I have been able to work alongside students at Park Street for 1/2 hour each week as they choose, research and present on a topic of their choice through creative education. The goal is to have students learn in-depth (see work by Kieran Egan) on a topic of their choice over their school career and achieve an in-depth knowledge of that subject. This video highlights a few topics chosen by students in various grades: Student leadership is something we often don't consider at the elementary level. Over my 7 weeks at Park Street I have come to see how valuable and achievable it can really be to have a Student Council. I observed as students took on the initiative to run for leadership positions and then meet weekly to discuss the issues and events that were relevant to their school community. The students keep record of their meetings and manage their own funds. One of the great fundraisers they planned was for a local girl who was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. By making banana splits for over 300 students they raised just under $1000. Great work students! Some of the girls in our video club created this film to inform the community on the topic of sharing. It was entirely their script and I was just there to support them and help with the editing process.
As you may have already noticed, I love making my lessons interdisciplinary! When I came across a section of my science curriculum that discussed exploring shadows (location of light source to the item crating the shadow, etc) I was excited by the possibilities. I created, from my own mind, a lesson that shows students an amazing shadow dance/skit and then has them create their own. The goal was for students to explore how shadows can change the size of any object being viewed. Students are asked to create a skit in which at least one item is made much larger or much smaller than it is in real life. Below, you will see images that include a pylon as a volcano and a mini stuffed elephant as a giant elephant. Students were very creative and even added their own flair and characters (Harry Potter and a Giant Leprechaun). I recommend recording the fun on a camera for whole-class review later. So much fun!
This video is one of many examples of how our video interest group is using their new-found skills to give back to the community. These four kindergarten boys warmed my heart with their self-directed skit.
This handbook is inspired by the UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools initiative. I created it for use by parents, students, teachers and administration. This is a video I created to help other teachers understand the struggles of young people facing Muscular Dystrophy. Though it it a sad reality for some, teachers can be supportive in many ways to help students facing these challenges.
This wonderful webquest was created by myself and Miss Steeves for the grade 4 unit on explorations. It is an exciting and interactive way for students to explore this unit and is complete with a teacher guide. Teacher password is: armstrong. Click below to explore!
Routine can be extremely important, especially with younger students. One of the routines that I have found very effective on a daily basis is our goodbye routine. Students collect their communication bags and then place their chairs on their desk with their shoes on top before exiting the classroom.
|
AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE CLICK "PREVIOUS" TO SEE MORE OF THIS BLOG. You can also navigate older posts using "Archives" or "Categories".
Explore.
I am always learning how to be the best teacher I can be. Follow along with me on my adventures... Archives
May 2013
Categories
All
|