I Can Be Series
This past school year was my classroom’s first experience with the “I Can Be” series. This series is a fun, easy way to bring families into the classroom via a three-minute cell phone video. Three minutes was necessary because the video could be shared from the parent to me quickly. This project allows the families of your students to talk about their occupation, take a tour of their workplace, tell about something that they are interested in, or share a hobby that they have. The goal is to show students all that they can be!
Early in the school year, I sent a questionnaire to my students’ families asking them what their jobs, hobbies, and interests were. I had quite a few responses sent back with varying occupations and interests. I’ve linked the form here if you would like to use it for your families.
Ms. Tamra brought our class dental hygiene goodie bags filled with toothbrushes, toothpaste, and dental floss after we watched her video about good dental health practices.
During our study of the spelling Floss Rule, we had a Dental Assistant mom talk to us from her dental office about how to keep our teeth clean, show us some tools she uses, and show us around her office. She even brought our class dental hygiene gift bags filled with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss!
We had an Emergency Room Registered Nurse mother talk to our students about how to stay well and care for our bodies to prevent getting sick. We watched this video when we learned the -ck ending after a short vowel and met the Clue Buddy Sick Rick. This mom gave each student a personal hand sanitizer!
A mother that works in a local college cafeteria showed us around the kitchen area. We got this tour when we were learning about different service industries. The kids loved going behind the scenes, the variety of foods on the buffet line, and seeing meat get cooked on an open flame!
These videos were no longer than three minutes, but made a big impact and had so much information packed in. The class loved it! The child of the parent sharing was so proud to see their family member on the big screen! The child’s face, when he/she realized who is on the video, was priceless.
This project was unique to our class because it was relevant, virtual, and featured talented parents right in our very own classroom. Many parents work while their children are at school, so it can be challenging to get them into the school. With this method, parents can be involved, share their passion, teach something new to the students, and supplement the learning in the classroom.
I plan on doing this project again this coming school year, especially since it might be more difficult to get guests into our schools due to the pandemic.
If you try the “I Can Be” series with your class, I would love to hear how it goes!
*All videos and pictures used with permission.