Inside the Classroom: Carmen Martinez - Roanoke Elementary
Inside the Classroom: Carmen Martinez - Roanoke Elementary
Inside the Classroom is a series that visits Northwest ISD campuses throughout the year and highlights the magical moments that happen between teachers and students each and every day across the entire 234 square miles of NISD.
Leche (milk), sangre caliente (warm-blooded) and tienen pelo (they have hair). Those are some of the properties of mamiferos (mammals) as described by pre-kindergarten students in Carmen Martinez’s dual language class.
For this week’s Inside the Classroom, we visited Ms. Martinez’s class at Roanoke Elementary where the Rangers were learning all things mammals in very interactive ways.
The lesson started with students seated on a rug in the front of the room. Ms. Martinez, a 23-year teaching veteran, introduced the topic of mammals, then began showing pictures of mammals. Students said what the animal was, primarily speaking Spanish on the day we visited.
Ms. Martinez had to step away for a moment, so Andreina Hernandez, a dual language paraprofessional, took over. She continued to show photos of animals as students clapped out the number of syllables in the word.
Next, Ms. Martinez asked students to share the properties they know about mammals, and she wrote their answers for the class to see. She then explained that students would write about and draw a mammal of their choice in their journal. Ms. Martinez gave the students an example.
From whales to pigs, students let their creativity shine through. Some even took a look at the numerous mammals pictured around the room for inspiration.
Before each unit, Ms. Martinez and Ms. Hernandez spend time decorating their classroom and flex space on theme with the upcoming lesson. They pay extra attention to the centers that students will freely play and learn in, and that is where students went next after they drew their mammals.
Some students role played as veterinarians and customers, promoting communication skills. Others learned about animal habitats. Some separated animals into mammals and non-mammals.
One station promoted artistic creativity to make cows out of paper plates. Another sharpened students’ curiosity and investigative skills as they searched the room for different animals.
Students had the freedom to choose their own activity and to move to another when they wanted. No matter where they chose to spend the next 30-45 minutes, they all had lots of chances to play, but Ms. Martinez and Ms. Hernandez made sure their play was with a purpose. The time and preparation these teachers put into making their classroom environment welcoming and engaging was outstanding, but it is their love and care for their students that truly made them roar!
Check back regularly all year as we continue to visit students and teachers throughout Northwest ISD and offer a rarely seen look Inside the Classroom.