Rollerblading

   3rd through 5th grade enjoyed rollerblading in P.E. this week!  They learned balance, skating skills, and stopping skills. 

Let the Research Begin!

   Mrs. Hagene kicked off our country research for World's Fair today!  Since we have a lot of background knowledge in Geography, we began with an Atlas to gather some location facts for our research!  We will be collecting research in our research notebooks!  Many students checked out books on their country today also! 

Taking On Challenges through Problem Solving

   Each chapter in math, we focus on Problem Solving and perseverance using the skills and strategies students learned from the chapter!  Today, we began by asking for a definition of "challenge" and then a plan for taking on at least one challenging problem in math.  Students used multiplication and division to work through some grueling problems today!

Air Schuh

   Students were delighted to receive their country destinations for the World's Fair project! I revealed their country by handing them a plane ticket on Air Schuh to one of the 5 countries they chose earlier this week.  

   We will begin researching at school next week and this project will continue through May!

Measuring length

   Today we used our measurement skills and knowledge of US Customary units to measure small objects and large distances.  We extended our learning to convert meaurements of inches to feet to yards!

Character Study

   Happy Snow Day!  I'm updating our blog for yesterday, Tuesday, Jan. 19.  We began a new unit in reading focused on character studies.  We will read and discuss Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate Di Camillo together.  Each student received their own copy of the book yesterday!  I tried to capture their excitement when I handed out the book!  I hear comments such as "I've always wanted to read this book!" and "This is going to be so cool!"  I absolutely love the energy this class has around reading!  It is a joy to read alongside them!

Non Fiction Reading Groups Presentation Day!

   As a celebration of our work in reading non-fiction, we wrapped up our unit with a day to learn from and teach others!  Each group began with a topic they were interested in, began reading about this topic, and then formed an inquiry question to focus their reading and conversations! Here is how each book club presented their learning:

How do athletes defy the odds?
This energetic group each chose athletes who defied odds to read about and share with their group.  As they discussed these athletes in their book club meetings, they realized there were some common themes.  The group chose to focus on Jackie Robinson for a very well written skit.  They ended the skit sharing about other athletes such as the first woman to play in the NHL-Manon Rheaume, a current deaf NFL player on the Seahawks-Derrick Coleman, a lacrosse player who was 90% deaf- Paul Rabil, and the first black player in the NHL-Willie O'Ree.  What an inspiring topic!

Why does the U.S. participate in war?
This group planned a seminar with a visual explaining the various wars the United States has participate in.  They read Non-fiction books about these wars and explained to the class that the US wanted to gain land, protect other people, or was attacked in some way.  They gave specific examples of attacks such as Pearl Harbor and September 11th.

How did technology change the world?
Our technology group chose to create a timeline focused on technology and then used this visual to aid their seminar.  They spoke about technology through time with a focus on how we have continually improved in our technology.  One specific example they focused on was the improvement of the car.  This group ended on the big idea that technology has greatly improved our every day life!

What is causing global warming?
These two environmentalists focused on the human impact and natural impact on global warming.  They created an adorable skit- with backdrops and all!  They even shared ideas on how we can improve and practices to try!

How do animals communicate with other species?  
What a fun extension of our learning from Structures of Life!  This group planned a wonderful and informative skit on how animals communicate!  They focused on four different animals- badger, cheetah, monkey, and wolf.  They even included their audience in the skit!  The group was very engaged and excited about this learning!  One student even connected their learning to how humans who speak other languages communicate!

Measuring Matter

   We began our new unit in the science lab, Measuring Matter.  We will combine math (measurement) with science (matter: solid/liquids/gas).  Mr. Kearney and I will be team teaching this unit.  This simply means, sometimes Mr. Kearney will take the lead teaching, sometimes I will take the lead teaching. This model is helpful when grouping across small groups.  For example, Mr. Kearney may lead a small group teaching about measuring matter, while I meet with another small group teaching about computation and conversions of measurement.  All students will experience science and math with the lens of measuring matter! 

The Science of Hugs

   During morning announcements, we heard a fun fact that was too good not to share!  Did you know scientists believe being hugged helps us stay healthy and happy?  Now, scientists add that hugging might actually make you smarter!  We decided to try it out!  We had a class hug and then took our new learning to Mr. Kearney!  We begin each Science class with a handshake, but today, we turned it into a hug!  Mr. Kearney said he felt smarter already!
   (We also had a talk about respecting other's space and strategies for asking permission to hug someone!)

New Years Resolution

   When we returned to school last week, we began talking about 2016 goals.  Students reflected on 2015, their successes and their ideas for growth.  We created a "handy" visual to remind ourselves about the year ahead of us!

   Examples of goals include "Help make a difference," "celebrate new mistakes," and "work hard, help hard." What an exciting year to come!

Dress Like a Teacher Day!

   Our "student principal" for the day declared today Dress Like a Student for teachers and Dress Like a Teacher for students! Check out all the teachers I had today!

Owl Pellets

I'm    Science was extremely exciting this morning!  Students learned about an unique adaptation owls have-regurgitation.  Mr. Kearney used this song to help students understand the meaning of this new word:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FENowCc-A8M
   Students used tools such as toothpicks to poke through the pellets and bone sorting charts to identify bones.  Most students used their hands (don't worry- the pellets have been sterilized!)

Multiplication Math Game

   This math game combines two multiplication strategies- making an area model and computation.  You will need at least two players, one white dice, and up to 3 dice of another color.  The game board should be a blank page of grid paper (or 2 pages taped for more challenge).  Each player will need a marker.
   Begin by deciding if you want to multiply numbers in the tens (2 colored dice) or hundreds (3 colored dice).  Pretend we choose to multiply numbers in the tens place.  We will have one white colored dice and two colored dice.
   Player one should roll all the dice.  The white dice is the multiplier and the player can choose the order of the colored dice.  For example, if I roll a 4 on the white dice and a 3 and 4 in the colored dice, I can multiply 34 x 4 or 43 x 4.
   Player one should show their work and then draw an area model on the grid paper.  If I choose to do 34 x 4 as my multiplication problem, I will color in an area model that is 4 by 34 and then write the answer (136) inside.  The area model may not overlap another player's area model.
   Player two will roll and play continues until the grid becomes filled.  The player who has most of the grid filled is the winner.  

Food Chains

   Science teams were given ecosystem decks with organism information cards.  They were challenged to use the informations such as food, habitat, adaptations, and predators to create food chains illustrating different ecosystems.  

   As you can see, each team had different strategies in creation of a food chain.  We ended with a discussion about the difference between food chains and food webs.  This included the topics of carnivore, herbivore, and omnivores.  As you eat dinner or breakfast together, challenge your child to describe their meal or eating habits as one of these! 

Happy New Year!

   I really missed each and every one of my darling stars this holiday break!  Yes, it was wonderful to have time with my own family and daughters, but I often thought about my students and wondered what they were up to!
   Today, we spent time reconnecting, refocusing, and recharging.  We reconnected as a class by sharing about our breaks.  We refocused by taking the first steps toward a New Year's Resolution (more information about these later!).  We recharged by reviewing our work from 2015 and taking it up a notch.  For example, in reading, we are finishing up our Non-Fiction reading groups this week and next week.  We have been using the icon of a tree to guide the group conversations.  Students read non-fiction books focused on a topic, they have a question in mind as they read, and then they are responsible for coming to the group conversations with a post it or more to grow an idea about their question.  Here is what a group conversation looked like today: