RR9

Reading Reflection 9: Locate and read information about your school site (School webpage, School Report Card, School Newspaper, School Handbook (Rules), Parent & Teacher Association Materials...).

RR9: Begin your ethnographic research on your school site to complete your ethnography for EDSS 530 and to complete Task 3 for the ITU.

Woodland Park Middle School

Home of the Bulldogs

1270 Rock Springs Rd.
San Marcos, CA 92069

Mission Statement District and School

As part of the San Marcos Unified School District, we continue to strive to provide a clear and focused mission; strong educational leadership; a climate for high expectations 101' students and staff; a positive, safe, and orderly environment; place an emphasis on student attainment of essential and basic skills; solicit quality relations with parents and the community; and conduct frequent monitoring of student progress.

We at Woodland Park Middle School believe that all students can learn and that teachers promote learning. We insure that the students will master the curriculum of the San Marcos Unified School District. Students will be held accountable for and demonstrate responsible behavior. They will develop a positive self-image, self-motivation and social and cooperative skills. We will create and maintain a safe, effective and caring environment in 'which students will acquire these skills.

 School Motto

"I am responsible for myself!"

I will watch my thoughts.....they become my words.
I will watch my words.....they become my actions.
I will watch my actions'.....till they become my habits.
I will watch my habits.....they become my character.
I will watch my character.....it becomes my destiny.

Demographics
While the city of San Marcos is growing rapidly with industry and housing, the Woodland Park neighborhood maintains a small town feeling with a relatively stable population. Woodland Park is home to more than 1,400 students in grades six, seven and eight who attend school on a modified year round, trimester schedule. School demographics show that 48 percent of our students are Caucasian, 43% are Hispanic, and the remaining 9% are African American, Asian or Filipino. Within the student body, 21 percent of our students are English Language Learners and 39% come from low-income families.

Enrollment 1450

Schoolwide or LEA-wide ELA Percent of students scoring Proficient or Above: 60.2%

                State Average: 45%

Schoolwide Math Percent of students scoring Proficient or Above: 50.4%
                State Average: 41%

Student Population

Percent African American : 4%
Percent American Indian : 1%
Percent Asian : 3%
Percent Filipino : 2%
Percent Hispanic or Latino : 43%
Percent Pacific Islander : 1%
Percent White : 45%

Handbook of Rules and Protocols for WPMS

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CC0QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.smusd.org%2Fcms%2Flib3%2FCA01000805%2FCentricity%2FDomain%2F1244%2FRules%2520to%2520Learn%2520Eng.docx&ei=pVIfT-2IN9Ly2gX4t6yNDw&usg=AFQjCNF7H_0xD0iGg4xMysrxkjdkUxlSIw&sig2=uKQD8zh9r2xL4UQdYE4lRA

Programs

Included in the PACE program with CSUSM.  As of 2009, all students in the SMUSD from grades 9 to 12, will have guaranteed admission at CSUSM

Wellness Fair at MHHS (I volunteered at this two years ago and had a blast!)

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/school/woodland-park-middle-ca.html#ixzz1kQV3ywdK

http://www.smusd.org/site/default.aspx?PageID=1

RR8

Reading Reflection 8: Read Service Learning Curriculum Cluster Maps in Kaye, Cathryn Berger. (2004 or 2011). A Complete Guide to Service Learning. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit. 

RR8: LIST ideas and resources you can use for your Service Learning and ITU (Task 11).

Buddy Training

                Bringing my high school students to a local elementary school.  Here my students teach their younger students what they have learned in terms of proper body mechanics in exercises and non-manipulative motor skills.  Students will also teach the basics of good nutrition to their peer buddy as well.   

http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/fcs/bb/youngex.html

http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Exercise_for_Young_People

Nutrition Math

                Calculating healthy percentages of food and determining caloric intake needed for a person of the community.  Create brochures to pass out.

http://www.lessonplanet.com/search?keywords=nutrition+math&media=lesson

http://www.mschien.com/howto/brochures.htm

Exercise videos for the elderly

                Create an exercise video as a class that can be presented to an elderly community.  This will include proper mechanic, exercises, and training regimen for the elderly. 

http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/age.html

http://m.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&hl=en&client=mv-google&v=iTZukz_kkcw

Food Drive

                Determine the importance of good nutrition and how to help others get the nutrients they need.  Calculate nutrients from nutritional facts on food labels to create a healthy meal for a food drive and fundraise/food drive for the needed materials. 

Kaye, Cathryn Berger. (2004 or 2011). A Complete Guide to Service Learning. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit. 

RR7

Reading Reflection 7: Read:

Part 1 of Kaye, Cathryn Berger. (2004 or 2011). A Complete Guide to Service Learning. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit. & Service Learning PPT. 

RR7: Identify the key elements and process for Service Learning.

The four key elements in developing a worthwhile Service Learning project is: preparation, action, reflection, and demonstration.

Preparation

Preparation is where it all begins.  This identifies a need then investigates and analyzes the need.  This happens by researching, bringing in background, and purpose to the lesson you wish to teach.  The foundation you will need to create an action.  You can also complete with phase with your students.  Having student input adds authenticity and intrinsic motivation to the project.  This stage is all about, what you want to do, how you are going to do it.  The information to guide students into motivation and ownership (books, videos, current events, using student’s suggestions).  This stage incorporates deciding what you are going to teach (standards or concepts).  It also involves making contact with outside sources and planning how you will achieve the goal you planned. 

Action

Action is the result of your preparation.  Carrying out all the work you have planned in the preparation stage.  During this stage students continue to learn, meet new people, and interact with their environment.  They experience the results of their efforts to build meaning and memory in what they have learned.  This allows students to fit what they learn into the classroom into real life occurrences. 

Reflection

Reflection is a huge part of the project and should be used as an ongoing tool throughout this experience.  This not only enables a student to demonstrate their learning to the teacher.  This tool also integrates learning and experience to create a larger sense of growth and awareness to the student.  Service learning creates a lot of excitement, and sometimes the meaning can get lost in the details.  Using reflection can keep that meaning in the forefront to keep everyone involved on track. 

Demonstration

This is the evidence what students have gained or accomplished in the service project.  This response can be in the form of brochures, books, journals, presentations, theatrical acts, letters, and even celebrations.       

RR6

Reading Reflection 6: Watch 2 videos on Youtube: Vision of Students in the 21st Century & Vision of Teachers in the 21st Century. See below for links. 

RR6: CREATE a Personal Learning Network (PLN).

New Twitter account

briannamurdoch@briannamurdoch

New Pinterest account

Tastygraffiti

New Diigo account

Just transferred all my previous information from De.licio.us

BriannaMurdoch

These are all different types of social networks that enable me to collect, save, and share information with my colleagues and students.  

RR5

Reading Reflection 5: 

READ the ITU Overview ppt. 

RR5: As a school team, IDENTIFY a theme for your ITU and SHARE ideas and a draft for a Cover Sheet with you ITU team.

The theme for our ITU in a sense, will reflect the role as a personal trainer.  Students will learn how muscles contract and work in the human body when exercising.  Learning this information will give meaning to fitness exercises and students will know what is happening to their bodies in a physiological sense while exercising.  They will also learn basic anatomical vocabulary, so they will be able to identify what muscles they are doing certain exercises in and how increasing strength in those certain muscles will improve performance in various activities based on the child’s interest.  In Physical Education class, students will be learning proper mechanics of various exercises, and the benefits of doing  fitness.  In Physical Education they will learn how living a fit life prevents diseases, reducing of health care costs, and increase in the quality of life.  In Algebra class, students will be studying the mathematical side of fitness and health.  They will learn how to calculate BMI, body fat percentage, caloric need and caloric expenditure.   At the end if the unit students will be able to create a month long fitness regimen for themselves based off the Algebraic equations they learned in math, and fitness goals they would like to achieve.  They will be able to create the exercises and how those exercises will go towards their goal from what they have learned in Biology class and Phys Ed.  At the end of the unit students will have accumulated a diverse set of information they will be able to refer to for the whole of their lives to maintain a fit and healthy life style using exercise. 

RR4

Reading Reflection 4: READ the ITU Overview ppt.
RR4: IDENTIFY what tasks you would be well skilled at leading and contributing to for the ITU assignment.

1.     I have good organizational skills that will help keep my group on task and will always know what to expect and when to expect it.  I like to get straight to the point, plan what we need to do and when we need to do it.  This will contribute to ensure that all members are on track.  The same will reflect with the students.  The extra effort to organize and reflect will also be presented to the students in the curriculum to help keep information organized.  A very important factor to consider when students are moving between different teachers, and things could be easily lost. 

2.     I offer my unique class setting and environment that will allow students to become more physically engaged in the subject they are learning.  This could greatly increase interest and motivation to learn.  

3.  I offer my creative thinking skills to try to incorporate Biology, and Physical Education to Math.  Hopefully together with our three different ways of thinking, and backgrounds, a well rounded curriculum can be brain stormed and created.  

RR3

Reading Reflection 3: READ Roberts, P. & Kellough, R. (2004). A complete guide to integrated thematic units. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

RR 3: MAKE a list or highlight models & resources to share with your ITU team. Bring hard copy to next class meeting.

• Learning Resource Network. locate software that

corresponds to your state's standards in each

grade and subject. For example, California Learning

Resource Network has a California Content Standards

search that will assist you in locating software

that corresponds to state standards in each

grade and subject. Search for a similar site related

to the standards in your state. See: C/rn.orglsearch

• GuruNet Homework Edition (GuruNet software)

has a one-click search capability with acronyms,

biographies, definitions, encyclopedia facts, photos,

and translations. License fee required. See:

www.gurunet.com

• Quarter Mile Math (Barnum Software) offers math

programs for all ages. Topics include whole numbers,

estimation (level I), fractions, decimals, percents

(level 2), and positive and negative numbers,

pre-algebra (level 3). See: www. TheQuarterMile.com

• Taskstream is a lesson plan program for writing

your own lesson plans on your computer. See:

www.taskstream.com

• Learning in Deed: Making a Difference through

Service-Learning. See: www.Learninglndeed.org

K-W-L Preassessment of Knowledge worksheet to determine students’ level of understanding

Brain storm models on what should/could be taught with an ITU’s program

RR1

Reading Reflection 1: READ the "Focus On" Research-Based Teaching Practices at 

http://www.nea.org/home/16454.htm See below for link.

RR1: IDENTIFY research-based instructional strategies you can use in you ITU. 

Asian/Pacific Islanders

-Do not stereotype as “model minority”

-SDIAE for ELDs

-Be more aware of cultural differences.  (For example- Conversing freely, do not let them feel silenced of restricted because they partake in discussion in a different format)

- Celebrate cultural and heritage differences, not dismiss them

-Make the curriculum more inclusive

African Americans

-In addition to reforming schools, we should involve the communities and families to create a larger support group

-Maintain the same expectations for all students, teach with equity on who you spend your class time with during individual student help.

-Establish peer support networks, reduce class size and groups

-Recognize cultural shock

-Recognize African American contributions to world civilization.

Hispanics

-SDAIE for ELDs of this group

-Use cooperative learning activities- jigsaw, think-pair-share, three step interview etc

-Use student’s backgrounds and culture in the planning of lesson plans

-Increase the use of effective programs to reduce school absences, truanct, and tardiness.

-Increase family awareness and involvement of classroom activities

-Assist families and communities

LGBTQ

-Uphold your demands and expectations of respect and valuing differences in your classroom

-Communicate to general students that the use of hateful vocabulary and name calling can make a group feel unwelcome or unsafe, even if you only meant it as a joke

Native Americans

-Connect instruction with students’ language, culture, and history

-ELD- SDAIE strategies

-Teaching practices align with students’ different learning styles

-Connect with Native families and communities

Girls

-Awareness of what gender you are calling on, or rewarding more frequently.

-Use girls as demonstrations or as role models of the P.E. class more frequently

-Do not use inclusive language like “you guys”

-Avoid gender segregated seating patterns and grouping in sport games

About Me

Hello!

My name is Brianna Murdoch and I am a current graduate student at CSU San Marcos.  Through my trail periods of becoming a teacher as well as developing as a teacher in the future, this blog serves as a reflection tool for myself.  I make my reflections public because I want to hear what other educators have to say.  I want to learn so my students can do the same.  So please, come on in and explore my thoughts a bit, only if you leave a piece of yourselves here too!!!

I am an educator. I hope to spread knowledge through physical education to lead to a population who can care for themselves through the act of wellness.