Newsletter: February 27, 2013

Have you heard about about our study of states of matter? We've been doing all sorts of fun experiments and demonstrations. We've learned about solids, liquids, and gases as well as the processes of condensation, freezing, melting, and evaporation. Along the way we found that some liquids evaporate quicker than others (and oil doesn't seem to evaporate much at all). We also saw that the greater the heat the quicker the process of evaporation. Yesterday Mr. Chris added vinegar and baking soda to a plastic soda bottle and put a balloon on top. The balloon soon popped right up and inflated. Do you know how this happened? If not, be sure to ask your child.

  

In writing we've been getting ready for the PASS writing test. We'll be taking this test in March. It will consist of a prompt-based writing sample and a multiple choice test (yes, they actually assess kids' writing ability with a multiple choice test!). To prepare for this experience we've been learning about prompt writing. The kids have tried a few of these pieces as well as studied the work of students from my past classes. These guys are such avid writers. I told them prompt writing may feel a little funny at first but ultimately this is an opportunity for us to show off as writers. 

And finally, a couple of important notes...

1. We are hosting Gathering next week. Our thought for the week will most likely be "What are the chances?" as we focus on our learning around probability. 

2. Mr. Chris will take over all teaching duties in two weeks. As part of his internship he will be in charge of all duties for ten consecutive days. Of course, I'll still be around the building as well. I plan to work on the upcoming narrative progress reports, work on a critical analysis of the social studies curriculum and textbook, and help out in other classrooms. 

3. Next Tuesday is a half-day for the kids. We'll spend our afternoon working with Tommy Hodges, a math professor from USC.

Chris

Recipe for Ice Cream

Homework: February 26 - March 4

1. Read each night for at least twenty minutes.

2. Create a game that others can play based on probability. This may include cards, dice, balls, rubber duckies, or anything else you can dream up. Think of the sorts of games you might see at a carnival or at the State Fair. When you come in be ready to talk to us about the probability of winning. You might want to play a number of times at home and create a graph of some sort demonstrating the probability of winning. The photo at the top of this post is of David's game. It includes dropping colored sticks into the appropriate tubes. He is currently collecting data to see how often people win (getting all four in the right tube). This is due next Monday.

3. Create an insulator no larger than a shoe box. Next Monday I will give each person five ice cubes. to put in their insulator. The goal is to construct a cooler-type box that will keep the ice solid throughout the entire school day. Feel free to use any materials you would like. Just be sure have a door of some type so we can put the ice in and check it throughout the day. Also, make sure your construction is original. As discussed in class, don't buy a small cooler and color flowers or skateboards on it and call it your own. Be creative and have fun! This is also due next Monday.

We are comparing a tin box to our "insulator" (a tin box with a sheet of paper on it). No  this is NOT a good example of what you might create at home. This one did not work too well. Be much more creative than this!

Newsletter: February 22, 2013

Dear Families,

Thank you so much for coming in last week for our Student Led Conferences. I was so pleased with how well the kids spoke about themselves as learners, readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, and social scientists.  The first few questions regarding knowledge, college, and future careers came as a result of a research article I read a few weeks ago. This study found that kids in schools that are in low income areas receive a vastly different education than kids who attend school in affluent areas. The kids in poor neighborhoods are not only treated differently but also held to very low standards. Their schooling is more geared toward a vocational education than one that challenges or inspires them to think, critique, and explore new possibilities. Seeing how kids across all sorts of different schools responded to similar questions, I was curious to see what our kids would say. While all said they expect to go to college and that they believe they can be anything they want when they grow up (these are expectations both at home and at school) their responses about knowledge were quite diverse. Some saw themselves as powerfully creating new knowledge through their thinking and others saw knowledge as something someone gives to you if you just sit quietly enough and listen.

Here is a sample of their responses to the questions "Where does knowledge come from? Can it be made?":

Knowledge comes from your brain because like I said knowledge is thinking...It can be made because you can study and thing better and thinking is knowledge...Knowledge is a book, math, science, and writing...It comes from trying your best...It's made by trying something your way...I think knowledge comes from getting taught by a teacher...I think knowledge cannot be made...I think it comes from your heart to do good and to care for others...It comes from your brain because that's where you know things...Knowledge comes from learning, listening, and smart people. No it cannot be made...Knowledge comes from people. If you think it comes from websites you look at the people who made the website...It comes from listening, learning, paying attention, and thinking...Knowledge comes from nature...I do not know where knowledge comes from...Knowledge can come from studying, thinking, wondering, and asking questions.

This week we have been finishing up our book club reading, sharing out our published memoirs, and exploring probability. We have also been launching an inquiry into States of Matter. Mr. Chris and I are having fun thinking alongside the kids to make predictions, form hypotheses, and conduct experiments. Here are a few photos from our work...

These are our evaporation cups. We are measuring, graphing, and comparing the evaporation rates of vanilla, water, alcohol, syrup, and cooking oil. Can you guess which will evaporate the quickest? The slowest?

This is a graph from the syrup group. We are measuring these in grams. This has provided us an opportunity to think a bit about decimal points and fractional parts.

We also filled a jar with syrup, water, and oil. We were amazed by the fact that instead of mixing the liquids created layers. In the photo you can see the many objects we've been dropping in to see if they float and, if so, on what layer they will float.

Mr. Chris demonstrates the effects of heat on a solid. Yep, he's melting stuff!

A crayon

A nail. This one has a higher melting point than we could produce.

Next week we'll be exploring the difference between an insulator and a conductor as well as thinking through a number of different science demonstrations. It should be fun.

Please remember our Gathering is coming up quickly. We will share our learning on Friday, March 8th at 2:20. We hope to see you there.

Chris

Newsletter: February 12, 2013

Dear Families,

We are working this week to revise, edit, and begin publishing our memoirs. We started writing these last month and over the past few weeks the kids have accumulated a handful of different stories. Along the way we've learned about stretching small moments, using descriptive passages, paragraphing, punctuation, and so much more. This weekend the kids will bring home their drafts on Thursday and use the four-day weekend to publish these. They started publishing in class today and will have more time tomorrow. Some have chosen to wait and type them at home. If you want to help them type please be sure to type it just as they have written it (spelling and all). These pieces serve as an artifact demonstrating where they are as writers at this moment in time.


In reading this week the kids have formed book clubs. On Monday they selected their books and decided what pages to read each night. The books selected were: Sheep, The Littles, Star Girl, Year of the Rat, and The Dragon Slayer Academy. The majority, if not all, of their reading will be completed in class each day. We are trying to give them at least 30 or 35 minutes to read each afternoon. We are also working to build conversations that go beyond just remembering favorite parts of the story. As always, our work is designed to reinforce the idea that reading is about understanding. In our first day of practicing for these literature discussions I noticed they discussed things such as:

* Wondering about the choices the author has made
* Thinking about whether something like this has or could happen in the real world
* Wondering about a character we don't know much about
* Discussing things we don't understand in the story
* Noting the relationships between illustrations and text
* Making predictions as to what might happen later in the story
* Make guesses as to why something has happened in the story

And now here are a few items from our MAT, Mr. Chris...

Telling Time

We have been working on learning to tell time to the minute.  The class is learning that the long hand is the minute hand and the short hand is the hour hand.  We have been practicing with the clocks each day and learning strategies to remember what all those big numbers on the clock mean.  One strategy we’ve learned to help us remember how many minutes the big numbers represent is to take the number and multiply by 5.  For example if the minute hand is pointing at the 10 you can multiply 5 x 10 to help you remember the 10 equals 50 minutes.

As a class we have found it tricky to figure out what time it is as the minute hand nears the top of the hour.  Most students want to jump ahead to the next hour.  For example if it is 3:47 students often make the mistake of thinking it is 4:47 because it looks like the hour hand is almost pointing at the 4.  To help the class remember that it is not the next hour until the hour hand reaches or passes the number we placed a clock in the room without a minute hand.  When the class looks at the clock without the minute hand it is easier for them to see that it is not 10:00 until the hour hand reaches the 10.  A few students noticed that the hour hand moves incrementally between the hour and figured out that each minute between the hour represents a fractional part of each hour.  They discovered that if the hour hand is pointing at exactly one of the minutes between the hour it represents about 12 minutes allowing them to more accurately predict what the time is without the minute hand.

This week we began working on elapsed time word problems.  Each student worked on creating three word problems involving elapsed time, then they chose one of their problems to publish for the class.  We went around the room as a class and attempted to solve the problems our classmates created for us.  It was a lot of fun seeing the problems the students created and some of the different strategies they used to solve the problems.

I wanted to take a minute and introduce myself to those of you I have not had an opportunity to meet yet.  My name is Chris Tiscornia; the kids affectionately call me “Mr. Chris.”  I grew up in Michigan and moved to South Carolina with my wife about 6 years ago.  Before entering the M.A.T. program at USC I spent almost 20 years in the restaurant business, mostly in Michigan.  Since entering the program at USC I have learned so much about working with kids and helping them to become proficient learners.  I enjoy all kinds of sports and am an avid golfer, although I don’t seem to have much time for golf right now.  Getting to know each of your children has been a lot of fun for me and I can say I am excited to come into school each day to see what new wonderings and connections they will make.  I look forward to getting to know all of you as well as the semester progresses.

Student-Led Conferences

We have been spending the past few days getting ready for next week's Student-Led Conferences. These conferences are not only an opportunity for the kids to share a sampling of their work with you but to help them develop a sense of ownership in their learning. When I was a kid I used to sit at home while my parents drove to school to get the "low down" from my teacher. The best scenario was that they would come home and say nothing. The worst... well, you can probably guess. As an adult I wonder now why I wasn't part of the process of figuring and sharing out how I was growing as a learner. All I had to rely upon was my report card - and that didn't really say much for my learning. It just spoke to things I had "earned" through memorization, project completion, extra credit, and so on.

Next week the kids will begin by telling you what they think knowledge is, where they believe it comes from, and their thoughts on college and careers. From there they will talk about themselves as readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, and historians. Feel free along the way to ask questions - I certainly will. However, the conference is their show so we'll both need to stay in the background as much as possible.

Lastly, I generally do pretty well at staying on schedule so no one is left waiting more than a minute or two. However, if you notice we're more than a couple minutes late feel free to give a gentle knock. We'll appreciate the reminder.

Here is the schedule for conferences.

Tuesday, 2/12
7:30      Anna
3:00      Grace
3:25      Laila

Wednesday, 2/13
7:30     Trent

Thursday, 2/14
7:30     Chandler
3:00     Jackson
3:25     Jalen
3:50     Ellis
4:25     Micah

Friday, 2/15
8:00     Ryan
8:25     OPEN
8:50     Jasier
9:15     OPEN
9:40     Surya
10:05    Rachael 
10:30    OPEN
10:55    Maisy
12:00    Chase
12:25    Jade
12:50    David
1:15     OPEN
1:40     Abrianna
2:05     OPEN
2:30     Ashley
2:55     Tyler

Homework: February 4 - 11

1. Read each night.

2. Study the Civil War study guide. You are responsible for each of the twelve questions on the guide. Please note that the final two essay questions will account for half the points on the quiz. There are no "right" answers to these two questions. However, your ability to thoroughly explain your position is very, very important. Feel free to talk these two questions through with an adult this week. The quiz will be on FRIDAY.

3. You need to have completed at least three memoir pieces by Friday. These should each be no less than 1 1/2 - 2 pages. If you feel you won't be able to complete this during class time (remember we've been working on these for a number of weeks) feel free to take them home. Again, these are due on FRIDAY.

Happy working,
Mr. H

Newsletter: February 1, 2013

Dear Families,

Thanks to everyone who could make it out for Curriculum Night last night. I enjoyed listening in on the many conversations happening around the room. So much of our learning is social - during every phase of our life. It's rare to learn anything without the support of dialogue. Even when we think we are learning "on our own" we are accessing the many conversations and social experiences from our past that support this new learning. For this reason the role of talk in the classroom is crucial. We work each day to build on each other's ideas and to make connections between our lives, the texts we read, and the world beyond our immediate community. A great strength of our, and any, classroom is that each of the kids have their own strengths, interests, perspectives, and experiences to bring to these conversations. We truly learn from one another each and every day.

 Here is an update on current and future items of interest...

Next week we will begin working to prepare for our Student-Led Conferences. If you have not already signed up for your conference please do so very soon. The forms are located at the front of the building.

Last week the kids considered a variety of issues in regards to "Who Should Choose- Individuals of the Government?". We tallied the kids responses. We found that there were 60 occasions when someone thought the government should choose (make a law, etc) and 27 occasions when someone thought individuals should choose. We used this to help us better understand the concept of state's rights vs federal mandates and laws.

Our new MAT, Mr. Chris, has been working with the class on their memoir writing this past week. Next week he will be teaching about analog clocks as well.

We had a Brazilian visitor last week. Her name was Beatrice. She is 15 years old and spending her summer (yes, it 's summer in Brazil) here working on her English skills. We enjoyed her presentation.

We sorted coins this week. We were trying to discover how old these dimes, quarters, nickels, and pennies tend to be. We had learned last week that one dollar bills are only in circulation for about 18 months on average. We're looking to see if the same is true for coins. Based on some 60 year old nickels we came across we're beginning to think the answer is "NO."

Here's a class graph we created with Post-It notes to analyze the dates from a sample of pennies. Because the kids dug through the penny bucket for certain dates they wanted we could not draw any reliable results from this work. We talked about the need for the samples to be random.

Here is a group sorting their quarters by five-year increments. Can you guess which coins tend to be oldest? Newest? Why might this be?