Mystery Skype

Talk about an amazing way to connect with the world! We just finished our first Mystery Skype call with a 3rd grade classroom in a small school in Iowa. My students were thrilled to see another class of students and work together to discover where they live. After we figured out our secret locations using maps and yes/no questions, we shared information about our school, town and other fun facts about our class. We can't wait for our next call!

Click here to get started with MysterySkype!

Mrs. Barcavage

Global Communities

I am so excited to get started with global communities online.  We are going to be collaborating with classrooms overseas to solve a common global problem using ePals Global Community .  This all goes along with flattening classrooms and connecting globally.  Giving young students the opportunity to collaborate with other countries helps them to learn to be respectful and ethical.  The primary years are a perfect time to influence their bias and prejudices while they are still developing.  This helps them understand that they are not the center of the universe and that there are other perspectives, priorities and ways of life in the world. As the world continues to shrink, the need for us to have respectful and ethical minds grows.  We need to foster this learning our students so they are prepared to work and live in a global world.

The Value of Equality

One of my favorite parts of teaching is those unexpected teachable moments.  We have been learning about nonfiction text features and practicing using them while we read.  So with it being baseball season I thought a biography on Jackie Robinson would be a great read a loud.  As I'm reading the students start buzzing with connections.  I always cover Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in February and we take time throughout the year to focus on the contributions of an array of people in our country.  So the students really had a lot to pull from.  For them it's almost like a fairy tale when I show them pictures of separate entrances, water fountains, schools, etc.  Second graders have strong opinions about fairness and these images don't meet their standards.  I am moved to hear their thoughts about how we should treat each other and what our world should be like.  They give me hope in a world that, even today, is far from fair and equal.  I closed the book and we took a few minutes to discuss generally some examples of things that are still not equal even if the law says they should be.  We also talked about their experiences and what it feels like to be treated unfairly.  I could see my students building on their relationships with their peers and gaining an appreciation for their differences and similarities.  It always amazes me when I see the amount of acceptance and consideration children can have for one another.  I took a moment to help them feel empowered and understand that they can help make our world better, even right now, in any little way, it matters.  We ended the discussion with the simple rule, treat others the way you want to be treated.

A Bug and A Wish...Conflict/Resolution is Elementary

So a bug and a wish is a template I use to help students open a dialog and express their feelings.  My students generally use them when they come in from recess.  They complete the sentence, It bugs me when... and I wish you would...  This is a great way to get students talking and writing about what is bothering them and helps them to think of a solution.  It also makes the other student aware of how their actions affect others.  For younger students you can use puppets to do the talking and peace table to sit together.