• Welcome!
  • Welcome!
• Background
  • My Philosophy of Education
  • Introduction to Educational Background
  • Bag Speech
  • Transcript and Related Coursework
  • Resume
• Experiences in Education
  • Experiences Introduction
  • Camp Jacobson at Robin Hood
  • The Arc
  • Kepler Gymnasium
  • South Bronx United
  • Sauquoit Valley Elementary School
• Issues in Education
  • Introduction
  • Special Education Debate
  • Technology in the Classroom
  • Motivation in the Classroom
  • Bullying
• Content Major
  • Introduction to Content Major
  • Philosophy Thesis
  • Intuitions and Decision-Making
• Resources
  • Resources Introduction
  • Thesis Bibliography
  • Ethnography Education Journal
  • Multimedia Resources

Sauquoit Valley Elementary School

I recently completed a semester long placement at Sauquoit Valley Elementary School where Ms. Homer was kind enough to invite me into her 3rd grade classroom.  I was really fortunate that my course schedule at Hamilton allowed me to go to Sauquoit for full days at a time, so I got to experience entire days of school: from the time the busses roll in to dismissal.  My various tasks included: working with students who need extra attention (both individually as well as in small groups), taking students to the computer lab, gathering materials, checking assignments, leading a lesson every now and then, and much, much, more.  Ms. Homer is a veteran teacher from whom I was able to learn a lot about teaching strategies, how to break up long blocks of class time, and disciplinary techniques.  I was also fortunate enough to be able to spend a few hours with Mark Putnam, the Principal in Sauquoit Valley.  I learned a lot more about how the administrative side of the school day runs and what it takes to be an elementary school principal.

Ms. Homer's 3rd Grade Class

My final project for Ms. Homer was to design and plan the grade 3 geometry unit based on the NYS common core requirements.  A link to the common core mathematics standards can be found here: http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_Math%20Standards.pdf.  I broke down the geometry unit into three different sections.  Within each section I included a detailed explanation of What NYS expects each student to learn, teaching tools, and activities and assessments.  My Table of Contents reads as follows:

PART I: Complete NYS Common Core Requirements for Grade 3 Geometry

PART II: Reasoning with Shapes and their Attributes

PART III: Measurement and Data

PART IV: Representing and Interpreting Data

PART V: Discussion of Common Core Curriculum

Here is my breakdown of the 3rd grade Geometry Unit according to the NYS Common Core Guidelines:  Geometry Unit Breakdown

You can also check out many of the online resources I used to gather references and activities for both teaching and assessing students in the Resource section of my portfolio.

"Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom."
George Washington Carver