Hello! or should I say Hola!
I am a fifth grade teacher from Florida. I teach in a migrant community where students are not only living in a low socioeconomic status, but also new to America. Many of them are moving back and forth from one field of crops in a northern state to the strawberry fields in Florida.
We have many challenges to overcome, not only do they need to learn English, but also they have to be on grade level and pass the state test. With the demands of the state and district we barely have time to teach Social Studies unless it is integrated in the book or story we are reading.
I have had so many students come to school excited to listen to the next podcast because they are learning about American History. I have also seen an increase in comprehension of informational text because they have so much more background knowledge and schema in a wide variety of areas. Many of my kids will shout out during a reading text lesson or during a test they will whisper afterward, “Ms. Revis, we already knew those facts about Harriet Tubman because we have heard the walking classroom on her.” History was my favorite lesson as a child, so to see that love of history shining in my students is a wonderful feeling.
In addition, the English lessons that they go over are the harder ones to teach because they do not have idioms and similes in the Spanish language. To allow them to be able to hear it on the podcast and then learn it from me gives them another chance to understand and master it. They are able to hear it from different perspectives and different ways to teach it.
I cannot thank the walking classroom enough for helping me with my energetic boys. Out of 45 kids I have 33 boys, so we are full of energy and love the outdoors. The walking classroom gives them a chance to get their feet moving and their brains working.
Thank You a Million Times!
—Katie Revis (and her school family)
5th Grade Teacher
Reddick Elementary
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