Teachers, k-12, what is your favorite thing to teach? Why? Math teachers: Algebra? Geometry? Algorithms? Science: Animal classification, the periodic table and elements, force and motion? Elementary school teachers: Memoirs? Non-fiction writing? Do you have a favorite unit? Etc. Tell me what you love! I would say, that as an elementary ESL teacher, my favorite things to teach are: a cross-curricular unit on the Rainforest, and teaching about countries around the world. I am very interested in environmental problems and solutions, as well as biodiversity, plants, animals etc. I also love tropical places, lol, so the unit on the rainforest is probably my most favorite. Also, there are a ton of hands on activities, reading materials, social studies and science possibilities, and the kids love it! Its also a great opportunity to teach service learning, social justice ed, etc. The countries around the world because my students have a lot of background knowledge when it comes to being a part of another culture, diversity, and their interest level in the topic is very high. This year we are doing lots of fun stuff like sending our travel buddies to classrooms around the world, recreating cultural objects (like the Brazilian flag) and doing lots of fun, hands on activities like making a paper mache globe. This kind of interactive learning is great for ELLs. You??
The normal curve. My concentration area is statistics, and the normal curve is the foundation of predictive statistics. Once students are comfortable with it, it opens up a whole new world of study and investigation. I don't get to teach it often (in middle school), but when I do, I love it.
Oh, and fractions. I love teaching fractions. I feel like if I can de-mystify them for students, then then the whole rest of their math education is less scary.
I love writer's workshop and social studies. I teach first. We barely get time to do social studies but I find the kids really like it.
In Algebra I love to teach functions and how to graph them. In Geometry I LOVE teaching proofs, absolutely love it. In History I love teaching World War II, maybe a little too much.
I think my favorite class is Precalculus. I love several topics-- linear programmin and, binomial expansion especilly. In Calculus I love derivataive by definition and optimization problems. In Trig it's Law of Sines and Cosines, and graphing trig functions. In Geometry it's proofs. And in Algebra it's verbal problems.
Writing...in any form. I already have a passion for writing and I know my excitement naturally exudes when I am teaching the subject. The kids get excited and we love to hear eachother's fresh ideas. I love the organization of it and the many different elements that go into its process. It's so creative! I even love teaching extended responses for ISAT, which works in my favor!
Oh, now broken down by subject.... 6th grade: Order of operations...I have a really cool activity where they discover the rules for themselves. 7th grade: Introductory probability 8th grade: Lines Algebra I: systems of equations College courses..... -College prep arithmetic: fractions -Introductory/intermediate algebra: factoring and systemes of equations -Collge Algebra: Logs -Trig: Identities -Pre-cal: curve sketching -Calc 1: related rates Calc 2: integration by partial fraction decomposition -Statistics: Intro to the normal curve -Liberal arts math: Logic I think that's all the classes I've taught....
Oh, MM, I forgot some of those-- partial fractions, logic, related rates and Trig identities. BAsically, I really like teaching math!
lol alice...I know what you mean...I had a hard time picking one topic from each class...there's more.... trigonometric substitution, optimization, areas and volumes (calc), paired data analysis, ANOVA, MANOVA, generalized probability, counting methods,...the list goes on and on.
Evolution & Paleontology. Having an 8th grade elective class called "Jurassic Park" is a delight for me.
I teach Family and Consumer Sciences. In my Intro to Foods class I love food lab days. They're a great opportunity for my wide range of abilities to have a successful day. So far my favorite recipe is for biscuits. The kids get to see how easy it is to make them and how yummy they are. In my Nutrition class I love having my students complete a full day's food intake and then input that info into a software that then tells them their calories, protein, fats, carbs, vitamins and so on. It's so cool for the kids to get a full breakdown on how their diet compared to the recommendations. And the math posts are cracking me up because I don't even know what half those things are! Which is why I'm not a math teacher .
shivering and whimpering at all the math jargon... My English 12's yearly theme of "There's nothing sadder in life than wasted talent" motivates the students and me to be great citizens.
I love teaching The Odyssey (which ranges from various translations and leveled readings, to music, to oral tellings, to the movie version, to projects, to a Survivor: Odyssey review), but our trial run of analysis of fairy tales (from Perrault, to Grimm, to Lang, to Dahl, and a handful of contemporary rewrites) using the elements of fiction has been a complete blast (including the use of Sondheim's musical Into the Woods). As I pounded it out this year and edit for next year, my critical multiculturalism literature unit also has great potential. Of course, I love literature in general, so I'm pumped about the content every unit!
That Jurassic Park class sounds really cool! Do a lot of kids elect to take it? I wanted to be a paleontologist when I was younger. When teaching 7th grade science, my favorite units are electricity and magnetism, human impact on the environment, and sound and light. When teaching 7th grade reading, I like the Greek mythology unit best. When I taught 7th grade social studies my FAVORITE units were the units over ancient Greece and ancient Rome.
We got 33 kids in a school with average 23 per class and we still had to turn kids away. Everybody knows about the videos, the movies, the simulated dino digs, the "Create Your Own Planetary Ecosystem" Darwin Day week, and the Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis game sessions. Class is viewed very positively.
I love to teach people who shiver and whimper and are sure they just can't possibly get ____ to get it, by seeing how it connects to other stuff they do know.
*Freaks out by the words: Math, Fractions, and all number things* God Bless Ya'll that can teach math! I love just about anything history..
Visual Arts-I like to open students up to their hidden artistic possibilities Writing-especially poetry--Writing is my own personal area of strength (anything that involves putting words together in a creative and expressive way). Literature--teaching students how to get lost in a story, how to connect with it and how find their own personal meaning in what they read.
KLily21...would you by any chance have any suggestions about where to look or buy for magnetism or electricity. I have to teach it this year to 6th grade and I know nothing about it. It is not in our textbook so I have to start from scratch. I love teaching life science. There is so much to do and the kids really get into it.
Biology = genetics and bioethics Physical Science = roller coasters, newton's laws of motion Chemistry = chemical changes Math = pythagorean theorem Language arts - novels Technology - I love all of it.
I love to teach Measurement Conversions! I also love to teach factors. I dress up as a Rocker because we are doing "Rockin' Fractions". I wrote a song to I Love Rock n Roll that deals with factors. It is a lot of fun!
Try Googling "electricity kids" or "electricity magnetism kids" or checking out Web sites for kids' hands-on museums. Museum stores tend to carry all sorts of goodies for doing science. The electronics retailer Fry's carries some nifty little kits for kids to learn about electricity or magnetism, and at this time of year you might begin to see some of those in office supply stores as well.
