"OK," I say, "Well, did you see YOUR star?" It always thrills me when every hand in the classroom goes up. "I saw it, I saw my star!"
When I exhaust that focus point, I tell me class:
"I've changed the seating so go and check for your name, sit, and take out your tins - share with each other."
Off they go and find their new seats. They take out their tins and share with each other something private, something important, something valued, something about them.
I walk around, listening and watching the interactions on each table.
When I think the time is right, I then ask the class to come and sit around my chair, and I ask, "OK, who's got something really, really good to share?"
I chose a small group, and, one at a time, they stand in front of their classmates and share what's in their tin. I encourage everyone to ask questions, so that we can find out more about the objects in the tins.
When the atmosphere is at its best, when the classroom is buzzing, I stand up and show the class a plastic bottle, quarter filled with water. I turn the bottle upside down over a bowl. Take off the top. As the water runs out, the air and the atmosphere of excited learning rushes in. I immediately screw the top back on.
I ask my class to think about what I’ve done. I have captured the time and the moment, the smells and the atmosphere of curiosity and excitement. I stick a label on the bottle and write the time and the date.......and tell my class that there, forever, we have captured a special moment.
When we've finished sharing, I tell everyone to put their tins in the class treasure box.......when that's done, I ceremoniously place the bottle on a shelf, and we begin our day's work.
During the day, I take note of the success or otherwise of the new seating arrangements, noting where I need to make changes on day 3.
To finish the day, I tell my class about my collection of tins and bottles......
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