I first found the idea of classroom transformations on Pinterest toward the end of my first year of teaching. As a former theater kid, the idea caught my attention. I mean, costumes, set, and a plot line. It’s basically an academic theatrical production. Right up my alley!
I had already been working to come up with more engaging, relevant ways to present material and help students make connections and this seemed like a logical step to work toward.
I started with just costumes. I would dress up to present a lesson. The kids loved it, and honestly so did I. Then I moved to themed days, but still no decorations so I could focus on the lessons. Eventually, I made it to my first ever transformation in 2018, the Apostrophe Catastrophe, to review and practice language skills we’d been working on. I was hooked. But it was a learning process to get to completely organized, purposeful, and rigorous transformations.
So, let’s chat about what a transformation is and is not. This is where I start to get a handle on planning exactly what I want my students to learn and achieve.
A transformation IS rigorous, standards-based instruction at its core. I like doing a transformation for skills or units my students historically have struggled with. The added engagement helped students stay focused and be willing to put forth the extra effort needed to be successful. It IS organized and still sticks to a general daily routine (or it does in my classroom, anyways. This one isn’t a hard and fast necessity). It IS something that will interest the kids and match your instruction. It includes a clear goal at the end with learning targets the students understand and explain.
It is NOT a bunch of decorations accompanied by non-academic based games all day. It is NOT a party, contrary to what some people have assumed. It is NOT a compilation of random activities that match the theme. It is NOT a way to get out of instruction. And it is NOT a huge expense.
When I plan my transformations, I always start with the standards. For example, I love doing a transformation when doing measurement in math because the kids tend to struggle with it. The fun factor keeps them motivated to keep going. Now, the nay-sayers have said “Well, they should be motivated to learn hard things without the show.” That’s true, but they’re also children and if we’re being completely honest, sometimes they need a little nudge. And that’s ok. Sometimes I need a nudge, too.
Really though, a transformation can be whatever you want it to, but the important part is that it is standards based and appropriately rigorous. The goal is still learning with fun as the bonus.
I am going to tell you about my first ever transformation, the Apostrophe Catastrophe, and tell you exactly what I did wrong. That way you can learn from my mistakes and not have to make them yourself. You’re welcome.
I am not going to pretend to be perfect in this space. I make a lot of mistakes. Sometimes I do things and they don’t turn out well. It’s not the end of the word and my goal is always to be transparent and honest.
I student taught in Kindergarten and a student once misheard the word apostrophe for “catastrophe”. Thus, began an inside joke with every class I have taught about how forgetting an apostrophe is a grammatical catastrophe.
My 3rd graders came to school and a sign on the door that read “School Name General Hospital”. They all had a note on their desk explaining the apostrophe catastrophe and the task ahead of them with a fun code breaking starter for their morning work. Our math lesson wasn’t themed, although it could have been.
For our actual themed lesson, it was just independent practice. They used bandages to add apostrophes to possessives and did surgery on contractions. It was, overall, very simple. As were the decorations. The kids acted like we were on a field trip to Disney World, though, so I call it a big win.
My biggest mistakes were that I actually came up with my theme before I came up with my skills. I decided to do a hospital but then tried to find a skill we had worked on recently that they needed more practice with. This isn’t a terrible idea, but it also prevented me from really targeting what they needed the most. I don’t advise taking this route.
(also thank to Covid I'm not sure I will ever do a transformation with masks again...)
I also don’t think the activities I chose were rigorous enough. The words weren’t really in context, which is where they were struggling. I did the activities to fit the theme, not what they really needed. Major mistakes were made. Ultimately, they still learned and had fun but it wasn’t what it could have been. I learned a lot from that transformation and have grown because of it.
But now you don’t have to make the mistakes to learn from them. Just trust me, ok? Or don’t, it’s your choice. I hope this cleared up some ideas about classroom transformations and maybe even inspired you to try it out! I will be back with more behind the scenes thoughts and snippets of past transformations! If you're ready to dive in, check out my transformation planner on Teacher Pay Teachers! Classroom Transformation Planner by AKA Miss Wells | TpT (teacherspayteachers.com)
With love,
Erin, aka Miss Wells
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