Learn Create Inspire
Sharing successes and challenges through teaching while becoming a (hopefully) published author.
Social Justice Symposium: Social Justice Quilt
The Social Justice Quilt is a collaborative piece of artwork that explores the big learning my class had during our Social Justice Symposium unit. To explore the power of instillations, my class learned about The Witness Blanket created by Carey Newman. I also share my gratitude for a teacher friend who helped me with this unit…and so many others!
Social Justice Symposium: Intersectionality in Literature
Intersectionality is an important topic to explore when talking about social justice. It is complex, but breaking it down and modelling intersectionality can help kids understand our complex world. I modelled intersectionality with two texts: One Plastic Bag and a nonfiction piece about Red Dress Day (May 5th) in Canada before setting the students out to explore the concepts in literature. It was powerful for kids to discover the patterns of oppression.
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.
Found Poetry: Success for All
April is National Poetry Month, what will you do? Here is an example of found poetry created with student generated language from the last six chapter of Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. This post also includes tips for painting in a portable without water and ideas for why this lesson was successful.
Storytelling Part 2: Early Lessons/Background
Part 2 in the storytelling unit series. This blog post outlines the lessons we used to understand different storytelling types. These lessons were the foundation that helped kids start to see the power of oral storytelling.
Exploring Storytelling: Accidentally Creating Comics (Part 1?)
We are exploring different ways of telling stories in my classroom. This blog post outlines how making creatures with playdough ended up becoming a comic using Book Creator….and being woven into our storytelling unit. It was a powerful way to combine tactile learning, storytelling, and technology. This activity was filled with student voice and voice, as well as having an authentic audience. The engagement was high and I had fun!
The Class Novel: Designing engaging activities linked to class books (Part 1..maybe?)
Reading a class novel can be a powerful way to model language and to design mini lessons. This post explores how I choose books, start to design lessons, and it also provides a sample lesson for the book Out of My Mind. This might be the start of a series—if people are interested.
Finding Joy in Covid Teaching
Teaching double duty this week with six kids in class and twenty something online. It has been a month of dealing with covid in my class. I am working hard to find joy this week through reducing my workload and focusing on my favourites: writing stories and doing art!
Picture Book Study: Exploring the Alternate Experiences of War
As we approach Remembrance Day and Veterans Day, explore the alternate experiences of war through five powerful pictures books. Help teach reading comprehension skills, compassion, and history in a powerful way that every child can participate in. This activity has built in structures to support all students.
A Case for Real Data: Where Math, Language Arts, and Science Collide
Use real data in your class to create cross curricular hands on lessons with high engagement! This post explores two activities that link science, language arts, and math that I have done in my classroom in the last two weeks as a way to inspire YOU to collect your own data with kids!
Reader Request: Exploring the First Peoples Principles of Learning
This is a lesson that helped my kids unpack the First Peoples Principles of Learning. We unpacked the language and then used these as a lens through which to view literature. This could also be done at a staff meeting or pro-D to help adults unpack the principles as well. I did make a mistake and have corrected it within this blog post. We are all still learning and when we know better…we do better!
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!
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.
Unit Planning 101 & Navigating Curriculum Websites
This blogpost is all about Unit Planning 101. If the BC Curriculum Website is daunting…I hope this helps! Right now it is all about connection before curriculum, but I know many teacher are doing their best to start planning engaging units. I hope this helps.