Super Heroes, Super Year!
Getting ready for school this year has been an unsettling experience. How will this all be sorted out with the uncertainty surrounding Covid 19? Will we be in the classroom or have virtual classes? It has been difficult to prepare for each of these scenarios without expending too much time, effort, and money on a possibility that may not occur. I have been cautiously optimistic that we will start school in the classroom, but I have not made plans beyond the first week or two. I hope to start on a positive note with a fun, bright door to my classroom.
Here is my door, welcoming students to fourth grade:
My theme for the year is Super Heroes. I decided on this for several reasons. There have been so many heroes in the news; good people who set an example of standing up for doing what is right. I thought this could translate well into the classroom. Stand up for what is right, even when it might not be a popular choice or when others make fun of you. We talk quite a bit about this: choosing not to bully and laugh at others, but to be the person who stands up and says, “This is not right.” Be the hero. Sometimes it is difficult for kids this age to think of others besides themselves, but they can learn to empathize with those around them and choose an act of kindness just because it helps someone else. That is the goal – to be able to at least consider what it would be like to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. We will start off by reading the book, The Day You Begin, by Jacqueline Woodson, which teaches that while we are all different, we are very similar as well.
I have also used the Super Hero theme for my AR incentive board. As students reach various goals – it could be reading specific genres, a certain number of books (or points), reaching a particular reading level – whatever fits your reading goals for your class. I hope that as we discuss what it takes to be just an every day hero, we can be motivated to treat others with kindness and respect, no matter what our differences may be.
