group three or four students presented their picture to the other students. The students spoke clearly and did a great job explaining their work. The students were engaged and involved throughout the lesson.

In my opinion the lesson went well. It was organized and well delivered. I think there is little I could do to improve the lesson.

Alana McSharry- Blog 2- Implementation of Spring PBL

During the first week of the project I read books about different types weather to the students. Many of the books had interesting pictures and information for the students to learn about weather. The students began a list of weather words. As they presented the weather words I added the words to the list with a picture next to it. On the first day of the project we graphed the weather and continued with the graph throughout the whole project. The students also went home with a calendar so they could track the weather at home with their parents. During the first week I filled a container up with water, dyed the water, drew a line, wrote the date and placed the container on top of the refrigerator. The idea is for the students to observe how water evaporates over time and how this evaporation is part of the water cycle. In art class the students started an art project that related to rainy weather. The students splatter painted blue on their paper to represent the rain. Each week the students worked on the project until they completed it.

During the second week of the project the students watched videos about different types of weather. The videos explained tornadoes and hurricanes in a way that allowed students to understand those types of weather. The students continued to graph the weather every day at school and at home. The students observed the container with the water and realized that the water had evaporated into the air. The students continued to work on their art project during art class. The students drew and colored a person holding an umbrella. 

During the third week of the project the students began to use the information about weather to participate in different activities. One activity was to observe the water cycle. Each table of students had a cup of water, a cup of blue water and eye droppers. My assistant and I went to each table of students and placed shaving cream on top of the water. The students took turns dropping the blue water onto the shaving cream and watching how the blue water soaks through the shaving cream and into the water. The students related the action of the blue water and shaving cream to the water cycle and how rain forms in clouds and falls down to the Earth. After the observation the students drew and colored a picture of what happened to the water. Then the students dictated a sentence to the teachers. The students worked with "snow" and made a snowman and decorated it. Another activity the students observed how a tornado swirls around in a funnel. The students had a cup of water with glitter in it. They took a pencil and stirred the water. After stirring for a few minutes the students removed the pencil and noticed how the water spun like a tornado. The students participated in other activities during the week. They continued to observe the container and how the water continued to evaporate throughout the weeks. During art class the students created a snowy day. They started by drawing and coloring grass, a tree and a snowman.

During the fourth week of the project the students worked on their artistic representation of their chosen weather. First the students chose the weather that they wanted to create artistically. Then the students worked with an adult on their artistic representation. The students chose the materials to create the weather. The students used paint, paper, shaving cream, glue and other materials. They enjoyed the creative process and had pride in their work. At the end of the fourth week we finished graphing the weather. We asked and answered questions about the graph. During art class the students finished the snowy day by painting over their picture with blue paint.

During the fifth week of the project the students worked on writing about the weather that they created artistically. The students worked with an adult to write about their chosen weather. The students had to write at least one sentence. The students talked with the teacher about their chosen weather. The teachers helped the students sound out words during their writing. If the students had questions about their chosen weather the teachers had the students look at a book to refresh their memory about the weather.

At the end of the project the students had the opportunity to share their weather work with their parents during a student-led conference after school and with a first grade class during the day. The parents enjoyed looking at their child's work. The students talked about their project with confidence and pride. The students were excited to present their work to their first grade friends.

Tieraney G. Rice Blog Post #2: Coaching Cycle

For our coaching cycle, I decided that I wanted Dawn to help me with implementing the use of technology into my project.  Other than making some videos, I didn't really use technology with my project I implemented in the Fall.  I took a technology class a couple of summer's ago and learned about all kinds of cool apps that can be used with children.  While I left the course with a tool belt full of wonderful ideas and ways to use technology with my kids, I never used any of it!  I had good intentions!  So, I decided one of the ways I wanted to improve my Spring project was to use technology in a meaningful way.  "Blabberize" was one of the sites in my toolbox that I had never tried, & boy was I in for a surprise.  Our coaching cycle consisted of Dawn helping me set up my blabbering account.  Once I had an account, she walked me through how to use it.  Because of this guidance, I was able to use this fun site with my students as a way of showing what they learned during this project.  They were super excited to see what they had done!