Snow Melt

Creation Saturday: A lesson plan for my favorite class

It's Creation Saturday! The November 2, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS"  is
What was your favorite subject in school? Imagine you are teaching your favorite subject, to any grade level you choose. How would you conduct your class?
Create a lesson plan if you want. How do you believe students learn best?

My favorite class in grade school was recess.
My favorite class in junior high (middle school) was gym.
My favorite class in high school was drama.
My favorite classes in college were creative writing and the computer courses.

Thinking back over my formal education, I realize that the reason I liked these courses (all though, I'm not sure that recess can be considered a formal class) was their excitement and creativity. Unlike math and some of the other courses, these weren't boring and I had some choice in what I would do. If I had a choice, I would teach recess. The reason I chose recess is that kids don't seem to know how to have fun without having some piece of technology in their hands. Don't get me wrong, I think technology is wonder and problem the most fun an individual can have sitting down, but children need recess to learn to enjoy and appreciate nature without the use of technology.

Recess, as a class, is intended to last between 30 and 55 minutes; just long enough to give children a break between more strenuous and structured courses. The class would enter a school gymnasium or secured (fenced in) playground. (In my day playgrounds were open and unfenced, but we're living in a different world and playgrounds can't be too secure.)

On the first day, the students will hand the instructor the signed permission slips from their parents which allow the children to take the class. Then the instructor would go over the rules verbally and give each child a handout of the rules to take home to their parents (the parents should have already received a copy when the child was enrolled in the class, but you can't be too careful when it comes to rules.
         Rule 1: No bullying! Any child caught bullying another child will immediately go to the principles office and then detention for a specified number of hours or days (depending on the principles discretion on the outcome of the principle-parent conference).
         Rule 2: No technology allowed on the playground or in the gym. All technological items must be place in the hands of the instructor until after recess.
         Rule 3: If the student feels unwell or is somehow hurt during recess contact the instructor immediately for an escort to the nurses office.

The following day would encourage creativity, sharing, enjoyment, and playing nice.

Quote of the Day: “Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning…. They have to play with what they know to be true in order to find out more, and then they can use what they learn in new forms of play.” – Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood