Tuesday, June 26, 2018

What Went Right

I had a post planned about my year, but I scrapped it. Instead, I am going to reflect on what went right. After all, if I don't write this down, it won't be written down at all.


English as an Additional Language
All EAL students improved and 3 of the 5 from the beginning of the year are ready to exit. This was a big jump since they came with no English at all. They are now included in the group of students I need to tell to be quiet (a good thing).


Collaborative Projects
We did a few collaborative writing projects this year through Traveling Tales and Traveling Teddy. These are two awesome projects that I can recommend to anyone.

Here is one of the stories we helped write.



Writing skills
It has been amazing to look back at some of the writing pieces students did in August and compare them to recent writings. Yes, it was Grade 1 so of course there would be progress, but it was a long journey to get to where we ended.


Making
I introduced my students to the concept of making. I guess that is a bold statement. I should say that I introduced them to making something when they are not occupied with another activity. I set up a table in the room with a bag of bottle caps, cardboard, and toilet paper rolls. They ended up making some interesting things and I [re]found a new tool for my classroom.


Ganesha and the Curse on the Moon
I remember sitting in a restaurant with a former coworker in October or November and asking what I could do for a fairy tales unit. She suggested a readers theater, but that scared me off with this crew, so I opted to try to produce a movie with them. 





Learning my own limitations
I tried to take too much on my shoulders this year. I don't know if it was me thinking back on my previous homeroom experience, or if I was arrogant, but I learned I need to lean on the parents more when I have difficulties with students.


Next year I will be working towards this ...



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