Spain Trip!

Yesterday, I read the book “The Very Lonely Firefly” to the four year old Pre-K class. The students, or pupils, enjoyed it. I found a outline of the firefly online and gave it to each of the students so they could create their own firefly. After I read the book to the students, I loaded a video on the smart board and let them watch the animated YouTube video about the book. The students enjoyed the video and I liked how it paired with the book so well. Overall the activity went fantastic and I think the students were excited to listen to the book and watch the video. The students had trouble understanding me at points because of the language barrier but the teacher was there to support me in everything that I needed.

When I arrived at school today, I was told that I was going to go to a class where 2nd and 3rd grade students join together and play for an hour and a half. It was interesting to see them together and watch how they cooperated together for the whole class period. Some of the students were off-task but the teacher told me that the students have already played with everything since the beginning of the year, so it was much harder to keep their attention throughout the whole time. I think it is interesting to see the students play with toys that they can connect with the English vocabulary they are learning. The students play with settings like; the circus, house, and airport.

While I was working on my lesson to teach next week, I had to go to the library. This was the first time that I actually stepped foot inside and I was amazed. I thought the library layout was great, but it lacked books. It looked like more of a theatre room but I liked the way it could invite the students in to read and how it had statues like the ones pictured above around the room. The room also has many colors and spots for the students to read throughout the day. I like the set-up of the library and I would like to see more stuff like this in Texas.

Since my student teaching is in a Pre-K classroom in Texas, I decided to learn some new strategies to bring back to the classroom. I have learned many new ways to engage the younger students and even picked up some new classroom set-up ideas. I like the way the teachers set up the reading areas for the students. It is set up and all decorated, it makes the space look very nice. I also like the way that the class is set up by the way they have the outside area connected to the classroom. Once the students are done learning, they have the opportunity to go outside and play with the younger students. The outside area is in an enclosed space and only Pre-K through 3rd grade are allowed in the area. I think this is a great idea, since the students love playing outside.

Once I entered the school, I was very shocked when I started walking around and noticing the differences between schools in Vic and Texas. The first thing I noticed was that there are no water fountains in the school. I was looking for water when I noticed the students have their own cups and drink out of the sink. It is not surprising though because Vic has filtered water and is safe to drink sink water here. The other thing I noticed was the tennis balls at the end of all of the desk poles. This is because the classrooms have no carpet and it stops the screeching sound when the desk or chairs are being dragged.

My first weekend abroad I decided to go see Rome. When I landed, I met with a buddy from TCU at the train station. We got on a train and he took me to the Rome center where I checked into my hotel. After I checked into my hotel, we walked all over Rome and I saw many historic landmarks. The city is full of history and I was glad that I had the opportunity to see a lot of the sights especially the colosseum. I liked Rome but I am glad to head back to Barcelona. Until next time...