Healthy Start

The Healthy Start project is over, and now I have time to reflect. It was the beginning of a half day LTO in York Region, and I wanted to hit the ground running. I had created a similar Building Outside the Blocks project called the Extro (Extra Ordinary) with a 21days to success frame, but the focus was very different. The Extro was about committing to and tracking any change such as learning to get along with a sibling, to clean your room, to help your parents around the house etc. It was a a wonderful Language Arts assignment, but I was not teaching that subject in this role. Teaching Health to a split class as part of a "prep coverage" job that began the first week of January, Even though I would be teaching a few different classes, I would be spending most of my afternoons with this bunch. I really wanted to first get to know who was in the room, get a sense of their learning skills and get them thinking about the curriculum while helping them explore themselves, their interests and needs. That is why I decided to repurpose the Extro and create The Healthy Start project. BOBs are so high yielding that I could accomplish all of that with one project.

One of the goals for the Healthy Start project was to get my students thinking about health as related to nutrition, exercise and overall wellness including mental health. How would I do that with this Grade 3/4 class? On my first day with them, I had them brainstorm around this image:

After, we shared the definitions as a class and discovered that many students only included healthy eating and physical activity. I had them turn the paper over and gave them some time to think-pair-share around the image adding words or pictures to show their thinking:

That really helped the class round out their definition and begin to consider the provocation I gave them for homework due our next health class: What are some things you could start or stop doing to live a healthier life? The next week, we began thinking out loud on butcher paper. The students listed things they thought they could commit to starting and/or stopping over the next 21 school days. Here is their graffiti board:

Each student committed to starting or stopping something related to health, nutrition, active lifestyle or wellness for 21 days. They recorded their commitment to what they would do or not for this time period in their outline. They also signed up for a date to present a product that would reflect their accomplishments. I love how many students wanted to move their dates up after the first week of presentations because they were more excited and now clear on the expectations after seeing their classmates model the success criteria through their work. Some students wanted to move their dates back because they weren't ready, were off track or really wanted to procrastinate. A few students presented just to me over lunch. All of these are viable ways to see learners and help program for them as individuals on their learning continuum, especially with regards to learning skills.

Each week for the following 3 weeks, the students wrote journal entires about how they were doing in view of their goals. This was a great way into seeing the student's written communication. I really wanted to get my new students thinking about their actions and reflecting deeply, and I could see that the writing was a challenge for some. As a result, I was able to suggest talk to text or, for others, I suggested video recording. For others, it was a chance for me to offer support or redirect them. The journal entires were very helpful tools in setting the students up for success in their process and in their products.

Some of the products included posters, sculptures, art and video.

He wanted to eat more protein, so he shared a video of how he learned to eat tofu:

She wanted to learn to like eggs, as it was something her mom had been trying to encourage for a while. She celebrated her accomplishment asa sculpture in her favourite form of the food she learned to enjoy:

He had a lot of nervous energy that he released by picking at the skin around his nails, often hurting himself. He wanted to stop and worked with his parents to find other ways to channel these feelings. He created a hand to celebrate his unpicked skin and added a testimonial of the challenge and pride in this difficult accomplishment:

She wanted to exercise more and committed to skipping 100 times every evening. She even decided to track it on a chart to make sure that she didn't forget:

He made a slideshow to contrast the foods that he used to eat and the ones that he eats now:

She made a video to show how she made the healthy fruit shakes that began each of her days for the total time of her Healthy Start commitment:

He got a puppy and took on the responsibility fo walking her daily as part if his commitment to a more active lifestyle:

The projects spanned the spectrum of possibility. Some of the projects showed a lot of commitment, and a lot of hard independent work. Some showed a lot of effort but little thinking. Others showed a lot of thinking, but little independent learning. Every one of the projects was a way to see the individual learner, give them a chance to personalize their learning and help me see what skills each needed to develop. Complementary lessons had even more context and students could deeply relate to because they were engaged in a process to live healthier lifestyles. I was able to meet many curriculum expectations simultaneously.

IMG_4730

IMG_4705

IMG_4622

IMG_4479

As with all of my Building Outside the Blocks and other projects, gathering student reflections is essential. Building in time to reflect on the overall process and result of learning through a project is an an opportunity to gauge its success for the learner, beyond the process and product. Reflections provide insight to the enduring learning while also giving me a chance to iterate and improve the projects.

Here are some of the reflections gathered from the class:

I want to continue my commitment to my Healthy Start project for the rest of my life - Ben B

I like the project because I like to draw, and I like to stay healthy- Anastasiya

I like the Healthy Start project because I got to know the other people's goals and how they reached them- Michelle

I got to show another side of my mind because a lot of people have only gotten to see me at school. Through my video, I got to show another side of my emotions.- Ben A.

I like to do it because I got to go on the computer every day and write down what I did. I liked making the slideshow and video for my Healthy Start project- Alexia

When I was making my poster, I was excited to present, What I was presenting, I felt nervous. After I presented, it felt good to get it all done- Diaco

I like the project because it got me thinking about how to be healthy and eat healthier foods- Olivia

When I presented, I felt proud of myself because I accomplished something that i had worked hard on. When I showed the unhealthy food, people were more excited about them than the healthy ones.- Yali

It was fun. You got to write about what you have been doing, you got to accomplish something you never thought you could do and you got to make something that was fun for you and share it with the class- Grace

I liked the project because I got to have a chance to change what I’ve been eating. At first I was very scared to present but, when I got into it, I was more confident. - David

The Healthy Start project gave me a lot to work from and a lot to work with. I can't wait to create another BOB for this group. My Grade 4 Science class is going to be introduced to We Will Rock You- a Rocks and Minerals project, and my 1/2 Phys Ed students have already begun leading a game of their choice and/or invention as my newest BOB for the youngest age group yet. It's called Game On! Looking forward to sharing those experiences, too. Regardless f what's to come, this project was a Healthy Start and a great beginning to this role.