My E-Portfolio by: Sarah Webb. About Me Themes of Teaching Independent Inquiries Teaching Experience S ARAH ’ S E-P ORTFOLIO Welcome to my E-Portfolio!

My E-Portfolio by: Sarah Webb

About Me Themes of Teaching Independent Inquiries Teaching Experience S ARAH S E-P ORTFOLIO Welcome to my E-Portfolio! I hope that by exploring the following pages, you will gain an understanding as to the kind of learner I am, as well as insights into the type of educator I am preparing myself to be. I sincerely intend to keep my E-Portfolio updated throughout my career!

A BOUT M E In April 2011, I successfully completed the Master of Teaching Program at the University of Calgary, after previously graduating with a Bachelor of Communication & Culture degree in 2008. In August of 2009, I was married to the love of my life! I love to shop, dance, play piano, read, play squash and snowboard. When I am not spending time with my husband, we are usually hanging out with family. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESUME CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK MY TEACHING OATH HOME

MY TEACHING OATH HOME This will be my oath..

CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK HOME Constructive feedback received from my partner teachers and professional seminar instructors have enabled me to improve myself as a teacher. Thanks to their feedback, my teaching style has been a continually evolving process. Here are a few excerpts: You are pleasant and confident in the classroom. It seems that you have developed a positive relationship with the students and partner teacher. Both respect you as a teacher. I felt that students responded well to you. Great job! ~ Cyndie, Instructor; Year 2 Sarah's rapport with students is genuine and very positive. this interest in all the students, and desire to treat all students positively and respectfully will allow Sarah to be successful. Sarah already has the heart of a teacher, with genuine concern and love for all the students in the class. ~ Peggy, Partner Teacher; Semester 2 Year 1 Sarah seems to understand the delicate interplay of observation, engagement and reflection as a teacher. ~ Gord, Partner Teacher; Semester 1 Year 1 I encourage you to be aware of the conflicts and ambiguities in your experiences and what you learned, and try to understand these conflicts and seek for balance between different views. I also encourage you to make intellectual connections between what you learned and what you experienced, which will greatly enhance your reflection. ~ Hsing Chi, Instructor; Year 1

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT HOME Winning Strategies for Struggling Students - hosted by Education Students Association, November 2010

RESUME HOME This will be my resume..

T HEMES OF T EACHING CURRICULUM UNDERSTANDING ASSESSMENT TEACHING AS INQUIRY CONDITIONS FOR LEARNING CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE TONE AND TACT HOME The rhythm of teaching involves a complex journey a journey of discovery and wonder, disappointment and fulfillment. A first step is becoming the student to your students; uncovering the fellow creatures who must be partners to the enterprise. Another is creating an environment for learning, a nurturing and challenging space in which to travel. And finally, the teacher must begin work on the intricate, many-tiered bridges what will fill up the space, connecting all the dreams hopes, skills, experiences, and knowledge students bring to class with deeper and wider ways of knowing. Teaching requires a vast range of knowledge, ability, skill, judgment, and understanding-and it requires a thoughtful, caring person at its center. 1 Jossey-Bass.(2003). The Jossey-Bass Reader on Teaching. Market Street, CA:A Wiley Imprint.

TEACHING AS INQUIRY HOME Inquiry based learning occurs when a teacher creates situations in which students take the role of scientists. In these situations, students take the initiative to observe and question phenomena; pose explanations of what they see; devise and conduct tests to support or contradict their theories; analyze data; draw conclusions from experimental data; design and build models; or any combinations of these. (www.ciblearning.org/about.inquiry.php) When I first began this program, I didnt really understand the context of Inquiry, yet this was the main word that all instructors used when talking about the next two years in this program. I always thought this was such a big word and the concept was going to be beyond my knowledge and have me stress out about learning how to execute it, however when it was explained I realized it was just a different method of teaching. This turned out to be a method I had been exposed to in my school years, and I realized it wasnt such a daunting concept anymore.

TEACHING AS INQUIRY HOME Teaching with Inquiry based learning is a little harder than one would expect, because as a teacher you find the need to suddenly give answers when the student doesnt understand the question posed. Instead, if you facilitate the conversation of inquiry based learning and have the students think this way, then it is a very fulfilling situation for all students because they feel like it is their responsibility to come up with the answer and allows them to dig deep within themselves to come up with the appropriate response. Inquiry also creates opportunities for teachers to learn how their students minds work. In my teaching, using the inquiry method, I have acquired some skills such as knowing when to provide a nudge, knowing what hints to give each particular student, and knowing how to read student behaviours as they work through challenges and how to design meaningful learning situations that take those behaviours into account. I also learned how to tolerate ambiguity, to use mistakes constructively, and to help my students in collaborating when solving problems together. I strongly believe that Inquiry requires the students take responsibility for their own education.

TEACHING AS INQUIRY HOME When using inquiry, the teacher must learn to bite their tongue, because too many hints, too many questions, and too many answers take all the learning out of the process. Inquiry also allows students at different developmental stages to work on similar problems and even collaborate in finding solutions to those problems.

CONDITIONS FOR LEARNING HOME The design of an academic environment must be consistent with the educational philosophy - Sally Augustin I feel that this quote is very important in being able to understand, as a teacher, what kind of atmosphere you want to create by the values that you believe in. Most teachers believe in respect as one of the most important principles in a classroom and in life, and so they would approach their classroom with this attitude and portray their feelings upon their students, hoping that they will in turn learn and understand, and use it in their life. I believe that a classroom is supposed to be a ...space for children to connect their own life experience and bring this knowledge into the classroom as the basic building blocks on which knowledge can be built 1

CONDITIONS FOR LEARNING HOME I have tried to bring this quote into my classroom and my teaching because it is easier to have the students connect to something they know because they are more likely to be involved and motivated to learn than with something that has no connection to their life. I have had my students work in their own nooks and crannies of the classroom when it is work time for projects because I feel that I would need to be comfortable so that I can accomplish my best work and that shouldnt be different with children. I had the students work in partners or alone, anywhere in the classroom that they wanted to, as long as they were relatively quiet and productive, and the students really seemed to thrive in this kind of environment! Some students chose to work under desks, some stayed in their desks and some decided to work on the floor in a corner with their partners.

CONDITIONS FOR LEARNING HOME It is my responsibility as a teacher to provide a learning environment in which children can voice their relational understandings, the classroom context must elicit each students voice in all his or her individuality. 2 This is one of the most fundamental concepts in teaching and without it you cannot have a classroom that will be motivating, and be accomplished in its tasks of supporting students not only academically but emotionally as well. I can only hope that one day, as a teacher in my own classroom, it will be a loving, supportive, and understanding environment for my students to thrive and grow in, but I know that this will be challenging because of diversity and differing styles of learning. For conditions of learning, students first and foremost need a safe learning environment and experience. I believe that if this type of atmosphere is not available to them, then their learning capacity will be hindered because of the external factors that affect each student. When I am in my university classes, if I am feeling threatened, shy or do not think that my comments will be hear, I do not feel safe. There does not need to be a physical danger for it not to feel safe for a student. If students are to gain knowledge and strive to achieve wisdom on anything, a teacher must have the skills or the desire to have a classroom that can achieve relationships that can benefit students. As a teacher, I not only have to understand my students as learners, I also have to understand how these students came to be who they are as people today. If a teacher does not look beyond the student in their class and their educational ability, they are missing out on being able to help that child thrive as an individual with regards to their person as a whole. Raider-Roth, M.B. (2005) The relational learner: why classroom relationships matter. Trusting what you know. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. pp. 151-171.

TONE AND TACT HOME I believe that being a teacher not only comes with the responsibility of teaching a subject or concept, but it also comes with being a role model and mentor for the students in your class. The tone and tact of your approach with your students is what could make all the difference in their academic and personal lives. As teachers are leaders, we need to have control of tour classrooms, courage in order to assist in directing the students with their choices, and strength to be able to deal with different situations. Tone and tact can also define you as a professional due to the manner in which you convey messages, both in words and actions. Verbal and nonverbal interaction is the very basis of tone and tact, and in the classroom I feel that students, the teacher, send and receive non-verbal cues hundreds of times during the day and that we should watch how and what we say, as well as how we dress and present ourselves.

TONE AND TACT HOME I have been trying to pay more attention to my tone in the classroom and to observe the students reactions to what and how I say things throughout the day, whether it be in my lesson, or just in casual conversation with my students. It really matters to the students how you converse with them and how what you may not think is a big deal in how you said something, may affect that student more than you know! Patrick W. Miller made this statement and it really hit home for me: A teachers face should convey a variety of expressions when speaking to students, but whenever suitable, they should smile when working with students, since smiles present a warm and open invitation for communication. 1 I think that communication is an integral role in any relationship, and one between a student and teacher cannot thrive without trust and a sense of comfort. A smile does go a long way, even with strangers, and so this is a great ice breaker between students and teachers, and helps the children feel safe. Miller also states that only seven percent of a message is sent through words, with the remaining 93 percent sent through facial expressions and vocal intonation. 2 This statement allows me to believe that words I say and the way I act are a vital part of being a teacher, and this can impact my students in a positive or negative way. Miller, P. (2005). Body Language in the Classroom. Techniques: Connecting education and Careers (8-30). Retrieved from ERIC database.

CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE HOME During my practicum experiences, I quickly realized that the classroom runs the way it does because the teacher has instilled some very important routines from the first days of school. My partner teacher explained to me that those are the most critical days to setting your classroom tone and feel, and she gave me some examples: Some questions to consider: 1. What is the purpose of the routine? 2. Are the students familiar with this routine? How do you know? 3. How should you reinforce a routine already established? 4. How should you present a new routine to the class? 5. What other skill(s) are students learning while participating in this routine? 6. Are routines saving time that can be used for teaching?

CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE HOME Routine Categories and Examples: 1. Attendance and how to get work/assignments to students who are absent 2. Collecting homework and recording it 3. Walking to classes or passing in the halls 4. Fire drills 5. Expected behaviour in classroom 6. Noise level for group work 7. Activities for students who finish early 8. Cleaning up October 12, 2010 (Journal Entry): I have quickly noticed that other teachers are constantly commenting on our class and how quiet and well-behaved they are and I always find that I say the same thing every time....we as a class work really hard to show that we have routine and respect within our classroom because we are a community and everyone should do their part.

CURRICULUM UNDERSTANDING HOME September 3, 2010 (Journal Entry) Looking at the Program of Studies binder is daunting and makes me nervous to know that we have to teach all of that subject matter in a year. I find it very difficult to plan for the subjects that I teach because there is so much to accomplish and yet the lesson plans have to have a very simple and clear objective. This has been a constant struggle since the last year in practicum, and I guess it just takes practice to understand what you need to teach and how to break it down into smaller teachable sections. After reading the program of studies and understanding what needs to go into my lesson plans and learning how to get the lessons across to my students, I quickly came to learn that differentiation and interest were the two main concepts that I needed to get across to my students in each and every lesson that I teach. I have found a way to make the task of looking at the curriculum a little less overwhelming by creating a web of the most important concepts and objectives for each subject. This has become very useful for me and has allowed me to plan my lessons accordingly and has eased the pressure and stress of making sure I have accomplished all of the objectives set out by Alberta Education.

UNDERSTANDING ASSESSMENT HOME My teacher has asked me to assist her with preparing the first round of report cards. I plan to draw from this opportunity, insights into the process of evaluating and assessing the progress made by my students. As this is a living document, I recognize that opportunities such as this represent ideal learning outcomes to use as self-reflection. I do understand however that assessment is continuous and the best method for keeping track is through anecdotal notes. Assessment of students knowledge is sometimes an assessment of the teacher and how well they are presenting the information, so this is a very important concept to be familiar with and truly understand.

M Y I NDEPENDENT I NQUIRIES HOME BIOGRAPHY OF A TEACHER FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME

HOME The dictionary defines a teacher as a person who teaches or instructs, especially as a profession (dictionary.com), but an effective teacher is so much more than merely an instructor. Although a teacher is the head of the class, good smarts are not enough to ensure the teacher will be successful; passion for teaching and an unyielding desire to help students realize their potential is the real key to success, and it comes not from the head, but from the heart. As Parker J. Palmer says, many of us became teachers for reasons of the heart, animated by a passion for some subject and for helping people learn(Palmer, p.10). In order for a teacher to truly make a meaningful mark on a student, leaving a lasting impression that has the power to change a childs life, a teacher must play many roles in the classroom: leader, mentor and educator. As an educator, teachers have a duty and obligation to teach the curriculum and assure that their students have the understanding and knowledge that is needed for the particular grade. Words that I feel are important to a teachers role as educators include potential, experience, and discovery. Your students should accomplish each of these to great degrees in your classroom when dealing with the subject matter and their role as a pupil. These words will also allow them to become adults in the world and achieve the dreams that they believe in. Teachers need to have time and energy in order to give the students the best experience and teachers should always lend a helping hand whenever needed in order to produce a breakthrough with each individual child. Some teachers fail to see that teaching is not only about the teacher knowing the subject but about how a teacher engages students in learning. Teaching by providing opportunities for students to become involved in doing the work themselves requires teachers to relinquish their control. (Lieberman, xvi) BIOGRAPHY OF A TEACHER

HOME BIOGRAPHY OF A TEACHER As a mentor, a teacher assumes the important responsibility of shaping a childs life not only in the classroom, but in the real world beyond. Most of us want to have someone to look up to and as a teacher we are mentors to hundreds of children in our classrooms, with the opportunity to impact their lives for the better. I believe that as mentors, teachers need to show excitement, adventure, faith, and praise to be a good role model for their students. Approaching teaching with a giving heart and connecting with confidence to my students should result in a relationship that is fun, rewarding, and influential. Succeeding in this tactic can produce memories that will leave a lasting impression. This quote says it all: The power of our mentors is not necessarily in the models of good teaching they gave us, models that may turn out to have little to do with who we are as teachers. Their power is in their capacity to awaken a truth within us, a truth we can reclaim years later by recalling their impact on our lives. - Parker J. Palmer

HOME BIOGRAPHY OF A TEACHER As a leader, teachers need to be able to guide their students along the journey of education that they believe will lay the foundation to build a bright and prosperous future. Teachers need to direct these students and provide a pathway of least possible resistance and allow them to believe in themselves. Teachers as leaders need to have control of their classrooms, courage in order to assist in directing the students with their choices, and strength to be able to deal with different situations. I believe a teacher needs to be able to show that the road to success is attainable, and that taking chances and having a strong partnership with their student will enhance the trust and respect between teacher and student. A critical role for any teacher is that of an advisor; students need an outlet for their fears, motivations, strengths and anticipations, and their teacher is someone they are in contact with at all times. I hope to provide inspirational leadership, become an influential mentor and create a classroom environment conducive for superior educating. When teaching, I aspire to Palmers ideal, that good teachers join self and subject and students in the fabric of life (Palmer, p.4). Teaching with the passion from my heart, I will endeavour to leave a positive mark on each and every student that passes through my classroom. Teaching is my life and by reaching out to my students, I believe that together we can create a success!

HOME BIOGRAPHY OF A TEACHER References: Dictionary.com : Retrieved November 13, 2009 from http://www.dictionary.com.http://www.dictionary.com Lieberman, A. (Eds.). (2003). The Jossey-Bass reader on Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Palmer,P.J.(1998). The Courage To Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teachers life. In Lieberman, A. (Eds.), The Jossey-Bass reader on Teaching (pp.3-25). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

HOME FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME Question: What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and what kinds of methods and approaches will give support to children with this disease in an educational setting? Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder encompasses two distinct types of diseases: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE). The report will focus on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, yet Fetal Alcohol Effect is estimated to occur three to four times as often as FAS, although it is much less frequently recognized (Morse 27). It is more difficult to detect FAE because it does not have all of the characteristics that encompass FAS, and children often appear normal, more is expected of them, and they are less likely to qualify for special services (Morse 27). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a very important topic to me because I have relatives who have been encumbered by this disease. I feel it is necessary to know what effects and actions are needed to aid children with their learning when integrated into a classroom. There are a lot of resources detailing different ways of approaching students with this problem and proposing ideas to improve their ability to facilitate learning in a classroom setting. I believe this is a very important concept because children with this disease are portrayed as behaviourally disobedient because people are ignorant to the effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Unfortunately, alcohol-related brain damage is severe, permanent, and irreversible (Kleinfeld 4), however all the learning styles and ideas may be able to help improve, not cure, their capability to be educated and gain skill and understanding, even if it is minimal.

HOME FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME Fetal alcohol syndrome is caused by mothers who abuse alcohol during pregnancy, which can cause permanent damage to the brain, and central nervous system of the developing fetus (Kleinfeld 5). This exploitation by the mother towards their unborn child has various consequences on the offspring, and sometimes they can escape the effects of maternal alcohol abuse. The results of alcohol abuse vary depending on the genetic makeup of mother and child, quantity of alcohol consumed, and timing of the fetal growth and structure development; some children may go unscathed while others have brain damage, facial deformities, and damage to the central nervous system. Although there are no biochemical tests to confirm fetal alcohol syndrome, a diagnosis is based on the clinical judgement of the examiner (Morse 26). There are 3 major signs that encompass this disease, and they are as follows: impaired growth, changes in facial structure, and central nervous system abnormalities (Morse 24). When these three major signs above are simultaneously displayed and the mother abused alcohol during the pregnancy, then the diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is justified. There are significant facial structure abnormalities, including flattened mid-face, short up- turned nose, small eye openings, drooping eyelid, smooth area from the base of the nose to the upper lip, and thin upper lip (FAS 24), and these distinguish a child with FAS from another child. Along with having the significant facial structure deformity and the other major signs that display Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, it may also cause various abnormalities in other areas of the body. Children with FAS grow more slowly than ninety percent of other children, and although development is progressive, the deficit is permanent (Morse 24).

HOME FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME There are different ranges in the severity of the effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome on the brain and learning; some have such serious learning disabilities that they need special classes, others can manage in a regular classroom (Kleinfeld 5). Alcohol exposure to a fetus has significant adverse effects on cognitive, emotional and behavioural functioning (Green 107). It changes the way the child thinks, acts and feels, in comparison to a normal child, and these types of changes to a child in a normal setting, especially in a school, can leave a child feeling lonely, betrayed, sad, and isolated from the class and the world in which they see themselves. Children with FAS are at risk for difficulties in school related challenges in academics, attention, social skills, and behavioural control. Early diagnosis and intervention is key in helping children with FAS succeed (Green 107). Fetal exposure to alcohol produces damage to the brain in a child which makes it problematic for them to take-in information and distinguish the signal from background noise in their environments, and organize the information in an integrated or sequential fashion (Kleinfeld 321). While growth and physical problems characterize children with FAS, the problems presented by central nervous system damage are the most serous. The list of documented abnormalities is lengthy; extreme irritability and restlessness in infancy, perceptual problems, delays in learning to talk, hyperactivity, fine and gross motor abnormalities, learning disabilities, intellectual impairment, clumsiness, fearlessness, inappropriate social behaviour, memory deficits, and fearlessness, inappropriate social behaviour, memory deficits, and eating disorders - Barbara A. Morse, p.25

HOME FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME Because teachers, parents, and everyone around these children dont take the time to look deeper into the reason they are not listening, or are not concentrating, or are deemed deviant in their behaviour, these children are never given the opportunity to be given the help and support needed to allow growth, improvement and success; instead they are thrown by the wayside and sometimes are regarded as at risk youth because of their behaviour. In order to provide a successful and accommodating learning environment for these students, educating a child as soon as they are born is crucial in order to create an underlying support system and understanding for both child and parent. The cornerstone of educating an infant with FAS is to locate activities that prevent the child from becoming over or understimulatedmentally and physically (Murphy 191). A structured environment allows the child to have control of their world, while a routine and regular schedule placed before them will allow the child to keep track of the day, hence the child is less apt to become frustrated, unproductive or withdraw from overstimulation (Murphy 193).

HOME FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME The system that most teachers, parents and caregivers of children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome find the most useful is to simplify the information or material that the child needs to grasp, so that they are not overwhelmed with a mountain of information. This approach will make it easier for the child to comprehend the task at hand. In the Alberta Learning book Teaching Students with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, it states that a teachers role is to assess the students behaviour, learning, and social functioning, so that you can better understand an individual and their issues for them. Teachers should do so by sharing information with each other such as school records and samples of school work so that they have an idea of how to manage this child. Parents may also contribute to this sharing of information by sitting in on interviews and completing the questionnaires as honestly as possible. A teacher is the most crucial player in being the first to notice, though not diagnose this disease, based on the effects and behaviours they notice in their classroom. This onus often falls to the teacher when parents fail to make the connection of their child having a disability or do not want to believe that they led their child to have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome by consuming alcohol during pregnancy. As soon as it has been observed that a specific child needs more examination to discover if there is anything wrong with them, the teacher is to document all their findings, and make sure that the necessary academic and psychological testing is conducted. They need to meet with parents to share test results and follow up to make sure that something is being done to help this child.

HOME FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME Common misinterpretations of typical responses in students with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder are listed in Alberta learning binder for Teaching Students with FASD. Some examples are listed below: BEHAVIOURMISINTERPRETATIONACCURATE INTERPRETATION Non-compliance Willful misconduct Attention seeking Stubborn Difficulty transferring verbal direction into action Does not understand Not sitting still Seeking attention Bothers others Willful misconduct Neurologically based; need to move constantly even during quiet activities Sensory overload Often late Lazy and slow Poor parenting Willful misconduct Cant understand the abstract concept of time Needs assistance organizing Poor social judgement Poor parenting Willful misconduct Abused child Not able to interpret social clues Does not know what to do

These are only a few examples of the behaviours that get misconstrued when dealing with a child who has FASD. A common theme found through all of these is wilful misconduct under misinterpretation. Teachers and parents must think that the child is not doing what is told because they dont want to instead of the truth being that they cant. This is a very big problem and people dont seem to think about the consequences of jumping to conclusions before finding out if it is indeed defiance or simply a disability of sorts. I found in the Alberta Learning binder many strategies to assist students in being more focused and help them develop. Examples of this are include but are not limited to: Manage the environment to reduce sensory overload Establish consistent, specific routines and procedures to increase students comfort Provide opportunities throughout the day to help students meet their sensory input needs in appropriate ways Clearly define personal spaces and boundaries, and provide areas that accommodate students sensory needs. Emphasize safety, participation and success during play, recess and physical education classes Provide opportunities for developing fine motor skills. Develop computer skills and use assistive technology to compensate for handwriting difficulties. Consult professionals who have experience with FASD or other neurological impairments. Provide supervision and support throughout the school day Provide structure to focus attention. Give only one task at a time to reduce problems when shifting attention. HOME FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME

HOME FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME The binder from Alberta Learning was the most useful resource in blending theory and practice together. It was very descriptive and gave several ideas about each type of issue that a child with FASD would or could possibly have. Unfortunately, it would not be realistic in putting the whole binder in this paper; I did make notes of many things and ideas in case a child or more had FASD in my classroom. I believe it is very important to be able to help support the child who is at a disadvantage because of a disability, be it FASD, ADD, or just behavioural issues due to social or socio-economic hardships. These tools are not very hard and would take minimal effort to incorporate them into your way of teaching and lesson plans. Such a little effort to make a big difference in a childs life is what teaching is all about, and all teachers should be willing to make the effort and forge the path for understanding and support. Next to parents, teachers are the closest thing that a child has to a role model, and if we are not willing to stop, listen, and observe to see if there is something wrong beyond the surface, then a child will take those lessons and treat society in that way making it a lose-lose situation for everyone. Unfortunately alcohol remains the most commonly abused substance in the united States, and one of the most powerful teratogens, causing malformations of the fetus (Morse 24), and so this forces everyone, especially teachers to be aware of the effects that alcohol can cause, and to be proactive in helping the student progress and develop as much as they can.

Works Cited: Alberta. Learning and Teaching Resources Branch. Teaching Students with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Programming for Students with Special Needs Series. Edmonton: 2004. Print. Edmonds, Kelly, and Susan Crichton "Finding Ways to Teach to Students with FASD: A Research Study." International Journal of Special Education 23.1 (2008): 54-73. ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. Green, J. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Understanding the Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Supporting Students. Journal of School Health, 77.3 (2007): 103-108. retrieved from ERIC database. Kleinfeld, Judith., Wescott, Siobhan., ed. Fantastic Antone Succeeds: Experiences in Educating Children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Fairbanks: University of Alaska Press, 1993. Print. Morse, Barbara A. Information Processing. Fantastic Antone Succeeds:Experiences in Educating Children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Ed. Judith Kleinfeld and Siobhan Wescott. Fairbanks: University of Alaska, 1993. 23-37. Print Murphy, Maureen. Shut up and talk to me. Fantastic Antone Succeeds:Experiences in Educating Children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Ed. Judith Kleinfeld and Siobhan Wescott. Fairbanks: University of Alaska, 1993. 189-200. Print. Root, Pam "Effective Teaching for FAS & FAE Children." (1997): ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 11 Nov. HOME FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME

T EACHING E XPERIENCE HOME LESSON #1LESSON #2LESSON #3 Our Lady Queen of Peace, Airdrie September 2010-December 2010, Grade 3 Classroom St. Brigid, Calgary January 2010-April 2010, Grade 5 Classroom Highwood Elementary, Calgary September 2009-December 2009, Grade 1 Classroom

HOME LESSON #1: STUDENT WARRIORS Student Warriors: This is a project we did as a class which would fulfil part of the Language Arts curriculum objective. We had read a story about a little girl who became a warrior in order to protect her family and she made her armour on her own out of things she found around her home. After discussing several topics that came about reading the story such as family, loyalty, and trust, I had my students put themselves in the girl's place. Then I asked them to draw themselves and choose anything they could find in their house to create armour of their own, but the items could not be costumes, or anything obvious for the use of a shield. They then had to write about each item and why they chose it. This project turned out really well, and they were so proud of their work! They used this in our parent-teacher interviews which were held as student-led conferences and were very excited to show their parents what they had chosen! Adding the artwork element sparked their interest and prompted a surprising amount of resourcefulness, enabling the students' creative ingenuity to shine through in their work.

HOME LESSON #2: APPLESAUCE RECIPE Applesauce Recipe: This is a project we did as a class which would fulfil part of the Language Arts curriculum objective. The students learned about recipes the format they take, and then we created a recipe together for Applesauce. We chose to do applesauce because it was our overall theme for Language Arts for the month of September. After creating this applesauce recipe together on the board, the students had brought in apples before hand, and we peeled them and put them in a crock-pot. I took the crock-pot around to all of the students and each got to add their apples, cinnamon, and sugar, and got to stir it around. We did this activity first thing in the morning, and the applesauce was ready to eat by the end of the day!

HOME LESSON #2: APPLESAUCE RECIPE Reflection: This was my first lesson and it was a great experience. I didnt realize how much the students love being involved and being active and allowed to act out what they are learning. I find that this motivates the student to work and get involved and participate in the class and during the lesson. I was really excited to be teaching this lesson, and it was really great to see me accomplish this lesson. I am sure there are lots of things I could have changed, done differently, but that will always be the case when teaching a lesson, whether I am a new teacher or have been teaching for 25 years, however it was nice to just see the students positive response to my teaching and to my lesson.

HOME LESSON #3: TALENTS & GIFTS Talents and Gifts: This was a lesson that I did with my students and it was prepared for the unit of talents and gifts in Religion. We read a book together, called Frederik, by Leo Lioni, which told the story of a mouse, who didnt help along with the other mice with the labour of preparing for hibernation, but he had his own gifts and talents to contribute. This book allowed us to discuss talents and gifts that are given to each of us by God and how our class is a community because of the talents and gifts that we have. I then had puzzle pieces for the children to write their own talent or gift on, and then we put the pieces up together to form a cross. The students really enjoyed this and were very excited when we talked about how we were all a community and that school is not only for learning, but is another place to be a family and help each other through good times and bad.

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My E-Portfolio by: Sarah Webb. About Me Themes of Teaching Independent Inquiries Teaching Experience S ARAH ’ S E-P ORTFOLIO Welcome to my E-Portfolio!