As this school year winds down, I feel it’s a good time to provide an update on my after school Walking Classroom Club. With COVID, we have had to separate our students into grade level groups. The third graders and I walk on Thursdays, and the fourth and fifth graders walk with two other teachers on Tuesdays. We walk around the pathway on our playground.
The playground is only a year old. It is so nice to be able to get to use it in a different way. We have a wonderful backdrop to our playground — Pikes Peak! The Rocky Mountains are quite visible from our playground, and the view of them adds to the amazing feeling of being outside to enjoy the sunshine.
Each week, my students are excited to listen to a podcast of their choice. When we finish, they pick a new podcast for the next week. In between, I see the students in the hallways, and they always remind me of the next topic! It’s great to see their enthusiasm for this program!
Next year, I hope to incorporate more classroom teachers into this fabulous program. I will present this program to them next week and remind them to look at it during the summer to help them plan for next year. That way, that they will have time to review the topics and be able to incorporate the podcasts into their lesson planning for next school year.
I also plan to have after school clubs, and hope to get the art teacher involved with a club in order to use more hands on projects like those included in The Walking Classroom’s Teacher Resources. I’m thinking about using Castles of the Middle Ages (4-#83, Complete-#47). The resources for that podcast includes plans to make a cardboard castle . . . and a tapestry to go along with it!
The Walking Classroom’s Teacher Resources are vast. I’m excited for the possibilities!!
Elizabeth Bandeira
Fourth Grade ELL Teacher
Will Rogers Elementary
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