This is Where the Focus Should Be
What’s in Store this Week
With this wonderful day to just reflect on the world, I ended up reflecting on all of the great projects happening in my classroom this week, so why not share it.
In science, we continue with our crayfish studies, however, the kids decided that it would be more fun to create a crayfish documentary rather than just a research paper. So we are busy researching the questions they have come up with, then writing scripts and finally filming the scenes. I cannot wait to see the end result!
In social studies, we will finally get to work on our Early Explorers of Wisconsin Fake Facebook Pages. Thank you to all of those who submitted templates to me. Students have only been told the backstory of exploration in Wisconsin but have no clue what project they will work on yet. They are so excited that they begged to do social studies on Friday, we didn’t have time though.
In reading, students are working on their chosen author studies. I am doing my own alongside them on Neil Gaiman, so I have to decide how to present my information. It has been great to see the varied approaches to how to do this project and once again, students are showing their excitement by continuously asking whether we will be doing the project or not.
Writing is exciting this week as students finish their Why Tales (excellent writing here) and we start on our next project. The kids have been really into “whodunit’s” lately, so I am toying with the idea of turning our picture book project into a “whodunit” instead. The main goal is transition words and voice, which can be accomplished through many methods. I think in the end, I will let the students decide.
Math is a mixed bag of assessments. We have weird pile of tests we need to get through such as the mid-year assessment, but after speaking to my students about it they didn’t seem too worried. They told me that they knew what the purpose of these were; “To help them learn better.” We also discussed that they could do the tests in whichever order they choose, they can jump around between tests, and I will bring in lots of bubblegum. Plenty of math game breaks will be provided for those who want them and we will get through it as we usually do.
There will be plenty of little extra’s added in, such as music/poetry Tuesday where we will be discussing the great song “Pride in The Name of Love” by U2. Op.Ed. Friday’s topic has not been chosen yet, and we have a geography bee to go to on Thursday. School is a magical place indeed.
If Kids Ran the School
Last week I asked my students to blog about what they would change if they had invented school. While some may think their answers predictable, I think they offer valid suggestions as we move forward in our educational reform.
- More Recess – while easily dismissed as impossible, I think that this being the top response shows that students need more breaks during instruction. I do sometimes provide an extra recess if the weather is nice, but often there simply is not time for a full recess experience. What I can do on a regular basis, though, is to give them partner talk time, free choice for a couple of minutes or even just shift activities more often. Anything to offer them some chance for movement and resetting of their brains.
- 4 Day School Week – It was not that students wanted less time in school, in fact, they suggested longer school days so that they could have 3 days off to be with their family. I have discussed how much I value family time myself so I can understand the time to just be a kid and to let all of the new information sink in.
- Allow electronics. After a recent lunch with my students I was not surprised to hear that most of them had received an Ipod Touch or something similar for Christmas. I believe, as many do, that the way of the future will be students supplying personal electronic devices alongside schools. What a great way to incorporate known tools into our learning environment.
- More choices. Whether it be choosing your teacher, your room, your learning partner, or just the project, students were begging for more choices in their day. While I feel my school allows students many choices, this was a great reminder to constantly challenge myself to offer more choices than I perhaps have felt comfortable doing in the past.
- More fun. Students wanted to play more math games, chew bubble gum, have lunch with their teachers, play more in the room and just be more creative overall.
What do you think your students would make their priority? Is there a way to incorporate ideas from this into your room? I am certainly trying to. If you would like to see their full responses, visit our kidblog and leave them a comment or two.
A Student Nominates their Person of the Year
We nominated our Person of the Year today and this is what one of my amazing students wrote:
My person of the year is Martin Luther King Jr. because if he didn’t do what he did I wouldn’t be in here with my fantastic teacher and awesome friends. I, instead, would not have friends, teachers, or rights. He was willing to make people’s lives int he future better even if he was not the best.
Martin Luther King was a great man and I am glad him and other people like Rosa Parks were born. He did not care if people bombed his house or threatened him. If he was not born, my dream of becoming a football player or baseball player would never be close to coming true. The reason I chose Martin Luther King is he made my life the best it could ever be. That’s my person of the year; Martin Luther King Jr.
To see the post and leave Lewis a comment, please go to his post.
The Winner of Connor’s Christmas Glogster Challenge!
More than 30 students submitted glogs so it was hard to choose a winner. Helen’s glog though shone the brightest so here it is!
Must We Grin and Bear It?
Yesterday I shared a blog post regarding my journey from a complicated discipline system to throwing it all out and insetad running a classroom based on respect and communication. A comment poster by an educator whom I admire, Jeremy MacDonald (@MrMacnology) immediately sparked my interest ( take a moment to read the whole comment).
He writes,”My daughter has “cards” in her Kinder class. She is absolutely terrified of “pulling a card.” I’ve been to her class to visit her and she is a robot. She’s not my little girl….I know her teacher. How do you approach another teacher, who is in direct contact with your child each day, and tell her that her management is depriving my daughter of enjoying kindergarten; enjoying school?”
What an incredible discussion to start! Do we, as educators and parents, that perhaps are on a different teaching journey than some teachers, have a way of discussing this with our child’s teacher? Is there a gentle way that one can help “enlighten” others or must we grin and bear whatever happens in their classroom?
I know that my teaching methods have changed greatly because of interactions with other teachers, however, these have not been parents of mine, but rather colleagues. How would I feel if a parent came to me and told me how to teach or how I should change something? I know there has to be a way to initiate this type of conversation, but how?
So let us open up the discussion! Do you approach the teacher, do you anonymously send them education books, or do you just let it be hoping for a different approach the following year? Can you start the dialogue or is it not worth it?
Pernille Ripp 