Did you ever have the kind of day that makes your heart beat faster? I did. It was an unusually warm February day, the sun was shining, and the kids were ready to get outside! And . . . it was my group’s turn to take our WalkKits for a spin around the school property.
The selection for the day? The Gold Rush (Complete-#108, 5-#43). I had chosen the podcast to provide great background information before starting a unit on historical fiction in American history. But, as so often happens, it had other unintended connections.
It explained the San Francisco 49ers on the morning following the Super Bowl featuring the football team by the same name! I cannot count how many times I have selected a podcast to connect to my teaching content, and found a few more connection points perfect for the week within the conversation!
We share a set of WalkKits across a team of five fourth grade classes. Luckily our team is very flexible. Kids who were out sick or for some other reason missed their walk with their own classroom are always welcome to join another class on their day!
My students love The Walking Classroom and talk about what they have learned in other conversations throughout the week. The kids get grumpy if they cannot walk on their designated day, even if they missed for something really cool like a technology problem solving lab. What a wonderful problem to have!
One of the things I KNOW my students missed when school got out in March was being able to continue our walks with The Walking Classroom materials. It was one of the things mentioned by them when I held virtual office hours.
At the end of the year, I put together a slide show for my class. One series of photos I had taken was of a walk around our school while listening to a podcast. In that way, I was able to remind them of the fun of walking. I also gave them a virtual walk around the school property at the end of the year. It was a sweet reminder of more simple times. Thank you, Walking Classroom!
Toni Lehman
Fourth Grade Teacher
McDougle Elementary
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