Team Walker celebrated Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14 in style! Each of our teachers and members of the Team Walker team planned something special for the children.
As part of a two-day lesson, some of Team Walker’s students in grades 6 through 8 were challenged with making “Geography Hearts” for Valentine’s Day. Lead by Mr. Fiore, students were split into teams of two and tasked with making hearts filled with the names of countries around the world. Mr. Fiore and Mr. Pickett coached the teams throughout the lesson, providing helpful insight into the geographical layout of our planet and the names of countries.
This project caused students to think about the world around them critically. Day 1 encompassed brainstorming ideas, designing a layout for each team’s Geography Heart and filling in the names of countries. On Day 2 of the lesson, students finished filling in the names of whatever countries they could think of for the challenge and began coloring their Heart. Finally, each team presented their Geography Heart by explaining something unique about their Heart and conveying the names of at least 10 countries on their Heart.
Students were judged based on the number of correct countries on their Geography Hearts (spelling included!) and the design creativity of their Hearts. In a tumultuous time across the globe, it was a highly valuable lesson in promoting unity for all as many students were teamed up with classmates with whom they usually did not work.
Moreover, Team Walker’s teachers and staff felt and spread their love in the classrooms. Many of the students created Valentine’s cards for their family, friends and loved ones. All of the students enjoyed a sweet Valentine’s treat–Ring Pops!
In addition to the day’s holiday festivities, it was also our very own Bunny Merritt’s birthday! We had a great time celebrating as a Team Walker staff with Bunny, our office assistant.