What's included
1 live meeting
45 mins in-class hours per weekClass Experience
In each meeting, I will read a legend, myth, or tale while you use your building bricks collection (or similar bricks to build a creation inspired by the story. At the end of each class meeting everyone will have the opportunity to share their build of the day. (Students are invited, not required, to share.) The Story: I will read a different legend, myth, or tale each time we meet. The story time part of this class functions like a traditional story time/read aloud in a classroom. As I read the story I will ask questions and clarify unfamiliar terms to aid comprehension. Students are welcome to ask questions and provide insights. There will be time to build and socialize after I read. Students who can build and pay attention to the story at the same time are welcome to build during story time. Learners who prefers to listen first and build after the story are welcome to do so. The Building Connection: Building something that goes along with the story while listening helps with comprehension and retention. This act is most meaningful if students choose what to build, so I will not be giving specific projects for students to build. They might choose to build a character, setting, object, or scene that stands out to them or something they want to understand. While I will not be giving directions on how or what to build, students are welcome to ask myself and classmates for building ideas and troubleshooting tips after the story. Typical class schedule: Chat while students arrive (3-5 minutes) Listen to the story of the day and begin building (about 20 minutes) Build and chat about the story or socialize (around 15 minutes) Students share their build of the day (about 5 minutes) Week of February 27th: The Legend of Rip Van Winkle Week of March 6th: The Legend of Knockgrafton Week of March 13th: The Six Swans Week of March 20th: Gillon and the Selkie Week of March 27th: The Forest Bride: The Story of a Little Mouse Who Was a Princess Week of April 3rd: Gigi and the Magic Ring Week of April 10th: Nana Miriam Week of April 17th: Masha and the Bear Week of May 8th: The Legend of the Blue Bonnet Week of May 15th: The Monster of Loch Ness (This course is ongoing and will continue beyond the last listed date; I will regularly update this list to reflect upcoming stories.) My teaching style is calm, encouraging, and supportive. My classes are light-hearted and low pressure. Students are expected to be kind, supportive, and understanding with each other. They are also expected to be considerate of other learners by keeping comments and interruptions during the reading relevant to the story and necessary for comprehension. I prefer students to be unmuted to foster natural conversations, but will ask students to mute themselves if background noises are present. (Digging through building brick collections for the piece you want can be loud, so I'll let students know that they should mute themselves before doing so.)
Learning Goals
Students will improve comprehension and retention by building while listening to legends, myths, and tales.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Please check Common Sense Media for reviews of each story and/or read them yourself (they are short) to determine whether they are appropriate for your learner. Man of the stories in this class are traditional tales and all are intended for children. I choose stories that are intended for this age group, but rely on parents to determine whether the stories are appropriate for individual students. If you can't find reviews of the stories or want more information about them, please send me a message and I will give you a summary of the story and happily answer any questions.
Supply List
Your collection of building bricks
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Teacher expertise and credentials
Vermont Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education
Master's Degree from University of Louisville
I have a Master's Degree in teaching and am licensed to teach grades K-6 in my home state where I also hold highly qualified teacher status. I have extensive training in best practices for social emotional learning. I have taught in public schools since 2007 and have been leading classes, book clubs, and social clubs for children up to age 14 on Outschool since 2019. I have been playing with building bricks since the early 80s ;)
Reviews
Live Group Class
$12
weekly1x per week
45 min
Completed by 20 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 5-10
2-6 learners per class