In a tidal wave of creative teaching and learning, Meadows Elementary School on Monday rocked their school right out of the box.
Across the nation, Rock Your School challenges teachers and administrators to approach curriculum differently and to give students a day of engaging the required curriculum in a fun, creative, colorful way.
At Meadows, classrooms transformed for the day into an escape room with math review clues, a specials area with games lit up with blacklight, collage making, building a monster and even a veterinary clinic.
Over the years, Tabatha Lemacks has remade her room into a doughnut shop, a pirate ship, a carnival and numerous other settings. This year, she took a cue from her students, who appeared drawn to animals and pets.
“Every year our school participates in Rock Your School and I always like to go outside the box,” the fifth-grade teacher said.
“The kids were very excited when they came in. They have been very interactive. They are talking about cause and effect and text evidence,” she said.
“I like it because it challenges all of us to do something different for the kids. We really have to be creative, and students have to be creative,” said Lemacks. “It can really bring the joy back into the classroom.”
Dressed in scrubs or custom-made lab coats, the fifth-grade students worked in small groups reading scenarios and coming up with answers, all the while using text clues and doing division as part of the activity.
Students working in the pet hospital praised their teachers’ efforts to allow them to learn differently.
“We get to do something all vet themed. It’s fun because we are experiencing a different kind of learning,” said fifth-grader Cadence Dipirro. “It helps because it’s more hands-on and gets people to talk to each other.”
“We’re dressed as veterinarians because we’re thinking differently,” said Julian Apter. “We are doing different writings. Questions are related to the pets. I think that’s cool instead of learning normally. It’s a fun day.”
Jehoshua Wheeler liked the independence moving station to station with friends.
“Today we’re doing a project about veterinarians and animals. We go to a certain station. We read a selection and ask questions,” he said. “We write the answers down and we get to learn about animals and give details.”
“It really puts us together. We got to work with our friends and go from station to station talking and doing active activities and learn together more than we normally do.”
Photos are posted at www.killeenisd.org/photos