July 27, 2016 - Efamini Primary School

July 27, 2016- Today was the first time I was given the opportunity to teach a third grade class at Efamini.  The teachers do not seem to have a lesson book with plans written in it so one can look at it to determine what the class was supposed to learn.  When I entered Miss T’s class, the class I observed Monday, she asked if I had planned something.  Replying no, I volunteered to teach whatever she gave me.  After all, she only gave me a pacing guide and not her lesson plan book that indicated what she wanted to be taught each day.  She gave me multiplication/division worksheet and wanted me to pass it out to the students.  After passing them out, she told me to walk around the room and check student work, marking it with a red pen.  It soon became clear that several students did not understand how to multiply or divide many of the problems.  I attempted to demonstrate the multiplication problems by drawing tally marks and grouping them.   Since the students did not have additional paper to use to draw pictures on, I had them “act out” the problems using students at the front of the room, holding up fingers.   After working a few problems,  Miss T.  gave me a box containing several bags of Unifix cubes.  With the aid of a couple of students, I modeled how to use the cubes to work out a couple of the problems and then gave each table group a bag of cubes to use as they worked together in their group to solve the remaining problems on the worksheet. The students were very excited, but Miss. T. told me in a concerned voice that I would really need to watch the students as they would take her cubes and hide them to take them home.     I got the impression that the students had never used the cubes before, because I had to model how to join them together to make the groups.   As I called out the problems, the students begin to work together to solve each problem while both Miss T. and I circulated to observe and give assistance.  Soon Miss T. seemed to be enjoying the lesson as much as the students, cheering and clapping for the each group when they were able to find the correct answer.   The lesson was a lengthy one, but worth every minute as every student seemed excited and actively engaged in the lesson.   During the afternoon, I read a story in English about a giant that cooked a large pot of soup adding different ingredients including a human boy.  While reading, Miss T. translated the story using isiXhosa. Afterwards the students drew pictures of the large pot of the soup with the ingredients, including the boy.  Several drew the giant in their pictures.  Their pictures were delightful.  I had a very enjoyable day.  Tomorrow we go to Grahamstown.