The sounds of children playing rush
through my open window. The cool air softly slips past the screen as
the fall seasons begins to take hold. If I stare long enough at the
tree across the street I can almost see the leaves changing their
colors. Every so often a shrill of playful delight rings above the
children's crowd noise. And for brief moments there is a seeming
silence when the voices all together quiet themselves. It's as if there
is a wave of commotion amongst them. I know they are all doing
something different yet from simply listening to them their sound echoes
in unison.
My classroom is still. It's quiet and lifeless. The children quickly left for lunch today and their "things" are still exactly where they left them. Books over turned to save the place of the reader, open journals, pens and pencils randomly placed all rest on the desks. Jackets hang limp over the backs of chairs. Snack containers, some open and some closed, can be seen. Water bottles sit upon the desks as small towers...each one different...as are their owners.
This was the first week we really departed from our normal daily routine of reading and writing which usually takes up our whole morning. It was review week for the upcoming Unit Test and we were doing just that--reviewing. For the reading review I had my students take the educational route of creating something in order to review what we have learned in the past 5-6 weeks. We created a booklet that contains major concepts, complete with definitions, examples, and pictures. They spent each day perfecting their booklets. They collaborated with each other, with me, and with our parent volunteers. They engaged themselves in the content.
For writing we spent the week editing, revising, and writing our final copy of the 4-week long "How to Study" paper. It served us well to have parent volunteers in the room so that every student had an opportunity to sit one-on-one with an adult and edit their paper by finding good aspects, errors, and places where the writing might be changed. Every student in the room was able to produce a four-paragraph expository paper explaining their best practices in studying both at school and at home. They learned about the writing process from immersing themselves in it. They became writers.
The change in seasons always prompts me to seek the change in my students as they settle into the routines of Room 202 and begin to show their true selves. This week, they showed me that their determination to do well, their ability accept constructive criticism, and their courage to take educational risks is indeed present. What better arena for a teacher to find himself?
Copyrighted material of Michael C. Casten
My classroom is still. It's quiet and lifeless. The children quickly left for lunch today and their "things" are still exactly where they left them. Books over turned to save the place of the reader, open journals, pens and pencils randomly placed all rest on the desks. Jackets hang limp over the backs of chairs. Snack containers, some open and some closed, can be seen. Water bottles sit upon the desks as small towers...each one different...as are their owners.
This was the first week we really departed from our normal daily routine of reading and writing which usually takes up our whole morning. It was review week for the upcoming Unit Test and we were doing just that--reviewing. For the reading review I had my students take the educational route of creating something in order to review what we have learned in the past 5-6 weeks. We created a booklet that contains major concepts, complete with definitions, examples, and pictures. They spent each day perfecting their booklets. They collaborated with each other, with me, and with our parent volunteers. They engaged themselves in the content.
For writing we spent the week editing, revising, and writing our final copy of the 4-week long "How to Study" paper. It served us well to have parent volunteers in the room so that every student had an opportunity to sit one-on-one with an adult and edit their paper by finding good aspects, errors, and places where the writing might be changed. Every student in the room was able to produce a four-paragraph expository paper explaining their best practices in studying both at school and at home. They learned about the writing process from immersing themselves in it. They became writers.
The change in seasons always prompts me to seek the change in my students as they settle into the routines of Room 202 and begin to show their true selves. This week, they showed me that their determination to do well, their ability accept constructive criticism, and their courage to take educational risks is indeed present. What better arena for a teacher to find himself?
Mr. Casten
Oct. 5, 2012
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