Learn Create Inspire
Sharing successes and challenges through teaching while becoming a (hopefully) published author.
Self Talk & Emotions: Three activities to explore 54 Things Wrong with Gwendolyn Rogers
Using literature to unpack self talk and build class community is powerful. Three more activities to do with 54 Things Wrong with Gwendolyn Rogers. I also share a few ideas for how I design lessons linked to books I am reading. Making a novel do double or triple duty in the intermediate classroom makes engagement with the text even deeper.
Social Justice Symposium: Creating and Learning about PSAs
We spent one intense week making TWO PSAs: one visual and one video. The kids learned all about public service announcements and used what they had learned about social justice topics to make PSAs for a student audience. We also made a Kahoot! to test our knowledge after watching and reading all of the PSAs.
Banned Books: Exploring Representation in Literature
Kids literatures is being banned at an alarming rate, which limits access to diversity and #ownvoice authors. This post explores a banned books lesson that I designed for my class. It moves from input to co-creation to transformation in the understanding of book banning with my class. I also reflect on personal experiences in diversity in literature and questions you can ask yourself about literature you have used in your own classroom.
Storytelling Part 5: Storytelling Festival and Assessment
In Part 5 of the Storytelling Series, I talk about the storytelling festival and assessment.
Storytelling Part 3: Teaching Kids How to Understand Their Stories
In Part Three of the storytelling series, you will learn how my kids started to unpack their stories and recognize the five anchor points they would use to tell their stories.
Exploring and Responding the Hard Things: Talking About Ukraine
This post explores how I used loose parts, an interactive lecture, and art to help my students start to understand the invasion of Ukraine. It is filled with examples of what I did and provides a few other activities that could be done to support your teaching. My little students with big hearts want everyone to know that they will welcome any Ukrainian people who come to our school and hope the conflict ends peacefully. This is cross-curricular and hands-on.
Gender Stereotypes and Pink Shirt Day
Today was Pink Shirt Day. In my class, we used it as a day to explore gender stereotypes and bullying. My short lesson went astray and became an entire morning of powerful discussions and deep learning. This post outlines the lesson and can be used as a template to have a discussion about gender stereotypes with students. It is filled with student quotes and reflections…and adorable accidental posters.
A Message to the Teachers and Students in Quebec: Loose Parts and Poetry to Unpack Ideas
Bill 21 is a racist law in Quebec. Today my class read The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad and used loose parts to craft messages of support for the teacher removed from her classroom in Quebec for wearing a hijab as well as her students. We used these messages to build a poem of support that we hope will get to this educator as well as all of the other educators in Quebec fighting overt institutionalized racism.
Using loose parts is a powerful way to explore challenging topics and it worked well for this lesson. I have included the poem, photos, and lesson information in this post.
Accessibility + Mrs. Salter’s Arcade = A Lesson in Retrofitting vs. Universal Design
Mrs. Salter’s Arcade is ready…and accessible. The last 24 hours has been a lesson in retrofitting versus universal design. My students have made sure ALL kids at our school can actively participate and enjoy our arcade—and I could not be more proud.
Mrs. Salter’s Arcade: Hands-On Cross Curricular Fun
Readers Request: Mrs. Salter’s Arcade. A brief overview of the 2.5 weeks that I use to turn my classroom into a cardboard arcade and the learning that occurs. I have provided BC curriculum links as well as a sample package to use and possible assessment. Be inspired. Get messy. Have fun! This is a great project to start the new year with. You could tell kids about it before they go on break and they will come back with so many ideas!
Picture Books Part 7: Activities Inspired by Anchor Texts
Do you like to use picture books to explore identity/core Competencies? This post will give you two activities you can use after reading Count of Me by Migeul Tanco or I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes. Both activities are hands-on and one involves loose parts/creating a class book using Book Creator.
Reader Request: Hands-On Forestry Stations AND a Few Extra Activities… (Cross Curricular)
How do you make resources more hands-on? Run stations! Here is an outline of forestry stations I ran in my grade 5/6 class as well as a framework for designing your own stations. I also include a few additional forestry activities. Get messy! Play! Have fun!
Are you assessing ideas or printing? Decriminalize supports!
Are you wanting to assess ideas but kids in your class have trouble sharing their thinking in writing? This post will give you a few low-tech supports for kids and walk through using voice-to-text to support your students in expressing their ideas more clearly with confidence. We need to decriminalize supports in the classroom to support all learners.
Hands-On Residential School Truth & Reconciliation Day Lesson
This is a hands-on simulation lesson that explores the intergenerational trauma of residential schools and the impacts on communities left without children. It is designed to support teachers talking to kids about The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Reader Request: Class Survey + Graphing = Understanding Built With Your Class (Cross Curricular Activity)
Turning a class survey into deep understanding. This hands-on cross-curricular activity can help you learn about your class and make powerful class goals.
Refugee Crisis + Math Lesson = Compassion and Understanding
This outlines a cross curricular refugee crisis math/social studies lesson I did today. It includes graphing, counting collections, and the refugee crisis. It is hands-on and each class I worked with loved it. It is our job to help kids unpack and make sense of hard topics.