Love my job? Yes, yes I do!

We have moved on from World Geography to bigger and better things... SCIENCE!  Now, I am not usually too fond of teaching social studies OR science, but I have to say... this year I LOVE it!  I think it has something to do with teaching the Core Knowledge curriculum, rather than teaching straight to the standards.  Read about my new-found love with Core Knowledge in this post.  What I love about Core Knowledge is that we get to teach super-fun topics (like our latest- Classifying Animals), but our state standards are still embedded within the topics.

I had this "AH-HA!" moment today.  Kids keep coming up to me lately saying, "Miss Woodward, look!  I found the word equator in my book!"  Or, "Miss Woodward, I'm reading the Komodo Dragon book.  Yep, it's a reptile, so it must be cold-blooded."

OR.... this little guy, who chose to spend his free time making a venn diagram, instead of drawing flowers and zombies like the rest of his classmates.

Yep, that's a venn diagram comparing warm-blooded animals and cold-blooded animals.  ((Aside from the fact that octopus and fish are not reptiles, can we just take a moment to acknowledge that he did this totally on his own, without guidance from me?  Pretty neat, if you ask me.))

And then it hit me- How COOL is it that these kids are so interested in science and social studies?  How COOL is it that my ELLs are using content- specific vocabulary in their everyday language?  How COOL is it that they spend their few free minutes drawing venn diagrams?  How COOL is it that they read the animal books I brought and are able to tell me if the animal is warm- or cold- blooded, and a vertebrate or invertebrate?

I must be doing something right.  These kids are on their way to becoming lifelong learners.  They are making connections.  They are letting the knowledge stick in their brain.

And I LOVE it!

What moments have you had that totally reinforce why you became a teacher?

Until next time,

-Miss Woodward

Beginning World Geography

We started our World Geography unit this week, and my kids are loving it so far!

We started by reading the story "This is the Way We Go to School".  It was a great introduction to the unit and how kids around the world get to school differently.  As an introduction activity, I had them do a little bit of writing.

This writing sheet, along with a few other Geography activities will be in my TpT store soon, I promise!

Some of my kids' writing was so cute!

"I wish I could get to school by helicopter, like the kids from Russia, because I can see the school from the sky and see cars and houses and stars."

"I wish I could get to school by helicopter, like the kids from Russia, because its more easy than bus or van and cars."

"I wish I could get to school by ski, like the kids from Norway, because I like to go fast and it is fun to go fast like when we jump and go side by side."

"I wish I could get to school by a motorbike, like the kids from China, because I like to ride a bike and I like bike I like bike because it is fast."

I also gave my students some time to just explore some maps and globes at their tables.  They loved trying to find North America, Minnesota, and Thailand and Laos.  Many of my students' families are from Thailand or Laos, and some of my students were even born there.

I'll update you as the unit goes on!  I'll also update you once I get the Geography activities into my TpT store, too!

Until next time,

-Miss Woodward