In the Flinders Room

This week we decided to take our classroom outside! We set up a home-corner style classroom for the boys to experiment in. Paper, whiteboards, writing utensils and a daily roll were put out for the students to use. All the boys were very eager to use the roll, and to be ‘the teacher’. This activity provided the opportunity for boys to experiment with writing and drawing, to read to each other on the mat and to experiment with giving directions and instructions. It was wonderful to hear the boys use appropriate language to connect this experience with the known daily routine of the classroom.
‘Today is T,t,t Tuesday!’ said Federico as he put the tags up on the board.
He went on, ‘Today is sunny, and today, Clark has Show and Tell.’.
This is the usual morning routine that we follow each day.
Jasper and Lachlan were recording family names on the whiteboards.
‘This says Jasper Antonas, Dad Antonas, Mum Antonas and now Basil Antonas.’ He read proudly.
‘I’m going to write Marcus. That’s my brother’s name.’ said Braheem, before writing the letters S-A-M on his board. ‘Now I’m going to write Dad’s name. He’s called Uncle Pauly.’

It was a wonderfully empowering time for the boys. They read, wrote and chatted confidently and took a lot of pride in their work. Many boys involved themselves in tasks that they would sometimes be more reluctant to try. It was lovely to observe!