Learn Create Inspire
Sharing successes and challenges through teaching while becoming a (hopefully) published author.
Be an Archaeologist: Active Learning in Social Studies
Help students become archaeologists through active learning. This is the first lesson in my mini archaeology unit and it is always a hit. The kids explore sample bags from a dig site to try to learn about a family/culture that living in Surrey in the past. This post walks through the lesson, the follow-up activity, and how to set up your own dig. Have fun making social studies hands-on!
Activities for September (and a new math game)
Looking for ideas to start the year? Let me help! This post provides links to ideas I shared last year to help start your year. It includes community building activities and books that work well! I have also included how to play a game I ALWAYS teach in September that is loved—The Nasty Place Value Game!
Social Justice Symposium: The Stations and Logistics (Ideas to share your own learning!)
The Social Justice Symposium is done and I am exhausted! In this post I run down some of the logistics running a day of sharing learning with the school community. The learning was deep and it represented many different learning opportunities. I am so grateful for my class and all of the people who helped us succeed.
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.
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.
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!
Making Learning Visible: Reading Comprehension through Class Novels
Readers Request (sort of). This post generally outlines the final activities my class did with the novel Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. I also focus on shifting reading comprehension activities and assessment when sharing a class novel. One visual map assignment is broken down to explore how visuals can demonstrated deeper comprehension.
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.
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!
Cardboard Connections: A Case for Playing with Materials
A cardboard connection lessons to help my students learn how to build with recycled materials. A case for seeing play as learning and letting kids play with materials and manipulative before you construct expectations together. Simple Machines, scissors, glue, Make Do kits, laughter, and a fashion show.
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.
Deep In Revision
My blog posts are few and far between because (1) teaching and (2) revision. I am having fun reading books about writing non-fiction and starting to share parts of my book with friends for feedback.
Draft 1 Done: 40 000+ Words
40 000+ words in ONE month! The first draft of my education book Less is More is complete. The rewrites have already begun, but having a complete draft feels good. This post also includes an excerpt from the introduction chapter and invites you to help me plan workshops for the STA and the MyPITA conference in the fall.
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!
Science Experiment: Simple Gravity Experiment
Experiments do not have to be complex to be effective. In fact, simple fun experiments that can be repeated can created the biggest learning/have a huge impact. This is a science experiment that can be used k-12 to explore concepts of gravity, air resistance, and forces. It involved dropping items…yup…you just need some objects to drop. It is engaging and can help students understand how to make/record powerful observations. And did I mention, it is fun!
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!
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.
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.