As part of our measurement unit I had my practicum students explore with non-standard units of measurements. They used journals, shoes, Lego pieces, paperclips and various other objects to measure items around the classroom including totem poles, which they created as part of our Canada unit, and their own bodies.
It is always great when a topic can span over multiple subject areas. Through-out my practicum I tried to use themes to relate key messages and allow students to make connections in their learning. One of the ways this was done was through totem poles. As part of out Canada unit in Social Studies, we discussed the importance of Totem Poles in various Aboriginal Cultures. In Art students had the opportunity to create their own totem poles, which we then measured in Math as part of our measurement unit. It was great to see how engaged the students were in each of these activities.
Check out these wonderful examples of stories from my grade one practicum students. It was amazing to see their interests shine in each of their stories. Some students even had their stories featured in the school newsletter.
As an introduction into story writing I had my students think about, and draw the beginning, middle and end of a story. They used any topic of their choice. This was great for those students who had trouble expressing themselves using words. It also allowed my more artistically creative students to shine.
Once students completed their drawn stories I would have them describe their pictures either orally, or on paper, depending on their skill level, so that they understood that picture stories are just as informative as written stories. This method was also a great use for students to plan out how they would write their stories. Often times I would inform my students that if they were stuck on what to try, they should draw out their ideas and then try to write about their pictures to tell their stories. I found that this helped many of my students spark their creativity.