Author: Hailey Colman

What do we have in common with each other? What is unique about us?

Photo by Raquel Martínez on Unsplash

Hi 1st graders! Today, for our reading block we are going to focus on something called comparing and contrasting. Comparing means to notice what two things have in common. It can be seeing what is the same between two people, two pictures, or two situations. What do you notice is the same in both of these photos?

(Wait for the students to point out things like the boats, palm trees, ocean water, sand, clouds in the sky, etc.)

Now we will talk about contrasting. This means to point out what is different between two things. What is different between these two photos?

(Wait for students to point out things like the cat vs. dog, dog being asleep vs. cat being awake, dog being inside vs cat being outside, dog laying down vs. cat climbing a tree, dog is older vs kitten, etc.)

Now we are going to listen to a read aloud of a book called Same, Same But Different.

We will now be partnering up to learn more about what we have in common with our classmates. With our partners, we will also find out things that are unique to us. The best part of this is, both are great! It is very fun to find out things that you and your friends share in common. It is also good to learn about things that your friends do that you may not do yourself because you get to learn more about them and maybe find out about something new to try. Here are some questions you and your partner can ask each other to find out what is “same, same, but different” about each other:

1. Do you have any pets? What kinds of pets do you have, what are their names, how old are they, what do they look like?
2. What is your favorite TV show? What is your favorite book? What is your favorite movie?
3. Do you have any siblings? How old are they? Do you like spending time with them?
4. What are your favorite things to do after school?
5. Where are your favorite places to visit?
6. What is one thing that you think is super special about yourself?

Beach 1: Photo by Elizeu Dias on Unsplash

Beach 2: Photo by Colin Watts on Unsplash

Kitten: Photo by Koen Eijkelenboom on Unsplash

Dog: Photo by Irina on Unsplash

Dog and Cat: Photo by Andrew S on Unsplash

Girl Reading: Photo by Josh Applegate on Unsplash

Siblings: Photo by Zoe Graham on Unsplash

Kids Swimming: Photo by JVR X 88 on Unsplash

Kid Swinging: Photo by Myles Tan on Unsplash

ideas for an inclusive, student-centered classroom

Photo by note thanun on Unsplash

Idea 1: Value the Uniqueness of Your Students

One of the most self-explanatory steps in building a student-centered classroom is to notice the individuality of your students and celebrate that. Each student brings their own gifts and talents into the classroom. Looking back on my own educational experiences, I especially loved the teachers who took time to get to know me and pushed me to recognize all the assets I brought to the classroom. This can be as simple as giving every student a specific, positive comment each day. I also believe in greeting all students as they enter the classroom, which is a great way to get a read on what state of mind a student is in upon arriving to class. Here is a video showing a first-grade teacher who uses this practice in her own classroom.

Idea 2: Meet Your Students’ Basic Needs

Before real learning can happen, it is so important to meet your students’ basic needs. When I did field experience in a first grade class at César Chávez Elementary, my CT, Mrs. Johnson would always make sure that her students had enough food to eat for snack or lunch time and that they had an adequate coat when they were going outside to play. She knew that it would be much harder to teach her students if their basic needs were ignored. If she noticed a student who was struggling to focus, she would pull them aside and address what might be challenging them. a good amount of the time, they simply needed to grab some food from her snack drawer and then they were able to re-focus on their work.

Idea 3: Make the Classroom Environment One That Invites Student Success

The physical classroom environment can have a big impact on a student’s school experience. A few ideas that I want to implement in my own classroom include: having a diverse classroom library (it is so important for students to see themselves represented in the texts they read), filling the room with plants (having the students help take care of them can be a great source of responsibility), and adding string lights around the room (the florescent lighting typically found in classrooms can be harsh and headache-inducing). I also want to include a calming corner in my classroom with a beanbag chair, puzzles, a music player and headphones with soothing music (rain music always calms me down), and other manipulatives like a plastic bottle with glitter and little trinkets.

Idea 4: Don’t Tackle This Job Alone

As someone who refuses to ask for help in most scenarios, this idea can be hard for me to abide by. However, trying to be a teacher without relying on outside help not only gets in the way of your job success, it harms your students. If we want to be the best teachers possible, we must learn to ask for help from our fellow teachers, administrators, and parents. As cliché as it sounds, asking for helping is truly a sign of strength, not weakness. Here is one of my favorite teacher podcasts that sums up this idea really well.

Idea 5: Constantly Improve Your Teaching Practice

In order to build the best classroom possible, it is also important for the teacher to be a lifelong learner. To me, this involves being on the look-out for new tips and tricks, whether they come from podcasts, professional development events, or even TikToks. There is so much to be learned from other educators and we owe it to our students to constantly improve our teaching practice. For example, here is a TikTok with an example of how to teach fairness in the early elementary grades.

@aimeesedventures

#howiteach fairness to my #elementarystudents #iteach #backtoschool #teachersoftiktok #teachersontiktok #teacher #teachingontiktok #classroom

♬ original sound – Aimee | Elementary Teacher

Podcasts are also a great tool for becoming a better teacher and I love that you can listen to them while driving, doing the dishes or going on a walk. Here is one I listened to in my ED 442 (Reading & Language Arts Methods) class that discusses how teachers should value the linguistic variety in their students rather than viewing it with a deficit mindset.