After my earlier blog post this term, we have been having some great conversations with our friends in class. Every morning, 5 - 10 minutes is given to the students for them to share their ideas with each other. No pressure is placed on them to share with the whole class, although this is welcomed when desired. Because they get to speak with their friends, every child, almost every day, is happy to take part in this. Sometimes this spills over into a writing session, but other times the focus just stays on having a relaxed and friendly conversation in class.
I try to include one 'fun' writing session each week, where the children get to be creative. Often I find thought provoking images on Pobble365.com and use these for inspiration. A particularly successful lesson occurred last week using the following image:
The children had their discussion first. Next, they were given a choice: draw this picture for yourself on your iPad or draw your own 'crazy' picture. (Eg. A bird standing on Ms Gaston's head). More than half of the children chose to use their creativity to draw their own picture. Next, they had to write about it. I was really happy with how some of my language delayed children, as well as the rest of their peers, were able to create their stories. They weren't all written down, as some were voice recorded on their iPads, but just getting them to form their own ideas was very exciting progress!
I've included a couple of videos below:
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