Challenge Lab

In January, a position opened up at our elementary school to teach the Gifted & Talented class. It seemed like the perfect opportunity, and I started just days after my long-term 4th grade assignment. I knew it would pay poorly, but as a 4-day per week assignment with Brennan & Ethan in my class and my lunch coinciding with Katelyn's, I snatched it up. 

The first order of business was cleaning up the disaster the classroom was left in. After that, I had to organize and execute the Parent Showcase of student products from the first semester. The older kids had each created inventions, and the younger kids had each created a new animal for an existing biome.

After wrapping up the first semester odds and ends, I began teaching the new curriculum for second semester. Planning curriculum and teaching are my passions, and I was in heaven. 

In grades 3-5, the students were learning Utopian Destinations. The vocabulary and instruction included city planning, infrastructure, eco-friendly solutions, government, tourism, economy, and local history. By Spring Break, the kids were ready to work in small groups to create their own city. They had to make all the decisions about government and infrastructure in their City Charter and then map out their city on butcher paper. They also needed to build at least 10 3D structures. Lastly, they needed to create a product to promote tourism, like an advertisement, commercial, website, or brochure. Each group presented their cities within their grade-level, and students voted on the place they'd most like to visit or move. Students displayed their map, buildings, city charter, and QR codes linked to their advertisement at the Parent Showcase in May.

In grades 1-2, the students were learning Storytelling Across the Ages and Through Cultures. First, we learned about Story Mountain, utilizing vocabulary like beginning, middle, end, climax, resolution, setting, and characters. We then discussed all the different types of traditional literature, which I had just taught to my 4th graders. We also talked about how these stories are sometimes told differently in other parts of the world and in different time periods. By Spring Break, the kids were ready to break into groups and choose a folktale to fracture (change) and write as a play with parts. They created a storyboard displaying the parts of their story, determined props and costumes, and then rehearsed and performed their play in front of a green screen. I edited and revised their recordings to create a cohesive 5-minute play, as well as a movie trailer. Using a QR code, parents were able to watch each group's play at the Parent Showcase in May. 

In kindergarten, the students were learning Doing My Part for Art. They learned all about color, medium, subject, texture, and design. They each made a monster, which they labeled based on the new vocabulary. Then they were ready to study specific artists and create individual art products in the style of each artist. We studied Georges Seurat, Jackson Pollack, and Pablo Picasso. For the Parent Showcase, each student selected their favorite product to be framed and prominently displayed. 

I hosted the second Parent Showcase at the end of the school year. It was a huge success! 

Unfortunately, in May the district decided to make the position a 5-day per week without any additional compensation, and I resigned the last week of school. I plan to either teach full-time in the classroom with a salaried position or substitute-teach again. It was fun while it lasted!