Linking Learning with Life.

The first week of school has passed by in a blur with two days of relievers and a myriad of tests and out of classroom activities taking place. So here I am, on the Monday of second week, finding that I finally have time to reflect on the week that has past.

Cycle safety played a massive part in last week. The children were taught road rules and how to cycle safely on the roads by a policeman. Once they were competent on the practice course they were allowed to participate in a road ride which each and every single one of them thoroughly enjoyed. The children were hooked into their learning because it was physically active whilst still allowing  them to reflect on and cognitively engage with what they were learning. They could see the purpose of the activity and make connections with their everyday lives as many of them bike to school and go riding with their parents. This is  a video of all their favourite moments put together on iMovie by Wendy Stafford: http://leos-learning-lab.weebly.com/12/post/2014/05/bike-safety-with-constable-neil.html.

Today, during reading time, a student started making connections that I had not expected him to make so early on in the unit we are doing on fairy tales. 'H' was comparing and contrasting the fairytales of Jack and the Beanstalk and The Helium Seed Watermelon Boy when he noticed the difference that a good ending makes to a story. He discussed how when he was writing he wanted to focus on creating an ending that left the reader engaged and feeling like they had connected with the story. Another student jumped in at this point and mentioned that it is similar in life but instead of writing the ending to the story it is the choices that we make that determine the ending of each 'mini story'. I was blown away by the insight that these students had had in a lesson that had not focused on making such connections. I cannot wait for us to begin our fantasy writing unit now where these students will have the opportunity to focus specifically on the endings of stories and how different endings affect the audiences perspective on the whole story.

My most significant goal for this term is providing students with activities that link their learning with their own lives in a visible way. Here's hoping that if both my students and myself continue on the path that we are own this goal will be a highly successful one.