As summer approaches, it’s important to take some simple steps to ensure that your Walking Classroom program materials (and you!) are ready for action come fall! For those of you adopters implementing the program in a classroom setting, here are some suggestions to help you as you are packing up and planning for next year.
Bid Adieu to Your Batteries … at Least for Now!
Your batteries don’t want to spend the summer sizzling away in your WalkKits. Pop them out or you’ll be face to face with corroded batteries come August. This can be easily accomplished with a little help from your students. After returning from your last walk of the school year, simply ask them to remove the batteries. Not only will this student support save you time, it will also guarantee that you won’t come back to messy and damaged WalkKits!
Keep Your (WalkKits!) Cool!
Storing your WalkKits in a cool and dry environment is important. This will help to ensure that nothing happens to the devices while they are idle over the summer. Even your WalkKits can enjoy a break of their own!
It is equally important to store the WalkKits in a safe place! Many school buildings are still used in some capacity over the summer — for summer programs and the like — and you definitely don’t want any WalkKits wandering off while you’re gone!
Take a Little Time to Plan!
Whether you are teaching the same grade and/or content area or you will experience a slight shift in the new school year, take some time to revisit that list of podcasts from the teacher guide (or the website). Determine which podcasts you might incorporate in which teaching unit, or build a content area or thematic unit around several podcasts. Putting some fresh eyes on the options can be refreshing for you … and your teaching!
Some podcasts that quickly come to mind from Program 4 for a two to four-week unit are the following:
- Poets and Poetry (podcasts 9, 11, 16, 17, 23, 24, 38, 39, 40)
- Writing Skills (podcasts 11, 22, 34, 36, 43, 44, 45, 46)
- Ancient Cultures and Native Peoples (podcasts 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 88)
- Black History (podcasts 12, 16, 17, 55, 64, 65, 86, 87)
- Colonial America and Revolutionary War (podcasts 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
- Weather (podcasts 25, 28, 30, 31)
- Earth Science (podcasts 73, 74, 75, 76, 77)
And, lest I be remiss, Program 5 has its own possibilities!
- Word Skills (podcasts 3, 14, 18, 22, 69)
- Writing Skills (podcasts 20, 21, 67, 68, 70, 71, 72)
- The Civil War (podcasts 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 2, 63)
- Westward Ho! (podcasts 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35. 38, 41, 43, 44)
- The Environment (podcasts 7, 8, 9, 11, 12)
- Earth Science (podcasts 73, 74, 75, 76, 77)
- Creators and Inventors (podcasts 15, 16, 17, 23, 24, 26, 28, 29, 84, 85)
- Explorers (podcasts 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83)
If your school has both Program 4 and Program 5, look over both podcast lists, and see where a swap might be a good idea!
Let us Know Who’s Who!
Finally, while this last detail isn’t device-related, it’s nonetheless important! On the year-end survey, several folks have noted that there is a possibility of a job change for them. As former educators ourselves, we are well aware that a change in school, position, and/or grade level is a common occurrence. Keep us in the loop!
If you find yourself transitioning to a different location or placement for the next school year, please take a moment to let us know as soon as possible. Not only does this guarantee that our records are kept current, but it also ensures that any new adopters are fully prepared and supported.
If you are handing over your devices to a teaching peer, please pass his/her name and email along so that we can send the link for free online training, share information on adopter resources (and how to access them!), and provide the support for which we are known!
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