Of course we want our learners to leave school with a sense of exhilaration, that "I CAN" feeling that leads them forward to learn more with confidence and strength.
Today, students will write articles about the fourth grade year. One copy of the letter will go into their file, a file they receive at the end of their senior year of high school. Another copy will be added to their progress report folder, a folder that they take home at the end of the year. Before they start writing, we'll brainstorm the year's events in the following ways:
- First, I'll show students a series of short videos and newsletters of the year's learning events. Students will take notes related to significant moments of learning and share as we review the videos and newsletters.
- Then we'll create a list of the year's knowledge, concept, and skill:
- Knowledge: the facts and information learned.
- Concepts: the big ideas.
- Skill: the learning and presentation actions we learned and strengthened.
- After that I'll ask students to type their article with two or three images, a catchy title, and an introduction and ending that serves to summarize the big ideas related to their experience of fourth grade.
There are many ways that educators can foster exhilaration rather than defeat including the following:
- Caring, supportive relationships
- Shared, explicit goals
- Effective process and strategy
- Trust
- Hands-on support
- Frequent review of goals and progress
- Encouragement and coaching
- Strategizing together
- Timely response
- Positive comments
- Celebration
- Accessible supports for independent growth and future learning.
As you finish the school year, focus on ways to exhilarate rather than defeat as that will set the stage for a positive start for summer study and the learning year to follow.
