How do you keep notes about what you are seeing in class?

• “I have a really good memory when it comes to who is struggling and who isn’t in class. I have been a teacher for over 40 years so I have had a lot of practice with remembering things about certain students. If there is something really important that I don’t want to forget, I usually leave a sticky not on my desk at the end of the day. When a student is struggling, I tend to contact their parents through either a phone call or parent-teacher conference. Other than that, I basically take mental notes on a day to day basis.”

What are your thoughts around that topic?

• “Incorporating movement into this particular 3rd grade class is essential. These students have an absurd amount of energy, so I do everything in my power to allow them to move around. Of course, sometimes it gets a little too loud and the students get off task. I still try to do it as often as I can. I think that a lot of teachers in this building could improve greatly in this area. A lot of teachers give worksheets without the opportunity for movement or art.”

How do you use movement in your classroom?

• “A few things that I can think of right off the type of my head are the song we’ve been doing that go along with synonyms and antonyms. The students seem to really enjoy singing and dancing all while helping them remember what they are. Another thing we do is act it out Wednesday, which is basically when they use their word study words and act it out. Lastly, we usually review our word study words once again to prepare for our spelling tests on Friday’s by playing hopscotch in the hall with their words.”

Is there another special I should watch or teacher/administrator I should talk with to deepen my knowledge of the topic?

• “I don’t have any particular books, but the Physical Education teacher is a great resource to talk to about movement. They do a lot of “Just Dance” videos in there that they love. The art teacher may also have resources that you can potentially use.”