I started using The Walking Classroom with a class that I had looped up with from third to fourth grade. It was a great way to change things up with this class, since we had already been together for a year.
I initially used The Walking Classroom as a way to create a different type of structured brain break, but I soon realized how beneficial the lessons were becoming. We would take our Walking Classroom break before our writing time and listen to the podcasts that featured figurative language and learning about words. My students started referring back to what they learned on the podcasts and using the ideas in their writing. The connection couldn’t have been more perfect!
The fact that we were walking while learning made the process even sweeter! The year after that class, I had a group of students who required a great deal of movement throughout the school day. The Walking Classroom turned out to be a great benefit for them also.
On good weather days, they would say to me, “It looks like a Walking Classroom kind of day!” I loved that they looked forward to getting outside, walking, and learning. I used the lessons before my writing block again, but I spent more time discussing what to expect from the podcast and then what we learned from it than I had the previous school year.
As I’ve gotten more comfortable with the material, I’ve learned what works for my students. I look forward to using The Walking Classroom with my next group of students.
Debbie Brand
Classroom Teacher
Salt Creek Elementary
Leave a Reply