SCHOOL INTERNSHIP PHASE II - Week 4 ( July 1 - July 5 )

               DAY 14 : 1 July 2024

                A new week begins 

It was a rainy morning today. I reached school by 9.15 am and marked the morning attendance. The first hour was at 8E. An activity lesson to write the appreciation of the poem Taj Mahal was prepared for them today. I made a chart on the elements of an appreciation and each one was discussed in detail. The students interacted very well. They actively shared all the points relevant to the preparation of an appreciation. I was happy that they could comprehend the verses very well. 

The second hour was at 9I. I began the poem Nothing Twice by Wislawa Szymborska. I introduced them to the theme of the poem using two of my childhood pictures and the memories that they entail. A discussion was then initiated and learners responded well. Most of them were absent today; some of them were taken for the NCC camp. Even then, I had slight difficulty in controlling them. I had prepared three stanzas today, but could complete only two. I was content with how the class went. Whatever discussed was transacted in the best way possible.

We got our class back today. We thus shifted from the veranda to our previous class. This was such a great relief. In the afternoon session, the members of Eco club, under the guidance of teachers, planted saplings in the school premises.

I signed the evening attendance and left school by 3.30 pm. I then went to college to get my lesson plans signed.

                  DAY 15 : 2 July 2024

I reached school by 9.10am and marked the morning attendance. There was morning assembly for the students of 8 and 9. Students from all the divisions assembled in the auditorium. They arranged themselves under the guidance of Gurudatt Sir. The assembly started with a prayer song and pledge, followed by the message from the Headmistress. The students dispersed by 10 am; there were only 10 minutes remaining in the first period. I went to 9I, took the morning attendance, and asked a learner to present the activity given in the previous day. The bell soon rang for the second hour.

After coming back to the class, I prepared for my last hour at 8E. The lesson We're the World was planned for them today. I could complete the lesson plan even though they weren't as active as they would be in the morning hours. I first played the original song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. I then explained the background of the song and its relevance. Since it was a very simple poem, I read it once again and elicited meanings from them. They were able to comprehend it well; their interpretations were really impressive.

After the discipline duty, I signed my evening attendance and left school by 3.35 pm.

               DAY 16 : 3 July 2024

I reached the school by 9.10 am and headed to 8E for my first hour. The poem We're the World was completed today. Just like yesterday, I elicited the meaning of the poem through scaffolding questions. A discussion was then initiated wherein the students talked about calamities and the events surrounding it. There was so much to discuss; the time was insufficient to put every topic to discussion. The students brought up many related topics that are worthy of discussion. The 40 minutes time frame is undoubtedly not enough to do this, in addition to the content transaction and related activities.

The third hour was at 9I. The remaining stanza from the previous day's lesson plan and two additional stanzas were discussed today. The poem being a highly philosophical one, to convey its full meaning is definitely tough. I had a discussion with two of the English teachers about how the poem should be transacted and on what level the meaning should be established. Today, the 9I students interacted very well and I could give them an idea about the stanzas discussed. I asked them to read it once again at home and then share their ideas the next day.

I was given a duty to engage 8J in the sixth hour. I went there and introduced myself; I also asked them to introduce themselves. We had a casual interaction. I  then initiated a discussion on the chapter their teacher was currently handling. The students answered all the questions. I also asked them basic questions from grammar. Then I allowed them to do whatever work they had; some of them played games while others completed their notebooks. 

After the discipline duty, I marked my evening attendance and left school by 3.30 pm.

             DAY 17 : 4 July 2024

After signing the morning attendance, I headed to 8E for the first hour. The poem We're the World was complete and a discussion was initiated about the literary devices used in the poem. The students contributed very well and the class went good.

I completed the poem Nothing Twice in 9I and a discussion was initiated. The students were able to grasp the philosophy of the poem. The class was interesting and they interacted very well, contributing points from their point of view. I was a bit tensed about how the poem can be effectively taught. The process was not too easy; but still it was a great experience trying to decipher hidden meanings and transacting it to the learners. 

There were no other duties as such. I marked my evening attendance and left school by 3.30 pm.

                DAY 18 : 5 July 2024

The first hour was at 9I. It was an activity lesson that I had prepared for them. I taught them the steps to write an  appreciation of the poem Nothing Twice. A chart was used for this. Each step was individually discussed and the content to be added in each step was made clear to them. The students listened very well and interacted actively in class.

I was so happy that the students gave me the gratitude card that I had asked them to prepare in the previous class. So many of them made very good cards. 

The third hour was at 8E. I began the chapter A Shipwrecked Sailor by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The introduction to the lesson was done by drawing the reference to the movies Titanic and Life of Pi. Most of the students had seen the movies and a discussion was initiated. The first two paragraphs of the novella were discussed. There were many new words that were to be introduced to them. I was able to complete the lesson plan in 8E.

I had to take a half day leave as I had to go home for a hospital appointment. I gave the leave letter to Headmistress Usha Teacher and left school by 1.30 pm.