Building Community in Your Classroom

Here is a great idea to build community in your classroom. Use one of the bulletin boards in your classroom...assign each student a CD disc envelope and staple all of them to the board. Students and teachers can write positives notes about each other. This is an excellent way to encourage students to think positively about each other and develop a respectful and supportive environment in your classroom. You can have your students write to each other about something they think another student in the class did well at during a lesson as an Exit ticket. Perhaps a student is having a bad day, you can write a note to that student showing your support. There are so many things you can do with this board. I would definitely recommend creating something like this in your classroom!

Plickers - An Interactive App For Your Classroom!

If you haven't heard of Plickers, you need to try this App out in your classroom. I used it for reviewing Natural Resources with my Grade 7's. They had a blast with it! It is a free App that you download onto your phone. It allows you to poll your class without your students needing their own devices. Your account will sync with your computer which you can then project onto your Smartboard or projector. You can set up your own questions, assign QR codes to each student, and track their answers. Not only does this App bring technology into your classroom, it is fun and interactive, AND a  great opportunity to assess what each of your students know.

Coming soon...I will post my lesson plan that integrated this App into our learning! I would suggest Plickers across all grade levels and for any subject! It is an effective way to get every student involved in your classroom. Try it out!

https://plickers.com/

Creating a Classroom Colouring Book

This is for all educators looking for a visual arts lesson that encourages students to be creative and reflective learners.

I designed and implemented a lesson for my grade 7's that focused on the design element of Line. A critical discussion and interactive activity illustrated how lines create different physical and emotional responses in viewers. Students worked collaboratively to discuss responses in art. Working together, they elaborated on each others' ideas and their understanding of line.

I believe it is important to explain the purpose of what the students are learning. Making a lesson meaningful is essential. The purpose of this lesson was to create a classroom colouring book that students can use when they need to reduce stress, relax, or if they have spare time. This can lead into a discussion about Active Living and Mental Health Awareness. The class was so engaged in creating their page in the colouring book. My students blew me away with their artistic talent!

This lesson can be modified for all junior and intermediate grades. You can find the lesson plan, with connections to the Ontario Arts Curriculum, and slides on the Arts Lesson Plans page of my blog, or click here!

Here is an example of a final product produced by one of my students...WOW!!

"As educators, we must create opportunities for our students to create!" - Ms. S

A Par-fect Score: Teaching Integers in Grade 7-8

I am constantly striving to make math meaningful in the classroom. Students should be able to connect mathematical processes to real life. Providing opportunities for students to understand the importance of what they are learning in class and allowing them to build connections to their own lives is essential. They need to feel like they are learning something practical...when students feel this way in the classroom, they are actively engaged and motivated to learn.

Here is a grade 7-8 problem solving activity involving Integers. I was fortunate enough to teach this activity to a class this morning. They were very engaged and excited about the golf scoring scenario. I would suggest doing this activity after students are familiar with positive and negative numbers and their relationship to each other. I would also spend time exploring the game of golf and how the scoring works. This learning could be incorporated into the Minds On part of the lesson as I found it caught the attention of my students.

Expanding Ideas...
This activity sparks many hands-on learning opportunities. In pairs, students could each design a hole for a golf course. They could determine the difficulty of the hole, how many shots it should take to score (Par), and the distance from the tees to the flag. The class creates a mini golf course in the classroom. Students can play the course and use their scores for deepening their understanding of Integers and the relationship between Par and the number zero.

Student Worksheet

Smiljanic, O. (2016). A Par-fect Score. 

Connections to Ontario Curriculum 

Expectations and Mathematical Processes

Smiljanic, O. (2016). A Par-fect Score. 

What Is Your Story?

"When you look at a person, any person, remember that everyone has a story..."

It is important to remember that everyone has a story. Providing  opportunities for people to tell their stories is an essential step in the process of accepting and understanding who people are and where they come from. We meet so many people in our lives. Taking a moment to listen and not judge can make all the difference when it comes to accepting people for who they are. Past experiences shape individuals. However, beliefs, values and perspectives continue to evolve as people build new relationships and gain new experiences from life. My personal experiences, my professional  growth, and the relationships I build with people will continue to influence what diversity means to me and what it means in my classroom.  

What does diversity mean to you?
How can you help students acknowledge and be accepting of differences in your classroom?

Celebrate Diversity in Education

Diversity takes on all different forms. It is a term that recognizes every person’s differences, whether it is religious beliefs, intellectual and physical abilities, learning styles, cultural identities, sexual orientation or gender orientation. It also recognizes differences in prior knowledge, life experiences and social backgrounds. Everyone has their differences and as an educator, I need to look for ways to celebrate these differences in my own classroom. As I develop lessons, it is my responsibility to acknowledge the diverse backgrounds of my students and provide rich learning opportunities for my students to discuss and share cultures, perspectives, customs and languages. Embracing diversity in the classroom requires the teacher to be flexible in their approach to teaching. It also empowers students, makes learning meaningful and develops a sense of community within the classroom. Diversity is the most valuable learning tool for students and the teacher.

Recognizing diversity in my classroom can provide students with a powerful voice. I believe that their voices should be heard and each student should feel like they have a place in my classroom. This is how I want to celebrate diversity with my students.