Shane Marsan

IMPORTANT SKILLS I WANT TO TEACH MY STUDENTS

The most important skill that I want to teach my students is how powerful planning and revising can be. In the days of instant gratification, the ability to carefully look at a task and plan how you’re going to accomplish it is a lost art. Then, after completing the first draft of your plan, you go back and revise it to make it even better. This cycle is a simple but powerful tool.

TEACHING METHODS TO REACH THESE GOALS

Since I am a language arts teacher, I love to look at the strength of planning and revising through the lens of the writing process. When we start a piece of writing, we plan out how we want it to go then we draft it. After we draft it, we go back and revise it. Once the students see how good their writing becomes after planning and revision, they are hooked!

MY FAVORITE PROJECTS

While I do love writing, the most exciting project we do in the fourth grade is Genius Hour. The students get an hour each week to work on researching and creating a project about any subject they are interested in. The students then get to present their projects to the class and learn about a myriad of topics.

WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT TEACHING AT SEVEN HILLS

The thing that I like the best about teaching at Seven Hills is how much support I get from my colleagues and administrators in regard to trying new things. Whenever someone at Seven Hills wants to try a new teaching method they are instantly greeted with a chorus of “how can I help” from their colleagues.