During Writer's Workshop this morning my students were focused like never before. Here is an exact quote from one of my reluctant writers while we were on the playground, "Ms. Wold can we go back inside. I want to write some more, " Not only did he write a terrific piece on being a musher, but for the first time he was able to read everything he wrote. He navigated the Alaska word wall to spell words and demonstrated that he'd been listening to the volume of fiction and non-fiction Alaska books we've been sharing. Being immersed in a topic creates a greater understanding of the material....I am sold on it. The Iditarod is a natural fit for students. Children love animals and adventure and The Iditarod brings both to life in a unique way. We've started something here and I hope it continues for many years. When my students come in singing "The Iditarod Trail" song Mr. Towne taught them and beg me to turn on the GPS tracker and read another dog story I know we've hit on some magic. A giant thank you to all who made this experience happen.
During Writer's Workshop this morning my students were focused like never before. Here is an exact quote from one of my reluctant writers while we were on the playground, "Ms. Wold can we go back inside. I want to write some more, " Not only did he write a terrific piece on being a musher, but for the first time he was able to read everything he wrote. He navigated the Alaska word wall to spell words and demonstrated that he'd been listening to the volume of fiction and non-fiction Alaska books we've been sharing. Being immersed in a topic creates a greater understanding of the material....I am sold on it. The Iditarod is a natural fit for students. Children love animals and adventure and The Iditarod brings both to life in a unique way. We've started something here and I hope it continues for many years. When my students come in singing "The Iditarod Trail" song Mr. Towne taught them and beg me to turn on the GPS tracker and read another dog story I know we've hit on some magic. A giant thank you to all who made this experience happen.
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As our adventure comes to a close I cannot begin to express how fortunate I feel for this opportunity. Educationally, I picked up several tips for creating more engaging lessons across all subjects. I have a much greater understanding of the Iditarod in terms of the race and all its many facets, but also in the way it can be used to inspire students to learn about themselves and the world around them. Personally, I have enjoyed not only the opportunity to explore the uniqueness of Alaska, but the chance to bond with my fellow teachers. I am traveling with a wealth of teaching experience and having a 24/7 opportunity to exchange resources, opinions, philosophies and just plain fun has been the greatest reward.
As we prepare for the ceremonial start today and the official start tomorrow I will be limited in time. Let me take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Jodie Villemaire, Terri Butler, our amazing PTO, the wonderful kinder team, Karen Lopez, my delightful class and their supportive parents. We have made the most of every minute and can't wait to share our enthusiasm. Stayed tuned for some funny photos of our moose encounter, the dumping of snow onto the snowless streets of Anchorage and our very own M A gyre is a swirling vortex. The surface circulation of our oceans is dominated by gyres that may be hundreds to thousands of miles in diameter. It is these gyres that re-distribute and aggregate debris in our oceans. Alaska's shores are the northern fringe of the North Pole Pacific Gyre. The five major gyres around the world. A team of scientists and artists explored the coast of Alaska and collected plastics most likely deposited from the North Pacific Gyre. This expedition and exhibition explores the relationship between humans and our oceans. While some of the artwork was incredible I was overwhelmed with despair at the amount of plastic debris in our oceans. The environmental impact of plastics is staggering. I so hope this exhibit comes to the Austin area. I look forward to using some of the exhibits resources for a recycling unit. Just one example of plastics found in our oceans. Plastic is one of the main types of OCEAN TRASH found in our oceans. |
Jane Tomick Wold
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