Krewes and Doubloons...Thursday Throwdown

Laissez les bons temps rouler...it's Thursday Throwdown

time with my favorite Saints fan and friend, Erin, 

from I'm Lovin' Lit.

What have I been doin' to make learnin' more interactive?

On Fat Tuesday one of my super sweet parents came in

to do some hands-on activities to celebrate Mardi Gras.

I can't take the credit because she actually did the activities.

I'll take the credit for allowin' guest speakers to 

come in the class. 

Let's face it...kids like to hear a different voice sometimes.

Most of the boys and girls in my class have been together since
before Kindergarten.  They have grown attached
to one another.  Next year is goin' to be difficult
for many of them because they may be goin' to
a different middle school than the rest of their friends.
Basically, the kids will need to form new "crews"
in middle school.
Since it's Mardi Gras, my sweet volunteer
had the students form their own "krewes"
to practice before they move off to middle school.
They were given beads and doubloons.

The kids got to choose:
 1) which members would be in each krewe
2) why their krewe was formed
3) what their krewe would stand for
4) which design they would use for their doubloon
5) how they would present the information to the other krewes

I present to you...the 5th Grade Krewes:

Krewe of Rosettes was formed
because they share a love of all things Ms. Rose and
care about friendship.
Of course Queen Rosie was super excited
to be a member of this krewe!

The Krewe of Tomahawk Nation was formed
to irritate their precious teacher because she
is a Miami Hurricanes fan and they
love the Florida State Seminoles.
They forget I am the one who enters the grades
into the computer.
I kid, I kid!

The Krewe of Royal Turtles joined together to discuss turtles.
They like turtles.

Krewe of Money Boys just want money...all of it...

any way they can get it. 

 

Krewe of Loomies came together because of their passion 

for all things Rainbow Loom.

Ye Old/Olde Krewe of Technology is organized with
tech gurus.

This activity was student-led, but monitored by
the Krewe Coordinator and me.
Of course it was only appropriate that we
celebrate with King Cake afterwards.
Formin' krewes is a tough job,
but it was an extremely valuable lesson
and one I hope my students will remember
as they join their new "krewes" in middle school,
yet never forgettin' their old krewe.

Last year we did a narrative writin' piece from the
perspective of:
1) Beads bein' thrown from a float
2) A float in the parade at Mardi Gras
3) Mask on someone's face durin' the parade
Of course we went all out and decorated our
papers with glitter, feathers, sequins, etc.
The more bling, bling...the better!

Happy Thursday, friends!

Thursday Throwdown...get up, stand up...

I'm linkin' up with my fellow Saints lover and buddy, Erin, from I'm Lovin' Lit for Thursday Throwdown,

Today's topic is ways to make learnin' more interactive. 

What I do might not work for everyone, but it works for my Rockstars...

I try to get them up and movin' around as much as possible. 

In my class we collaborate ALL DAY.

The only time my students aren't workin' together is if they are silent readin'

or takin' an assessment.

Other than that, they are encouraged to work together.

That might be in pairs.

That might be in groups.

Whatever they choose, unless I choose for them.

They sit at tables..yes, even in 5th grade.

We do not have desks in our class.

They do not have assigned seats, but they do have assigned groups.

These groups are flexible and change often.

It's not uncommon for me to say..."Pair up"

and within seconds my kids are scurryin' around findin' a partner.

They don't ask questions...they just do it and wait for me to tell them what's about to happen.

I love that they know what to do.

They are used to gettin' up, standin' up, and movin' around!

Here are just a few examples of some of the things we might do in our class.

CRISS or Reading Strategies:

Think-Pair-Share

 3-2-1 Verbally

Read and Say Something

Free-Form Mapping

I integrate technology in as much stuff as possible. 

My class participates in B.Y.O.D.

They are allowed to use devices to type, research, read, etc...

however they see fit. 

They appreciate this privilege.

They are engaged.

They do not break the tech rules...EVER

because they know the techy stuff would disappear.

It's that simple.

Again, these are things that work in my classroom.

Things change daily.  

We are always doin' somethin' different to mix things up a little.

It really does keep them excited when I make learnin' interactive.

I've said this before. 

I don't care if my kids are sittin', standin', layin' down, or hangin' from the ceiling...

as long as they are engaged and learnin'...I'm okay with it.

It took a lot for me to let go of that control, BUT

I'm so glad I did.

It just makes our days run so smoothly.

My next door neighbors might not love my approach because we get loud...a lot.

The only thing I can do is continue to ask forgiveness.

Did you know that my super-duper sweet friends

Joanne from Head Over Heels for Teaching and 

Holly from Fourth Grade Flipper

 are havin' a 1,000 follower giveaway? 

 It starts today and runs through January 12th.  

Every. Single. Day. they will have a new drawin' for some fabulous prizes.

There will also be prizes from other bloggers that you may already follow 

or definitely want to start followin'.  

What are you waitin' for?  

Get over there now.  

Click on the picture or on the links to their blogs.