Kirsten Antoine
"I like to use video as much as I can to break up the monotony, adding another layer to draw my students in and get them engaged."
Kirsten Antoine, 6th Grade Teacher
Thomas Street Middle School
Ontario, CA
What has been one of your favorite or most engaging lessons that you have done with your students?
We start the year off discussing Canadian identity, which is connected to our 6th-grade curriculum. We cover Canada's past and present, and Canada’s global connections. We start off with the students doing a little project on their own heritage. They present it, and they bring in artifacts that represent their heritage that they have a connection to. Their parents usually participate in conversations, gathering information about their heritage, they bring things in, and they do a presentation with a visual that goes along with it. It's really sweet because they all learn different things about each other. I would say that's a huge highlight early on in the year, and it helps all of us get to know each other. We’re about to start Canadian identity mind maps. We talk a lot about our Canadian identity. What is Canada known for? And we delve into all kinds of things. They then create an elaborate mind map with different branches and ideas of all things Canadian, and we think about ‘how does the world see us’? They spend a ton of time on these big pieces of paper, decorate them, and add little icons that represent certain ideas. They love that one. It's usually a hit. Finally, we have them prepare something called a student-led conference presentation. There's a lot of goal-setting involved. They create slides, embed work samples, reflect on strengths and needs, something they're proud of, things they enjoyed the most, things they're still looking forward to, and a mindfulness goal. We're in the middle of preparing that right now, and they make this presentation during their interview with the parents. Their parents watch it, and that's usually a highlight for me, because we're both sitting and watching the child present their own work.
What's one way that you've seen video really spark curiosity or create creativity among your class or a specific student?
I like to use video as much as I can to break up the monotony of me talking at them. It adds another layer to draw them in and get them engaged. For example, if we're doing a math lesson, we'll embed videos. MathAntics has a lot of good stuff. Khan Academy does as well, but the more animated and fun, the better. Even for grammar, we try to find short videos - 3 or 4 minutes - to reinforce concepts. We also do current events every day with a 10-minute video. We rotate through CNN 10, The World from A to Z, BBC Kids Newsround, and CBC Kids News, though that is not daily. The kids love it, and there's a weekly trivia on Fridays. We have the class compete in table groups for points, and it's a fun way to keep in touch with what's going on in the world. I wish there were more Canadian content, though. CBC Kids doesn't produce daily videos, and most content is American or European. It would be great to have something more global. By the end of the year, our class creates their own news clips, copying the formatting of CNN 10 and The World from A to Z. They love it! A few years back, we even got a shout-out, and the kids lost their minds.
What are your biggest goals for students this year?
My goal for students is for them to become resourceful. We provide resources and want them to use them independently. Everything we use goes into Google Classroom - lesson slides, videos, games, and research links. I want them to know where to find things and use them with ease. It also ties into learning how to use AI effectively as they get older.
What are your personal goals as an educator?
Students love hands-on problem-solving in groups. We join CodeJoy and Brain Teasers sessions monthly on Streamable Learning, the kids love it - they’re highly interactive and engaging. Live sessions are best for interaction, though we sometimes use recordings for science topics like Space with Tally.
Lightning Questions
1. What book are you reading now?
I'm about to start reading Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine with my grade 6 class.
2. Who is the ONE person you follow on social media that you always learn something from or who makes you laugh?
I love when Headspace clips come into my feed, and SmartLess clips always make me laugh.
3. Favorite tech tool currently?
My favourite tech tools are Copilot, Streamable Learning,TVOLearn and Knowledgehook.
4. What is the best part about your role that others might not realize?
The best part of my role is being with my class all day. I teach them all of the subjects, so I get to know them very well. We can focus on building our class community, and we have the flexibility to explore new resources throughout the day.
5. What is one piece of advice you've received that has been the most beneficial to your career?
I've been told, don't let "perfect be the enemy of good" (Voltaire) when it comes to teaching. You can't be perfect, and there are so many balls we have to keep up in the air as teachers; it can help to know you don't have to have everything work out perfectly. The journey is what matters, and there's a lot to learn from making mistakes.
