By Payton Tholstrup
Photo courtesy of GES
Garfield Elementary School (GES) leads the district with the largest class sizes this year, enrolling 176 students between its 4th and 5th grades. The start of the school year isn’t just about sharpened pencils and new backpacks; it’s also about new ideas and opportunities taking shape inside the classrooms.
“Students in 4th and 5th grade rotate classes at GES. Each homeroom teaches ELA, plus an additional subject, like Math, Science, or Social Studies,” said Rachael Roberts, Principal at GES.
Students have math and ELA every day, and then either science or social studies, depending on the grade level’s rotation schedule.
GES has also incorporated Novel Studies, held on Mondays and Tuesdays. Teachers select a grade-appropriate book to read to students, and then students choose which book they’d like to listen to. There are 10 different choices, and students stay in the one they choose for about a quarter.
“Because students can select any of the 10 choices, teachers have a nice mix of 4th and 5th-grade students in their novel studies. Many novel studies finish one book and start a sequel, and do follow-up activities, comprehension checks, and more. It’s a great way to introduce students to new authors and genres they may not have known otherwise, and who doesn’t love being read aloud to?” said Mrs. Roberts.
Another benefit of novel studies is that they allow teachers to get to know students they may not otherwise see.
On Wednesdays and Thursdays, students participate in Bengal Innovators. This is a way for students to explore new interests and take an active leadership role in their learning. Like novel studies, students select from 8-10 different activities to attend and are grouped at random. Teachers lead a variety of different classes; popular innovators include diamond painting, outdoor games, jewelry making, community service, photography, and more.
“What’s fun is that as the year progresses, students get ideas for Bengal Innovators they want to lead, and they can present their idea to me with a unit outline. Since most Innovators last 8 days, they need to have a unit plan for all 8 days and a cooperating teacher who acts as a supervisor,” she said.
Sarah Cott, school counselor, leads a successful school-wide job program. Interested students can apply for jobs such as Heavy Lifters (distributing Harvesters’ donations),
Junior Custodians (helping custodian Starr clean), Kindness Crew (doing random acts of kindness throughout the school), and more.
5th-grade students can even apply to be managers for these jobs. They are required to fill out a real application with references. Once hired, they help train recruits and supervise jobs as they are done.
Probably what is most unique about GES is Freedom 50, which is the school’s lunch and recess time. “We call it Freedom 50 because students have 50 minutes where they can eat lunch, get help on assignments in tutoring, read, draw, and play games in the library, or go to recess,” said Mrs. Roberts.
Students get to choose when and where they go, but they are all required to eat lunch. If a teacher sends them to tutoring, they are also required to report there.
There is a bell about halfway through the 50-minute block to serve as a reminder that if students haven’t eaten yet, they need to do so. Mrs. Roberts keeps track of who has come into each lunch and calls in any students who may have forgotten.
“Students love the freedom of being able to go out to recess first and then come eat, or to eat in 15 minutes and have 35 minutes straight of recess. It also helps them gain some independence, as they can start making their own choices regarding their day.”
