Final Thoughts

Can this semester really be over???? Yes, it can and it is! I am getting pretty anxious to start my student teaching at Mountain Crest H.S. in January.  I will be teaching P.E. and Anatomy and Physiology and I feel more prepared to do so after taking this class.  I wasn't quite sure what this class was all about, but looking back I learned so much, especially from the great modeling of instructional strategies from our instructor Amy.
On thing that stuck out in my mind is how I will introduce and teach vocabulary instruction in my lessons. In anatomy and physiology, student will be learning a large amount of new vocabulary, so I am glad that I learned several techniques like categorizing and labeling commonalities,using graphic organizers, and other ways so that students can comprehend. Also, not having too many words is important as well.

I love that idea of using digital technologies and have found several different things that I could use in my classroom.  I included some of them in my text set, which is also another very useful thing to have for a future classroom.  I think the more resource you make available to your students, the more opportunity they will have to explore further in any content area. 
After being a part of this class, I feel more prepared to student teach.  I learned how to better structure a lesson plan and make things build on one another so that there is a purpose behind each activity. I also like that we had an agenda everyday, which is something I would like to do in my own classroom.  Having an agenda allows students to know what going on in class and also gives them something to refer back to if they have questions.
I learned about the importance of rubrics and that they are a great tool for assessing students and also letting them know what is expected of them. I also liked all the feedback I received in this class.  It showed me that Amy cared about each of us and gave personal feedback so I could improve and also know what I was doing right. I know this had to be time consuming for her, but was very beneficial for me and something that I plan to do for my students so that they too can learn and grow like I did in this class.

Self- Selected Project

Love The Prezi!!!

I made a Prezi presentation on the Pregnancy option for women.  I really like this type of presentation method, because is different.  I was fun to play around with the different options and add pictures and text and it is all on the same page.  There was no flipping back on forth between slides and having a set template.  There are different options to chose from as far as the background and text and things like that, but you get to chose the path in which the presentation flows.  There is also a tutorial button that you can click on at any time and it will walk you thought the different tools and options for a Prezi Presentation.   It also has less text then a power point would, but can still cover a large amount of information.

I would definitely have my students use this as a presentation option, instead of using the same old PowerPoint method.  I think its more interactive and something new so its catchy to those that have never seen this program. 

I would evaluate the students on their resources and the information they use in the presentation.  I would also grade them on how well the presentation flowed and how they chose to have the path flow.

http://prezi.com/ujgtq3xip5r8/pregnancy-options/

To My Future Students

Eye Halve a Spelling Chequer...
Eye halve a spelling chequer It came with my pea sea It plainly marques four my revue Miss steaks eye kin knot sea. Eye strike a key and type a word And weight four it two say Weather eye am wrong oar write It shows me strait a weigh. As soon as a mist ache is maid It nose bee fore two long And eye can put the error rite Its rarely ever wrong. Eye have run this poem threw it I am shore your pleased two no Its letter perfect in it’s weigh My chequer tolled me sew. — Sauce unknown

 If Spelling isn't your thing, then maybe Physical Education is!

 Physical Education is in so many aspects of life and we don't even realize it!!! Often as youngsters we are active and love to run around and play, but for some this changes as we get older and we become less active.  DON'T LET THIS BE YOU!  I hope that in my class I will be able to give all of my students the opportunity to explore all kinds of sports and other activities and find something you love.

These are just a few of the hundreds of benefits of being 

Physically active....

• Control your weight
• Reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease
• Reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome
• Reduce your risk of some cancers
• Strengthen your bones and muscles
• Improve your mental health and mood
• Improve your ability to do daily activities and prevent falls, if you're an older adult
• Increase your chances of living longer

Watch this video to learn more about physical education and why it is so important for students to be physically active and healthy. 

Helpful websites and information about Physical Education and Health

http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/6299/1/Physical-Fitness-and-Exercise-The-Facts.html
http://www.pbs.org/parents/food-and-fitness/sport-and-fitness/motivating-kids-to-get-fit/
http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/health/index.html

When I was a youngster I loved. reading.  One memory that always sticks
out in my mind was in first grade.  Wehad to read these little books that the teacher gave us.  We could take one home, practice reading it,then bring it back and pass it off to one of the room mothers that would come listen to us read.  Once it was passed off we could take the next book and practice reading it.  I was a very good reader, because my mom made me practice long before I went into Kindergarten.  I was the first one to pass off all the books my first grade teacher had.  So she
called my mom and told her that she needed to come down to the school.  When my mom arrived in my classroom, my first grade teacher, Miss Spendlove, started playing the graduation song and had me walk up and down each isle in the classroom. When I made it to the front of the class, she had a trophy and a certificate for me.   My mom always took me to the library to pick out new books each week.  From that point on I was always wanted to be the best reader in every class.

This helped me with all my school work and I was also on a 12^th grade reading level by the time I was in 6^th or 7^th grade. I liked to read as long as it was about something I was interested in.  I did not like to read when a teacher assigned me a book.  It was better for me when the teacher had a list of books and I was able to choose from the list. The older I got the less I liked to read.  My
mom and sister always trade books back and forth all the time, but I’d rather be outside doing something.  I will occasionally pick up a novel to read, but it is hard with all the other homework I have, to find time to read a book of my choice.  I would say I’m more likely to look up something on the internet to read now.

            Physical education is a little different discipline from all the others.  I would like to have the students be able to pick out a sport or activity they like, and read a book on that subject.  I would
them have them right a paper about the book, not about the summary or plot, but about if the book inspired them to become a better athlete or things like that.

Am I a Writer?

My writing career as a child consisted of sidewalk chalk, a Lisa Frank Diary that had a hard shaped lock with a tiny key (that in my mind was unbreakable) so my brothers couldn’t get into it.  I continue to write today, sometime in a journal, sometimes a blog, sometime through poetry but most often it is through photography that I use my creativity and express myself. 

            As a child I loved to write stories, but it always took me so long to decide what I wanted to write about.  When I was in 6th grade my teacher Mrs. Bradshaw had us write all the time.  She gave us a certain topic to write about and then at the end of the year we had to draw illustrations for each of our writing assignments.  We put it together in the layout of a book and she had them sent away and bound in a hard cover.  So I guess I could say I was an author at the age of 12 haha.  When I was about 4 one of my siblings was practicing cursive at the table.  I stood there and watched him for awhile and decided I too new how to write in cursive.  Just to get in some practice I decided to write my name in “cursive” all over the inside of my closet door.  It wasn’t tell I moved when I was 14 that my mom discovered what I did.  I also loved to scrapbook and got into that when I was younger, now its easier to do it digitally.

            I don’t think there’s a day that goes by that I don’t write in some way shape or form. I have always loved photography and I think it’s because it can tell a story without words.  I use email, facebook, text messaging, and I dispatch of the USU Police department and have to constantly log the activity of the officer and what calls there on in a program called eforce.  I am not very good at talking when something bothers me, so I have always written out my thoughts and feelings as my way of venting.  Sometime its writing a letter, or times its just random thoughts all over a page, and sometimes writing a poem helps me sort out my thoughts.  In my sophomore English class we did a big unit on poetry so that was probably my favorite writing assignment I’ve had to do. 

            I think that its important to give students a chance to express themselves in a way that they feel most comfortable.  Sometimes its good for them to branch out, but when it comes to writing I would like to give my students the opportunity to pick the type of writing they’d like to use to express a certain topic. 

Second Blog Post

My childhood = Soccer, basketball, softball, golf,   

snowboarding, wakeboarding, hunting, horseback riding

.... you get the point!

As I thought about this blog topic, it brought back so many memories from when I was a child.  From the time I can remember, on Saturdays I was drug from one game to another all morning long.  Being the youngest of four kids, I was too young to play but had to go to all my siblings’ games.  I remember begging my mom to sign me up for soccer in the fall, then Jr. Jazz in the winter, and T-ball in the summer.   Finally, I at age 4 I was old enough to play soccer and T-ball, but had to wait a few years to before they had enough girls to play Jr. Jazz basketball.  Then as I got older I began playing soccer year round, softball 3 seasons out of the year, basketball and snowboarding in the winter, swimming and started golfing on a league during the summer.  My life revolved around being physically active. 

Besides playing sports I think about my childhood and think about all the time I spent outside.  I road bikes all summer long, and even to school, which was a couple miles away from my house.  My family spent a lot of time in the outdoors going camping, fishing, hunting, and horseback riding.  I was lucky enough to even have a pony when I was little and my friends always wanted to come ride him.  I even took him to school in the 2^nd grade when we our unit at the time was about mammals. 

Physical activity had been part of everyday life for me ever since I can remember. I love everything about being active.  I love the way my body feels after a hard workout, or hiking to the top of a hill, but most of all I think about the benefits of being in shape.  It was hard for me to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up and changed my mind a million times.   When I started college I was going to major in athletic training, but then decided that I wanted to teach.  I wanted to be able to pass on the passion I have for physical fitness and teach kids at a young age how important it is to take care of our bodies. 

My life experiences have everything to do with how I feel about Physical Education and Health Education.  I cringe when I hear about school taking P.E. out of their curriculum.  It’s just crazy talk! I believe that every subject is important, but really if the future generation knows nothing about being fit and healthy, they’re not going to be around to use the knowledge they’ve gained in their other course. I’ve experienced firsthand the benefits of being active.  I perform much better academically when I take the time to exercise and releases endorphins that make you feel good.  I believe that when a teacher is passionate about the subject they are teaching it catches the student’s attention.  I think because of my background knowledge and the fact that I’ve been active  for my entire life it can only influence my teaching that much more. 

First Blog Post

Hey everyone,

My name is Amanda Arrant and I am from Hooper Utah.  I enjoy playing just about any sport and like to be active. I started playing soccer when i was 4 years old and continued on and was able to play soccer for 2 years at Western Nebraska Community College.  While there i had to have surgery on both my shins for a rare case of what is called Compartment Syndrome.  I love spending time in the outdoors and camping, fishing, hunting, and horseback riding.  I also enjoy photography and take pictures everywhere I go.  I love to travel and hope to be able to see the world one day.

I was drawn to physical education and health because it has been a big part of my life and I hope to pass on my passion for being active and healthy for life to my future students.  The way i was raised is so different then the way many kids are raised today.  I spent the majority of my free time outside, but now it is so common for kids to sit down in front of a TV for hours playing video games.  I hope to expose my future students to different sports and activities in hope that they find something they enjoy to get them out of the sedentary life style.  I also hope to teach them skills that they can carry with them for the rest of their life, so that they can maintain a healthy lifestyle.

I like the idea of blogging and using a blog when I become a teacher.  I think it is a great way to communicate and receive feedback from peers and also in the future from parents of the students i will teach.  It also allows for them to know what is going on in class and what upcoming events there will be. Everyone in this day in age loves to be able to access everything via internet, so blogging is just another form of literacy that I believe can be very useful.