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"The eyes behind silence get a glimpse into the realities of the unknown." - me
I remember when I first decided that I wanted to teach my 5th graders how to conduct research in order to write a 5 paragraph essay. I was overwhelmed with where to even start! I know that kids are highly motivated when they have choice and are excited about their learning, and so I knew it would be important for each child to choose their own topic of study. Even though I would be modeling each step along the way, I did not want to assign them their topic. To guide students in choosing a topic, I always tell them a subject to choose a topic from.
For example, for years, I had students choose a state they wanted to research while I modeled researching Alaska. For the first time this school year, I asked students to choose a topic related to WWII while I model with Japanese Internment Camps. I feel this gives them a sense of interest and independence when they are able to choose for themselves what topic they will be spending their time digging through books and talking about with experts. When creating a process for conducting research, I also wanted to provide students with a list of steps that they could use later on in middle, high school and even college. The steps had to be simple enough to work for any topic and any level of topic. So it had to be simple, but also have potential for students to gather lots of information. (click below to read more)
To begin the unit, I created a fun and engaging activity (that also makes for a really cool bulletin board!) for students to identify the Allies and Axis powers as well as a brief overview of important events in the form of a timeline. I read from a book entitled, The Attack on Pearl Harbor by Katherine Krieg which shares a diary entry from a US Marine soldier during the attack and one from a Japanese Fighter Pilot. This book stirs up a great discussion when students consider each person's point of view. (click below to read more)
What is Morning Meeting?Morning Meeting is something that our school has adapted from the book Teaching Children to Care by Ruth Charney which explores The Responsive Classroom approach to building a caring classroom environment. This is a moment at the very beginning of the day that allows the me and students to build a relationship, review plans for the day as well as set a tone for the classroom. I start my Morning Meetings by reviewing the schedule for the day. Kids are always curious about what to expect and I like to start with that in order to alleviate any anxiety or preoccupation with what to expect. This way, everyone can focus on what we really need to do which is have a meaningful and productive class discussion. Beautiful things can happen during a well-structured and thoughtful Morning Meeting, so I like to get as much out of it as I can. You can:
(click below to read more)
Unit 2 Alaska Exploration and ResearchUnit 2 is a focus on Alaska which is my platform for teaching them how to do research and to demonstrate how a person's environment effects the way of life. Here are the components of what I planned:
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Julia GrahamDaughter of the King, wife and mother, former upper elementary teacher, curriculum and course developer Archives
March 2023
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