Window to my Classroom

I truly believe that children learn a lot from each other by working cooperatively.  One of my favorite activities to do with the students is the 'Skittle Colors' graph.  By this point, the students have learned about different picture graphs and bar graphs and have had many discussions on how to interpret graphs.  One of the most powerful ways for students to firmly grasp a new concept is to be emerged in it.  The Skittle graph really combines multiple mathematical concepts into one activity that the students really enjoy doing.  Each student is paired and given one bag of Skittles.  From there they have to separate the Skittles according to color, count them and represent each Skittle by color on the bar graph.  They also ask each other questions to interpret the information.  It's interesting for the students to see the end results and how each bag of Skittles holds different amounts of each color in a bag.  Of course at the end of the lesson the highlight is eating the Skittles!

Another important part of my day is to help my students become confident in who they are as a person.  I strive to promote high self esteem in each child.  School should a fun environment where students can learn, laugh and feel safe enough to take risks and chances.  Part of the last four years at my current school entailed holding class assemblies for the whole grade and the grade above, as well as our class parents.  This is an opportunity to showcase what the students have been learning about but to also have a bit of fun with a song, dance or skit.  When students feel safe and cared for, they are more willing to step out of their comfort zone and be courageous.

As a teacher I also enjoy teaching topics in a variety of ways.  This lesson actually ties into our Non-Fiction unit with Instructions.  We read a book called The Monster Sandwich and talked about the procedures of making a sandwich.  We had a good discussion on whether or not order would be an important factor with the instructions for making a sandwich and from there the students instructed me on how to prepare the ingredients.  After this the students enjoyed making their own sandwich and eating it!  As a conclusion, the students wrote in order the instructions they used to make their own sandwich.