Tuesday, May 19, 2009


My unit focuses on playground rules for first graders. I am going to include literature about recess, rules, etc. and how actions affect others. The standards used in my unit are Health, ELA, and Social Studies. Students will work on conflict resolution and understand how to take care of self and others (specifically on the the playground).

EQ: How do my choices affect my life?

UQ: What is safety? How do I prevent injuries? How do I stay safe? Why is safety important? How do I solve conflicts?

CQ: What is a rule? Why are rules important? What is a conflict? What is an injury? What are the playground rules?

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Projects & Deeper Thinking

In my classroom, I can use projects to allow students the opportunity to investigate and explore to find their own answers. Students will be able to research, gather information, and create models/ presentations. The classroom is more student-centered. Students are able to relate to the material especially if the project relates to real-life situations. I believe students will retain more information if they are able to investigate and discover answers to questions on their own. When students are given an open-ended focus question and project to complete, they are able to be more creative and flexible with their thoughts and investigations.

Friday, May 8, 2009

What Thinking Skills Should I Target for my Classroom

In my first grade classroom I find these thinking skills age-appropriate and important. My students use knowledge, comprehension, and application from Bloom's Taxonomy. In first grade I feel that Marzano's Dimension 1 (classroom climate) is an important factor in student learning. In the classroom students need to feel comfortable and accepted in order to take risks with thinking. Another skill to target is Dimension 2 (integration of knowledge). Students need to be able to use their knowledge to make generalizations and building that knowledge is a key factor in order to reach dimension 3. I believe in my classroom we first have to be able to reach the stepping stones before these students are able to dig deeper with their thinking. Lastly, I should target Costa & Kallick's skills: finding humor, responding with wonderment, and learning continuously. I want my students to be curious, engaged learners. Also, I hope they will always strive to improve and grow in their learning.