The Walking Classroom

Walk, Listen, and Learn

  • Sample educational podcasts!
  • Teacher Resources
  • Buy
  • Apply
  • Our
    Program
    • Program Overview
    • Implementation
    • Why It Works
    • Research Studies
    • The Walking Classroom Mobile App
    • Listen to Sample Podcasts!
    • Testimonials
    • Our Ambassadors
    • Science Career Series
    • Videos
  • What’s
    Happening
    • Bloggy stuff
    • Newsy stories
    • Resource-ish stuff
    • Your stories!
  • FAQs
  • About
    Us
    • About The Walking Classroom
    • Awards
    • Staff & Board
    • Financial Information
    • Supporters and Partners
    • The Walking Classroom Press Kit
    • Conferences
    • Contact Us
  • Donate

Stories

Second Graders Walk, Listen, and Learn!

10.28.20
posted by a Walking Classroom Adopter

My school is a Title I, high poverty, trauma-informed school in Virginia. I teach a total of 29 second graders, departmentalized by subject area, and I have 15 second graders in my homeroom here in Southwest Virginia. My second graders began using The Walking Classroom in October 2019.

As we began The Walking Classroom, I led the walk each time while the other second grade teacher served as the “caboose” bringing up the rear. We set a goal for the year to walk a minimum of one million steps. Each time the students and I listened to a Walking Classroom podcast we tracked our steps after taking a comprehension quiz on the podcast.

By Christmas, we had walked over 80,000 steps. Along the way, we had listened to podcasts like The Ocean Floor (5-#75, STEM-#27, Complete-#143), Similes and Metaphors (4-#11, 5-#72, Complete-#4), “Star-Spangled Banner” (5-#64, Complete-#74), and many more.

My second graders especially enjoyed listening to The Ocean Floor. We even discovered we had walked enough steps to reach the ocean floor to visit with some of the strangest fish, both known and unknown.

As we returned from our Christmas break, we had a three week adjustment period to help us refocus on the proper way to walk, care for, and listen attentively to the podcasts. During the month of January, the students thoroughly enjoyed listening to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (4-#64, Complete-#123). Several commented that they did not understand why people were so mean to him.

Then, during the month of February, the students had a list of influential African Americans to choose from during each walk. The students learned a lot from the following podcasts.

  • Harriet Tubman (5-#50, Complete-#79)
  • George Washington Carver (5-#29, STEM-#35, Complete-#158)
  • Rosa Parks (4-#65, Complete-#124)
  • Abraham Lincoln (5-#54, Complete-#83)
  • Negro Baseball League (5-#4, Complete-#121)
  • Barack Obama (4-#12, Complete-#125)
  • Sojourner Truth (5-#51, Complete-#81)

They really enjoyed being able to tie these into their learning in both reading and social studies. The podcast on Harriet Tubman even inspired one student to complete her research project on this brave and kind woman! These were the most meaningful podcasts they had heard all year.

Thank you for this great opportunity for my second graders!

Emily Ward
Second Grade Teacher
Highland View Elementary

Want to comment on this story? Add your comments below!
Are you a Walking Classroom teacher? We would love to hear!

Share This!
previous
next

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related

Literary Links
Literary Links: Presidential Podcasts
February 17, 2021
Tags: Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, George Washington, literary links, podcasts
Podcasts Relevant to Students’ Learning
July 8, 2020
Tags: additional resources, Barack Obama, George Washington, Gold Rush, Harriet Tubman, quizzes, yankee doodle
Walk this Way: The Fight (and Flight) for Freedom
February 28, 2020
Tags: freedom, Harriet Tubman, main idea, venn diagram

Blog Topics

  • Blog
  • News
  • Resources
  • Stories
  • Walking Classroom App

GET OUR BLOG POSTS IN YOUR EMAIL

Share Your Story

share-your-storyWe want to hear your story and share it with others in our community.

Share your story!

Videos

video-iconSee The Walking Classroom in action and hear from some of the teachers using it.

Watch our videos!

sponsors_03

newsletter_03

Site Map

Guidstar gold statusThe Walking Classroom 10-year anniversary

Follow us!


 

The Walking Classroom Institute
1414 Raleigh Road, Suite 295
Chapel Hill, NC 27517
(919) 240-7877
info@thewalkingclassroom.org

Privacy Policy (Web)

Privacy Policy (Mobile App)

 

The Walking Classroom Institute is a 501(C)(3) Nonprofit Organization. © Copyright 2021, The Walking Classroom Institute. All rights reserved.