IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Spring 2019 | Page 71

Plutarch in On Listening said, “the mind is not a vessel that needs filling,
but wood that needs igniting.” The teachers at Moore Elementary design
their lessons to spark student engagement and create an interest in the
subject matter. When students are interested and engaged in the lessons,
learning is fun! There are several different ways in which engrossing lessons
are created. Teachers may opt to make learning relevant and relatable to
real-life situations, they may use technology to make lessons come alive, or
they may use hands-on activities to give students a memorable experience.
One way that learning is relevant and relatable is by being challenging
and simulating real-life situations. Mathematics teachers in the upper
elementary levels are using the Eureka math curriculum to provide students
with complex and engaging math problems. These exercises use multi-step
problems to simulate situations in which math is necessary to solve. When
walking into classrooms using Eureka math you will see students engaged
in rigorous work and talking and solving problems with each other. Math is
not seen as a series of questions to be solved or an algorithm to apply to a
page of work. Math is coming to life everyday with real-world problems in
need of solutions.
Technology is an omnipresent facet of our everyday lives. In some ways,
children growing up today do not know what it is like without technology.
Our teachers design great lessons using technology. Some teachers are
using computer programs to assign specific spelling tests. Other teachers
are doing research projects on different species of penguins. Students then
work in groups to create life-sized models of penguins and then program
those penguins using hummingbird robotics to move. Long gone are the
days when technology rich lessons meant projecting with a Promethean board. Today, technology rich lessons use technology to
take learning to the next level and provide unique experiences for students.
There are many ways to give students hands-on experiences. Science lends itself to being hands on and the Moore teachers have a
lot of great science classes. Classrooms have creatures on student desks so that they can study different organisms. Plants are grown
to study their life cycle. In second grade students raise butterflies from caterpillars and then release them into the wild. First grade
students are learning about engineering by designing structures to withstand high winds. First grade students also get to build mini-
boats that float in the air using fans. The better the boats sails, the farther they float from the fan!
Long gone are the days of teachers standing at the front of their classrooms at podiums dispensing knowledge to students.
Classrooms are engaging, immersive spaces where students’ desire to learn is stoked like the flames of a fire. The more they learn the
more that they want to learn and the desire for knowledge spreads like the flames.
E L R O Y E L E M E N TA R Y
Two Elroy Classrooms Welcome Pets!
Mrs. Sauro and Mr. Pavlecic applied for grants from Pets in the Classroom and both received
funding to purchase classroom pets as well as their habitats.
Mrs. Sauro’s students welcomed three Glofish, Larry, Moe, and Curly, and their 5-gallon tank into
their 2nd grade classroom. The students have learned how ecologists can use these tetras to help
diagnose environmental issues based on their coloring. The students are also learning about the
responsibility involved with caring for a pet such as feeding, cleaning, and tank maintenance.
Mr. Pavlecic uses Spike, the bearded dragon, to
help keep students more engaged during health
class. The students are learning about healthy food
choices and how they relate to their own diet and
the diet of animals.
In addition to teaching compassion, interactions
with pets are also proven to have positive effects
on the social and mental health of people. For more
information visit www.petsintheclassroom.org.
BRENTWOOD-BALDWIN-WHITEHALL
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SPRING 2019
69
“Lighting” Up Learning
M O O R E E L E M E N TA R Y