Today, I had one of my best lessons in language arts with one of my students walking on the field during recess. We started with an impromptu retelling of the Three Little Pigs. We then moved on to Little Red Riding Hood. We continued the story retelling at lunch recess with Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The student surprised me with his animated and accurate retelling of the stories. Once we finished Goldilocks, I started asking him how Goldilocks felt at different parts of the story. When I asked him how Goldilocks felt when she first approached the house in the forest. I was expecting him to say sad or scared. Instead he said “nervous”. Walking outside surrounded by children playing, we were able to delve deeper into the story and the character’s feelings than we would have inside the classroom.
John Kershaw (@jmkershaw) teaches students with autism. He has a strong belief in helping all students find their place in the community.