Big paper, bigger ideas
from Listen to the Story Hosted by Bethel School District
Inside a 5th grade classroom at Frederickson Elementary, students gather in small groups, crouched over giant sheets of paper spread across the room. They are tackling a brand new math unit focused on “interpreting fractions as division by writing remainders as fractions.” But rather than writing quietly on small worksheets, these fifth graders are filling every inch of paper with large numbers, division symbols, and mathematical vocabulary. “Go big! Explore the paper!” teacher Mark Nevatt calls out, spreading his arms wide with a smile. “Huge!” Nevatt, a 26-year veteran teacher, retired from the profession only to find that he missed teaching. He returned to the classroom, bringing his enthusiasm and energy back to the students. “I missed this,” Nevatt said. “I can’t believe they pay me to do this. It’s the greatest job in the world.” Moving from group to group, Nevatt hands out high fives, checks for understanding, and asks questions as students collaborate. “Give me a thumbs up if you understand what I just said.” Rather than lecturing from the front, Nevatt sets each group up with one math problem to solve and present to the class. “This is your piece. You’re going to explain it to the class,” Nevatt tells one group. “You guys are going to teach me!” That student-driven focus extends to the classroom walls, where Nevatt intentionally makes space to showcase student work. “I don’t want my printing to dominate,” Nevatt announces. “This is your room!”
Embed this episode
No transcript yet.