I have been thinking/struggling/wondering about this dilemma lately. Which is more important? Helping students learn responsibility and how to meet deadlines or Showing students that it is okay if your “learning timeline” is different from others At my core, I believe the most important thing is for my students to learn – and to nurture… Continue reading How do you find a balance between responsibility and failure?
Category: Classroom
Practicing Quiet
Thursday was a bluster of noise and activity as students learned about the planets exchanging partners every few minutes to share information on their “home” planet. My classroom is often like this. Lots of movement. Lots of noise. Lots of sharing. Lots of laughing. But I realized that perhaps we don’t spend enough time in… Continue reading Practicing Quiet
And Now for Something Completely Different
As I was getting ready for school this morning, I couldn’t help but reflect on the lesson we wrapped up in class yesterday. It was a compare/contrast lesson looking at Pluto in relationship to both the eight planets and the Kuiper Belt Objects. The point of the lesson was to highlight the reasons Pluto is… Continue reading And Now for Something Completely Different
Mystery in the Classroom
Today I shared with some of my colleagues the mystery lesson strategy. I really like this lesson strategy because I love solving puzzles with clues. I first found out about the strategy while taking my gifted endorsement class, which used the book The Strategic Teacher. (By the way, I highly recommend this book. It’s filled with… Continue reading Mystery in the Classroom
A Seating Experiment
Today was the first day back from spring break. The school year is rapidly drawing to a close. I have regular classroom time with my kids the next two weeks, and then we have our state testing. After state testing is over, we begin our space camp in sixth grade activities, so I won’t have… Continue reading A Seating Experiment
Brainstorming Creative Classroom Spaces for Next Year
After posting the other day on Does the space matter? I’ve had a few moments of inspiration, and I think I am already beginning to formulate a plan for next year’s classroom that will really encompass the vision I have not just for the classroom spaces but also for the attitudes of the students inside… Continue reading Brainstorming Creative Classroom Spaces for Next Year
Team Mission Patches in the Classroom
One of my favorite parts of attending the Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy program was the camaraderie within our teams and the symbolism within our team patches. I knew this was something I wanted to incorporate into my classroom this year. I divided each of my classes into four teams (Lenticular, Nacreous, Noctilucent, and Radiatus), and we… Continue reading Team Mission Patches in the Classroom