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Goal

For so long I have tried to think outside of the box and to teach in exciting ways. But forget that box--my new goal is to teach from on top of it! I want to teach in a way that brings multiple subject areas together while engaging and challenging students daily through Kagan learning strategies. My goal is for students to master fourth grade language arts standards while simultaneously incorporating science and social studies standards into their daily reading and writing. I want students to have the opportunity not only to learn about the world around them, but to be able to express their learning in various ways. I am a firm believer in cooperative learning and giving students multiple ways to express themselves.  

What will be done with my students

Each year I strive to incorporate and embed more and more of our grade level science and social studies content into language arts instruction. I have reorganized my lessons so that I can teach by thematic units, rather than by weekly lessons. This has given me the opportunity to incorporate science and social studies content that is being taught in other parts of the day. These units of study are repeated with each new fourth grade class I get, and I continue to try and add new materials each year to the units of study. The overall theme of the year has shifted away from route memorization and random fictional stories and more towards how students can make a difference in the world. They do this through units that cover conservation, local Native American history, American history, the Civil Rights movement, the Holocaust and much more! We read biographies, learn from guest speakers and take a cooperative approach when learning. Kagan structures help create an environment that is collaborative and engaging, while also holding each and every student accountable. 

Benefits to my students

Students benefit because they are able to truly focus in on specific topics for longer periods of time and are able to extend their learning in many ways. Students are able to connect what their learning across multiple platforms, and dive deeper into content material. We can focus on the standard of cause and effect in reading, while learning about Native Americans found in South Florida, and at the same time also be reading a novel in small groups that is based in the same time period in history. Students become very comfortable in the material being used to teach and with and this helps build confidence.  

Budget Narrative

I would like to be able to add to my teaching resources mainly in the areas of available reading materials. I would like to add small book groups within each unit of study as well as some other short stories that correspond to the already existing science and social studies content material I currently use. Many of the titles listed are from local authors who write story lines about issues pertinent to southwest Florida. The Kagan materials are requested to help me continue the collaborative and engaging style of teaching that I strive to maintain in my classroom.  

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