Getting on the right track
The last thing you want to hear at the end of a walk is that a student just spent the last 17 minutes listening to the wrong podcast. We have a few simple suggestions to help you avoid this problem and ensure everyone is on the right podcast every time you walk.
Clearing up confusion with the introductory health messages
If your class is gearing up to hear about Maya Angelou, they might be a little confused when the podcast begins by talking about the importance of protective gear in sports. Spending a little time at the beginning of each podcast to explain the health messages to your students can easily prevent confusion!
There’s a lot of information to cover when you first introduce the program to students and the health messages are easy to overlook. During your initial lessons where you are discussing health and exercise, it’s a great time to explain to students that every podcast (with the exception of the first few podcasts and the Science Career series) begins with a brief health message and then transitions to the main subject of the podcast. The health messages cover a wide range of topics such as hydration, strains and sprains, vitamins and minerals, and more.
For example, if you are listening to podcast #25 on the 5th grade curriculum you would want to let your students know that while the podcast topic is “Renaissance Artists,” it will begin with a health message about staying hydrated. Letting students know the health message will help them know right at the beginning of the podcast that they are on the right one!
Partner check
Consider having your students pair up to help ensure that they are good to go prior to beginning a walk. Students can make sure their partners are on the right podcast, as well as check the battery level, and anything else you want to be certain is taken care of prior to a walk. An extra pair of eyes is never a bad thing!
Reading the screen
It’s definitely beneficial to spend a little time at the beginning of the year teaching students about the information that can be gleaned from their WalkKit screen. In regards to being on the right podcast, students need to look at the top center of the screen to determine which podcast they are on. We’ll cover the WalkKit screen in a little more detail in an upcoming blog post.
How do you make sure your students are ready to go before every walk?
Share with us by commenting below!
I put the PowerPoint on the screen to review vocabulary before a walk. The Walking Classroom creators thoughtfully put the podcast number on each slide, so my students know to look at the screen for the number before we begin!