First Class By: Ashley Stoots and Steven Huffman

What is the potential effect on you as a teacher of students who lack motivation? A teacher can lose motivation if the student loses motivation The teacher might stop wasting time on the student Call on the student numerous times to get them to participate in class.

Fears of students Fear of failing Being bullied for being right or wrong The class or teacher being boring or too difficult Not knowing anyone in the class

How will you mitigate these fears? Make the class as fun as possible with many activities. Always be willing and available to help the students when and if they need it. make the classroom a “safe area” Get the students to meet and work with different groups each time we work groups

Why are student feedback mechanisms important? Help me be better teacher Shows what the students like and don’t like about the class Helps give me new ideas for the next classes The students get to contribute their ideas and suggestions to the management of the class.

Describe the feedback mechanisms you will build: Surveys Suggestion boxes on my desk and next to my office door In class discussions asking what the students think of the class or what they like and don’t like. Ask opinion and survey questions about the class on quizzes and tests

How would I motivate the students? I would plan multiple activities in each class period to keep the students moving: bell ringer, then review activity, followed by a brief lecture then a group assignment, then a review activity to wrap up the class. Also I could give the students incentives such as a movie day to depict what we are learning if we get to a certain point in the information.

Class Rules Raise your hand Be respectful Ask to leave the classroom if you need to be excused. Bring all needed materials and texts to class. Participate in lectures.

Class Routines Turn off your cellphone when the bell rings. Start by going over the homework Go over any questions from the homework or yesterday’s lesson. Do the main activity of the lesson. Wrap-up Turn in assignments or in class activities.

Communication Lines: teacher to student Office Hours Before or after class

Communication Lines: from student to teacher The student can contact me any of these ways: Before or after class Office hours Planning period Lunch

Why is establishing communication with parents important? It helps get the parents involved in the student’s education. It keeps the parents informed on what is going on in the class. It creates a support system with the teacher, parents and the student so everyone is on the same page.

Communication lines: Teacher to parents I will contact the parents any of these ways: Letter at the start of the semester Letters home s Phone calls Parent-teacher conferences

Lesson: Greek Mythology Before students come into class: Tape names of Greek Gods and Goddesses around the class. Start of class: students take seats and take role Take up any homework and answer any questions Separate the class into two teams -10 to 15 students per team depending on the size of the class. I would count the students off (1 and 2) and then split them Into their respective teams.

Lesson: Greek Mythology: Gods and Goddesses After the students have been set up into teams, I would give a mini- lecture on the Gods and Goddesses of Greek Mythology. This information will be used in the review game we will play after the mini-lecture. We would go over the Gods and Goddesses and what they were worshipped for and what they were the Gods over. Examples: Zeus is the king of the Gods and the God of thunder Hades is the God of the Underworld Ares is the God of War

Lesson: Greek Mythology Rules of the Review Game: Each team of students will take turns sending one player up to the front of the class at a time. I will call out a trait that is specific to a God or Goddess and the two players will need to go to the name of the correct God or Goddess that is taped around the classroom. The student that picks the correct God or Goddess gets a point for their team. This will continue for three rounds with the hints becoming progressively harder but will be worth 3 points instead of one. The traits that I will call out are directly from the quiz so the game will help the students prepare and get ready for their first quiz on Friday.

Lesson: Greek Mythology The team with the most points at the end of the three rounds will choose between candy or two points on their lowest quiz grade. This will prepare the students for their next quiz on next Friday.

Wrap up After the score has been added and the prizes have been chosen. We will go over any questions or problematic areas they have of the Gods and Goddesses. The homework for tonight would be: review the traits and Gods that were the subject of the game.