Challenging your kids...advice for teachers

[zoebartlett]

For those who don''t know, I teach in an elementary school in a very small, upscale, New England town. It''s the kind of place where parents love to volunteer a lot, which can be great. Some parents have expressed to me that they''d like to see their child challenged more in my classroom. For those of you who teach elementary school, what kinds of activities do you do to challenge the kids in your class? What types of higher-level lessons have you done?

For parents who have children who you''d like to see challenged, what types of activities are you looking for?

 

[zoebartlett]

Here''s another follow-up question for parents (okay, a few):

a) if you volunteer at your child''s school, what types of things do you do? Do you work in your child''s classroom or do you help in other ways?

b) Do you work with small groups, individuals, and is it on an as-needed basis or on a particular day of the week?

I''m trying to figure out how to have parents help and have the times be the most productive.

 

[Miranda]

Good for you for asking! It''s nice to hear from a teacher that really cares. My oldest son''s 6th grade teacher had quite a few kids that needed a more challenging academic environment. Instead of assigning more busy work she gave the kids mind puzzlers such as crosswork puzzles, riddles, etc. Also, when a big project was due she assigned them more difficult tasks. For example, when the 6th grade ancient civilization project went out she had that group do ancient China vs. ancient Egypt or another easier region. It''s harder to find information on so the kids needed to do more digging. I think all of these things really help kids to broaden their minds. I hate G.A.T.E. programs where the kids just get lots and lots of the same work. If they understand the concept, they understand the concept, ya know.

This year while volunteering in my 6th grade son''s English classroom I will be listening to kids talk about the books they are reading. It doesn''t sound like much, but, the teacher has had this program in place for a few years and it really seems to aid in reading comprehension. In previous years I''ve made copies, put up and down the room, bulletin boards, worked with kids that need individual help, worked with small groups. Pretty much, the answer to both of your questions is yes! I am always happy to do whatever I can to help my kids'' teacher out. Some parents are not like that. My sister only likes to help with the kids. As a stay at home mom now after teaching a special needs class for years she really misses interacting with the children. She figures somebody else can make the copies! I think you need to figure out where your needs lie. What grade do your teach? That makes a difference, too. Both of my boys had the same K teacher. I loved helping in her class. During center time I would play a game with the kids (educational of course) while she did a writing center. The other two centers were independent learning.. I did have a particular day of the week and time I helped out. Most classes I''ve helped in have been that way. Especially if I work with the kids. It sounds like you have some very involved parents, that can be a double edged sword, can''t it, lol? Ah well, put ''em to work!

 

[Haven]

Zoe--I love how you''re always striving to be a better teacher, you''re such an inspiration!

I have a background in gifted ed, and the most important thing for students who need more challenge (from a gifted standpoint, at least) is to challenge their creative ability. In other words, look for activities that require them to think for themselves, to draw conclusions and come up with ideas based on their own prior knowledge and the new information you are introducing.

Example: You are teaching a unit on water and how vital it is to life on Earth. (Okay, so I don''t teach elementary so I actually have no idea if you teach units or if this would be one of them, but it''s a try!) If you have a student who comprehends the content material easily and needs more you can issue a challenge based on what you know of this student''s interests and strengths. For example, if Miguel loves aliens and he''s a strong writer (or better yet, he needs some work in writing) challenge him to write a story about aliens who know nothing about water observing Earth from their spaceship. What would they think of this mysterious clear, liquid substance? What conclusions would they draw based on the way water is used during various human activities? This requires Miguel to think about what he has learned about water, and to view this information from an outside perspective. And, of course, to get creative.

Here''s another example: I taught a class called Mighty Monuments to a bunch of kindergartners in a gifted program. We learned about various monuments around the world, and then they had to create their own monument, write a history explaining why it was erected in their honor and what the monument symbolized, choose a location and year for the creation of their monument, and then draw a huge version of the monument on butcher paper. They had a blast, and had to use all of their new knowledge about monuments to create their own.

Have fun with these kids, Zoe--the research tells us that if kids aren''t challenged in elementary school they end up regressing and falling in with the average performer. Your students'' parents are lucky that their children are in your class!

 

[zoebartlett]

Wow, thanks Miranda and Haven for such detailed responses. I have to leave for work soon so I''ll write more later. Thanks for the compliments. I do try my best but I''m afraid that parents don''t always see that. They just see that their child is truly gifted (whether that''s true or not). I''ve had a very rough start to my year, dealing with that. I know parents just wnat what''s best for their kids, and I really don''t mean to complain here. Sometimes I think that parents say "I''m just looking out for my son/daughter." Okay, SO AM I. It''s my job. Anyway...

So back to the issues at hand. Miranda, I teach second grade. I wasnt parents involved, I really do. I just want it to be productive. It would be great if someone volunteered to photocopy, since often, that''s what I need. That''s always the last to go though. Everyone wants to volunteer for the same thing. I think I''m having difficulty with this because our school has just implemented a new 90 minute literacy block. We have certaain aides assigned to our rooms during this block.

I do 30 minutes each of writing, guided reading, and quiet reading. We have a literacy coach come in and teach a writing mini-lesson, then we both conference with kids while they work. Guided reading focuses on comprehension, and I could theoreticall do several reading groups at the same time. THe problem with that is that I might have one person come in for guided reading on Tuesday, then someone else on Wednesday, and so on. That means that one group would always have a different teacher (or aide or parent volunteer) working with them, and that doesn''t seem to make sense. Quiet reading time is always good for listening to kids read and doing conferences with them as they read. You get a great picture of how they are as readers and you can spend quality time working on specific skills they need.

Okay, I need to run but I''ll write more after I get home from work.