As students and I reflected on the school year we moved through the posts on the class newsletter website. Every three or four days, I wrote and published a newsletter on the newsletter website. Each newsletter included links, images, videos, slideshows, and information related to all aspects of the learning program. As we looked over the newsletter website yesterday I realized that the website had become a yearbook. One child remarked, "So many memories," as we flipped through the posts and prepared for students' final writing piece, Fourth Grade Reflections.
At the end of the year, I'll retire this "yearbook" and start a new newsletter website for next year's class. I'll continue to keep the "yearbook" online so that students can look back at their favorite posts, videos, and images.
Similar to this year, next year I'll post a newsletter about once a week. I hope to include the following in each post next year:
- Bulleted highlights at the top with an image, slideshow, or video.
- Student News: Students' written and/or videotaped weekly learning highlights.
- Teacher Corner: A note from the teacher.
The newsletter website is a great way to create a "yearbook," one that contributes to building community and providing a source of reflection and evidence from a year of teaching/learning.
