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In this article, the authors explain how first graders practiced reading and writing when walking around their urban school every day.
All teachers can take their learning outdoors.
-Gillian Judson (2018, p. 3)
Before the pandemic closed schools last spring, Anna took her first graders for a walk every day no matter the weather. "The simple act of taking a walk-a walk with a curricular focus or purpose," wrote Judson (2018), "can have multiple positive consequences" (p. 1). Being outside brings physical and mental health benefits, like boosting attention, reducing fatigue, and decreasing stress and anxiety (Chawla, 2015; Kuo et al., 2019; Kuo et al., 2018; Merritt, 2017). Finding curriculum while walking, or walking curriculum, can also foster a sense of place and embed learning in authentic contexts. Environmental print is especially helpful for early childhood literacy development (Neumann et al., 2011). Gerde et al. (2016) noted, however, that environmental print in classrooms is often not meaningful or used to promote writing. Walking on sidewalks in an urban setting in particular, which is the context for Anna's class, offers different kinds of environmental print. Furthermore, Anna used their shared experiences as starting points for literacy lessons back in the classroom. What follows are five examples of what walking curriculum with a literacy focus can look like.
Words
On the first day of school, just after their morning meeting, Anna led her first graders-with small notebooks and pencils in hand-down the hallway and out the front door to begin their daily walk. The focus for their walking curriculum that day was words. Central Park School for Children is in downtown Durham, NC, so Anna kept an eye on the cars driving by and made sure everyone was heeding their safety protocols, which they developed together. Within seconds, students were finding words. "Look, that says 'kiss and go' right there," said Harriet (all names are pseudonyms), pointing to the sign in front of the school. When they reached the edge of the block, Nicky shouted that there were words on the street signs. At this point, Anna asked them to find a place to sit on the nearby cement wall. "I want you to notice the words around you," Anna instructed. "Write down those words in...