Dynamic Duo

This weeks lesson focused on Dynamic and Emotional reading.  As you can see from the pictures (student in orange and purple-- "off the floor") that we were having an energetic and exciting time making a familiar story, The BFG, come to life! Together, Melissa and I modeled for the students a variety of ways to read text.  We showed them what a "robotic" voice might sound like compared to using a voice filled with emotion.  We also added some actions to our reading to really bring the phrases/paragraphs to life.  Then the students were able to take what they learned and try it out too.  They dug right in with their small group and went to work choosing which actions and emotions they would use for their paragraphs.  They did fabulous for their first time "performing" in a small group for our class!  We also spent some of our time together reviewing the 6 big questions (who, what, where, when, why and how) using a picture as a tool for doing careful noticing of details.  The students loved sharing what they were noticing and what clues were in the pictures to support their inferences.  Melissa and I worked very closely today, sharing the roles of co teaching.  We seemed to effortlessly "take turns" supporting each other in our sharing of knowledge with the students.

Introducing.....

Tuesday was Melissa's first day meeting my class of students.  When she arrived at school, she shared with me how excited she was to begin co teaching.  It was obvious after the day was done and we reflected together how things went, that she is a natural with students and teaching together.  One thing I loved  was how easy it was for the two of us to talk together (while the students left for phy ed break) about how the first part of our lesson was going and how elements of acting/drama connect to our curriculum. Also, since I am the first class she visits each week (she comes to each of our 3rd grade rooms once a week), we are able to "tweak" activities slightly through our reflection of what went well that day and what could we have done differently, so that the next classroom has even more success.  We found while doing the team building activity of a human knot, that this particular activity would work better in a larger space like outside.  So the next classroom did that.  One other really neat part of have Melissa's share my classroom with me, is that I am able to be an observer occasionally and notice how my students interact and respond to questions.  It gives me a great perspective on my student's learning.  I really enjoy being a little more immersed right in the middle of the action.  It was such a great day and I know the students (and me!) are looking forward to her next visit.  

The 3rd Grade Knot:)

The "animals" are let out of their cage!

Day 2 of the Oaklawn rotations ~ Large and small group team-building games

Melissa is experiencing her first round with our 3rd graders and she has already stepped up to the challenge. She's truly a natural and the students were easily convinced to walk or crawl on their dramatic wild side. This first round served as an introduction to both teaching artist and student. The students reviewed the 6 big questions (who, what, when, where, why & how) with scenes from recognizable children's movies. This activity forced students to read the images with fresh eyes, paying close attention to every detail. The introduction and applause revealed a student's true stage confidence as they waited for the conclusion of the clapping from the audience. The best part was, as their classroom teacher, I was able to sit back at times and be the idle observer of my student's speaking/ listening/ thinking /learning skills while Melissa took charge of the activities. This co-teaching gig is going to reveal some interesting details about my students...details that may not have been discovered until later on during the school year. Interestingly similar to hosting a student teacher.

Guitar Lessons Here We Come!

I have decided to take Yata up on his offer and enroll in his 10-week course. Not sure if my piano playing digits are up for the contortionistic chord formations, but I'm willing to give it a try. Keep the brain young and active by learning new skills, right? Besides, 3rd graders will probably be a very forgiving audience.

After several trips to the Guitar Center, I chose a 3/4 dreadnought traveler with the "real" strings. I tried the Yamaha GL1 and decided to endure the beginner's hands. My knitting habit might also help loosen the fingers and wrist.

This opportunity is just another example of how the AIMS program is supporting its participating teachers to feel confident about arts integration in the classroom.

Thank you AIMS

Since being accepted into the AIMS program, I have been anticipating the first co teaching experience with our teaching artist, Melissa. I have always had a passion for bringing creativity to the classroom learning.  I haven't always been sure as to the exact path that would be, but since being accepted into the AIMS program, I knew it would be a wonderfully enlightening and inspiring journey....of which it has.  Ideas have been brainstormed and dreams are beginning to take shape through the collaboration of a group of people who have the same goal of engaging children in the love of learning.  Our first meetings as a team have been fun, focused and full of innovative ways to deliver our benchmarks.  We have a plan and we are finding our way together knowing we have such great resources (each other).  Time to plan has been a very important part of getting this off the ground.  As classroom teachers, the beginning of the school year is exhilarating as much as it is exhausting and time is hard to come by....but we have worked together to stay true to our planning dates and support each other as we move forward.   As I reflect on what we have planned for our first day together with Melissa, I am thinking about how much I wish my own children would have had the opportunity to experience this type of imagination and creativity in their learning.  I am so fortunate to have this chance to grow in my teaching so that my students (now and for years to come) will benefit from my learning.  Looking forward to an awe inspiring journey.

Speaking and Listening - it's a measurable skill!

Melissa starts next week with her first lesson and we are getting excited for all of the speaking and listening interactions for our students. She will start with a formal introduction, with plenty of modeling so the students are prepared to introduce themselves too. The students will then be expected to practice their own introductions in front of the class with audience applause. WE, the teachers, will be able to observe our students in an authentic setting and assess our students on a variety of skills. The 3rd graders will also take part in a team building human spiderweb exercise and a partner mirroring exercise. Because we are a team, Melissa will repeat this same lesson for each of our classes. Can't wait to compare how our students did and to reflect on how a lesson can "change" and morph to fit the group.

History in Action

History in Action

The extensive planning is underway,

as we look forward to the day,

when our teaching artist comes to school,

sharing her craft with activities so cool.

The students will learn so much,

as they add their creative touch,

watching history come alive,

that's our mission, we will strive.

The prop parade begins:) Thrift stores are the best discovery since sliced bread. Not sure what we'll need for this journey, but I am having fun hunting and gathering. In the meantime, Melissa is sharpening her own teaching repertoire. Our goal is to seamlessly add the drama techniques into our reading comprehension so our students build their attention to detail, ability to focus, access to their memory and motivation to try with any text...basically they will have to THINK!

The "Mighty Oak" Team meets with Melissa!

We met with Melissa today after school, and just like all great educators before us we changed our plans. Ok, we modified our plans:) Yes, we are still using our big idea of Character, Empathy, and Identity for our American History unit. Collaboration is just that - getting messy with notes around a table. We fell in to our rhythm and the light bulbs turned on. Look at Lisa's intensity as she explains to the group how we can incorporate our Daily Five reading comprehension skills into the lessons at the beginning of our theater games introduction. Cindy is in complete agreement as she excitedly records the unit plan notes and adds to the discussion. Melissa, not one to sit silent, interweaves theatrical terminology as we forge ahead on our cross-curricular journey. Me, I'm behind the lens capturing the moment. We even took a second look at the "History Rock Star" exercise and decided it could make sense as a "Character in a Book" exercise. This is also a way for the students to think about character and observation as a way to get to know people and learn physical and personality traits from a book. So, we are still planning on pursuing the "Living Timeline" and will pick up our planning notes next week.

Mrs. Paulson, Mrs. Schuster and Mrs. Mayer

Oaklawn 3rd Grade AIM Team 2015-2016

On Tuesday, August 18th we met with our resident artist, Melissa Kneeland! She is an accomplished stage actress and will use our classrooms as her stage as she trains her young apprentices, our 3rd grade students, in the fine art of drama.

Melissa arrived with so many great ideas for our American History unit. We discussed many possibilities and finally narrowed down our 'Big Idea': Character, Empathy, Identity

We also broke down how our first semester would look.

1. Theater games for the first week or so, introducing the idea of creating a character. Really acting 101. I am excited to get the kids thinking about how they already do this in their day-to-day lives, and also to challenge them to think critically about how they use their powers of observation daily without even thinking about it. (games: power point with pop culture references to "guess the emotion" "Round Robin" character creation, The Mirror Game)
2. We then discussed doing a "History Rock Star" exercise. This is a way for the students to think about character and observation as a way to get to know people/music/style/etc. from the past. We will pick decades, and have the students research a song/band and lip sync as a group performance for each other. I am thinking 40's or 50's through the 90's. (Age and Lyric appropriateness will be vetted beforehand!). This exercise will be a good next step towards our next project. (And SUPER FUN!!)
3. After Halloween, when the students begin there American History lessons, we will then begin work on our "Living Timeline" where the students will pick, era by era, a work of art, photo or event that they feel is important to that era, re-create it (a'la Tableau) and then bring it to life with a short scene.