Teacher Creativity in the Classroom

[Aimee P. Sarver]

I would love to hear about your most memorable/creative teaching and learning moments. It could have occurred when you were a student, or could be something you have done as a teacher. For example, to introduce the fractions unit with my 4th graders, I donned a roll of toilet paper. First, I wrapped some pieces around my head--ninja style! Then, I stood on a chair and proceeded to karate chop sections of TP to make fractions. (4 squares of TP--chop one off--now we have 1/4 and 3/4). Then my students followed suit--sharing their fractions with a neighbor and all while wearing their ninja head gear. What are your most memorable, enjoyable or creative moments and ideas?

[Aimee P. Sarver]

Addie, what a great idea and what a huge undertaking. Plays are a perfect way to work on fluency and there's no better assessment than an authentic assessment. Besides, I love any Eric Carle book! Thanks for sharing.

[Addie Gaines]

When I used to teach kindergarten, one of the highlights of the year (that families learned to look forward to as a tradition) was our annual end-of-year play. I used to take an Eric Carle book and turn it into a script that was simple enough for a good reader or two to narrate and my "actors" and "actresses" to memorize their lines. It also usually contained a song or dance that was related. We brought the Grouchy Ladybug, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and A House for Hermit Crab to life. I started by passing out a form where each student numbered the character or job they would like to have as 1, 2, or 3. I went through the forms and assigned each student one of their choices. They had to learn their lines at home or practice reading their narration fluently with their parents. The students spent part of each day for about three weeks designing and constructing a set, making props and creating their costumes. We practiced our play and related musical performances daily. This was truly constructivist learning as the students made lots of decisions and figured out what was needed to communicate the story in terms of the setting, props and costumes. They did not use any prepared patterns or items that I made in this process. This was on a stage in a cafeteria, but the kids (except for the narrators) did not use mics. They had to learn to project their voices so they could be heard clear to the back of the room. We also worked on our expression, so that the characters were interesting. The kids had a great time and the parents loved it. Most years the other 700 kids in the school came to see our show when we presented it for parents. I think that was the biggest creative effort of the year.

Great discussion. Writing this brought back some treasured memories :-)