I can think of several things I could add to my project to make it more creative; however, the time constraints of my position limit these options.
It would be fun to use storybird or a similar storytelling tool that allows students to write a story incorporating vocabulary words. If I had more time with them, I would do just that. Typically, I only see one group of students 12-13 times during a nine week period. During these classes, I need to provide remediation/enrichment in areas identified as weak by different local and state assessments. The most time I can commit to any one project is two or three classes. I think it would take more than 3- 45 min classes to accomplish the task of writing a story. One solution would be to work with a fourth grade teacher on this project. I would work on the researching of the meaning of the words with the students and the creation of the ppt slides. The fourth grade teacher would use these slides as reference material while guiding her students through the creation of a story. This solution would allow the students to see a connection between the work they do in my class and their regular math class. It would also allow them to USE the knowledge they are obtaining in a creative manner.
It sounds like you are like me at this point. Any improvements that you could include are sort of not feasible. But, I really like the idea of collaborating with another teacher, especially a math teacher to see the content in another class.
ReplyDeleteTIME TIME TIME! That's the biggest problem. If that was were not an issue, you could be creative and spend extra time teaching kids some technical skills so they can complete a fantastic project.
ReplyDeleteThat's the boat I'm in. I created an Excel sheet with formulas already embedded. I just don't know that they have the skills to do it on their own. And you can't budget extra days for potential Excel lessons!
Love the thoughts and think you have some great ideas!
Yes, time is almost always the issue...but I think you've found a great way to solve that by collaborating with another teacher. Collaboration is always a plus. Storybird is so fun, I think your students will get a lot out of this project!
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