Elementary Education Monthly Update
April 2019
Earth Day 2019
"The ultimate test of man's conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard."
Gaylord Nelson, Founder of Earth Day
"A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Primary Connection (K-2)
The Honeybee Conservancy has many ideas on ways to save bees and allow them to flourish once again. In this lesson, students can visually see how pollinators move pollen by playing an interactive game of tag. If you want students to create something to plant at home, this make and take activity to create seed patties would be a good option. Please be sure to use seeds that attract bees!
Intermediate Connection (3-4)
Another way to help students make a change every day (not just on Earth Day) is to teach them how to pack a waste-free lunch. The EPA has tips, lesson plans, and flyers about how to start this movement with your class.
Family engagement and community clean-up are important parts of Earth Day. Look at this map of Kansas park clean-up initiatives for students and families to participate. Volunteers will receive a free t-shirt!
Upper Elementary Connection (5-6)
For older students, Earth Day can be a civic engagement project. In this lesson, students learn about the impact of climate change on deforestation. There are many sites related to climate change and the impact of this on the weather and climate in our nation (I liked the linked one the best). Perhaps your class could raise money to contribute to reforestation or to plant trees with the Canopy Project.
Did you know that particle pollution (or particulate matter) is one of the main contributors to air pollution? In this lesson, students can make their own air quality sensor, called a particle sensor, play interactive games, and learn how to reduce their footprint in regards to air pollution.
Poverty and Trauma Resources
- Their brain has an active neocortex and keeps the limbic system in check.
- Have the ability to show kindness and compassion.
- Can think rationally.
- Show empathy and understanding.
- Have good self-awareness.
- Uses their imagination more often and can think logically in steps.
- Can use higher order thinking skills
Doesn't this sound like some children in your classroom? Unfortunately, not all children come from homes where this is the norm. More and more often children have experienced trauma and this does have an impact on their behavior and choices. These children show up with the following disadvantages.
- Lives the fight, flight, or freeze system in the limbic system (unless they feel safe).
- Are impulsive, often angry, and frustrated.
- Cannot register rewards or consequences.
- Think irrationally.
- The memory system is compromised due to toxic stress.
For our children that show these symptoms, we must remember that they are not choosing to act out - they literally cannot help their reactions to fear, stress, worry, safety, etc. as the brain's limbic system is in charge. Our brains are naturally wired to signal our bodies to react to fear. Let's say you walk upon a mother bear with her cubs. Your brain will signal to your body to increase heart rate, produce cortisol, and prepare to either fight that bear or run from it. After this experience has ended, your body can regulate and you can think about what happened but probably won't remember all of the details because your limbic system took over. Image a child that "lives with the bear" - they never know when or if the "bear" (mom, dad, other adult living in the home) will arrive and this leaves them in a constant state of having the limbic system in charge.
This is the ugliness of trauma. For adults, it is about reframing our reactions when a child acts out. Instead of asking a student "What's wrong with you?" we should instead ask "What happened to you?"
Classroom Management Tip of the Month
- Mix up your classroom incentives. Consider group challenges or super kid-friendly coupons for toys, extra recess, sitting in the teacher's chair - etc. Group incentives help the class as a whole work toward a common goal and it may just be what they need for motivation.
- Instead of using the end of the year for busy work, make this the time for passion projects, hands-on activities, and/or maker-space activities. You could, for example, make Monday's your Marvelous Monday day where you introduce the fun project and allow students to work on this for the rest of the week in down times.
- Move your classroom outdoors. When the sun is shining and the birds are singing it is a great time to move your class outdoors. Just changing the scenery sometimes helps students refocus and enjoy learning.
- Avoid letting everyday routines get the best of you. This is the most important time of the year for sticking to your management plan and not allowing students to veer away from what they know.
- Most importantly remember to have FUN! Laugh a little with your kiddos and let them giggle and have a little fun while they are at it.
Social Emotional Learning
If you would like a rubric for your own or your team's self-reflection, this tool from CASEL it a great start. This tool will help teachers, administrators, and members of any school team identify patterns in adult behavior, discover strengths of adults towards SEL competencies, and reveal areas of growth in the SEL competencies.
Happenings Around KSDE
KSDE Impact Institute
Please join us at the Kansas State Department of Education Division of Learning Services’ 2019 Impact Institutes. Kansas teachers, counselors, principals, curriculum coordinators, instructional coaches, and educational professionals at all levels (birth through high school) will have the opportunity to select sessions and workshops on topics connected to many academic areas. These workshops will provide the help you need in providing our students the academic and cognitive preparation, the technical and employability skills, and the civic engagement opportunities to allow them to be successful. TO REGISTER: click here - Washburn Impact Institute COST $25 per person
Thursday, Jun 27, 2019, 08:00 AM
Washburn University - Memorial Union, 1820 Southwest Jewell Avenue, Topeka, KS, USA
KSDE Impact Institute
Please join us at the Kansas State Department of Education Division of Learning Services’ 2019 Impact Institutes. Kansas teachers, counselors, principals, curriculum coordinators, instructional coaches, and educational professionals at all levels (birth through high school) will have the opportunity to select sessions and workshops on topics connected to many academic areas. These workshops will provide the help you need in providing our students the academic and cognitive preparation, the technical and employability skills, and the civic engagement opportunities to allow them to be successful. TO REGISTER: click here - Pratt Community College Impact Institute COST $25 per person
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2019, 08:00 AM
Pratt Community College Bookstore, 348 KS-61, Pratt, KS, USA
Kansas Excellence in Math and Science Teaching Conference
The mornings will include guest speakers from KATS, KATM, and other chances to learn from expert math and science teachers. The elementary, middle, and high school educators that joined us for the Learn While Teach PD project will be leading our science sessions. Come learn more about using driving questions boards, talk move questioning techniques, and how to really anchor science learning in phenomena from this great group.
College credit available, fees vary depending on membership(s), includes lunch each day and snack each afternoon. To enroll or for more information - click here KS Excellence in Math and Science Teaching Conference
Monday, Jun 17, 2019, 08:00 AM
Newman University, McCormick Street, Wichita, KS, USA
Cindy Hadicke, Elementary Program Consultant
Email: chadicke@ksde.org
Website: www.ksde.org
Location: 900 SW Jackson Street, Suite 653
Phone: 785-296-2749
Twitter: @iheartk_6