Thursday, May 2, 2013

A Teachable Moment on my Alabama Vacay!!

Ever been to Gulf Shores, Alabama?
That's where I am now...
Well, sort of...
I am actually at Fort Morgan which is a hop and skip from Gulf Shores.

It is absolutely gorgeous here.

Pic Number 1
Need I say more...

Last night, I got in after dark.
Could hear the ocean, but couldn't see it.
This is what I woke up to this morning.
Coffee on the deck with a fabulous view.


 Loving a cuddle with my cutie niece, Audrey!
Oh and we can't forget Ellie the elephant. :)



After coffee and breakfast, it was beach time.
Rain was predicted but luckily, our only obstacle was the clouds.
The sun did show its brilliant face every once in awhile.
LOVE IT!!!


The waves were kinda outta control
So we moved to the pool!
Played some volleyball and hung out with some of my favorite kiddos.


 Now...
I did mention a teachable moment, didn't I?
So the rain did come.
The wind made a fierce appearance as well.
Thankfully later in the evening.
We looked outside and saw the water decided to claim most of the beach as its captive.
It not only lined the shore, but also carved a path further up the beach.
Like it created a little island.
There in the middle is our belongings.



So we were checking out what looked like a small river.
Only it was the ocean, of course.
As a person in the education field, my mind started wandering to the world of weathering and erosion.
What a perfect example...
So I began explaining it all to my niece and pointing out examples.
I enjoyed it much more than she did. lol
I took a bunch of pictures because if I still had a classroom, I would so be showing them to my students.

The pic below is one example of my teachable moment.

Do you teach weathering and erosion?
What about weather in general?
If so, have you ever thought of going out and taking real-world examples to show your students?
A crumbled wall...
A broken up sidewalk from tree roots emerging from below...
A river bank...
Clouds and/or fog... (Was so thinking like a teacher on the plane when we were flying through the clouds.)
Another great idea would be to have the kids go out and take pictures to bring back to class.

You know you are in the education field when teachable moments pop up everywhere you go.
Even on vacation...

Have a great day!
Antoinette :)

3 comments:

  1. Real life pictures are something I don't often think about but would be so much more meaningful to the students...after reading your post I am thinking real life examples of pictures I took (things kids know...) of science things but could also be meaningful with simple things like phonics...I love the idea too of kids going out and finding some of these pictures! Thanks for getting me thinking!! :) Looks like your vacation was fabulous!

    Amanda
    Learning to the Core

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  2. Amanda-
    That is a great idea to use real life pictures with phonics. When I was in the classroom, I was one of the teachers who got the ELL (English Language Learners) kiddos. Using real world examples is so beneficial to them and all kids for that matter.
    Glad my blog was able to help.
    Thanks for stopping by! :)
    Antoinette

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  3. I spent my high school years in a small seaside town. We weren't right on the beach but I LOVED it! We went back there two years ago and rented a cottage on the beach for a week and it was the best holiday.
    ❀Barbara❀
    Grade ONEderful
    Ruby Slippers Blog Designs

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