Standards 4 and 5: Organizes space, time, and interaction
This standard involves the following:
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One of my goals as a teacher is to incorporate more kinesthetic activities into my lessons. This includes student movement, but I also view it as a change of space and materials. These changes influence the student environment by making the classroom more of their own. The following artifacts demonstrate how I strive to create an inclusive classroom while increasing the engagement of students. |
Classroom Norms
First, it is always important to have high expectations of your students. These are usually found in the syllabus at the beginning of the year and they are teacher-made. In addition to a syllabus, classroom norms set rules and boundaries, but they are student-made. Even though the teacher is the head of the classroom, these norms give students the opportunity to set rules for their own learning.
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Words Have No Borders
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Next, we must nurture this environment as the school year continues. Words Have No Borders is a collection of personal narratives written by struggling students. After reading “In the Snow” out loud to the class, I had students work in pairs to create a one-sentence summary and a message from the story they were assigned. When they finished, they wrote their statements on the board and we discussed the commonalities and differences between each story. This activity encouraged the struggling students but also informed the brightest as students worked with a partner, became an expert on their story, and wrote what they learned on butcher paper that was posted around the room.
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Socratic Circles
Interaction can be movement around the classroom, but it also involves participation. Students run the discussions in Socratic circles with little teacher involvement. Desks are arranged in a circle or an arch so that students can see each other, and therefore talk to each other. I spoke very little during this lesson, and when there were questions, the students were able to answer them through discussion. My 7th graders have not participated in a Socratic circle, but during journals we pass a basketball around, and they state if they agree or disagree and explain why. This is encouraging them to talk more to each other and less to me. |
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Newsela
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Newsela proves to be a useful resource when teaching argumentative writing since everything is done in a single web forum. For their assignment, students can access and highlight their article and then type and submit their essay without turning in a hard copy. Because the essay is technology-based, Newsela helps connect the world, the classroom, and home. First, it gives students access to events that are happening in the real world right now, making their argumentative writing more relevant and purposeful. In the classroom, the argumentative essays were written individually and online, but students could work with a partner to develop ideas. They could then easily finish the essays at home since the website autosaves and no flashdrive or email is needed.
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Romeo and Juliet Tableaus
Lastly, tableaus are a great way for students to visualize a scene, especially from Shakespeare. Students were given a description of a scene, and they had to create a still picture that shares the story. The students got to use the space in the classroom, but they also created space within their picture by placing the characters and visualizing the actions that are occurring. In the end, everyone likes to get up and move, so it is important for teachers to implement strategies and activities where students can move while still remaining productive.
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