I was inspired by my third grade students during a lesson in our Measurement and Data unit last week. All of my students are Deaf/Hard of Hearing and English Learners. Some have had interrupted education and others have health challenges that has impacted their access to learning. Therefore, it is super-important that I begin every lesson by probing for prior knowledge and listening to their personal connections with the content I'm about to teach. Real world applications make learning meaningful. I presented visual supports to discuss the measurement tools we would be using in the lesson. Once they understood the vocabulary, they excitedly relayed experiences of being measured by a seamstress for special occasion dresses! I quickly adapted my activities to include mock-dress measurement exercises. They had a blast! The take away? Stop and listen to our students.
