May 5, 2012

Why being a mom makes me a better teacher

Today I was scouring Pinterest (the website I love to get lost in) for ideas for baby boy. Instead, my thoughts immediately transferred to the classroom. "Child's sensory table"- Hmmm... how can I add sensory tables to 4th grade? Would the new principal mind a small sand table in my room? We could be digging for fossils or sight words?

Then, I read an article about science experiments creating simple machines. Immediately my mind wanders... Pulleys... don't they use those to hoist sails?.... how to I make a pulley? Could I create a pulley for kids to turn in their work by hoisting it up as a flag using the ceiling grid?

If not a pulley, how about a zip line? What can I do to make turning in work fun?

Toddler Craft- painting bubble wrap then transferring the dots to a cardstock Easter egg. My brain.... could I use this for probability? What is the probability there will be more green dots than blue?

As you can see.... the more I learn about child's play the more I am convinced that kids don't outgrow their need to learn through play. And lest you think by now that this hoisting classwork momma is all fluff, I will share with you some very hands on things I plan to use next year in my fourth grade class.

1. Egg carton math. Score the bottom with numbers. Add two buttons, shake. Multiply the two numbers. First one to 500 points (by adding the products) wins.

2. Bill board reading assessments. Students will create 4 rectangular prisms. The four prisms will stand up next to each other like a bill board. Each face (meaning all 4 together) will show a comprehension strategy. Then, when you turn the prisms (like those rotating bill boards) to a new face, you get a new concept. Each face will be colored a different color to create effect. Tactile and visual!!

Some ideas

- Main idea, 3 details from text to support main idea
- Authors Purpose
-Summary
-Cause and 3 effects
- Connections
-Questioning the text 

3. Locks and keys, stick adhesive dots on lock and key. Score with math problems and solutions. Mix up keys and locks. Kid has to answer the question correctly to unlock it!! (The answer is on the key)

Loving my son and watching him learn has taught me volumes about how kids learn. My fierce love for him has tempered my heart for all the parents who so willingly entrust their best and finest treasures into my care. I want to be the teacher I would want my son to have. I want to take care to teach to the best of my ability. Because all kids, no matter whose they are, deserve nothing less.

1 comment:

  1. You are a great teacher Heather! I wish I you would have been my teacher :) This weekend David and I went to a Homeschool convention and I finally learned the different learning types and how to determine what type you are and what types your children are. I know we've had this conversation before and today I fully grasped what it all means. I am a Visual Print learner - very compatable with textbook learning. David is Kinestic and wow what a difference! Anyways, pray for us as we try to develop the right 'hands-on' things to help him learn :)

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