We connected with another class of sixth graders — with Michelle Haseltine’s class in Virginia — to talk about similar projects that our students worked on to start the year around dreams, aspirations and goals. The video feed didn’t quite work on their end, but we still chatted and shared for about 20 minutes, and we are planning more talks in the future.
One topic that emerged from the students in Virginia was the question of how to stay focused when writing. If you could have seen the virtual high five I gave Michelle, you would know that this is the kind of question that a teacher lives for, particularly when it is asked with no adult prompting. And my students did a fine job of talking about strategies and techniques that they use to remain focused on a piece of writing. I was so proud of them for stepping up and articulating those ideas.
For our part, my kids were jealous that Michelle’s class is piloting a laptop program, allowing them to use technology in all of their classes through the course of the day, as needed. It was a nice connection to start the year (and my class’s second outreach to another school) as I try to continue my goal of connecting my students to the world.
Peace (in the talk),
Kevin