How to Keep the Fun in Your Classroom in a World of Curriculums

Last updated on July 22nd, 2023 at 06:54 pm

Is it just me, or does it seem like the fun is being sucked out of the classroom? Part of why I got into teaching as a career is because I thought I’d be able to use my creativity to create engaging and enjoyable lessons based on the standards for my students. More and more with each passing year, I get to do less of that. The reason: Scripted Curriculums

Districts are adopting these curriculums where eveything you say and do is scripted out for you and your admin wants you to teach it “with fidelity.” Sure, you need to possess a certain amount of know-how to keep students engaged and focused on these types of lessons, but you don’t get to exercise your creative muscles in the way you REALLY want to. And your students can feel that.

They know when you’re not fully present when teaching one of these lessons and that you may just be going through the motions. This can effect a student’s behavior, their level of engagement, and how much of the content a student learns. We know our students best and we could reach them a heck of a lot better if we were allowed to let our creative juices flow. So, how do we do that?

It seems this type of curriculum is here for the long haul, so here are some ways I came up with to still be able to use my creativity in the classroom and bring the fun!

The first way is with morning work. You can spice up your morning work in many different ways to keep your students engaged and learning at their level. I used Seesaw, so I could easily differentiate morning work for my students and I wasn’t wasting paper by making unneeded copies for the students who never seem to get to morning work due to varying circumstances. My students enjoyed using Seesaw, especially when I added in activities where they could take pictures or make a recording. Another way is to use morning bins/tubs and rotate them out on a regular basis. I’ve seen teachers have their bin activities be focused on a particular topic like STEM, fine motor, math, or reading. Lastly, you could create your own morning worksheet or find one online and print it for students to complete. My students loved worksheets that include coloring, or cutting and gluing.

Another way is during independent work. That was when my students rotated to different centers/stations. I was able to be creative here and find or create centers that work on the skills my students needed. My grade level team and I, also, used this time to explore a weekly or bi-weekly theme. For instance, my students’ word work would incorporate apple shapes or apple vocabulary for a theme on apples.

Furthermore, you can be creative with rewards or incentives. Most schools I know use PBIS, which is all about focusing on the positive, so use why not use that. My students especially enjoy rewards where we do a special activity, whether it be arts and crafts, a science experiment, or a game. That’s where you can use that activity that you really want to do because you know your students will LOVE it! And when admin walks in, you can say the students earned it for positive behavior.

I, also, found a way to be able to read the books I wanted to share with my students. There are so many great books out there and most curriculums tell you what books to read and when. So, I incorporated a read aloud during “quiet brain break.” That is the time right after recess. You can read about it more in detail here. And if you need books read my post about building a classroom library on a budget here.

Finally, I found that it is easiest to follow a curriculum by the script the first time you teach it, but in the years that follow, if you’re fortunate enough that the curriculum stays the same, you can tweak it to fit your student’s needs and add in elements your students will benefit from such as songs, videos, discussions, or activities. For this one you do still have to follow the curriculum, but at least you can add in your expertise and knowledge about best practices to help your students be successful in learning!

I hope if you’re feeling like you’re just going through the motions or unsatisfied with how things are, that you find inspiration in this post. I hope that you will use it to infuse joy back into your teaching because when you do that, your students will feel joyful and flourish, too! Stay tuned for more posts with specific ideas for morning work and independent work.