On St. Patrick’s Day, we made Leprechaun traps. The students found this lesson quite engaging. They were all very focused both when planning and building their traps. We spent the whole morning on this lesson. We had discussed the criteria the day before, so in the morning they were shown the materials they had access to, and given the opportunity to plan their trap. After recess students got to build their traps. I had prep afterwards, so unfortunately they could not continue after lunch, but they were engaged for the time they had. The students were extremely creative, and showed good critical thinking skills. We had discussed trying to stick to their plan as much as possible, and most did. My biggest wish for this lesson was that I had more time. Spreading this out over a few days would allow for even deeper learning, and more experimentation. I may also change the lesson from being leprechaun traps to something that is less Eurocentric. It would be more inclusive, and would also allow for the lesson to be done at any point during the school year, which may allow for more time to be spent on it.
During the lesson I was fortunate enough to have two additional adults in the class in the form of my coaching teacher and the educational assistant. There is a lot to monitor during this lesson, and the additional adults are necessary. My coaching teacher and I discussed the use of parents or “big buddies” during years without a pandemic. I would not attempt this with young students without additional help. This is a lesson that can be easily adapted for older students, however, and could be done with a single adult in the in the older grades. I am very excited to adapt and improve this lesson for other classes throughout my career, and I look forward to seeing new student’s creativity.
Rather than do an Irish jig for St. Patrick’s Day, I decided to do a Metis jig, specifically the Red River Jig. Even the most simple of the steps are exceedingly hard for this dance, but it seemed more appropriate than an Irish jig. The students seemed to like it, though it was tiring. I am not Metis, so I found some videos to explain the culture around the dance and the steps. We also revisited the concept of respect through effort during the lesson, helping students to understand that when interacting with material from other cultures that they need to be conscientious by putting in their best effort. I would love to introduce this and use it as an action break, especially the week of St. Patrick’s Day. It would also be nice to spend more time on it. Teaching a dance and the culture behind it, but immediately moving on does not allow for much learning. I would be very excited to do this with another class, of virtually any age.