Posts
Imagine It...
Design It...
Create It...
I just love this time of year in the classroom! I know...the student's minds are already half way out the door for the Winter Break...which could be so frustrating if we don't change up our teaching style.
So...let's change it up! I don't mean spend an entire two weeks on fluff with no educational value. No, not at all. This is the time of year that I like to capture the imaginations of my students.
On Friday, I gave my students a press release about a major earthquake at the North Pole. Everyone has been evacuated to Red Cross Shelters - which may affect Santa's deliveries, since no work can take place at the North Pole. Gasp! Moan!
Next, I gave them a letter sent to them from Santa, the elves and the reindeer, enlisting their help in designing and rebuilding the North Pole quickly so they can get back to work and make sure children everywhere will get their Christmas morning deliveries!
So far, I have only let them choose a partner to work with.
Tomorrow, I will give the students the Elves' requirements so they can begin to lay out a design for the North Pole. Sounds easy enough, right? But there is a catch...on Tuesday they will receive the reindeer's requirements, which may conflict slightly with the Elves! And on Wednesday they will need to figure in the requirements of Santa & Mrs. Clause. Keeping everyone happy is going to be a bit of a challenge! But, that's life, right?
Students will not begin to build their North Pole models until they get their designs approved by me, and that can't happen until all the requirements are met. Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Common Core all incorporated in one fun, fun project!!!
My students are so excited, and can't wait to get started. But there is a little problem for me, as well! I have two students that do not celebrate Christmas. I don't want them to feel funny or left out, so I have created an entire alternate project for the South Pole. Instead of Santa & Mrs. Clause there are the DoGoods - who kinda resemble old hippies! The DoGoods perform good deeds for people all year long. Of course they don't have a sleigh with flying reindeer - that's just ridiculous! No, they have penguins that transport them around the world in the magical underwater DoGood Mobile! And since there is no Santa's Workshop, they don't need elves! But they do have gnomes that work in their "Making Dreams Come True" Workshop. All of the fun, critical thinking, problem solving, and Common Core is still in place for these students as well.
Tomorrow, I will give the students the Elves' requirements so they can begin to lay out a design for the North Pole. Sounds easy enough, right? But there is a catch...on Tuesday they will receive the reindeer's requirements, which may conflict slightly with the Elves! And on Wednesday they will need to figure in the requirements of Santa & Mrs. Clause. Keeping everyone happy is going to be a bit of a challenge! But, that's life, right?
Students will not begin to build their North Pole models until they get their designs approved by me, and that can't happen until all the requirements are met. Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Common Core all incorporated in one fun, fun project!!!
My students are so excited, and can't wait to get started. But there is a little problem for me, as well! I have two students that do not celebrate Christmas. I don't want them to feel funny or left out, so I have created an entire alternate project for the South Pole. Instead of Santa & Mrs. Clause there are the DoGoods - who kinda resemble old hippies! The DoGoods perform good deeds for people all year long. Of course they don't have a sleigh with flying reindeer - that's just ridiculous! No, they have penguins that transport them around the world in the magical underwater DoGood Mobile! And since there is no Santa's Workshop, they don't need elves! But they do have gnomes that work in their "Making Dreams Come True" Workshop. All of the fun, critical thinking, problem solving, and Common Core is still in place for these students as well.
Do you want to give it a try? Go to my Teachers Pay Teachers Store - I've put it all together so you can use this project with your class as well!
No comments:
Post a Comment