Top 10 Ways to Get Fired from Your Teaching Job...

Most teachers get into education thinking it can be a really secure job, right? Depends. Teachers have to follow rules, too. And these ten actions can get you fired faster than you think.

These actions are:
1. Lie on Your Application or Resume- most states have teacher credentials/qualifications.

2. Job Hunt at Work- while at work, focus on your students.

3. Gossip- Don't gossip about a student's abilities or another teacher's skills.

4. Taking Too Many Personal Calls- return calls before or after school hours, unless an emergency.

5. Surf the Web Excessively- use computers for lesson plans,recording grades,searching learning web sites

6. Alienate Your Coworkers- Teaching is a team sport. Don't be difficult with faculty members.

7. Forget to Double Check Grades- grades are serious business, they are recorded evidence of graded work

8. Mixing Personal and Professional Life- be friendly with parents,but not too extremely social.

9. Unbecoming Behavior- States have Professional Code of Ethics for Teachers; find out what they are.

10. Too Many Missed Days of Work-  if you are sick, make sure you get a Drs. note.

Scoring Rubric

Scoring Rubric	5	4	3	2	1
Focus/Ideas	Excellent, focused description; well elaborated with quality details.	Good, focused description; elaborated with telling details	Generally focused description; some supporting details	Sometimes unfocused description; needs more supporting details	Rambling description; lacks development and details
Organization/Paragraphs	Compelling ideas enhanced by order, structure, and transitions	Appealing order, structure, and transitions	Adequate order, structure, and some transitions to guide reader	Little direction from beginning to end; few transitions	Lacks direction, and identifiable structure; no transitions
Voice	Writer closely involved; engaging personality	Reveals personality	Sincere voice but not fully engaged	Little writer involvement, personality	Careless writing with no feeling
Word Choice	Vivid, precise words that create memorable pictures	Clear, interesting words to bring description to life	Language adequate; appeals to the senses	Generally limited or redundant language	Vague, dull, or misused words
Sentences	Excellent variety of sentences; natural rhythm	Varied lengths, styles; generally smooth	Correctly constructed sentences; some variety	May have simple, awkward, or wordy sentences; little variety	Choppy; many incomplete or run-on sentences
Rules	Excellent control; few or no errors	No serious errors to affect understanding	Reasonable control; few distracting errors	Weak Control; enough errors to affect understanding	Many errors that prevent understanding

Distributive Property Group Work Rubric

Distributive Property Group Work Rubric

3 (A)	Student applied themselves to understanding the concept, working with the group and followed all directions.
2 (B)	Student struggled with following directions or working with the group, but applied themselves to learning the concept.
1 (C)	Student did not try to understand concept, but participated in group work.
0 (F)	Student would not participate in group work, or did not follow directions and did not complete any work.

An example of an excellent Unit Plan (outline)

Unit Plan

Name of Unit:  Investigating Joints        

A.     Goal or Purpose of Unit (Guiding Question):

        What makes us able to move our body in many different directions?

B.     Objectives to be covered in Unit (Curriculum Connection):

         TLW be able accurately identify locations of joints, label joints, and list more than three uses for joints.

C.     Outline of content and time placement (length of lesson, what is discussed):

       Each lesson lasts approximately 45 min.

Day 1 - 45min.  Joints PI

Day 2 - 45 min. (may last 2 days) Joints PV

Day 3 - 45 min. Joints PIII

Day 4 - 45 min. Joints PIV

Day 5 - 45 min. Closure

D.     Activities Summary:

1.     Introduction to Unit (motivation)

"Look at the bones of the squirrel or rat you found in your owl pellets? How do you think the animal was able to move? What made it possible for the animal to bend its paws or move its arms?"

2.     Developmental activities listed (strategies)

Day 1

TLW participate in activity 1 of Investigating Joints. TLW have their thumb taped to their index finger. TLW attempt to complete activities without use of opposable thumb. TLW discuss experiences of activities.

Day 2

TLW participate in activity 2 of Investigating Joints. TLW have either their thumb braced or their index with the middle finger braced. TLW attempt to complete activities. TLW discuss experiences of activities while observing Prezi..

Day 3

TLW participate in activity 3 of Investigation Joints. TLW identify the types of joints found in the body. TLW color bones worksheet according to joint. TLW discuss the importance of different types of joints. TLW observe Prezi of the types of joints.

Day 4

TLW participate in activity 4 of Investigating Joints. TLW compare bones use chicken bones and some rodent bones. TLW complete Bones Observation sheet. TLW discuss their findings.

Day 5 (closure)

TLW review Investigating Joints. TLW list activities they do on a daily basis. TLW write what their life would be like if they lacked certain joints. TLW present descriptions to their group then  will summarize for the class. TLW watch video on osteoarthritis if available.

3.     Culminating activity for Unit (closure)
        TLW describe their life with little use of our joints. "Imagine if you didn't have any

        joints. Imagine if you couldn't throw a ball or run. What would your life be like?"

4.     Alternative activities for ESL, SPED, Remedial, etc. (instruction, extend & refine)
        TLW cut pictures from newspapers and magazines that show people in motion.

        TLW place picture in correct column of the type of joint being used
        TLW create their skeleton from paper and place pins only at specific types of joints.

5.     Supplemental activities for advanced learner (intervention, extend & refine
        TLW research joint diseases and report them to the class.

E.     List of materials to be used

Day 1 - masking tape, activity sheet #9

Day 2 - masking tape, 7 in. sticks, pop-sicle sticks, sheets of newspaper, rubber bands,

             plastic bags, sheets of writing paper, envelopes, removable dots, scissors, index

             cards, thumb tacks, large vials with caps, popcorn, screw-cap bottles, 1 liter zip

             bags, pennies, 100cm cord, jumbo paper clips, transparent tape, computer

Day 3 - Student sheets 3 and 12, hinge, bones sheet, computer

Day 4 - Student sheets 13 and 8, chicken bones, rodent bones

Day 5 - osteoarthritis video http://www.youtube.com/watch?

             v=0dUSmaev5b0&feature=related

F.     Summary of Assessment/Evaluation Activities

        (Rubric attached-assessments)
        Observations, activity sheets, discussions, closure activity, rubric

tweeking a lesson plan . . .

10-Instructional “mini-domains”  that will tweek your Lesson Plan

and assist with classroom management:

a. SPI ‘s and  Objectives “must match the lessons”

b. Motivation: 2-3 min. saying/doing something eye catching-

“BLING- BLING”… gotta get their attention!!

** The guiding question is NOT the Motivation **


c. Closure: it is about the student, but 1st U must ask questions
about the lesson to elicit responses from students & they in
return can tell you & each other what they’ve learned. This prompts

discussion.


d. Closure is just as important as Motivation. Have to have it!


e. Technology: implement in the instruction such as a power point
and as an extended activity: Remedial, Enrichment, and ELL- these
students whose 1st lang. in the home is not English; technology
levels the playing field for ELL learners.


f. Assessments: Teacher Observation is o.k. some of the time,
Thumbs-up is a quick assessment to use during instruction, but
You need to use something “tangible”for an assessment most
of the time. This could be a skill sheet, project, drawing, test,
Journals, writing, etc; The assessment needs to be something
that can be measured … & when it can’t be measured, that’s
where a “Rubric” comes in ☺


g. The Rubric needs to have some sort of scale where the
teacher can assess a grade or a number/points value.


h. “Item Analysis”- a way to assess which students need
additional instruction on a specific skill(s). Kindergarten uses a
Checklist which is perfect for them. However, in 1-6, you need
to make a conscious effort to do this-item analysis- with all
student assignments, (do this after completion of task).
With experienced teachers, this is a skill that comes naturally.


Ex: U give a test to the class. After students complete it, U
look over their answers and notice that 2-3 of the students
have missed items # 1, 3, 7. You look back at those items to
determine what specific skill those test items were assessing
And then you, the teacher, pulls those students aside and
RETEACHES.
This “WHOLE PROCESS” is called “item analysis”.


i. Differentiation has many facets. However, look back at the
Extended learning on (e.)Technology where you see an
explanation of having different activities for Remedial, Enrichment,
or English Language Learner- ELL. Whether you have any ELL or not,
go ahead & create lessons anyway. Why? because one day you will.
Differentiation is an activity that is different than, not necessarily part
the instruction, but compliments the lesson by addressing the different
learning styles of all students.

j. Classroom Management can be fun! Just try to implement
these suggestions EVERY DAY & see what happens.


1. Review Class Rules, Consequences, & Rewards every morning.


2. Tell the class that U R going to “catch them” being GOOD!


3. The High 5: when a class is being too talkative, start counting backwards,
from 5 (5,4,3,2,1) & by the time you get to #2, they have self-corrected

their own behavior.


4. Magic 1,2,3- used a lot, similar to above, but shorter time.
If a student does not comply by the time I say # 2, then
When I say #3, it’s too late & the consequences begin.


5. You will find success with #3 holding up High-5 & counting


6. With grades K-2, use “ 1,2,3.…all eyes on Me !”

10 things to know "before" you begin your student teaching...

1.  Be on time- if your school starts at 8:00 o'clock, be there at
     7:30.

2.  When you leave, do not be the first one out the door at 3:00  
     o'clock, leave at 3:30.

3.  If your Mentor Teacher arrives earlier, you arrive earlier.

4.  If your Mentor Teacher stays later, you stay later.

5. Give 100 % every day, the students deserve nothing less.

6.  On your first day, introduce yourself to the Principal.

7.  Ask your Mentor Teacher if there's anything you can do
     before class begins.
 
8.  Do NOT sit down, but monitor the perimeter of  the classroom.

9.  You are a role model for impressionable students. Dress
     accordingly.

10. Enjoy the first day, but know you will be exhausted!