This year we embarked in uncharted territories as our district offered in-person, live, and recorded learning all from the same classroom to provide education during the pandemic. We were trained to use google classroom and created ways that students could safely and effectively learn on all different platforms offered.
Sadly, our classroom was forced to shut once more and move to fully virtual. While it feels weird teaching from an empty room, I know it is for the best to keep everyone safe. The empty classroom was starting to get to me and I wanted to find a way to make it more exciting for both myself and my students! I have taken the jungle animals I received through a grant and set them up in every student's desk. The kids loved seeing the animals at their desk and it made the classroom feel more lively.
At Halloween we had a student dress up game. Students practiced their writing skills by creating clues to who they were. They were then asked to read them with their google meets camera off. Each student got a chance to guess before the big reveal. To spice things up even more - I dressed up as a skeleton. My students have come to know Bart our life size jungle skeleton. I found a way to rig Bart to the fan in my classroom and have him move while I was off camera. What a fun day and brought some light into a sad situation. I tell parents throughout the year, education is extremely important but not to forget the little thinks that made kids smile. These are the things they remember and keep them engaged!
