Mr. D'Amato - My Education Blog

 The Grasshopper and The Ants which is an Aesop's Fables Series is great for elementary students because of the message that it promotes and vocabulary focus that is implemented into the book. The best way to teach vocabulary is to give the word context so that the definition makes more sense to the student. This book is also accompanied by a video which contains different images throughout the book, this can be beneficial to younger elementary students who are still interested in pictures books. This will capture the students much more easily, it is also nice because the teacher does not have to read it and can focus on pointing out things throughout the book by simply pausing it.  The book starts off with a grasshopper noticing  bunch of ants who are carrying seeds through the field. The grasshopper then asked the ants where they were going with the seeds; one of the ants replied and said that they were taking the ants to their nest. The ant told the grasshopper that it...

 I believe that "The Lion and the Mouse" from Aesop's Fables Series is a great book for a variety of reasons and can easily be implemented into a young elementary classroom. The first reason that I believe it can be easily implemented is that it is based around key vocabulary words that are important for students to learn about. This specific book is accompanied by a video reading that is great for all types of learners especially students who are younger and enjoy pictures books still. The book teachers an important life lesson and points out important vocabulary that the students should be learning. When a vocabulary word is said, it pops up in large letters on the video screen. The students can use context clues to figure out what the word means or the teacher can pause the video and discuss the word.  The book starts off with a lion asleep in the shade, a mouse sees him and decides to run over the lion which wakes him up. The lion catches the mouse which makes the mou...

Dr. Mcverry did a great job today of scaffolding the lesson plan to make it attainable for all of the campers and students who were on Zoom today. In order to make it attainable for all of the students he first shared his screen which is always beneficial when working with computer programs. This counts as the visual aid part of the scaffolding. Prior to doing the video editing, he provided a chart to the students where they can put their quote. The students had to come up with a 6-word quote and then create a short video. Dr. McVerry provided the image and asked them to write a quote on the google drive. Once all of the students did that g. He then showed the students how to do the video editing work that they needed to complete before sending them out to do it on their own. Guiding the students through the steps and not assigning it all at once it makes it a lot less overwhelming. It also makes sure that the students are understanding each individual step before moving onto the next ...

 Today during Tech4Teens I learned a lot from Dr. Mcverry that will benefit me in the future classroom. Sometimes in class, we will be teaching the students about things that they may already understand; therefore it is important to listen to what they have to say. Listening to their feedback or ideas can actually make your classroom better as the student will feel more comfortable. Also, just because you are the teacher, this does not mean that you will be the best at everything. It also does not mean that the students you are teaching do not have very important information that you can learn from them.  Once again, Dr. McVerry came into Tech4Teens with a lot of energy and was trying to get the student excited to start doing today's lesson. Since Tech4Teens is a drop-in camp and free, it is important to make sure that the students want to come back. This may not be a challenge that I will face in the classroom, but attempting to make the classroom as fun and useful as possibl...

       This week I learned more about creating a website; I decided to make a website about the Rugrats childcare. The coding website that Dr. Mcvery shows us allows for a lot of creativity; it is very helpful to me and obviously the campers because it provides a clear outline.       Before breaking out into groups, Dr. Mcvery does a tutorial through a shared screen. Sharing your screen with your students whenever possible and appropriate can be extremely beneficial. Instead of just handing them directions to follow, you can walk through it with them as they do it or you can show them how to do it so that there is a visual aspect.      Dr. Mcvery brings a lot of excitement when he does these types of lessons and is always reaching out to the campers to have them be more involved. For example, he will ask a different camper each week what music they want to listen to. He will also ask them if they want to share some of what they...

  Tech4Teens     Tech4Teens is a free camp that middle school students can attend through zoom. This camp or program's priority is to make sure that students a technologically literate and it helps them learn about different online programs that interest them. Some of the topics covered include video editing, coding, photo editing, podcast, and website building/design.     I have learned a ton from being part of Tech4Teens so far. The first thing I have learned is how to properly run an online class; you need to bring a lot of energy to keep the students engaged. Watching Dr. Mcverry teach has taught me some key things about enthusiasm and making sure the students feel comfortable. In order to be a great teacher, you need to help motivate your student to be great.       I have also learned the importance of sharing your work with the class when appropriate or modeling for the student before having them do it on there own. During Tech4Tee...

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