A few final things before break...

1. Thanks to everyone for supporting our cooking projects today. We made chili, soup, banana bread, cornbread, punch, pizza dip, Oreo pie, and Chex mix. Everything was prepared in full, there were very few spills, and no one lost a finger. I'd say it was a definite success. Tomorrow we'll enjoy the fruits of our labor. We'll begin eating around 11:15.


2. Thank you, also, to Randy Stark for coming in to tell us about Hannakah. He shared the story behind Hannakah (which means "rededication") and told us of some of the traditions of the season. The kids also had an opportunity to play dreidel.

I have to say that one of the things that most excited me about this class, before I really knew them, was the great diversity they possess. This is not a class of kids whose grandparents all speak the same language, who all celebrate the same holidays, or who were all born in the same country. What a great opportunity this presents to use our classroom families, cultures, and traditions to help us better understand that our society is more than a single dominant culture or people. We're a mix of many who all deserve to be respected, understood, and heard. I would absolutely love to have any and all of you come in at some point if you have something to share. During the second semester we will spend some time thinking about what the word "normal" means to us and to others and how this sometimes can become the root of real conflict and inequity (both inside and outside of school). The more we know about others, the harder it becomes to define what "normal" is. This will lead us to some interesting discussions.

3. I'm going to ask the kids to leave their book bags here over the break if that is alright with you. I want them to empty their cubbies into their bags so we can clean the cubbies out and resupply them when we come back. This will provide a great chance for a fresh start. If, however, you need the book bag at home just let your child know so they can bring it back with them tomorrow afternoon.

4. Tomorrow we go to the RCPL in the morning.

5. Tomorrow is also our Gathering. It will begin at 2:20. We are set to go. The kids have written their scripts and practiced a little each day. We also have a new song to share. Well, actually it's a draft because we thought we had another two weeks of class time to finish it up. So what we'll perform with be our working draft. It's sounding pretty good and we're excited to share it.

This will most likely be my final communication until we return in January. I hope that you all have a wonderful break with your families.

Chris

Newsletter: Week Fourteen

Early Edition!!!

Dear Families,

Thanks so much for working alongside your kids on the written conversations last weekend. I enjoyed hearing them share pieces of their conversations about the book. Written conversation provides an opportunity to engage the kids in writing and let the expertise and perspectives of others support and challenge them as readers and thinkers. Here is a small sampling of some of those conversations:

I think it may be a while before Sarah, Anna and Caleb decide to go back home. What do you think? Well I think that they will go back home and then Sarah and Jacob will have a fight because Sarah thinks it will be a great idea if [they]could all go live in Maine.

***

I have a funny feeling that Sarah is pregnant because she has been sleeping a lot and she went to see the doctor. I think that too.

***

How do you know Papa misses them? You know it by what he wrote in the letter.

***

I don’t know why Caleb didn’t miss Papa when Anna did. Did you? I think Caleb was just taking in the new sights and family. He had not realized something was missing because he was overwhelmed by the aunts, the dog, the motor car, and adventure.

***

She tells Sarah that Papa’s letters have a “lot of things between the lines.” What do you think that means? I don’t know what it means. Can you explain what it means?

***

I wonder when Sarah and the kids are going to get home? I think they’re going back in the end.

***

I was surprised that Caleb doesn’t know what a car is. When I was young I knew what a car was. I think Caleb was used to wagons. I wonder if Caleb knows what a ship or boat is? Excellent question! He probably has only heard of them from books. It must have been a strange sensation to feel the car move on the road, hear the roar of the engine and see the sights go by so fast.

***

Why did Sarah leave Papa? I believe Sarah left Papa because of the drought and she missed her family and the beautiful state of Maine.

***

I thought they weren’t going to leave the prairie so I was surprised that they went to Maine. I found it interesting that when they were going to Maine, Sarah was sad, even though she was going back to the place she missed – maybe she loved Jacob more than Maine.

For those families who were maybe a little confused as to what their children were asking them to do I will be sure, in the future, to send home an example of what this generally looks like. We will also give it a go during Curriculum Night after winter break.

After sharing the research on community organizations that work to support those in need the kids recently discussed what type of community project we might want to take on this year. We've talked a lot of talk but are aware it's just as important to actually do something to help. The suggestions were: homelessness, education, foster homes, abused and stray animals, and the elderly. Before taking a vote I asked the kids to take a few moments to jot down their thinking around this. Here's a glimpse into a couple of their notebooks...

I think we should help people with no education because sometimes they don't have any books and books help you learn...I think animals because me and my brother love animals and we hate to see a stray dog or cat walking around our neighborhood...I think hungry people because if they didn't have enough food then they would die but if they had someone to take good care of them then that person would give them food...I hope we pick education because it will really make a difference in someone's life.

The final vote favored working to help abused and stray animals. Here is where a democratic classroom (one in which many things are negotiated) comes into play. Everyone seemed to like the idea of helping animals and we will soon begin our work for this cause. I would like to take the kids to a shelter in January to learn about services they provide, issues they face, and ways we can support them. Ideally, we'd get an opportunity to do something for them while we are there but we will see what they might have in mind.

We started new book clubs this week. There were about ten or twelve books to choose from and everyone selected their top three choices. From these choices I paired the kids with texts I thought would be the best fit. They are now working with their book clubs to determine which pages to read each day as well as to discuss their understandings and reactions to the story. This is a favorite structure of mine. I enjoy seeing the kids gather around to talk about books; not to mention, the social element plays very well for some of our more reluctant readers.

Newsletter: Week Thirteen

Are you tired of fumbling with your tools or trying to find them? Do you ever wish you had an extra hand? Hi, I’m Billy Mays here for the Tool Band-It. When two hands just aren’t enough, reach for the Tool Band-It. It’s a lightweight, magnetic band that provides a safe place to hold all your tools and parts.

Dear Families,

We spent time this week studying one of the highest forms of human communication… the infomercial. After spending a few days exploring magnets each of the kids worked to design their own magnetic invention. We then accessed infomercials from You Tube. We used these to see what we noticed them saying/doing to persuade us. We found:

· Loud talking to show excitement

· Fast talking to show excitement

· Shows how product makes life easier

· Shows all the different ways to use it

· Adds a free item at the end

· Sometimes uses rhyme

· Tells you how you’ll save money

· Shows all kinds of different people using it (“Even Grandma…”)

· Uses humor

· Asks a lot of questions (“Are you tired…”, “Would you like…”)

· “It’s just $19.95. Act now!”

The kids are now in the process of using a few of these ideas to develop their own commercial scripts. As you can imagine, they’ve been giggling their way through the process. I don’t know that we’ll have time in class but if anyone would like to help their child use this script to film a short commercial at home it would be awfully fun to share with the class! This is definitely NOT an assignment but an invitation to anyone who has the time or desire.

Thanks to everyone who has been sending in food items for our Passing of the Cans collection. While our primary goal is to help those in need, we’re also using with these food items to learn how to subtract with regrouping. Each day we weigh the food items that are brought in. To do this the kids stand on the floor scale holding the bag of cans and then again without the cans. They then subtract the difference. To date we have brought in about 70 pounds of food! Please continue to send these items in next week.

We’ve spent the past week reading Skylark together in class. I am reading about two-thirds of the book aloud and the kids are doing the remainder on their own during silent reading time. We’re using this book to launch a new structure in the classroom – book clubs. The kids are doing a nice job of learning how to sit and talk about their reading and their thinking. My primary goals for this first experience with small group literature discussion are: (1) to stay on topic/stay on task, (2) respond to the ideas of others, and (3) begin learning to truly converse rather than just take turns talking. So far, so good!

On Thursday, December 15^th we will cooking in the classroom. We plan to prepare the food and drink we will need for our winter celebration the following day. We’ll work next week to finalize our menu and begin calculating the ingredients and quantities we’ll need from the store. We’ll also work to estimate how much this will all cost so we will know how much money each of us will need to contribute toward the feast. I imagine it will be somewhere in the $3 - $5 range. If you’d like to come in to help prepare the food please let me know. So far I have heard from: Kathy Trice, Chandra Tate, Stacey Swayne, Ashley Simpson (MAT), Leanne Brinson (MAT), Karyn Gattman, Rebecca Clements, Dana Samuels, and Peggy Hass (my mom). We’ll be doing this from 1:30 – 2:30 ish. The more the merrier!

Have a great weekend,

Chris

Homework November 28 - December 6

1. Reading log due next TUESDAY
2. Revise letter due this WEDNESDAY - complete!
3. Read chapters 10 and 11 of Skylark and have a written conversation. This is due MONDAY

Newsletter: Week Twelve

Dear Families,

We have had a really, really nice week this week. There were many highlights that made me stop and think “Wow, we’ve really arrived!” The kids are thinking, sharing, and reflecting like mad. Here are some highlights…

Sarah, Plain and Tall

We launched our very first literature study of the year. This is the first of a five book series that I truly love. The kids received their own copy of the book and each day they follow along as I read aloud. We use this as an opportunity to learn how to talk about literature in preparation for the launch of book clubs. One component of this work was to engage in written conversation with a classmate about the book. Here are a few excerpts:

“I think Caleb is trying to be funny to make Sarah want to stay. I also think that Sarah wants to make the home she’s at now like her own home that she came from.”/ “I agree. Probably Caleb wants a new mother/mom really badly.”/ “I also agree with you that Caleb wants a new mom. But I’m sure he misses and wishes he could have known his mom.”

“I think Sarah’s the oldest and she doesn’t like it there.”/ “I don’t really think Sarah’s the oldest even though I think she did not like it there.”

Building a conversation about literature is hard work. The natural tendency is to take turns telling something rather than building on the ideas of others. This requires careful listening and hard thinking. The kids are off to a really nice start.

Measurement

We’ve been exploring different tools for measuring weight. These have included: balance scales, bathroom scales, spring scales, kitchen scales, and slide scales. We’ve used these to measure in pounds, ounces, and grams. I overheard the following conversation at the kitchen scale (which provides weights in ounces and grams) …

“The lima beans weigh 17 pounds.”

“No, I don’t think lima beans could weigh 17 pounds. That’s too much.”

A third member of the group reaches over and turns the can so that the label is facing everyone.

“Hey, these are GIANT lima beans!”

“Oh! I guess they COULD weigh 17 pounds then.”

Communities

We launched a study of the problems communities face. We started with a group discussion and then broke out into two smaller groups to continue the discussion. Two of the kids were selected to record their group’s thoughts on the board for us all to see. As they worked to create lists of challenges/people in need I was struck at how seriously both groups took their work. They sat attentively and shared out ideas as well as commented on the ideas of others. It was one of those moments that caused me to pause and consider how far these kiddos are coming. After combining the two lists, this is what we had to show for our efforts…

Poverty, crime, homelessness, abuse, rights and responsibilities, helping people that move from other countries, education, helping people with disabilities, enough food, helping the elderly, fires, stray animals, neglect, and emergencies

We’ve since read a number of books on homelessness and immigration. The kids are sharing their research into organizations that help to make our community stronger and more equitable tomorrow. From these experiences we’ll begin discussing what cause or organization we would like to support this year. Before we leave for Thanksgiving break I would like for us to have a plan for who we want to help and what types of things we might do. If you have some great ideas please pass them along with your child. The final decisions will be theirs.

Remember that Expert Project presentations are next week. We will be sharing our projects with the entire school on Tuesday morning from 9:30 – 10:45. Feel free to stop in and check them out if you have the chance.

Homework: November 14 - 18

1. Community Helper research. Come to school Friday ready to tell us about a group/organization that works to solve a challenge/problem in our community. There is a sheet for this and it is due on Friday.

2. Expert Project boards are due next Monday. If anyone can finish early I'd love to have to have them present this Thursday or Friday.

3. Those that did not finish writing their non-fiction animal books in class need to finish these at home. There is a sheet for everyone to look over with you before bringing these back in.

Homework: November 7 - 14

1. Reading Log
2. Measurement Sheet

These are both due on Monday, 11/14.

Newsletter: Week 12

“Measurement is my FAVORITE subject!”

Dear Families,

What’s not to like about exploring the world of measurement? Each day the kids pull from a variety of tools – meter sticks, tape measures, rulers, measuring tapes, measuring wheel – and work to size up various objects. The past few days we’ve been working with perimeter. Perimeter is the distance around a non-circular polygon. After measuring the perimeters of their notebooks and tables, the kids worked in partnerships to arrange a set of shapes in order from the smallest perimeter to the largest. To calculate these totals they needed to call upon their knowledge of adding numbers that require regrouping. They did a really nice job and had a lot of fun too. This made me think of one of my earliest graduate courses at USC. The professor had us read and discuss a point/counterpoint essay around the question “Does education need to be fun?” My first inclination is to say “YES!” However, I guess it depends on how you choose to define fun.

We’ve continued work on our research projects. The kids are now taking their information and turning it into a small non-fiction book. There are some features the class agreed should be present in everyone’s book – table of contents, glossary or pronunciation key, subheadings, etc. Each of the kids also chose a few features of non-fiction they wanted to add to this list for themselves (alliteration, italics, etc). Mr. O’Keefe’s class spent some time with us on Tuesday sharing the non-fiction pieces they recently wrote. His kids offered us a few suggestions and we came back encouraged that we were on the right track with our work. We will continue to work on these in the classroom through next Wednesday. At that point if anyone is not finished I’ll ask them to take their book home and bring it back completed on the following Monday.

The kids are bringing home their research cards today. They need to complete their project boards and have them back at school a week from Monday (November 21^st). We’ll present them at that time. If anyone thinks they will be finished by next Thursday or Friday I would LOVE to have a handful of kids present early to help lighten the load the following week. I’ll check in with them on Tuesday and Wednesday to see if there are any volunteers.

Ms. Brinson has done a brilliant job of taking charge of our reading workshop over the past week or so. Here is an update from her…

I’ve been eagerly awaiting my full immersion in the classroom, and it’s finally here! It’s been so rewarding to see the kids everyday over the past two weeks and experience the rhythm of “classroom life” day to day.

One of my assignments for the MAT program was a Curriculum Innovation project – enrich the curriculum by incorporating a new structure of learning. Chris and I chose Readers Theater, an activity which helps readers with fluency, to develop a good pace as a reader, and ultimately to make better sense of a story by incorporating different voices for characters and using strategies such as intonation and emphasis for certain words. The students selected scripts, got into groups with two or three other kids, practiced their story together, and will perform in front of the class. Hopefully, you’ve seen the same excitement and enthusiasm that we have. The students seem to enjoy this experience and I know they’ve all grown as readers because of it.

Finally, we enjoyed the opportunity to have grandparents visit us today. We sang them a couple of songs, shared out a few facts from our research, and gathered stories from them. We plan to use these stories as part of a class book of family stories.

Have a great weekend,

Chris and Leanne

Newsletter: Week Eleven

”Anything that changes your values changes your behavior.”

-George Sheehan (cardiologist, runner, writer)

Dear Families,

This was the quote used to frame our staff conversation yesterday around student behavior and the ways we support our classes into living and working responsibly among their community of classmates. I was thinking of this conversation after last night’s Curriculum Night. For those of you who were here I hope you noticed how attentive and excited to share the kids were. Second and third grades are such a fun time because so much growth happens during these formative years. The kids are changing every week. We’re still quite playful, and rightfully so, but we’re also learning that there’s a place and a time for everything. I really couldn’t be any more proud of this group.

Here’s a rundown of our past week together…

As readers we thought about how a story is supposed to sound. We’re trying to grow beyond word-to-word reading- moving toward a more fluent rhythm. We’ve been paying attention to how punctuation helps guide us through the text. We’ve also been playing around with the idea of creating character voices for the dialogue in our texts. Chase, Ryan, and Chandler read a Frog and Toad story to us on Thursday as if they were performing on an old time radio show. After having practiced the story for a few days, they read to us with strong, confident voices that were very entertaining. We’re all working on similar projects now. My hope is to video each of the groups final performances and post them to the class blog for you to see.

As writers and scientists we have been organizing research notes and then turning them into full sentences. We’ve talked about the need for punctuation as well as capital letters. Many of us are still not all that mindful of these conventions of writing but these types of experiences help to move us all in the right direction.

As mathematicians we’ve been exploring linear measurement. The kids started by measuring items around the room using non-standard units of measure such as: shoes, markers, pencils, hands, etc. The following day they asked a partner to check their measurements. Their results did not match up in most cases. When asked to write about why they thought the data didn’t match their responses were: (1) Sometime people measured too quickly, (2) People used the same unit of measure but it was a different size than their partner’s, and (3) Some people slid their measuring tool across the surface instead of measuring end-to-end. We used their observations and conclusions to develop our own rules for measurement. These included measuring carefully and slowly, using a standard unit of measure, and always measuring end-to-end. We’re now measuring to the nearest half inch and exploring different types of measuring tools (measuring tapes, yard sticks, tape measures, rulers).

I hope that you all enjoyed reading your child’s progress report last week. I meant to send out a message before they came home asking you to excuse any errors that slipped through. Regardless, the information was an accurate retelling of the things I have noticed in the classroom. I love writing these reports because they provide me an opportunity to sit and really process all the information I’ve recorded on each of the kids. Our next reports, in January, will be a checklist-type report that lists each of the curricular areas with the indicators Developing, Achieving, Extending.

We’re going strong on Expert Projects. You can probably expect materials to come home next weekend so the kids can prepare their project boards. We’ll plan to present just before Thanksgiving Break.

Have a great weekend,

Chris