At the beginning of the year, we are always so hopeful about the new year and what we can do to be the best we can be. This year, I am not only thinking personally, but also professionally. What can I do to make my classroom the best place ever?
I think this year I will start with changing things I know are not working. My husband began blogging this year and one of his blogs talked about throwing out the things you know are not working in your classroom, and I have decided I will do just that. Forever, I have done novel studies with my students. I have done this in many different ways, but for the past few years, I have given the students a novel and then given them chapter by chapter questions, vocabulary, and quizzes. Although I feel like the questions can be very thought provoking, because I wrote them myself... it isn't working with this group. Last school year, at the end of the year, I gave students a list of novels as a choice and then they had assignments that went along with their choice novel. The kids loved it! Why I didn't begin this school year with that... I'm not sure. I think a lot of times as educators, we fall into the rut of, "I already have these things created so why not!"
So, when we get back we are tossing out the teacher selected novels, and moving into student selected novels. We are tossing out the teacher created questions and I am going to allow the students to be their own "moderators" for novel discussions. They can come up with the questions for their classmates in their novel groups and they can lead the discussions.
If you have a class that would like to collaborate with my students on novel studies, please let me know, my students love an authentic audience! Also, I am open to any 4th grade novel suggestions!!
Below is the list of novels I used at the end of the year last year:
