During Distance Learning, I saw first-hand how engaged my students were in listening to the Six Minutes podcast. From learning to write summaries to engaging discussions prompting students to justify their thinking, the podcasts offered a new and exciting way to interact with media. This year, I have some of my former students again so […]
Literacy
Write On!
I love to write, and I hope that my enthusiasm for the writing process inspires and encourages my Grade 2 students to write on! VIP: At the beginning of the year, we are working together to create a brave and inclusive community where everyone is recognized as a “very important person”. The VIP program celebrates […]
Distance Learning Ideas
During these different times, I’ve been planning for a new type of learning – distance learning – with little to no idea of how it might actually be implemented. As I plan, I thought there may be some who would find what I have done of value. I’m using this post to share some of […]
Graphic Novels – Engaging Learning for All Readers
Meeting with families was a little different this year due to job action. Last month, I met with a family to discuss their child’s progress. Although we weren’t meeting about concerns, this was a very insightful meeting, as we spoke about engaging students in reading for enjoyment. I was a little surprised because this child […]
Novels That Spark Conversation and Empathy
This year, due to the ongoing job action, Forest of Reading looks quite different in our school. Rather than having a club where students read books at their leisure and then check in with the teacher who read the book for conversation, we’re reading some of the texts as a class. Given a couple of […]
Orange Shirt Day
Orange Shirt Day is tomorrow – September 30th! While I strongly believe conversations around reconciliation between non-Indigenous and Indigenous peoples need to happen on a daily basis, Orange Shirt Day provides an opportunity for action and awareness. In this post, I’ll be sharing a couple activities we have done this year and how we will […]
Podcasts for Students
Excitedly, I am back in the classroom in September! Over the past few weeks, I’ve started thinking about new ways to engage my next cohort of students. As I’ve been thinking, a friend reached out to share that her son has been enjoying podcasts and that got me thinking about how they might be useful […]
Effective Assessment and Feedback: The Single Point Rubric
I’ve never really been focused on grades in my classroom. Some educators and parents might find it shocking to read a teacher put that in print. However, what I mean is that I seldom talk to my students about levels and letter grades. I focus discussion around feedback, improvement, exemplars and success criteria. When rubrics were […]