And the Winner is...Maker Space

The end of the school year inevitably means awards ceremonies. Last year, I wanted to try out maker space in the language arts classroom, so I had a brilliant idea...class awards ceremony. 

  The students were instructed to create an original award for themselves. It could be about anything that happens in school...not limited to language arts class. It was a rousing success, so I'm repeating it. We've brainstormed possible awards to win. They get to win the award they've always wanted to win. They pick what's important to them in an award. These awards show me what they value in their days. It's amazing! 

We watched lots of acceptance speeches and analyzed them as mentor texts and they have started composing their acceptance speeches. Next week during the classroom ceremony, they will give their acceptance speeches to the class. 

Finally, we create the actual awards. Some students brought in supplies and I provided some...paper plates, paper cups, stickers, and a few other things. We spent a huge chunk of class time making awards. The energy was high and exciting!

I love watching these almost-seventh-graders turn back into little kids playing with arts and crafts. Some of them looked intense as they created, some of them giggled and others found themselves frustrated with their creations. Problem-solving at it's best when I hear questions like, "How do I make this stand?" The conversations revolved around the best way to create these awards and the results are astounding. 

Taking time to MAKE in the language arts classroom is vital. It sparks such creativity and collaboration. I can't wait for our ceremony next week!

Thank you to Ruth Ayres for providing this space for sharing our celebrations. Please join us and share your own!