TA #5 Dana

   I had observed the class before this, error correcting and helping out as usual, when Felicia asked me to teach class the following day. She was able to get through half of an essay lesson and wondered if I would be able to finish the essay and teach how to write the second body paragraph as well as conclusion. I took home the class’s partially written essays to grade.

    When I arrived the next morning, I attempted to set up the camera in order to film my class. It didn’t work, just like in the last class I taught. But time was running by so I had to teach anyways. The Bell Ringer question for the day was, “What is a thesis statement?” Since the class had just worked on their introductory paragraphs the day prior, I wanted them to recall and reiterate what they had just learned.

    Once the class understood the definition of a thesis state, we reviewed what we had worked on the day before. I asked the students what the essay topic was, what the example essay included, and where we left off. The students were very enthusiastic when answering the comprehension questions. Then I wrote out the next body paragraph on the board. I read it out loud and asked the students to split into groups. “Discuss with your partners what you like about this paragraph. What do you not like? How can you change the paragraph? Does the paragraph have a topic sentence?”

      The students were given 2 minutes to discuss, and then as a class, we edited the paragraph together. After this, they were given five minutes to write out their own second body paragraph. I walked around the room and gave corrections. Next we discussed the conclusion and wrote the dance conclusion together as a class. Finally, the students wrote their conclusion for their own papers.

      I collected their papers and graded them that evening. The next day I taught another class completely on my own, acting as a substitute teacher for Felicia.