Independence Day

#BTBC14 Day 4
Today's prompt is about what I like to teach.  I am going to make a list of 5 things.  I guess Five for Friday is a popular link up on Fridays, but as I am still adjusting to having an audience, I think I will just link over to BigTime Literacy this week.  Still getting my feet wet with this audience thing!

In honor of Independence Day, I am going to make a list of 5 lessons I have taught about America.

5 Things to Promote Independence in Our Classrooms

1. Model, Model, Model
"You can't not model."  We heard that at a training somewhere in the past.  So, if you can't not model, then we might as well use it to show our students exactly what we want them to do.  They will know how to do things by themselves, too.

2. Growth Mindset
Have a growth mindset in your class.  If you and your students truly believe that they are always making progress and ok with making mistakes, then they won't be afraid to fail.  That will create a willingness to be independent.

3. Clear Objectives
The clearer we are with what we want the kids to do, the more successful they will be at it.  If the objectives are clear and posted, then they can't forget them, either.  What are we teaching today?  Why?

4. Stamina Building
Nobody can do anything for long stretches without practice.  OK, maybe that isn't entirely true.  My husband can wake up and run a marathon without a lot of training.  But, on those runs he certainly doesn't get his PR.  We need to build stamina through practice, whether it is in reading, writing, math, running, whatever.  Practice leads to stamina, which then creates endurance.  More on that at another time...

5. Goal Setting
If students have their own goals, they work toward them.  Think about our Founding Fathers on this Independence Day.  They had a clear goal: They wanted sovereignty.  They wanted a country all their own, and here we are in the United States of America.  :)  Goals help drive independent thoughts and actions.

     There we are... 5 things to help promote independence in our classrooms.  This list is not exhaustive, and might not even be my top 5 things, but it is the 4th of July.  If you have something to add to the list, share it in the comments!

    Enjoy the 4th with your family. Here's a little splash of patriotic fun from the Kids' Dash last night.  Have a good one today!