I have been able to incorporate The Walking Classroom program in my classroom in a variety of ways. I have used the podcasts to close gaps in knowledge or to illustrate concepts that are difficult to understand.
For example, in our poetry unit, the students did not know a lot about the lives of the poets they were studying. They were also having a hard time understanding how poets’ lives would influence their work.
This was a very important concept. They were expected to write an essay about the literary devices the authors used, and how those choices were influenced by events in their lives. Using The Walking Classroom’s podcasts on Robert Frost (Complete-#33, 4-#23)and Maya Angelou (Complete-#37, 4-#17) really helped with both their interest in the topic and their mastery of it.
I have also used The Walking Classroom to open a lesson, to get students asking questions about a topic ahead of time, and to develop background knowledge. For instance, we used all the podcasts on the Revolutionary War to build background knowledge. This got the students excited about the really difficult and high level unit ahead. They loved them!
With The Walking Classroom, my students are more engaged, and they are always excited for a new topic. I feel like their listening comprehension and even their oral skills have increased. This is huge for me since my whole class is comprised of English language learners!
This program has made a huge impact on my class this year. My students now have a lot more background knowledge and vocabulary that they can apply and use in a variety of situations. They also come to my lesson better prepared so that the concepts I am teaching them “stick” more.
Caitlin Watson
4th Grade Teacher
Diamond View Elementary
Leave a Reply