Intermediate Teacher Feature: Teri Trudell

This week's intermediate teacher feature is coming to us from the fabulous fifth grade team.  This week I would like to feature Teri Trudell. 

If I was to describe Teri using only a few adjectives, I would say Teri is fun, creative, understanding,  and always willing to help at a moment's notice. 

I had the pleasure of my first observation of this school year being in Teri's classroom during a science lesson, and I swear she designed knowing I would get so into the lesson I would end up taking science tools from small children and doing the lesson with the kids ( I literally ripped a computer out of the hand of a small child so I could look something up with them, not my proudest moment....Thanks a lot Teri). 

As the students were into the lesson, I knew I wanted to feature Teri as my intermediate teacher feature because she took such a huge risk for herself when inviting me into the room for that lesson.  I LOVED the lesson.  The lesson was for the most part student directed.  Students were elaborating on the information that they had been exploring and applying it to new situations.  There were not any "right" answers because it was not coming from a workbook page.  Students had the opportunity to interact with actual specimens within their group and the processes put into place were impeccable.  Plus Teri did not have the pressure of having to be the "Sage on the Stage" for the entire lesson.  Ten minutes tops and the students started to research, and draw, and discuss, and observe.  They LOVED the lesson and they LOVE Teri. 

Here is a little what I was able to experience with her students last week:

 Students interacted with the science board, which was bright, colorful and easy to use from the student perspective.

The lesson was designed by Teri, and included a guiding framework to act as the foundation of the work that students were interacting with.

Students used science tools to observe details about their real life specimens. 

 Students used the resource of their choice to identify the name of their specimen and to begin to hypothesize how their structure was similar to those structures of humans.

 Another specimen students were interacting with.

 Books relating to the topics were available for students as well.

 Another Specimen.

 The specimen and the observations and diagram created by the group.

 Another student created diagram. 

 Teri getting down with a group.  The specimens came from her kayaking adventures which made the students even more excited to be part of the lesson. 



Below are the last bit of images of the specimens students interacted with.