Weekly chat for excited 1st grade teachers who love to learn and share ideas. Participants are interested in a variety of topics including literacy, math, technology, play, inquiry, and being the best educators they can be!
Hi Everyone! I'm Shannon from Fraser, MI. I currently teach 4th grade, but I spent 15 years in 1st- which is how I met this lovely group of educators! Creativity is something I am always looking to add more of into my classroom. #1stchat
A1 Would love to offer more opportunities but I need to expand my thinking "within our box" so to speak, so my students can pursue more of their creative passions. #1stchat
A1: I don't know if there is enough minutes in the day to be "enough" when it comes to creativity. It is honestly something I am always striving to include, but often don't feel like I'm doing enough when I have the tackle the "must do's" #1stchat
A1. I am currently a preservice teacher, so my opinion on this is it various. I see many opportunities for students to be creative, but I also see hardly any. I do believe that it needs to change, and it is not enough. They need to be able to express themselves #1stChat#UNILitEd
A1 I incorporate a lot of reading/math stations where students create things on their own. Plus some directed activities but I alway leave some room for creativity. So yes. My students get to do something creative daily in my classroom. #1stchat
A1:I think there is always room for more creativity within the classroom and encouraging student choice. Incorporating creativity is extremely important for student engagement and gives them an opportunity to express themselves, and I'd love to learn more ways to do so. #1stchat
A1. Some ways that I have seen is allowing students to choose their projects and which direction it takes them. Just thinking of creativity as a skill will greatly change people's mindsets. It is almost a thing that just there NEEDS to be time made for. #UNILitEd#1stChat
That does sound like a great time! Our schedule is really tight right at the start, but I get my morning meeting in because I don't see many of my students for awhile after that because of interventions and switching subjects #1stchat
A2: During my Hour of Empower they always create as part of the process. I also try to do creative responses with literature and can even do it in math some too. #1stchat
A2; Ss illustrate their writing, I also let them practice math or writing in the art center, I have some Ss who love art, they draw, paint, love glitter #1stchat to practice content or free time
A2: It might seem difficult to incorporate creativity in the schedule sometimes, but this can be done in smaller ways. I have not done this yet but would like to create a physical space within the classroom designated for creative thinking and projects! #1stchat
A2 All my reading stations are open ended. Writing, coding, stop motion for creating stories. Legos, blocks and art stations for crating something students are interested in. #1stchat
A1. Some ways that I have seen is allowing students to choose their projects and which direction it takes them. Just thinking of creativity as a skill will greatly change people's mindsets. It is almost a thing that just there NEEDS to be time made for. #UNILitEd#1stChat
A2 I'm planing to have a flex day once a week during our math time. I think that would be a good time for students to pursue passions and making, along with math. #1stchat
A1: I personally feel that children don't get enough opportunities to be creative in the classroom. We make them sit in desks, listen, learn, and repeat as we do. This is what I have seen thus far anyways! #1stchat
A2 All my reading stations are open ended. Writing, coding, stop motion for creating stories. Legos, blocks and art stations for crating something students are interested in. #1stchat
I always start with unplugged lessons where I introduce the concept of programming & algorithms. Then use a grid to move an object to a goal. You can use https://t.co/mL5ApNgiJN curriculum or @kodable then, we move onto @ScratchJr and robots. #1stchat
My students have loved STEM challenges, especially when they are given choices to make while creating a model with materials! This promotes problem solving and teamwork skills as well! #1stchat
A2: I love all the STEM ideas for cultivating creativity! I think any time students can use art, tech, music, writing amongst many other areas creative opportunities can emerge. #1stchat
A3; I think just including Ss and asking them how they'd like to practice certain content or show their understanding allows them to use their thinking and creativity skills #1stchat
Totally! My students created a teepee last week after learning about Sioux Indians. Lots of problem solving & students incorporated what they learned into their projects. #1stchat
My students have loved STEM challenges, especially when they are given choices to make while creating a model with materials! This promotes problem solving and teamwork skills as well! #1stchat
A3. The lessons that I create are filled with student led options, drawing opportunities, and free choice. I would like to add more STEM opportunities, but I am not quite sure how to do that. #UNILitEd#1stChat
It's such a struggle. There is so much to fit into a day that you really have to be creative as a teacher to allow time for the students to be creative! #1stchat
I really try to have my kids sitting and listening as little as possible. Because I know how important it is to keep kids moving and engaged, I use a workshop model with ELA and Math so they rotate to stations and have choices in those stations. #1stchat
2: In the classroom, there are many different ways to add creativity into the classroom. A simply way could be to allow the students to make simple choices. An example of this could be to use any colored pen or line vs plain paper. #1stchat
Lucky students! My learning environment is some what different this as as at present I am, in a reggio inspired environment. Learning lots along the way but missing much of what I strongly believe in too. #1stchat#yearofchange
A3; I think just including Ss and asking them how they'd like to practice certain content or show their understanding allows them to use their thinking and creativity skills #1stchat
A2: In the classroom, there are many different ways to add creativity into the classroom. A simply way could be to allow the students to make simple choices. An example of this could be to use any colored pen or line vs plain paper. #1stchat
It's such a struggle. There is so much to fit into a day that you really have to be creative as a teacher to allow time for the students to be creative! #1stchat
A3: Also if you can make things hands on, allows for creativity, we are working on our recyclable arcade games and will be having Ss in the school come to play the games for a food pantry donation, lots of creativity #1stchat
A4. Some ways that I have seen to help students create through technology is coding, creating images through shapes and colors, blogs, creating websites, and creating online books. #UNILitEd#1stChat
I incorporate it in the curriculum time. I introduce it to create math, social studies, science content whatever it may be. I like introduce skills then leave it to them to explore during center time. #1stchat
In reply to
@ShannonDescamps, @iteachsprouts, @kodable, @ScratchJr
I have to take a day to train my students to become independent on this app... love the idea but takes up so much space and teacher time at the moment... #1stchat
A4: @ChatterPixIt is great for retelling or sharing information. Here’s one about bats that a student created after we read an informational text about bats. #1stchathttps://t.co/d4xbqxHVgo
I hear you! My class is used to my tears! I can't seem to make it through some of the great read alouds! It's been more since I moved into 4th. They have tissues ready- LOL! #1stchat
A5 Yes, my students always love when we have Makerspaces. Our building is planning to dedicate an area for a school-wide Makerspace where students can create and continue working on projects in progress. #1stchat
A5: I have building supplies, around for free time or center work they choose, last year I did genius hour with our 5th grade buddies to help teach my Ss how to research #1stchat not sure how it will look in kinder this year
A5: I have building supplies, around for free time or center work they choose, last year I did genius hour with our 5th grade buddies to help teach my Ss how to research #1stchat not sure how it will look in kinder this year
My favorite part of Makerspace time is seeing that student (who may struggle academically) just grow and bloom when allowed time to create! It inspires me! #1stchat
A5: I have just learned about Makerspaces in one of my courses and want to try this out. It would be great for Ss to be given chances to continually build and design projects. Hearing how well it is going for everyone is very inspiring! #1stchat
In my previous environment I had a makerspace always available to my students. Some would use it to test their thinking or to show their knowledge. #1stchat
I've seen the opposite as well. Some students struggle with an open ended projects. They feel unsafe to try on their own. Love seeing them grow more confidence over time. #1stchat
My favorite part of Makerspace time is seeing that student (who may struggle academically) just grow and bloom when allowed time to create! It inspires me! #1stchat
A5: Yes to both. Try to do a MS project w an engineering focus every few weeks or more, GH is a bit trickier, usually start in Jan w their first project, but have been doing lots of wondering already #1stchat
A5 my students used the class makerspace to show animal adaptations or to create organizational structures to keep their supply bins organized. #1stchat
I have a wonder board. Students write a wonder on Wednesdays. At first I chose 5-6 wonders, ss chose which one to pursue, then we researched in small groups. Later they researched their own wonder. #1stchat
One of my favorite writing activities was when my Ss created a monster in Makerspace and then did a creative writing to incorporate the character. I loved how it tied it all together! #1stchat
A5: I used Wonder Bags to get started with GH last year, bag had a "I Wonder Why" book with journal to get them thinking of ideas, it helped a lot #1stchat
I have a wonder board. Students write a wonder on Wednesdays. At first I chose 5-6 wonders, ss chose which one to pursue, then we researched in small groups. Later they researched their own wonder. #1stchat
I had a few Ss that won't be at school when we do our arcade so I made them Game Testers, they played the games and gave feedback to those Ss, really beneficial! #1stchat
This is another good book to get into a Growth Mindset prior to Makerspace or Genius Hour- The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes https://t.co/suLWUv7MYR#1stchat
A6. Some children's books that might spark creativity that I have seen are The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds and Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg. A professional book that I am reading is I Wish My Teacher Knew by Kyle Schwartz #UNILitEd#1stChat
A6: I am so sorry I don't have any books to recommend either, I am a college student at Kent State majoring in Early Education. But I am truly learning so much from this chat. #1stchat
A7: One take away I have is that creativity is a NEED in a curriculum, and I also need to look more into Markerspace and Genius Hour #UNILitEd#1stChat
Thanks for the chat!!
