Inside the Classroom: Kelsey Wallace - Granger Elementary
Inside the Classroom: Kelsey Wallace - Granger 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.
“Saw my teacher on a Saturday! I can’t believe it’s true! I saw her buying groceries, like normal people do!”
This week, Inside the Classroom visited Kelsey Wallace who was not buying groceries like normal people, but instead was in her classroom on a Wednesday teaching third graders at Kay Granger Elementary how to analyze poetry.
Ms. Wallace, in her 13th year at Granger, teaches reading, writing and social studies, and for our visit she was using the poem Saw My Teacher on a Saturday, plus her vast knowledge of instructional technology, to guide her students.
Students began the lesson sitting together on the floor in the front of the room. After reading the poem aloud as a class, Ms. Wallace encouraged students to turn and talk with a partner. Students discussed the plot and characters, elements they had previously learned and were now putting into practice.
After labeling the parts of the poem, including lines and stanzas, Ms. Wallace asked students to return to their desk and open their Chromebooks. She directed them to a Padlet where three questions about the poem were waiting for them. Padlet is a real-time, collaborative web platform where students can share content with classmates on virtual bulletin boards.
As students returned to their desks, Ms. Wallace pulled a small group of students to the side and reminded them about Mote, a speech-to-text tool they could use as part of an accommodation in their personal learning plan.
Once all students were logged into their Chromebooks and working in groups to answer the three questions on the Padlet, Ms. Wallace began to walk around the class and check on each group’s progress. Some groups remained at their desks while others found comfortable places on the floor.
Ms. Wallace reminded students to answer in complete sentences and provide evidence to support their statements, key advice that will serve them throughout their academic career.
Although students were spending much of the lesson on their devices, they were quickly able to turn their attention back to Ms. Wallace when necessary. Whenever she had something to discuss with the entire class, Ms. Wallace asked students to put their device in “courtesy mode,” meaning students partially closed the lid of their laptop and gave all of their attention to Ms. Wallace.
After each group completed all three questions, Ms. Wallace gathered the class back together on the carpet and began to lead a discussion based on their Padlet responses. She asked students what they thought went well during the lesson, but also what was challenging.
Many students were willing to share their experiences, showing their ability to analyze poetry and do so using the technology available at their fingertips.
With a teacher like Ms. Wallace to guide them, these Granger Wranglers are laying the foundation for the rest of their academic journey and life after NISD.
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.