Thank you, Snow Days!

I owe a lot to the weather. Thanks to having two snow days this week (Thursday and Friday), I am finished with my Term IV assignment! It was stressing me out to no end, so it feels great to have it done! My Term IV assignment included a written explanation of the context and rationale for a two-week long thematic unit, as well as three sample lesson plans from the unit and various other planning charts and graphs that we used to help us plan. In retrospect, I think it's been the most fun assignment to complete, probably because it was so personal. I got to pick my unit topic (play) and come up with performances of understanding to go along with it. I've learned so much in the process of planning this unit, and I think that play is going to be one of my favorite topics of teacher research for many years to come!

If you're interested in learning about some of the topics I'll be covering in my unit, I recommend you read up on Adventure Playgrounds (here too) and watch this trailer. My students are going to learn about adventure playgrounds, and have a debate about the safety issues that surround them. We're even going to build one in our classroom (no fire or saws allowed, though).

I'm also happy to say that I was at an information session this morning for the Teacher Education Program, and I think there were some awesome future-teachers there! Meeting potential applicants and getting to talk with them about the TEP is one of the best parts about being a Graduate Assistant. Despite how it may have sounded in my last blog post (I was stressed!), I love the TEP and being at Penn has been life-changing.

On that note, enjoy some snowy pictures!