Bonita,
Yes, that awe and excitement is what I try to keep in mind when planning my
projects for the year. (Which is what I'm supposed to be doing right now, my
first 9 weeks unit plans are due and we haven't even ended this year yet!!!)
The hard part is starting the year and discovering what excites students you
barely know. This is why I try to plan the first 4-6 weeks with lessons that
teach them "how to." How to make books, how to use the calculator, how to write
a reading response, how to show your work in math, how to select a topic for
writing, how to write in your writer's notebook, how to take notes during mini
lessons, how to be a member of a lit circle, how to (glue, paint, cut, etc.),
how to create your own projects, etc.
This year I discovered most of my students were fascinated by chemistry, so I
tried to add a chemistry connection into every science unit, and added some
chemistry whenever we had a bit of time. Nothing too complicated, things like
observing molecules moving through a liquid.
Next year should be interesting, my class size will be almost double, and
there are only a few girls! Yikes!
I also find it interesting that the teachers check for the awe. I'd like to
read the wording of that, it would be interesting to track!
Joy/NC/4
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
How children learn is as important as what they learn: process and content go
hand in hand. http://www.responsiveclassroom.org
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