We are now a few months into school and our routine is working well. This year we have a very late lunch, so our morning can be very long! Getting out and moving with the Walking Classroom is the perfect answer to the students’ restlessness which occurs mid-morning. Our classroom also lacks windows, so the change of environment is really wonderful. The Walking Classroom provides the perfect reason to get up and out and moving!!
At first, some of the students actually struggled with walking briskly for fifteen minutes, but our regular walks have led to improvement in their stamina. I was actually a bit surprised by their inability to keep up a good pace at first, and am thrilled there has been an improvement. It just made me wonder how much time the students spend playing outside, running around like kids should?
I really enjoy all the links to our curriculum which can be found in the podcasts. The lesson on summarizing, using the strategy I have taught the students (Somebody wanted…., but…, so… then…) was perfect to find. I know this is a different strategy than most of my students have used in the past, so I enjoyed the validation from The Walking Classroom teacher! We continued the extra practice in the classroom using fairy tales which the students were familiar with.
There are so many more interesting podcasts to explore which relate to curriculum yet to come. My students and I really look forward to all our future walks, and we are not deterred by the chilly weather. We simply put on all our cold-weather gear and off we go! We much prefer the outdoor walks over the indoor ones!
Ellen Smith
4th Grade Teacher
Glenbrook Elementary
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