Well, it's official! I have been selected to go to Werne, Germany to complete my final month of student teaching! This is such exciting news and I am ready for this once in a lifetime opportunity. God has presented me with so many wonderful opportunities this year and I am glad he continues to bless me! I am looking forward to the experiences this wil bring. I know I will make so many wonderful memories and make life altering connectIons with so many people. Bring on the Fall of 2014!! It's officially here!! I got my passport. This makes my trip seem that much more real. I'm ready to add two new adventures into this that I'll always remember!! I decided that I wanted to share some of my lessons that I've created. This is one of my lessons that I love. This is a science lesson that focuses on the sense of smell. I've noticed that students have a hard time describing smells. They say what something smells like, but not by using descriptive words. With this lesson, I created what I call Smelly Jars. These are small containers that I got from Dollar General. There are 8 in a package for $1. I painted them different colors so that the students couldn't see in them and so I knew what was in each color container. I poked holes in the top of each container for the students to smell through without looking. That part was a little tricky. You can put anything in the jars that you want to. I put lemon slices, mixed herbs, vanilla extract, onion slices, etc. These all have strong oders, so I thought they'd be good to use. The students loved the jars and getting to smell what was inside. They had fun guessing at the contents inside as well. After the activity, I read the book "Sniff Sniff: A book about smells". This book explains the process of how we smell and how it is transmitted to our brains. It's such a good book and is great for explaining in words that kindergarteners can understand. The students seemed to enjoy this lesson & had a great time with all of the different steps that took place. There was more detail in the actual lesson, but this is the jist of it. Below is a picture of the smelly jars and the book that I used for this lesson! Last week I had an interview with Dr. Fred Carter to determine if I will be admitted to participate in International Student Teaching this coming fall. During the interview, we discussed my options of where I would like to be placed and my number one choice is Werne, Germany. After the interview concluded, Dr. Carter informed me that there is not reason why I would not be one of the 10 selected to travel to Werne, Germany this fall. I am beyond excited and ready to begin traveling. I am also waiting to hear back about a possible 2 week trip to Beijing, China. This is an all-expense paid trip where only 20 education majors are selected to go. I should find out the results from beginning to mid-April. I am hoping and praying that I have the opportunity to go. This would be the chance of a lifetime. While there, we would be learning about the culture, language, and history. Fingers crossed I get in! |