Creativity

I continued to be amazed by how much creativity kids really have. In my classroom a lot of my assignments are differentiated by giving choice to my students. I allow them to decide how they want their projects to look, and what they want to do with their projects. I give them the assignment and what I am looking for and they get to decide how they get there.

One assignment that my students just completed was to create their own folktale/fairytale/children's story. I was amazed by how creative and thoughtful these stories turned out to be. One of my students created a story that was like Hansel and Gretel, except in his story they were out for a walk because their mother sent them out to get some exercise. They weren't able to to walk very far because they would get tired quickly. Eventually they ran into this house of candy and they started to eat it. So far sort of like the real Hansel and Gretel, that's where his creativity started to blossom. He used detailed words and kept the reader interested in what was going to happen next.

It is amazing to see how much our students grow throughout the year. They are able to expand their knowledge in so many ways. The young boy who wrote the Hansel and Gretel story was upset with how I would have him expand on his writing at the beginning of the year, but to see how much he has grown and to see him explore new words within his writing has been such a great accomplishment. I am very proud of all of my students and the growth they have shown me throughout the year so far.