As the end of the year approaches, we see our students get summer in their sights and wiggles in their bottoms. We start thinking about tying up all of the loose ends from this year and even begin thinking about the new and innovative things we will try next year. Why not start right now? April and May are a great time to try on new practices. Why not beta test a few of those ideas you have rolling around? We have a few ideas (big and small) we want to audition in our classroom right now as well as a few ideas we loved this year and thought you might want to share with your readers and writers before you have to let them go in June.
- Forest Classroom
We are lucky to have some fabulous outdoor spaces at our school. Last year we experimented with using this space in different ways. We found things that worked and discovered routines and expectations we needed to establish in order to make our time out there more effective. Then we heard this story on NPR: http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/05/26/407762253/out-of-the-classroom-and-into-the-woods. Hearing about “Forest Monday” inspired us to have a “Forest Classroom” day this year. Since we had already tried it on last year, we felt comfortable developing our plan to spend one day a week in the forest. Here is a padlet our class created about their favorite learning spaces in our Forest Classroom: http://padlet.com/rosscruser/bx15z2psb6jr.
- Share on a Chair
Our community of readers has always given book talks and made recommendations to each other based on their interests and preferences. This year we wanted to spice it up a little, so we turned it into “Share on a Chair”. The students still give book talks, but they stand on their chair and use the classroom microphone when they are sharing. This one simple action has elevated (pun intended) the engagement and the enthusiasm around our conversations.
- Dialogue Journals
Journaling back and forth with your students can be an overwhelming undertaking. If you are willing to take the leap, the impact it has on your relationship with them is immeasurable. The last 6 weeks of school would be a great time to try this out without making a year-long commitment. You could start actual journals and they could take those with them as writer’s notebooks for the summer. If you want to try writing letters back and forth without introducing more materials, why not try writing a letter on something the students are already turning in? Give your students 5-10 minutes after an assignment. Have them flip the paper over and write a letter to you on the back. You can include your reply when you return the assignment.
- Sketchbooks
If you aren’t already studying illustrators in your classroom, START NOW! Use picturebook illustrators as mentors for illustration style. Students use their sketchbooks just like their writer’s notebooks. They can practice the craft moves of illustration and develop new characters and story ideas. Sketching is a great brain break during those April Showers!
- Maker Space
We have been toying with the idea of having a maker space in our classroom next year, but the idea is a little overwhelming. We plan to try a few maker projects before the end of the year so we can test out the routines and troubleshoot some of the classroom management involved.
- Non-Fiction Reader’s Theater
Drama is a staple in our reading and writing workshop. We regularly use reader’s theater and tableau to step in and out of the pages of our read alouds. As we begin our life science unit we plan to use drama to become an animal in an ecosystem or an organism at various stages in a life cycle. We also hope to use drama as a way to formatively assess the students.
- SeeSaw
We have explored digital portfolios for the last two years, but haven’t found a “just right” fit for us. We are really intrigued by Seesaw (http://web.seesaw.me/) and hope it might be just what we’ve been looking for. Before we dive in head first next year, we want to get our feet wet with this year’s class. If we can try it on for a couple of months, we can reflect over the summer about what went well and what we might want to adjust. This will also be a great way for our kids to share some of their end of the year projects.
- “How to” Book for Next Year’s Class
We have always had our students write a letter to next year’s class. We share these with the kids at the beginning of the year as a way to get the kids excited about everything we will do this year. But what if we have the kids help us with building community and creating routines next year? This year’s class can write “how to” books for next year’s class and we can use these to guide us through setting expectations next year. The books could be general “How To” books for the whole school year, or students can write specific books for different routines and activities. We can’t wait to read these. Maybe we can even get them posted on Seesaw!
Enjoy these last few moments of the year. Maximize the time you have left with your class, and don’t be afraid to try something new. What a great time for risk-taking for the teacher and the students!
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