I teach English as a Second Language to middle school students and want to share about my ESL students and their first walk with The Walking Classroom. We prepared by investigating how aerobic exercise impacts our cognitive functioning. My ESL students enjoyed computing their b.p.m.’s before and after exercise. We even had a few impromptu push-up competitions to get those heart rates up!
On the day of the walk, the students were excited. Someone in every class asked me as soon as they came in, “Are we really going outside?” Once on the walk, students were focused on the podcast, one that tied in directly to our ELA curriculum. A few students were excited to see birds swooping overhead.
Since the walk happened to the on the last day before a holiday break, the students had energy to burn. Many of my ESL students do not have P.E. class and none have recess, so I welcomed the opportunity to get them outside and moving.
Once we were back in the classroom, students completed the comprehension quiz. I was surprised at how much information they retained after listening to the podcast just once. Several of my students who have been learning English for less than a year did very well and were proud of their scores. I look forward to our continued walks with The Walking Classroom.
Lauren Nadolski
ESL Teacher
Carroll Magnet Middle School
Leave a Reply