One thing that today has really reinforced for me is just how necessary a flexible curriculum is. We did not talk very much about the election today in my 6th grade dyad, which I really think was a huge loss in potential learning.
I feel like today was a big part of history and student’s should have been a part of it. The link I posted below is a video of 6th graders simply talking about the backgrounds of the candidates and giving facts about them. I distinctly remember in 2nd grade doing the same thing for the Election between Clinton and Bush Sr. followed by a mock election. If it still sticks out in my head, it was obviously extremely meaningful to me and maybe it had some impact on the love of politics I still have today.
Therefore, I sincerely believe that of while of course the curriculum is important and we need to get through a lot, the benefits of putting our plans aside for one day to address a big event largely outweigh the costs. Does anyone see any negatives to it? I would love to hear another opinion so I can understand why so many teachers skimmed over this amazing learning experience.
‘About Me’ Profiles
3 years ago
1 comment:
Today, we devoted about 1.5 hours of class time to the election (5th grade). They had a Scholastic booklet presenting the candidates stance on issues, they watched a video from Discovery School on the election process and then the kids voted and the teacher tallied the vote.
During the tally, with each Obama vote, a cheer rang out and the final vote was 15 for Obama, 5 for McCain. I did wonder how the McCain supporters felt at that moment, but it worked out ok. The teacher asked for students to explain why they voted the way they did, based on the issues platform they had read. The best moments was when a McCain supporter spoke her mind--a hard thing to do in such on overwhelmingly Obama room. I was relieved when the teacher commended her on voicing her opinion. I felt like the election process took center stage today in our classroom. The students seemed as excited as we were to get home and watch the returns. They are old enough to remember this historic night, and I'm glad the election process was honored in the classroom. Of course, it helps that they will start a unit on US Presidents in a few weeks! BTW - The other 5th grade teacher planned the same lesson.
Post a Comment