Getting to Know Each Other

CSK (Christian School Kandern) is experimenting with the "Responsive Classroom" teaching method this year, mainly in the morning intercultural time when the whole class is together. We found that as much as we wanted our first 20 minutes of the day to be a time when we learn about each other, about God, and use both languages equally, we weren't sure how to make effective use of that time. Responsive classroom is a teaching method that emphasizes effective communication, incorporation of learning topics, and helping each child to feel welcome and valued in the classroom community.

Hanna and I trade off each day running our morning time, and I've been spending a fair amount of my planning time finding fun activities for us to do on my days. I've been specifically searching for activities and ideas that will help my students get to know each other better. Many of them have been together since first or second grade, and since we only have one class per grade level, they're practically siblings. But we do have three new additions to our class, and I want to ensure that they feel welcomed into our class family. 

One activity that we did was a "mystery" activity where my students had to write down 5 things about themselves that most other people wouldn't know. Then I read them out loud and we tried to guess who belonged to each set of facts. I was impressed with how creative they were! I have to say, teaching fourth graders is way more fun than I thought it would be. :) Here are some of the ones written in English that I pulled:

Another activity we did (that I stole from this website) is based on a book entitled "The Best Part of Me, which was written by a photographer who wanted to teach children how to appreciate themselves physically, in a world where they are constantly bombarded with messages that tell them they aren't enough. She instructed students from several different schools she visited to choose one aspect of themselves, and write a poem about why they feel that part is the "best part of them". Then she took artistic black and white photos that displayed only that part of the child. I ordered the book online, read it to my students, we created our own poems, I took pictures of their chosen parts, and we discussed how God created each of us to be unique and special. How he has plans for us, and by appreciating aspects of our physical selves, we are acknowledging that God knew exactly what he was doing when he designed us. I didn't give them many guidelines for this assignment, because I wanted them to feel free to take it where they wanted. The results were astounding. Here are some samples:

 All that to say, I love my students. :) I'm excited to see what the rest of the year has in store for us.