Mama's Mindy Week 3 of Courses: Getting in the Swing of Things

Hi friends!

Re-cap:  Last week was a week of things getting better...not non-stressful...but not overwhelming, hit-my-head-against-the-wall stressful

This week's re-cap:

This semester I am taking 13 credit hours, which doesn't sound like a lot...but I am actually taking 5 courses.

Elementary Music (2 hours).  No Class for Labor Day.  Homework for the week was to practice two pages of recorder music using the notes B, A, and G...and practicing for the Microteach 1: Leading a Song, which will be this coming Monday. :)

Advanced Instructional Technology (3 hours).   I need to prepare my "Educational Portfolio" for submission and create three graphs (scatter plot, bar, and pie) on the computer for submission for class on Sept. 10th.  Right now, I still need a few more mamas out there to send me there shoe and ring size.  Thanks to all who have helped contribute to my convenience sampling for women's shoe vs. ring size--Is there a correlation?

Math for Elementary Ed & Middle School Teachers I (3 hours). This week was all about the Venn Diagram...and so was our homework. Yay!  Finally, the "Math" is making sense. :)  Next week  ((shudder)) is Exam 1.  I get to use a 3" X 5" notecard...so I hope that I use it efficiently and effectively. 

Homework left:  One homework assignment for one section (the last section before the exam), study for exam, fill out my 3" X 5" notecard to be used for test purposes.

Field & Lab Biology (3 hours).  First Exam was taken...I know I forgot "par focal"...but other than that I feel good about my testing outcomes.  After the exam, the class period was devoted to all things water-related.  We went to a local pond/park and got pond samples...we literally cast out a net with a vial and got to view in lab later the "creatures" that live in the water.  Once in lab,  we got busy using microscopes to view our water finds and also we tried making fish from recycled bottles...fun...yet quite a few scissors got broken and my fingers came home with permanent marker...need revisions before we let 5th graders do this project during the Butler Community College Water Festival in October (Note: My class was the guinea pigs to see how the current instructions worked...let's just say, I was one who broke a pair of scissors and also had to use two bottles since I messed up the first one).  Briefly, we got instructions to go visit a local nature center and answer questions on our own time (to be turned in on the last day of semester) and on what a virtual field trip is and resources on how to find or make our own. 

Homework:  Create your own or Find a virtual field trip and go through 10 steps on how to prepare it for a classroom of children (e.g. Will permission slips need to be required?  Worksheets?  How will you know what your students have learned? etc.).

Elementary Art (2 hours).   Still waiting for the instructor to put up our blackboard site and get going on the first week of "on-line work."  No rush...trust me, between the Math Exam and the Virtual Field Trip...and finishing up the Technology course, I have PLENTY to do.

See you next week...if I survive...

Much Love,
Mama Mindy :)