What a bittersweet feeling to be done this summative practicum (and my entire teaching degree), but have to say goodbye to my students and the wonderful classroom that I have called ‘home’ for the past ten weeks!!
I will miss my students dearly and am so thankful for the time we had together. They helped me grow as an educator and I am proud to be leaving here a better teacher than when I arrived.
My students grew equally as much, and I hope they take pride in all of their efforts and achievements–just as I take pride in mine.
As I bid farewell, I thank my students, my coaching teacher, and the staff for such an amazing experience and for the kind and thoughtful parting gifts 🙂
And, moving forward–after two chaotic years of juggling kids, life, a full course load, and teaching-on-call–I am happy to announce that I have accepted an Early Literacy Teaching position starting Tuesday!!
As I embark on this new journey, I want to send a big shout out to everyone who has supported me – especially my amazing parents who stepped up BIG time to help with my three kiddos; all the teachers and educators who mentored me over the past four years (as an uncertified TTOC and teacher candidate); my friends who were there when I needed to unwind over a chat or an escape to the mountains; and my epic cohort of teacher candidates who have gone from being strangers to life-long friends
The students and I had so much fun in Science this week! We packed everything we could possibly learn about mixtures into 5 action-packed days–from types of mixtures to classifying mixtures to separating mixtures–you name it, we learned about it!!
Students received explicit instruction on different homogeneous mixtures (solutions) and heterogeneous mixtures (suspensions and colloids), and had opportunities to engage in experiential learning (investigations and labs) wherein they observed several different mixtures and attempted to classify them based on their physical properties. Using magnifying glasses and practicing investigative skills was a big hit 🧫🔍🧫
Oh, and they especially liked the part where they got to make & eat Jell-O!! Yes, Jell-O is a mixture – specifically a colloid (solid emulsion), which is a heterogeneous mixture (liquid dispersed in a solid). Funny how peaking student interest and engagement is so easy when you incorporate treats, lol. And Jell-O wasn’t the only treat! As you can see in the images below, there were many tasty mixtures to be had in this Science unit, including Lucky Charms, jelly beans, and coloured marshmallows 🙂
Throughout the unit, students not only had fun and ate treats, they also honed several important scientific skills, including questioning and predicting, planning and conducting, processing and analyzing data and information, evaluating, applying and innovating, and communicating.
If you’re interested in borrowing this engaging unit, feel free to check it out here:
The students were extrememly excited about this project and came well-prepared to bring their scenes to life! As a class, we had engaged in several discussions focusing on our novel’s themes, characters, and settings; and, during our daily read-aloud of the novel, I had been pausing and getting students to imagine the scenes being described and how these scenes could be brought to life in dioramas. As such, students were ready to get to work as soon as they got the green light from me!
I was very fortunate to have an EA assisting in the class during this project, and between the two of us we were able to circulate with ease, helping students as needed. I was in charge of all cardboard cutting (no exacta knife for the kids as I didn’t want “student loses a finger” on my practicum resume, lol), but everyone was patient and waited respectfully. Not a single student got frustrated or gave up–maybe my extensive discussion about Art not being perfect, and about having fun in the process, actually worked!!
All in all, the project went absolutely fabulous and brought back so many great memories of my own upper elementary years—making, creating, and crafting shoebox dioramas alongside my classmates—having fun while also showcasing our individual understanding of terrific novels. Without question, activities like this are the ones that stood out for me in school and I know it will be the same for my students.
In the end, students produced some amazing and creative scenes that they were excited to show off to their classmates and little buddies:
If you are interested in doing something like this with your own students, feel free to check out my lessons here:
During this practicum, I guided my students through an in-depth study of David A. Robertson’s novel, The Barren Grounds—a fictional story exploring Indigenous culture, identity, belonging, responsibility, community, teachings, and the importance of land and place.
During the unit, students were asked to think critically, creatively, and reflectively while exploring ideas within and beyond the text. The focus was on building student reading and listening skills to aid in comprehension and connection-making.
Students worked on organizing their ideas and expressing comprehension of the novel orally (in whole-class and small group discussions), visually (in shoe box dioramas showcasing their favourites scenes), and in writing (via sketch-noting, word collecting, informal journaling, responses to comprehension questions, and in paragraphs summarizing their favourite scenes and how the characters have changed and evolved from the beginning of the story to the end).
Students were also responsible for writing a book recommendation that included a review, hook, new blurb for the back cover, an illustration for the front cover, and a rating out of 5 stars (student exemplars below).
As their final task, students had to complete a “Novel Study One-Pager” that required them to take a closer look at the novel and analyze the characters, quotes, and actions, and connect them to a theme. Students had to pick a theme related to identity, belonging, responsibility, community, teachings, or land & place, and then represent their understanding on one piece of paper using quotes, pictures, doodles, and examples from the novel.
Task Explainer, Criteria & Rubric
The instructional portion went really well, with students engaged and asking questions during the class discussion, but I could tell that most students needed further clarification and direction on pin-pointing theme so I provided 1-2 theme examples related to each of the main topics that were suggested in my slideshow (i.e. belonging, community, identity, responsibility, teachings, and land & place). This helped students get going, especially those who normally find it hard to begin tasks. I also provided loose-leaf paper to students to get them jotting down theme ideas.
This task became more challenging when students had to start looking for quotes and excerpts. Several overly reliant students got overwhelmed by the idea of looking through the book, saying that it was impossible and comparable to finding needles in a haystack. I found myself having to look through my hard copy of the novel, pointing students in the right direction, calling out quotes and page numbers, but with 27 of them (and only one of me) I could not get to everyone.
As such, I went home that evening and scoured through the entire novel, making note of page numbers that tied to each theme so that I could create a document for students to consult and reference while looking for quotes and excerpts:
Guide to Quotes & Excerpts
This guide helped students be successful, allowing them to produce some amazing one-pagers:
My students and I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I highly recommend studying it with any grade 4-7 class! If you are interested in partaking in this novel study, you can find my unit plan, lessons, and resources here:
During this summative practicum, I have taken the opportunity to continue using (and gain further confidence with) Google Classroom–a platform I had limited experience with prior to this program.
I have used the platform to post assignments, instructions, materials, and resources, as well as to communicate constructive feedback to students on their “turned in” work. Students are then able to take my feedback, revise their work, and re-submit for final assessment and grading.
In addition, students who have been away and missed out on in-class learning can check the Google Classroom from home and see what was assigned and/or what they needed to catch up on. Educational videos, articles, and other materials I provide in class are posted for students and guardians to view. This is especially helpful for students who are away for an extended period of time, and for students who are present in class but need/want to view the material again.
This is one of the most important messages there is in life, and I do my best to teach it to my students daily.
Today, on Pink Shirt Day, I brought kindness into every lesson, from ELA (where we are studying The Barren Grounds and the themes of belonging, community, responsibility, and identity) to Social Studies (where we are focusing on historical discrimination and inequality in Canada).
If my practicum students remember me for anything, I hope they remember me for my kindness and how I made them feel while they were learning! And, I hope that they go out into the world sprinkling kindness everywhere they go, as if it were confetti!!
As part of my recent Physical & Health Education unit, students learned several new dances, including the ‘Boot Scoot’ line dance and the ‘Cha Cha Slide’, which we were asked to perform at our school’s assembly highlighting this month’s Successful Learner Trait – Creativity!!
My students were so brave and they did so amazing! I could not have been prouder of their determination and willingness to step outside of their comfort zones and perform in front of the entire student and teacher body!! They only had one demand…Ms. H had to be in front, lol!!
These kids learned so many new movements and had so much fun in the process 🙂 If you are interested in trying something new in PE class, feel free to borrow this high-energy unit:
Go Dragons!! – Ms. Hesselgrave with Team Mascot, Dragon, ready to cheer on the boys basketball team 🙂
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love sports and that exercise and fitness are a huge part of my life–they always have been! As a student, I played on all my school’s sports teams and participated in several competitive sports outside of school.
To this day, I am very involved in sports–my own and my three children’s. I coach youth teams and am a Dryland instructor for youth hockey. Above all, I love seeing children active and trying and learning new activities and skills.
During this practicum (and past practicums), I have had many opportunities to help students gain athletic confidence and skills! I created and led a Dryland training unit, as well as a dance unit–both of which were a hit with my students!! I have also led my class in volleyball, floor hockey, and basketball drills and games.
Seeing my students improve is so rewarding, and getting to watch them play on their school’s teams is the icing on the cake! Whoop whoop – “GO DRAGONS GO!!”
My students and I were honoured to have learned indigenous art techniques from one of the best this week! Yes, the Clayton Gauthier joined us via zoom for two 1.5 hour sessions of guided drawing!
Clayton on the big screen…guiding us in story and drawing 🙂My students, listening intently – ready to learn!
Under Clayton’s tutelage, the students produced so many amazing works of art! Words would not do it justice…so I will let the art speak for itself!
Feast your eyes on just a few of the beautiful pieces that came out of our two mornings of learning:
