Newsletter: Week Five

Dear Families,

Ms. Mahawold’s fourth grade class provided our CFI community with a thought for the week: “Just like the water cycle, what comes around goes around.” I couldn’t help but think of this as multiple people, including me, missed school due to illness this past week. There were obviously some germs both coming and going around. We’ll make sure to wash or hands often but don’t be surprised if we make a request for an extra box or two of tissues in the coming weeks.

There were some really cool things going on in the classroom these past five days. One of my favorites was an unequal resources simulation we did on Monday and Tuesday. The kids were split into five groups, each representing a different community. I explained to them they were the government for their community and, thus, presented with the responsibility of providing their constituents with opportunities for education, industry, food, shelter, and clothing. To accomplish this they needed to complete tasks such as: create four gold strips that are three inches by one inch, make a blue “T” that is four inches high, create a four-page book in two different colors, create a four-link paper chain using four different colors, and create a two inch white square with a yellow triangle attached to the top for a roof. The catch? Each of the groups received different (and often incomplete) collections of resources. After about five or ten minutes of complaints and concern they got down to business. Some groups found new, or even old fashioned, ways to complete tasks. Others traded resources with neighboring communities. Others, still, shared the wealth with no expectation of anything in return. It was a great experience. In the end we looked at what everyone created and noted some interesting results.

Based on the resources available, products looked different from one community to another. Looking in a book of homes around the world we found this same thing to be true in the real world.

Some creations were more crude than others when the tools they had available were less advanced (fingers vs scissors). We also noted that some of our governments were unable to provide everything for their communities because too much time was wasted due to disorganization or squabbling. Does this sound familiar in a real world context?

In math we continued to explore addition and subtraction. On Wednesday I posed the problem “How many pockets do you think we have all together?” We discussed the difference between an estimate and a guess. The kids made estimates and then counted their own pockets, recorded these on post-its, and brought them to the front of the room to add to a graph.

We found that the range was 0 -12 pockets and the mode (most) was zero pockets. Seeing these numbers displayed across the board the kids revised their estimates. They next broke out into table groups to calculate how many pockets their table had. These numbers were brought back to the front of the room and recorded so everyone could once again revise their estimates based on new, and more manageable, number sets. I then brought out some snap cubes and we used them to add the pockets from each table: 20 + 21 + 10 + 4 + 18. We found that the class had a total of 73 pockets. We’ll revisit this question later in the year. The clothes will change and the follow-up questions will become increasingly more complex.

Lastly, I hope you’ve heard we have a new friend in second grade. Chandler Robertson joined us from Forest Lake Elementary School. Chandler has already demonstrated a love for reading in the classroom and O-ball at recess. We can’t wait to get to know him over the coming weeks and months.

Notes of Interest:
 Our school-wide trip to the Riverbanks Zoo will be on September 30th. Please make certain to return those permission slips.

 Opening Picnic will be September 22.

 One component of next week’s homework will be to bring in a seed (or seeds) to share with the class. This can come from a piece of fruit, your garden, or the store. I just wanted to let you know before the weekend begins in case it will be easier for you to secure these on Saturday or Sunday.

Have a great weekend,
Chris