Ready, set, GO!
8/31/2019
It’s great to be a teacher in the fall. A new school year brings a fresh start with fresh faces and all the promise that new beginnings are famous for. New supplies, a spruced up classroom, great ideas gathered from a summer of reflection… all these things make this one of the best parts of being a teacher. But the best part of the new school year is engaging with a new class of learners, eager to see what the year will bring. These past few days in our new fifth grade classroom have been busy. As new routines got established, students explored their new environment and got reacquainted after a summer away. They read, wrote, drew, talked, planned, organized, and played with numbers (can YOU think of an expression for every number 1-20 that only includes the number 4 and your choice of operations?! These fifth graders did!) Students also sorted the classroom library of novels by genre, discovering some titles to put on their “to be read” list. As we do at PNA every year, we spent significant time talking about the kind of classroom we want to build together - a classroom that will help each of us achieve our goals. These young learners have big hopes and dreams: to get good grades, to make new friends, to be neater and more organized, to read and write better, to master long division, to learn about flora and fauna, to learn fractions. They know where they want to head, and they began the journey with enthusiasm! Some of the activities we worked on this week were designed to teach me about each child as a learner, and to teach the children about their own learning processes. First we worked on building “All About Me Dodecahedrons" - 12 sided prisms - a task that took careful attention and significant effort. They turned out beautifully and students were justifiably proud of their hard work! As they worked, they learned about our classroom expectations for work quality and work ethic. They learned that many projects and activities in fifth grade will take more than one session to complete and the work will be a little tough at times. We also saved Fred this week. Fred was a (gummy) worm who was stranded on his capsized boat (cup) without access to his (gummy) lifesaver. This team building exercise challenged students to use trial and error and problem-solving skills to save Fred. It was not an easy task. Several times I heard, “This is so HARD!” Yet the teams resisted. They planned, regrouped, and begged for extra time - they were unwilling to give up. In the end, Fred was saved! You can learn about the "Saving Fred" task by watching the slide show the students did, here. Learning this year will be like this. It can and will be hard. It takes effort, persistence, and sustained effort. It takes teamwork, communication, and trial and error. These fifth graders proved this week that they are ready to go! |
Elizabeth FerryMs. Ferry's experiences include teaching with the Peace Corps in Tanzania, teaching high school English in Maine, and this is her second year at PNA. She loves moose, outdoor activities, and being with her students. Archives
April 2021
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