The Creative Classroom
Between Zoom, apps, internet bandwidth, curriculums and distracted students, it may be time to put a pin in it and have a little fun. And it turns out that humans learn better when they are not stressed, aka, they are having fun. Some newsworthy ideas have popped up lately and Minty Works is here to bring it! We found good ideas for any grade level, and came up with some suggestions of our own.
Our Criteria
- Materials must be readily available, low-cost.
- The activity or visuals must connect to a school’s curriculum.
- And, especially, the creative process must engage the students.
Inspiration #1 — Helpful Historic Figures
First up is inspiration that comes from Whitney Walker—a UK College of Education graduate and current doctoral scholar. She wanted to liven up the empty desks in her classroom at Lafayette High School in Lexington, KY. With some partners in design — retired Lafayette librarian Susie Jolliffe and student-teacher Mallory Shaw– Walker filled empty desks and chairs with life-size cut-outs of Miranda, Obama, George W. Bush, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Dolly Parton, and many other famous figures. Remember the cat from the viral “woman yelling at cat” meme? That is in class, too.
Walker teaches ninth-grade government, world cultures and advanced placement human geography. “When my students join in via Zoom, many have said they actually feel like they are in the room, and they chime in on what some of the folks in the seats would have to say when we have discussions during class,” said Walker, whose school is part of Fayette County Public Schools. “I hope that when we return to Lafayette, that our students enjoy the space and it brings them some joy.”
We like this idea for relevancy, bringing history to life, and engagement factor.
Inspiration #2 — A Well-Baked Idea
When it comes to science and math, who doesn’t prefer a cookie? A virtual cooking event can become the perfect set-up for teaching about weights and measures and science, oh my! Between measuring cups, a small scale, an understanding of how heat expands gases, and ratios, you have the recipe for an entry level real-world class for science. Don’t forget the magic of virtual productions: You can pre-make your intended result, and as you reach the cooking stage for the class, you can whirl around and show the finished result. Just like television! For a more interactive experience, you can go all in for your students, and package up the simple ingredients for their “follow along at home” event. There are some rules and guidelines you will want to implement, such as ensuring adult supervision. Here’s how one teacher does it:
Morgan Lloyd is one of two foods and nutrition teachers in the Career and Technical Education program who teaches both in-person students and all-virtual students in the Watauga Virtual Academy. When both sets of students were learning remotely, the curriculum she was teaching was the same. At that time, she and Amanda Beane, also a foods teacher, would create cooking demonstration Youtube and Tik Tok videos for students to watch.
Lloyd found ways to package ingredients and set pick-up times for families to take the ingredients home.
“It takes a couple hours to get those prepped and ready but it’s totally worth it,” Lloyd said. “When I told (the students) that’s what we were going to do … they were thrilled.” Read more about how she handles this: Full Article.
You can take it up a notch for older students. Here are some great resources to learn more:
Food Literacy Center
This nonprofit’s mission is to teach kids about cooking, nutrition, gardening, and all aspects of food literacy. Through Facebook Live, they offer a free online curriculum for fun snacks and meals.
Foodschool
This exciting program empowers kids to be “food-smart” by using hands-on training to guide students through the full life cycle of the dishes they prepare, from plant to table.
Inspiration #3 — Music to a Teacher’s Ears
Did you know that incorporating music and lyrics will embed important information in your students’ minds? Of course you did, just think about the Alphabet Song. How about taking this idea to the next level? If you are teaching history, or English as a Second Language (ESL), or introducing the outcomes of a scientific equation, put it to music! Not just any music, but pick a popular current or past hit and then turn it into a parody! There is hardly any exercise more fun than this! Do you remember the old classic, “Side by Side”? Now imagine it is turned into a catchy song about current pandemic safety measures. Here’s how it turned out:
Here are some other ways to accomplish the lesson:
- Pick a song everyone knows or can find on YouTube. Combine with a reading assignment, and ask for lyrics next week.
- Choose a chorus, and some stanzas, from the students whose efforts are voted best or get the most laughs.
- Have everyone practice the “musical lesson” until they have it memorized. Mission Accomplished!
Check out this post from Simple Music Teaching for lesson plan details: Parody Project
I hope these three ideas have sparked your imagination! There are many other ways to create interaction with your students while in a virtual classroom. For more concepts, look at research and see what has worked for other teachers around the world. Use resources like KS2, hubbardscupboard.org, and starfall.com for some fun engaging activities. And remember, I am here to help you succeed in a virtual space! If you come up with a great idea, drop me a line. I’d love to hear about your successes! Until next time, be your own yardstick. 🙂
