Addressing an Audience

Letter writing is a lost art that is rarely used in today's society. Not only the use, but the form and style as well. Through writing letters, students learn how to address an audience, how to write correctly, and how to address different types of audiences. Often times, students writing in the class is not addressed to a specific person. It is a general writing for the teacher to read. Students should be able to pinpoint a specific audience in their writing. Also, they should be able to write for different audiences. They need to learn the difference between writing to a friend, and writing to the principle or a community leader. A great way to do this is to have them write to the different audiences. They should write letter to a person in another class, like a pen pal, and one to the principle. Both letters should be on the same topic. After the student writes the letters, and before they are send them, they should compare the different wording they used. Have the children look at the language they use with a friend and the language they used with the principle. Make a chart on the board so that the kids can see it more easily. This is a great activity for students to learn how to address an audience. 

Reading Aloud to the Class

It is very important for teachers to read aloud to their class. It gives the class the opportunity to listen to a book and not have to stress about reading it. It works on the students ability to comprehend what they hear as well as helps students strengthen their attention span. I think that some of the books should have to do with the unit being taught, but most should be an enjoyable book for the students to listen to. This way, when the teacher reads to the class, the students are excited about the book and about listening to it. Many kids in the classes that I have worked in do not enjoy reading and I hate that. Students should see their teacher reading books that he or she loves and share that love with the students so that the students would be excited about reading that book or a similar book. Teachers have such a strong influence over their class, so I think they should use it for the good and try to teach students to love to read!

Multiculturalism

I saw a video in one of my classes about a way to teach children about multiculturalism and tolerance. I wish I knew whose idea it was so I could credit her, but unfortunately I am unsure. She sat all of the children in a circle and asked what color they were. The students responded with the typical black or white answers. Some of them were unsure. She then asked the question again, are you really black or white, or a shade in between. The students responded with a variety of answers. The teacher pulled out a box of flesh colored paints. One by one, she painted a small patch on the arms of the children. Once she found the color, she would announce to the class that this person has a skin color of warm cinnamon, or whatever color he or she was. The student would walk around the circle and show the rest of the class and then the next person would go. At the end of the activity, the teacher asked each student what color they were and they each responded with the color of the paint. She told them that everyone is different and that you should not judge someone because of their skin color. Then the students got to paint a self portrait using the color on their skin.  I think this is a great activity to do at the beginning of the year to begin talking about tolerance inside and outside of the classroom. 

Nature Walks

Nature walks are a great science way for students to learn about science. When students leave the classroom, their excitement for an activity raises a lot. When students are more excited about an activity, they learn more from it. Inquiry brings about learning, so lets make the children want to learn. While on the walk, take your time. Let the students explore, ask questions, and collect artifacts. Each student could bring in a shoe box from home to collect their artifacts in. When you get back into the classroom, you can have them classify what they collected, label them, and make a display out of them. For example, if the class is studying different types of trees, let the students collect leaves while outside or things that have fallen off of the trees. They can figure out which items go with each tree and glue them to a piece of paper that is labeled with the tree type. The pages can be displayed on the wall or in a class book. 

Voice Thread

The first day I was introduced to voice threads, I shook my head and assumed it was another piece of technology that would not be worth the time. I think I always feel that way because it takes me so long to get used to new technologies. I was very wrong this time. Voice threads are great tools for students and teachers. Students can hear and see what they are learning as well as corresponding pictures. They can respond with more information or questions. Other students can follow up information or answer the questions that their peers may have. Teachers can use it as an evaluation tool. They can see what concepts the class understands, and in what areas they are weaker. From there, a teacher may evaluate herself to find out why students are struggling in specific areas and figure out what can be done to change that in the future. Voice threads are easy to make, easy to use, and easy to find. It is an all around good source and I am glad that I have been introduced to them. 

SmartBoard

The use of a SmartBoard in a classroom is incredible. I hope that a day comes where all schools will have access to one. I thought that they were going to be nothing but an expensive way to use powerpoint. In a way it is, but there is so much more. SmartBoards allow students to have an interactive lecture time with their teacher. Whether the notes are on a powerpoint, a piece of paper, or whatever else the teacher chooses to use, the students can come up to the board and work directly on the page. The students love using the SmartBoard so they love to participate in class. Their participation means they are paying attention and getting the most out of their education. I do not know what their price is, but I know SmartBoards are not cheap. I think communities should try to raise the money to have computers and a Smartboard in classrooms so that the students will enjoy learning more, therefore learn more. 

Earth Day

Earth Day is a great time to have a school wide day dedicated to science and social studies. The students can learn about the environment in their home town, recycling, and help clean up the town or the school campus. Teachers can review the life cycle of a plant and then plant a class tree. This will make the life cycle of the plant easier to understand because of the visual and physical contact with the tree. Also, you can talk about the ecosystem and human effects on the ecosystem. Students can go for a nature walk and come back to the classroom and record what they saw in their science notebooks. Then the teacher can talk about how humans living on a land can both help and hurt the land. The lesson can end on recycling and cleaning up trash. The students can do a campus walk and clean up any trash that they see. If a teacher needs more activities, there are plenty of outdoor activities. If it rains, the students can watch a movie like WALLE to see the human effects on the ecosystem. Ultimately, we want the students to learn that the world is a beautiful place and the life cycle is a perfect process. As humans, we should do our part to keep this world and our community more beautiful than we found it.