I was the “guinea pig” in piloting The Walking Classroom in our After the Bell Program, a group of fourteen third graders who I work with after school. My experience with it as a teacher was very positive!
I first went through the training and familiarized myself with the materials. Then, I planned my entire semester’s topics based on what I thought the students would like. I chose the following podcasts:
- Volcanoes (Complete-#138, 4-#76, STEM-#19)
- Deserts of the World (Complete-#139, 5-#73, STEM-#20)
- Marine Life (Complete-#142, 5-#76, STEM-#34)
- Sun, Stars, and Galaxies (Complete-#144, 4-#78, STEM-#26)
- Tornadoes (Complete-#149, 4-#31, STEM-#14)
- Hurricanes (Complete-#150, 4-#28, STEM-#13)
- The Ocean Floor (Complete-#143, 5-#75, STEM-#27)
- Importance of Superheroes in Society (Complete-#43, 4-#79)
- Heroic Dogs and Horses (Complete-#44, 4-#37)
and - Knights of the Middle Ages (Complete-#48, 4-#81)
The WalkKits were easy to use and manipulate. The health message and character value included in the sessions were a great addition to the academic portion. The comprehension quizzes and vocabulary discussion were active parts of our session which we worked on as a whole group.
The students’ reactions to the program were overwhelmingly positive. They not once complained about the podcasts or the walking and enjoyed the health and character lessons too!
Thank you for the program. After this positive piloting experience, we look forward to continuing to use it moving forward, with a different group of students!
Francine Campagna
Reading Specialist
Campo Bello Elementary
Awesome choice of podcast Francine. You picked some of my students favorite ones. I also like that the podcast are cross-curriculum and have a character trait that is emphasized.