Kevin Rickard

This week was club photos week. I have three, Garden Club, Excellence Project and Morning News Team. I have 8 kids on the news team and swap the team out 4 times. The PE teacher snagged this one of the news team during the club photos.

And I am 63.

I kayak. My brother cycles. He just celebrated his 59th birthday with a 100 mile cycle.

@WorkElizab Yes.

Did you ever?

@mysty812 An older sister and a younger brother.

I have 3 brothers,how many siblings do you have?

@FindsUnder25 It can create a shift in the teachers im working with too. When they realize they don’t have to control so much.

@KevinRickard4 @KevinRickard that shift right there… once they realize they’re allowed to think instead of just follow steps, everything changes

@KevinRickard4 @KevinRickard4 That’s awesome. When it’s student-driven like that, it hits different. Do you see more engagement when it’s choice or assigned? Do you see more engagement when it’s choice vs assigned?

@FindsUnder25 They have to have a cover with author and illustrator listed. It has to have at least five pages. Etc. Things like that

@FindsUnder25 Another fun one is taking the kids into tinkercad and having them use their geometric shapes to create a super hero. Give it a super hero name. A street name. A super hero power. Then write an origin story or a story of them using their power.

@FindsUnder25 It takes more time. But they enjoy the process and the results are all different. Biker frogs with chains on their back included. No two frogs are alike

@FindsUnder25 After some struggle we will talk about a physical change like growing front legs. Then let them struggle with the task of adding front legs. Then I’ll show pictures of multiple completed frogs. If I show one they just copy it.

@FindsUnder25 They always had a blast

@FindsUnder25 The other slides. Three minimum could be whatever they wanted to tell the other students about. At the end of the week they got to present their findings.

@FindsUnder25 For example if I give students a bucket of Lego blocks and tell them to build me something from their own mind many are lost. If I tell them to build me something that shows they understand symmetry then more of them start building.

@FindsUnder25 Here’s the poster the student made after watching the video of the ducks being shepherded through the school. Third grade. No assignment just something she wanted to do.

@FindsUnder25 Some video taped the ducks going through the building. I sent the video out to all the teachers and some showed it to their students. One teacher stopped me this morning because one student then made a poster with duck facts all on her own.

This month’s second grade science lab lesson takes us outside on a habitat signs. Looking for the signs of those unseen and discussing what critters made those signs. Bird nests. Squirrel nests. Vole trails, wasp nests diet dauber nests. 2nd Graders can be so inquisitive

Another one bites the dust! These seat sacks are a necessity for my classroom. Without them, there is nowhere for the kids to put their stuff. Anything helps! ❤️ #DonorsChoose #TeachersOfX #BeAGoodHuman #Kindness #Giving donorschoose.org/project/a-plac…