Things have been pretty quiet here at A Waldorf Journey. Server issues and plug-in failures have meant that if you’ve tried to come check things out here, you may have been disappointed!
Well, I’m happy to say things are polished up and working well again. I’ve updated some links and fixed the issues with my e-commerce plug-in, so if you’re teaching fifth grade (like I am) you’ll find it a lot easier to get materials to guide your way.
Throughout this year I’ve been going through my old materials and using them quite a bit in my own teaching. I’m finding that I did a pretty good job of putting them together (if I do say so myself.) The process has also inspired me to take a look at putting together last year’s 4th grade work and get 6th grade ready in preparation for next year.
In my class these days, we’re in an Ancient Civilizations block. I just finished telling the story of Gilgamesh and I used this book by Bernarda Bryson as a primary resource. The timing of our play block was such that I’ve chosen to perform the Gilgamesh play with this class (I used it with my last class, too.) Several of my students had their hearts set on a Greek Mythology play, so I’m cooking up an idea to have them write and perform short plays on the myths, rather than write reports. It’s an exciting idea but I’ll have to see if I can build enough framework around it to make it doable.
I’m also already thinking quite a lot about sixth grade and meeting the needs of my diverse group of kids. They’re a lot of fun, but they sure keep me on my toes!
I’ve also recently come to the decision to start weaning my students off of their need to imitate my work in order to do their best. I want them to start to follow their instincts when it comes to their artistic work, so I’m completing less main lesson book work of my own and will probably have less to share with you. I do still enjoy a good chalkboard drawing, though. Here’s our most recent — the symbol of Ahura Mazda from Ancient Persia.
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