I learn so much when I visit in classrooms. Sure, I learn about pedagogy. I also learn about our kids and how they
learn. But, I have to admit I learn lots
of content, too. That was so true when I
visited West-Oak Middle and Westminster Elementary on Tuesday.
West-Oak Middle
School
My first classroom visit was in an 8th grade Gateway
to Technology class. This science
and engineering elective for middle school had the students doing a little
chemical engineering. The students were
learning about adhesion and cohesion, and the teacher reviewed the concepts. The students explained to me how they created
Casein glue
with powdered milk, water, and a little vinegar. Today’s task was to see how it worked. The students predicted the amount of weight
the two pieces of material would hold.
They used pennies to add weight as they checked out the success of the
glue they had made.
I moved to my next class.
These 7th grade resource students were just finishing up a
few examples of adding and subtracting fractions with different
denominators. The students broke into
three groups to practice the skill they had learned. One group played Sorry!, but with math
problems. This group used a cool game
setup on the floor in a back corner of the room: a Mimio
device, a projector mounted towards the floor, and white paper. Two students worked independently on iPads
with a program in which they had to practice the skill. The iPad is a great instrument because the
students used fingers as writing instruments, and each was provided instant
feedback (or had to rework the problem).
The final group worked with the teacher and used small white boards with
markers to get some extra attention.
I moved down the hall to a 7th grade
pre-algebra class. The students were
just completing a problem as a class on converting miles per hour to feet per
second (i.e., a cheetah runs up to 75 miles per hour for short distances, and
this had to be translated to the number of feet per second). The students took this concept to go grocery
shopping in the class. The teacher had various
products that would appeal to students, but in various sizes. The students were to determine the better
deal (price per ounce). There was a
little game of chance (some math probability), too: Students could pick two items with a chance
of winning it if they had the correct answer.
It was a cool activity and gave the students an important “real world”
application of math principles.
I learned so much at WOMS! I learned about glues (adhesion and cohesion), new and creative uses of technology to reinforce math skills, and some real
world math applications.
Westminster
Elementary
I left WOMS for the short drive to Westminster Elementary. I learned even more interesting things while
visiting in classrooms of 1st, 3rd, and 4th
graders.
My first stop was a 3rd grade classroom. The students were just finishing up a “daily
oral language” activity. They quickly
moved to a writing lesson. I loved the
strategy employed by the teacher to teach explanatory writing: Hamburger/Four Square Technique. The teacher modeled based on where they had
last left off; the students had opening and closing sentences (the top and
bottom of the bun), and now came the “meat” of the paragraph. The teacher modeled based on her favorite
vacation location, and it was time for the students to work on the details of
his/her paragraph. I wandered around,
and I saw some great topics. I was also
impressed by wonderful handwriting skills.
Each student shared with me a little about the writing they were doing,
and I soon had to move to another classroom.
I visited 1st graders in the final stages of
lessons on Japanese printmaking. I
joined a group, and these students shared with me about Suminagashi (pointing to the word on the
chalkboard up front). The kids were busy
arranging and gluing the Gyotaku
prints and seaweed. It was great to hear
the students describe the artwork and to see the creativity in placement on
the paper. Wow! I learned quite a bit about printmaking from
these first graders and their teacher.
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| By visiting Jupiter, your hair will have that "wind blown" effect every day! |
My final stop was in 4th grade. The students were doing a great science
lesson that integrated research and writing skills. Groups of students were researching a planet
in our solar system, but the goal was to encourage folks to visit. It was great to hear the facts about the
planet, and the “spin” to get others to want to visit. With the help of books and internet resources
these students were busy completing the project.
I learned so much at Westminster Elementary, too. I was off with a new writing strategy, I
understood more about printmaking, and I learned a few facts about
planets. The kids were excited, engaged,
and enjoying the curriculum. Kudos to
our teachers for making learning so much fun!
