Homeroom
We continued to work on communications skills this week in homeroom. This included another round of Story Cubes. As well as some time playing Concept. This is a board game were players have to identify animals using non verbal ques. It's fun and it also allows us to talk about how we listen to each other.
Just a reminder that next week we'll be going to Howell Nature Center from Tuesday to Wednesday. This is our first over night trip. I sent an email out a few weeks ago explaining what's going to be happening as well as what students will need to bring. There is a permission slip that they'll need to have filled out to be able to participate in the activities. I sent a copy home this week. If you need another copy here's a digital version. Please have the permission slip turned in by Monday if you haven't turned it in already. Also, here's a copy of the packing list for the trip. Here's an itinerary for the trip. Day 1 10am - Arrive 10am-12pm - Introduction and preparation activities for the Heifer Global Village 12-1pm - Sack lunch in the lodge. Prepare for overnight in the Global Village. 1-4pm - Hike with gear out to Village. Walking tour of the Global Village. 4pm-evening “The Global Village Experience” – participants cook dinner in the Global Village. After dinner - Sleep out in the Village. One final small-group discussion activity will be provided. HNC staff will leave you for the evening and your time is your own. Feel free to bring games (cards, Frisbee, hackey-sacks, etc.) if you wish. Day 2 8-9am - catered breakfast in lodge 9am-12pm - Debrief activities and discussions in lodge. Global Village program finished by 12 noon. We'll be back at SK around 1:30 for lunch. Math
Monday: We completed another round of Sprints.
Tuesday: We had picture day so math class was abbreviated. Students worked independently for the whole class period. Wednesday: We worked on Word Problem #2. This is a great problem for us to talk about bar models and the importance of keeping them proportional. This is also a good problem to talk about how to find the part of a bar model if you have the whole and another part. This skill is needed to figure out how much money Ben has using the information you know about Sam's money.
Thursday: We completed book checks today. The first few weeks of math are being used to get a baseline for how much work each student generally finishes in a week.
Friday: Game Day! Science
This week we focused our attention on learning about succession and how forest grow over time. Students first learned some key terms concerning succession. We also talked about the oak hickory forest we visited last week as a model. Here's a copy of the document we used for our discussion.
After learning about succession students started researching the different types of forest in Michigan. Here's the instruction sheet for the activity. After taking some time to learn about the different forests present in Michigan students took that information and created posters to hand out around the school. Here's a copy of the rubric we used. Questions to Ask
n this section I'll try and give you a few questions to ask your kids to see what they learned this week or some of the ideas they were forming.
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HomeroomThis week in homeroom we focused on two activities. On Monday we got into groups and played with Story Cubes. Story Cubes are a fun device to use to practice using your imagination. There are nine dice and each one has a different scene on it for kids to interpret. Using their interpretation of the image they create part of a story. The next kid rolls a different die and adds even more to the story. Story Cubes are a fun way for us to practice working in groups and hearing how other people think. The rest of the week we focused on what I call "Moment of Pride". We took some time to share parts of ourselves or actions we've taken that we're proud of. This led to a great conversation on what self-esteem is and how to cultivate it. MathHere's a rundown of what we did in math each day this week. Monday: We talked a lot about how to use our textbooks as a tool in math. Here's a copy of the graphic organizer we'll be using: Tuesday: We did our first Sprint activity. Sprints are timed mental math activities where students complete a series of problems in a minute. We do Sprints to practice our mental math skills and practicing how to work under a little bit of stress. You can find a copy of the Sprint worksheet on the Math web page. Wednesday: We practiced word problems for the first time. Every week for the rest of the year we'll spend a say working on word problems. Being able to decode words into math expressions is a difficult task for young learners and it's something I want to make sure they're proficient at. Here's the problem we did as well as the answer. Thursday: We had our first goal check in. I'm asking students to complete 8 to 10 pages in their textbook each week. On Thursdays I'll check in with them to see if they accomplished that goal. The goal of 8 to 10 pages is recommended, but it's also flexible. Based on what type of learner they are I might adjust that goal for the next week. Thursdays are also a great day for their math folders to come home to talk about what their plan is for finishing their math work for the week. That plan might or might not including bring their math home as homework. Friday: We played some board games! ScienceThis week in science we learned about food chains and webs. Students learned some key terms about how we describe living things based on what they eat. During the middle of the week we changed gears and focused on our trip to Hudson Mills Metropark. While at the park we applied our observation skills and practiced identifying plants. Students were super engaged during our hike that we had to cut it short because they were stopping and pointing out so many great discoveries. The next day we reflected on our experience and brainstormed some ideas for how to better prepare for our next park visit. I can't wait to take them out in the field again. On Fridays we always take some time to learn about current events. This week we focused on learning about invasive species by reading this article. Using current events gives us an opportunity to talk about different points of view and how the actions of others impact the environment. Questions to Ask Your KidsIn this section I'll try and give you a few questions to ask your kids to see what they learned this week or some of the ideas they were forming.
HomeroomWelcome back to school. We're off to a great start. We spent a lot of time in homeroom talking about what it means to be a learner and a community member here at SK. Students brainstormed what that means using a chalk talk. You can find their ideas on the Learning and Community Expectations page on this website. During curriculum night next week on Thursday (9/12) I'll be asking you all as parents to come up with some expectations as well. During curriculum night we'll also go over what students will be learning this year and how that will happen. Students also learned to use the Mood Meter to help them build their emotional vocabulary. We'll be using that to as a tool throughout the whole year to build their social and emotional intelligence. MathIn math this week we focused on creating dice games. This is a great way to get back into thinking about math because it's super fun and engaging. Students started by playing Yahtzee and then spent sometime creating their own games. On Friday students shared their games. It was really fun to see them using both their creativity and math knowledge. Project TimeWe started our project on Michigan Ecosystems. Check out the project page to learn more about the specifics. This week we focused on how to identify organisms. Students learned about flow charts, tables, and dichotomous keys. They practiced creating keys by making one for five random objects around the classroom. On Friday we collected leaf samples from County Farm Park to ID and make keys for next week. Questions to Ask Your KidsIn this section I'll try and give you a few questions to ask your kids to see what they learned this week or some of the ideas they were forming.
ScienceThis week we presented our artifacts. Here's a link to the digital artifacts. The students worked extremely hard on these and did an even better job learning how to manage their time over the course of eight weeks. Here's a gallery of pictures from presentation day. MathWe spent this week wrapping up our work in the Singapore books and planning for next year. I'll explain in each individual assessment where students stopped and what they'll start working on at the beginning of next year.
Over the summer I'm asking students to not work in the Singapore books. Learning new concepts during the summer is difficult without guidance. Instead, I would like students work work on concepts that they have already learned. I recommend that students use either of these websites to do this:Both of these websites offer tutorial videos and questions where students will see if their answers are correct or not. They also offer programs that are easy for a student to follow and for you as parents to track. The goal of summer work should be to refine and remember their work from the school year. So pick concepts and programs that match the work that they have already completed. Feel free to ask me for recommendations if you need help. NOTE: I wasn't in school from Monday to Wednesday this week. So this message will be a little shorter than normal. ScienceStudent wrapped up their second artifacts this week. The last activity they had to complete was fill out a reflection form. When you get a chance ask them about what they learned from the process. This question can be answer both on an academic standpoint and from the viewpoint of how they learned. During the conversation ask them for specific examples. Next week we'll be on the spring trip and the week after students will be presenting their work. You're invited to come see their work on Thursday, June 6 from 12:15 PM to 1:15 PM. If you can't make it students will be practicing on Wednesday, June 5th at the same time. Check you email box for a message from Wendy with more information. MathStudents spent the entire week work in their books. We're at the point in the year where we need to start thinking about next year. Once we return from the spring trip I'll be assessing where students are at and assigning summer work if needed. Not every student will need a summer assignment and the ones who do I've spoke to already. Ideally, I would prefer for students to enjoy their summer with just a little amount of review work.
ScienceThis was a pretty quiet week in science class. We're getting close to the end of the project and most students are working on the second draft of their artifact. If possible, take some time to give you child some feedback on their second draft. Specifically focusing on the following:
MathMonday: Book Work Day Tuesday: We worked on Word Problem #26. This problem comes from the 5A book and is great for reinforcing how to draw a bar model. Wednesday: Weekly Book Goal Conference
Thursday: Game Day Friday: We did another group story problem that has multiple correct solutions. This one focused on number patterns. Here's the story problem. ScienceThis week in science most students were either working on their first draft of their artifact or receiving feedback on their first draft. At this point in the project they have enough work completed to show you at home. Please ask them about their work and offer feedback on what they've produced. If you want to fill out a feedback form you can print one up using this link. We also started a new beginning of the class activity. Before students can get their Chromebooks they must fill out the form below as a group. This activity allows the group to think about what they want to finish during the class period and who's working on the task. At the end of the class period I move between each group and ask them for evidence of their completed work. Students at this age are really good at thinking of big ideas, but not so good at breaking those big as down in to smaller achievable goals. This activity gives them time to practice small goal setting and distribution of tasks. Lastly, we took a trip on Thursday to the UofM Natural History Museum. We took some time to explore the exhibits, but the main focus was the planetarium show. During the show students learned about the Sun, Earth, and Moon system. They also got time to ask questions about their research topics. Here are a few pictures from the trip. MathHere's a rundown of what we worked on in math this week. Monday: Book Work Day Tuesday: We worked on Word Problem #25. This problem is from the 5A book and is a great problem to practice bar modeling. Here's the bar model solution as well as the algebraic solution. Wednesday: Weekly Book Goal Conference
Thursday: Game Day Friday: We started a new activity this Friday. The main focus of the activity is to practice out of the box thinking and problem solving as a group. The problems have multiple solutions and require each group to explain their rational for the solution. Here's the problem we worked on this week. ScienceStudents completed their first astronomy artifact. The last activity they were asked to do was complete a reflection form on their experience. I recommend taking some time to talk to them about what they learned while working on their artifact. They were asked to provide specific examples on their forms. With the completing of the first artifact students were asked to start working on their second artifact. At this point students should be either wrapping up their research or working on their first draft. In general, students have learned from their first experiences and are applying those new skills while working on their new artifact. I'm seeing students taking more time to plan out their work and communicating who's responsible for what while creating their artifact. MathOne of the main skills we've been working on in class is how to be more mindful about our work. We've done a few exercises throughout the year, but lately we've been spending more time thinking about our mind state during math class. I've asked students to take a moment to collect themselves before entering the room. We've started class with a breathing exercise. As well as, talking about how to identify distractions and ignore them. If you're child is working on math at home and they seem to be distracted ask them to practice some of the skills we've work on in class. Monday: We worked on our book goals. Students have been enjoying having a whole day to work on math. It's a good time to ask a bunch of questions and get help. Students have also been using this time to plan out their week. Tuesday: We worked on Word Problem #24. This problem was taken out of the 5A book. It's a great example to use for showing how to setup a bar model. It's also a great problem to demonstrate algebra. A concept some of the students are starting to learn. Along with the bar model solution I've also included the algebraic solution. Wednesday: Weekly Book Goal Conferences
Thursday: Game Day Friday: We played Tetris math again. The students have been having a really fun time playing this game. While they play they get to practice their multiplication tables, area and perimeter calculations, and spacial awareness. Here are a few examples of sheets completed by a student. ScienceThis week students finished their first learning artifacts. If you're curious to see what they made before the astronomy fair at the end of the year you can check out this website. The last activity they were asked to do for this artifact was reflect on their experience. Each student filled out a form asking for specific examples of how the process went. Take some time this weekend to ask them about what they learned about themselves as learners. Some students started their work on their second learning artifact. They were asked to not work the same people again and to pick a different way for showing what they learned. This forces students to work with people they may not work with and create something that's new to them. This is on purpose and is part of the designed learning process. The goal is for them to take the experiences and skills they learned during the first artifact and apply them to the second. I really look forward to see what they produce in these new and different working groups. Lastly, students will need another book for their second artifact. They may ask you to go to the library again or for help finding an article to print. MathMonday: We worked on our books all day. Tuesday: We worked on Word Problem #23. This problem comes right out of the 4B book. It should look very familiar to the students. I wanted to take a step back from solving complex problems to reviewing how to draw bar models. Selecting a concept most students have gone over is an easy way to do that. For student working in the 6A books I solved the problem algebraically as well. On the solution slide you'll see how to solve the problem using both methods. Wednesday: Book Check Day
Thursday: Game Day Friday: Tetris Math ScienceStudents wrapped up their first drafts this week and primarily focused on getting feedback on their projects. One of the main discussion points of the week was getting a diverse range of feedback. One way to do that is getting feedback from family members at home. Please take some time this weekend to ask your child about their artifact and show it to you. Here are some questions to ask them:
MathHere's a breakdown of what we worked on this week in math. Monday: We spent the day working in our books and getting questions answered. Tuesday: We worked on Word Problem #22. After the last month or so working on problems about fractions we've moved on to working with decimals. This problem actually comes from the 4B book and is one that students generally ask for help on. Creating a bar model for this problem really helps to visualize what's being described. Here's the solution to the problems. To solve it you have to understand that if you have the whole of something and have a few of the parts. You can use subtraction to find the missing part. Wednesday: Book Goal Conferences
Thursday: We had Grandfriends Day and to show off how we do math students worked through Word Problem #22 again as well as Number Talk #4. Friday: We normally do game day on Thursdays, but because of Grandfriends Day we moved it to Friday. One of the new games that I added to the rotation was Yahtzee. This is a fantastic game to play with kids to get them to think about statistics. |
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