Getting Into the Classroom

 Earlier this year I directed my teachers to think about times in which they could invite parents into the classrooms in order for the parents to get a feel for what actually is transpiring and to get parents to have access to our school during the school day, so that they can look at our displays and classrooms, pick up on the excitement and enthusiasm, and appreciate the level of the work that our students are producing.  I did not want this to be a “show piece” that required hours of work, preparation, and rehearsals on the part of the students or the teachers.  That would prove to be counterproductive.  What I wanted was for the parents to see what the students normally do and how comfortable they are with their required work, and how excited they are to share it with others.  These visits should be on a small scale, so that parents, grandparents and relatives can share the time in a meaningful way with one child, and not feel rushed or conflicted about which child gets the parents’ undivided attention

Brittney Friedman's first graders have been working on a habitat project, and this morning they got to share those projects with their parents.  Each student had selected an animal to research. Brittney had prepared worksheets for the children to complete as they were researching their animals.  From the information on their worksheets, they created sentences and paragraphs about the size, diet, life span, and environment of their animals.  They wrote out these answers by hand into individual booklets, which they all read perfectly, and accompanied their written explanations with their own drawings.  Finally, they all created individual dioramas of their animals in the appropriate habitat.  All this work was accomplished in school, without the input of the parents.  This project incorporated many of the best practices in twenty-first century education – higher order thinking, even for first graders, researching with technology, expository writing which includes correct grammar, handwriting, and artistic creativity, as well as the ability to articulate the information they had uncovered. The children were absolutely delighted with their own work and the work of their classmates.  Not only did they become experts on one particular animal, like tarantulas or river otters, but they quickly integrated all of the vital information from their classmates’ projects, as well. That made them experts on nine different animal species. The entire presentation took just under 20 minutes!

 

 Throughout the year, parents and family members will have opportunities to share the educational experiences of their children in a variety of different venues and formats.  Look forward to a sophisticated project coming up in sixth grade next week and our Chumash presentation in December.