With everything that has transpired in education in the last few years, we were looking for a way to reach all of our learners while being able to get them outdoors. What better way than to walk and learn! The Walking Classroom has been a vital part of our learning in fifth grade.
We have loved getting outside with our friends and walking around our school building. The students were excited when it was their day to pick the podcast topic. The best part of The Walking Classroom was hearing the discussions after our walk.
We love the use of this media to engage our students! This year we are covering earth science and the American Revolution within our content areas. Layers of the Earth (4-#73, StEM-#16, Complete-#133) tied right into our curriculum. After our lesson, we were able to use the podcast as a review for our unit test. Students made connections from the text to the podcasts which engaged them as they got outside in the fresh air.
Another way that we were able to utilize The Walking Classroom? Once a week a student was selected to pick the podcast for the day. Students looked forward to their day and they would even strategically plan with classmates so they got to pick their favorite topic.
The organic conversations that came out of these days showed how students’ selections would engage other students in a topic that may have been new to them. Many times students were familiar with a topic, yet The Walking Classroom had further facts to support their learning.
Many parents shared with us how dinner discussion would go toward the topics that they listened to during the day! They have been able to use this as a topic of conversation during dinner. For some students, it is difficult to talk about their day!
Parents are now able to ask “What did you learn today from The Walking Classroom?” How neat it is to hear about them describing the differences between Hurricanes (4-#28, STEM-#13, Complete-#150) and Tornados (4-#31, STEM-#14, Complete-#149)!
If you haven’t yet looked into The Walking Classroom for your school, don’t waste any more time! We are so thankful that we were able to use this program in our district. We look forward to continued learning and walking!
Faith Siegrist
Fifth Grade Teacher
Lititz Elementary
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