Troubles with keeping 6th graders on task? Embrace the chaos, empower the students, and get them engaged by having them present your School News via video once a week! Based on an idea from Kerri Saulnier and her colleagues, I’ve adapted their concept to fit a larger group of students. Many different standards can be addressed as they research and write news segments, then film and edit these videos. The best laid lessons plans oft go awry, and the pandemic definitely put a kink in them. Hear about the failures and successes of doing the News during this past year.
Deb Stender, Johnson Elementary School. This is Deb’s 13th year as the Librarian at JES. Although originally starting undergrad work as a Library Science student, she was sidetracked for several years in a few different professions. Back in the educational system for 20+ years now, Deb believes strongly in endless reading, tinkering around, creating cool stuff, relating school work to real life, igniting students’ passions for obscure topics, and ignoring the status quo.
