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Classroom Transformations Make Learning Fun and Memorable

Recently, third-grade teachers Rebecca Daniel and Antonia Keen transformed their classroom into an operating room. This break from the normal routine, in which students donned gloves, masks, booties, and hair coverings to “perform surgery” on informational texts in the morning and fractions in the afternoon, is designed to enhance retention of newly acquired knowledge.  

Students had a prescribed number of minutes at each station to “operate” on the tasks at hand. At one station, the young learners matched up the parts of a non-fiction work with definitions and pictures. At another station, they actively explored the various features found in non-fiction texts. For instance, it is very important to learn what an index is and where it is in a book.  

The third-grade teaching team has created other room transformations to introduce new units of study. In the past, they have recreated game shows, such as “Deal or No Deal,” and detective scenarios, complete with fancy detective hats and magnifying glasses.  

Ms. Daniel says she hopes her students thoroughly enjoy these transformation activities that they go home and talk about with their families.