In both Blackberry and Laurel (the K/1 classrooms), choice time followed the cool-down "siesta" period that comes after lunch. Students had opportunities to engage in group play such as dress up, board games and blocks, or more solitary activities such as art making, working in the sand table, and reading in the library.
In Temescal (2nd/3rd grade), students were working
on collaborative posters titled "All About Us". Using words and pictures, they worked to answer seven questions about each member of the group: What is your name? When is your birthday, and how old are you? What is your favorite animal? What do you look like? What is something you really like to do? And, what question would you like to have the answer to? What are some things you would like todo in your life? Similarly, but different, in Sweet Briar (2nd/3rd grade), students created "Get to Know You" Glyphs based on this handout.
In Strawberry (4th/5th grade), I walked in during a short 15 minute period between a class conversation with Kate Klaire, our Recess Facilitator, and the start of the recess/lunch hour. Students used the time to finish previous work - some continued or finished decorating name tags that will go on their indoor cubbies, others "shopped" for in, or read books pulled from the classroom library, and others talked with the teachers about the relative merits of using online sites such as www.coolmathgames.com for teaching or homework purposes.
And in Cerrito, the students gathered in the back room - the l
ibrary - to discuss their experiences as readers this summer, and get oriented to the reading that they'll be asked and encouraged to do this year. This was exciting to see because I know that Mike worked hard this summer on rethinking his approach to teaching reading, and that the passion for reading that he discovered in himself was truly
ibrary - to discuss their experiences as readers this summer, and get oriented to the reading that they'll be asked and encouraged to do this year. This was exciting to see because I know that Mike worked hard this summer on rethinking his approach to teaching reading, and that the passion for reading that he discovered in himself was truly driving his instruction.
Some patterns emerging already: reading, play, structure, choice, group work, and self-knowledge.
No comments:
Post a Comment