Elena's Adventures in Hubbell Elementary

   Tuesday, September 27th ➽Activity of the Day: Reading group     Today's activity was a reading group with two girls. Their comprehension level is at a similar spot, so we read together. We read Goldilocks and the Three Bears twice. The first time, I read. The second time, they switched every page. If they read a word incorrectly, I would wait until they finished the sentence to see if they could correct themselves. If they didn't, whilst point to the incorrect word I would say, "[student's name], you're doing an excellent job. Will you sound this word out for me?" Complicated words are the same as last week. "Was" vs. "Saw" is an issue. Students are also confusing the letters "s" and "d". I'm working tirelessly to undo these two common mistakes made by every student I've worked with. Wednesday, September 28th ➽Activity of the Day: Reading lesson      The kids got new books today! It was great seeing their exci...

 Monday, September 19th ➽Activity of the Day: From recognition to verbalization      Today was the best day yet! While I was serving as the teacher, I felt like the student. Working with a little girl one-on-one, we went through a set of fifty flash cards. The cards had word chunks like "igh", "ide" or "ode" (ex: right, tide, mode). While I was going through the cards with this student, I learned how children process information. The little girl would sound out the words and use context clues to understand what the word was. I taught her that "igh" makes the [ I ] sound, and the rule about vowel-consonant-vowel. I then had her put the words she was learning into a sentence. I was elated when we went through the cards the student had previously struggled with, and she recognized them with ease. There is no word to describe the joy I felt when this second-grader told me what English pronunciation rules made those words be pronounced that way.  Tues...

 Monday, September 12th ➽Activity of the Day: Frank and Hank      Today's activity was a book called Frank and Hank. In the book, Frank and Hank went on an adventure in a songfest. It was my job to pull four kids at a time and read them the story. After, I would give them a clipboard and paper, asking eight questions about the book. I learned to emphasize important parts of the story as I read, so the kids could remember. I also learned how kids learn information. They did best with repetition, or when we talked as a group about the chronological order of the story. Students learn by making connections.  Tuesday, September 13th ➽ Activity of the Day: Phonics      Today we worked on phonics. At this point in a child's development, they can read and write basic words and letters. Now they are working on recognizing and forming words with common phonics. The directions for today's activity were to write two words ending in the sounds "ang", "ing", "o...

 Friday, September 9th      My first day at Hubbell was quite a success! When I first got into the classroom, students were finishing up quiet reading time. As I assisted in grading computation papers, I joined in their conversations of weekend plans and the best flavor of ice cream.      Afterwards, we went outside for recess. I played in many different groups to give all kids attention and begin learning names. After four square, I judged a singing talent show (to not scar the children, I did not take part in the singing) and helped create an obstacle course along the playground.      I'm so excited for what the next week will bring!

       Hello! My name is Elena Gentry and I am a junior at Theodore Roosevelt High School. After attending Downtown School for elementary, I went to Merrill Middle. After Roosevelt, I plan on attending a liberal arts college (I am currently looking at Macalester and Saint Olaf in Minnesota) and majoring in psychology or biology, to reach my dream job of psychiatry. My goals this school year are to explore possible colleges and interests, develop into a stronger runner, and delve deeper into my classes at school. The activities I'm in are cross country and track, Roosevelt Sharks (synchronized swimming), mock trial and Rider Crew. I love to run, and both cross country and track are filled with supportive teammates. I have done synchronized swimming since I was young, and have always enjoyed it. Mock Trial allows me to work on my public speaking, and spend time with my mother- who is the coach. Lastly, I am in Rider Crew to get involved with the Roosevelt community. On...