Mrs. Slaviero's Blog

 Spring seems to be here, and classroom routines are in place for the most part. I'm trying something new but also staying focused on emphasizing the ideas and concepts that I value in my classroom. Takeaways: Emphasize and reinforce what's important. For example, I often want my students to discuss our learning together. Whenever I see a student group want to default to working on a question independently I gently remind them that I learn from them everyday, and I've taught this subject for many years. I make it clear that if I can learn from them they can certainly learn from each other. I take the opportunity to reiterate the significance of academic discussions. I'm remembering to acknowledge student birthdays on or as close to the student's actual day as possible. Yes, it does take forethought and planning (I have 140 students) but it matters to me, and it seems to be appreciated by them. LEGACY . It's everything, especially in the spring as these 8th Grad

One of the most fun topics we've studied this year in Language Support-History is American Football. Teaching and playing flag football has been part of my LS 21st Century Michigan Thanksgiving unit every year since I've taught this class, but it's especially exciting this year because of the success of the Detroit Lions! There's no denying Michigan is sports-focused. We have one of the most dedicated fan bases around--whether it's football, basketball, hockey, or baseball. It's important for students new to America to feel part of the pulse of their new region, and in this case that definitely includes sports.  We spent time learning about some of the scoring involved in football, some of the positions, and understanding downs. We practiced vocabulary, watched a few clips, and set off to play! My students really enjoyed playing and we've talked a little bit about the historic nature of this year's season. Not every student watches football at home, and