I've been meaning to post about this for the past week...sorry so slow with the update.
We're taking on quite a project here on the third floor. In case you weren't aware I led a team of five teachers in creating a grant proposal last year. We designed a project around the idea that we wanted our students to learn about how to take better care of the environment. Apparently, someone liked our proposal. A lot. The school was awarded about $20,000 in new technology, including five laptops like the one I use along with five digital cameras, LCD projectors, and printers. The catch is that we have to use all of it in bringing our project to life.
Well, we're underway. The first step was for the students to design a PowerPoint presentation that teaches students about trash and recycling. They completed it by working in groups of 3-4. Then, they presented it to three classes. It was pretty cool. Here's the presentation:
Now, the class is collecting the recycling bins from these three classes at the end of every day. Then, at the end of each week, they'll weigh it, keeping a running tally of the weights using my laptop computer. By the time we're done, we'll have a good idea of how much of an impact we've had on the environment.
There's a few more phases than just that. But so far it's been a great way to teach science, social studies, and math. I'm looking forward to seeing where this will lead. I'll keep you updated along the way. And be sure to send in any recyclable paper you have at home!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
And We're Back
17 days since my last post...sorry about that. Exhibition week sure throws everything for a loop. Parents, kids, and teachers are all scurrying to meet deadlines and make sure everything's ready for the big day(s). Overall, I'd say we did a pretty good job, wouldn't you? I obviously got to view the most Exhibitions, but I was tremendously impressed and very proud. The students worked hard and did a terrific job, especially considering it was their first one in fourth grade. And of course, none of it would be possible without the help of the parents and grandparents and other family members who take time out of their busy days to attend and help and practice and more. I thank all of you very much.
One of the best parts about the first exhibition is that there isn't a single person involved that doesn't learn something that will help them the next time. Students learned what they need to improve and the importance of picking an interest project that truly interests them. For parents, I think the format and my expectations became a lot clearer. And I learned a lot, too. I'll prepare and communicate a little differently next time, in an effort to make sure everyone knows what is required. And I'll stress preparation, the use of note cards, and using a conversational/energetic tone when presenting. I'll also assign different math problems for every student, so that no one has to sit through the same one twice.
And now that we've made it through weeks and weeks of hard work, we are rewarded with a three day week leading up to the holiday weekend. We still have a lot to do, though...
One of the best parts about the first exhibition is that there isn't a single person involved that doesn't learn something that will help them the next time. Students learned what they need to improve and the importance of picking an interest project that truly interests them. For parents, I think the format and my expectations became a lot clearer. And I learned a lot, too. I'll prepare and communicate a little differently next time, in an effort to make sure everyone knows what is required. And I'll stress preparation, the use of note cards, and using a conversational/energetic tone when presenting. I'll also assign different math problems for every student, so that no one has to sit through the same one twice.
And now that we've made it through weeks and weeks of hard work, we are rewarded with a three day week leading up to the holiday weekend. We still have a lot to do, though...
- This week we'll be pushing forward with our essays. These will need to be worked on over the weekend. I'll provide more on that before Wednesday.
- We're finishing Unit 4 in math class. That means we'll be taking a unit test on Wednesday. We'll review Tuesday. Pay careful attention to Tuesday's homework. It will be a test review. Tests should be graded and sent home on Wednesday.
- Students will resume meeting with their regular reading classes this week.
- We'll return to a more regular homework schedule starting on Monday the 24th. After a long respite, the homework calendar on the class website WILL be updated starting Monday morning. Expect it every night, even during Thanksgiving break. Check out the poll at the top of the blog page. I'd really like your input as to how much homework is acceptable during a holiday weekend. Be honest. If you think there shouldn't be homework, by all means, let me know. I'll take the responses into account when selecting the assignments.
- Finally, students will be wrapping up the six-week science session. After Thanksgiving, we'll dive back into Social Studies for the next six weeks.
And in other news...I'm looking to get back into the swing of parent volunteering starting in December. I'll post more on this at a later date, but keep it in mind. Help would be needed at 9:00 for writing and 10:00 for math.
Look for more posts later this week as I continue to get caught up.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Six Days?
Does that counter say six days? Is that possible? Are we that close having a third of the year be completed?
In a word...yes. It's unbelievable, I know. But it's true. So it's really time to get to work on Exhibitions. I'm hoping that almost everyone has their interest projects completed. Once they're done, it's time for the kids to start practicing what they're going to say. Remember, their job is to teach us all that they've learned. Be sure to practice ahead of time! Their Exhibition will go much more smoothly if they rehearse over and over.
This week, we've been preparing the social studies portion of the presentation. They have to have a timeline with 10 events on it from chapter three in their social studies book. They will display this at their Exhibition and then give us details about ONE of the ten events. They don't have to talk about all ten or even list them. Just pick one. We'll work on completing that tomorrow so it can be practiced and ready.
This week we're also working on publishing our personal narrative stories. We've been using the school's new mobile laptop lab (yay for fundraisers!) to type and print these stories. No one's gotten done yet, but we should have quite a few get finished tomorrow. They are very excited about these stories and I'm proud of how hard they've worked. These are the stories that they need to talk about at their Exhibitions.
We did take a math test yesterday on Unit 3. Please go over it with your child tonight. We'll have a short quiz tomorrow. That will be the one you need to sign and return if the score is lower than 80 percent.
A look ahead to next week...we'll be going over the science requirement and putting the finishing touches on all the other parts to make sure students are ready.
I'm officially suspending assigned homework until after Exhibitions are completed. Maybe a better way of saying this is: the homework every night until Exhibitions are over is to work on Exhibitions. :)
Just some other notes...Scholastic Book Club order forms went home last night. They are due back next Friday, the 14th. No one has used the online ordering option yet, so I'm not going to set it up this time. If you're interested in ordering and paying online with a credit card, let me know.
Also (I know this is short notice) but I could really use some help with publishing stories tomorrow. If you can come in from 9:45 until 11:00 to help me get the computers set up and to help students edit and print their stories, that would be great. Send me an email if you're available. Thanks!
In a word...yes. It's unbelievable, I know. But it's true. So it's really time to get to work on Exhibitions. I'm hoping that almost everyone has their interest projects completed. Once they're done, it's time for the kids to start practicing what they're going to say. Remember, their job is to teach us all that they've learned. Be sure to practice ahead of time! Their Exhibition will go much more smoothly if they rehearse over and over.
This week, we've been preparing the social studies portion of the presentation. They have to have a timeline with 10 events on it from chapter three in their social studies book. They will display this at their Exhibition and then give us details about ONE of the ten events. They don't have to talk about all ten or even list them. Just pick one. We'll work on completing that tomorrow so it can be practiced and ready.
This week we're also working on publishing our personal narrative stories. We've been using the school's new mobile laptop lab (yay for fundraisers!) to type and print these stories. No one's gotten done yet, but we should have quite a few get finished tomorrow. They are very excited about these stories and I'm proud of how hard they've worked. These are the stories that they need to talk about at their Exhibitions.
We did take a math test yesterday on Unit 3. Please go over it with your child tonight. We'll have a short quiz tomorrow. That will be the one you need to sign and return if the score is lower than 80 percent.
A look ahead to next week...we'll be going over the science requirement and putting the finishing touches on all the other parts to make sure students are ready.
I'm officially suspending assigned homework until after Exhibitions are completed. Maybe a better way of saying this is: the homework every night until Exhibitions are over is to work on Exhibitions. :)
Just some other notes...Scholastic Book Club order forms went home last night. They are due back next Friday, the 14th. No one has used the online ordering option yet, so I'm not going to set it up this time. If you're interested in ordering and paying online with a credit card, let me know.
Also (I know this is short notice) but I could really use some help with publishing stories tomorrow. If you can come in from 9:45 until 11:00 to help me get the computers set up and to help students edit and print their stories, that would be great. Send me an email if you're available. Thanks!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Math for Exhibitions and a note on Birthdays
Yesterday and today, we went over the math requirement for next month's Exhibition. Just to clarify...
The students were given a sheet with four problems on it. They have to show us how to do the one about maximum, minimum, mode, etc. Then they choose 2 of the remaining 3 to do. They should have written their choices on their Organizer worksheets. The problems on the sheet are the exact problems they will present. They will not be required to make up their own problems.
When presenting, I've told them to "teach us" how to do the problems by explaining them step by step. I'll create an overhead transparency to project so they won't have to spend time writing the problems on the board themselves.
The students were given a sheet with four problems on it. They have to show us how to do the one about maximum, minimum, mode, etc. Then they choose 2 of the remaining 3 to do. They should have written their choices on their Organizer worksheets. The problems on the sheet are the exact problems they will present. They will not be required to make up their own problems.
When presenting, I've told them to "teach us" how to do the problems by explaining them step by step. I'll create an overhead transparency to project so they won't have to spend time writing the problems on the board themselves.
Tonight, for homework, they should work on the reading portion of the Organizer. At the Exhibition, they're required to talk about a book they've read this year. They must come to class tomorrow with that section filled out. The required information is: the title & author, the genre, the main events from the story, and their personal response (i.e. I liked this book because...).
Tomorrow, in class, we'll go over that part and start working on the Social Studies portion. Next week, we'll wrap up the writing and science portions.
As for tomorrow's birthday club party, it will happen after lunch and recess. Ms. Barnes and I used part of the donated funds to buy a cake. Students can also bring in other treats (juice, cookies, etc.) as long as they bring in enough to share with 32 kids. Thanks to those of you that sent in the $4. If you weren't able to this time, try to get it in by the next party, in mid-December.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Exhibition Update
As you can see from the handy dandy countdown clock on the right side of the page, Exhibitions are quickly approaching. Since this is the children's first presentation with me, I am going to try to be as clear as I can about my expectations.
Notice that I said try. In the next two weeks, if you're ever feeling "in the dark" or confused about the Exhibition, be sure to contact me ASAP.
Here is what you and your child should have in your possession by the end of the day today...
Notice that I said try. In the next two weeks, if you're ever feeling "in the dark" or confused about the Exhibition, be sure to contact me ASAP.
Here is what you and your child should have in your possession by the end of the day today...
- Exhibition Checklist--the detailed list of everything that must be presented.
- Exhibition Organizer--a form to help the students organize all the information they need to present. I handed these out today and we discussed the math, reading, and writing requirements.
- Exhibition Sign-Up Sheet--use this form to book your appointment for your child's Exhibition. These went home today.
If you need another checklist or organizer, I have a link where you can open and print them on the front page of the class website.
From now until Exhibition Week, students should be doing something to prepare for their presentation every night. At school, we'll be filling out the organizer and getting ready in some fashion every day.
I will post more updates throughout the week. Stay tuned!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
What's Up This Week
The last week of October will be a busy one. As you can see from the Exhibitions countdown clock, time is short. Before you know it, Exhibitions will be here. Checklists will go home this week and next week you'll sign up for an Exhibition time. It's amazing how fast time flies, isn't it?
In math this week, we'll continue working on multiplication facts, but we'll add in some work with measurement, some story problems, and some work with what we call open sentences, which is really a pre-algebra concept. Here's an example of a very simple open sentence: ___ + 3 = 8 If you can fill in the blank, then you can do an open sentence!
We're on pace to have a Unit 3 test next Wednesday, the 5th of November. We'll have another quiz on Friday, too.
Writing Workshop will be busy this week, too. Students should have a final draft of their personal narratives by Friday. Hopefully, the kids will finish and will be able to type and publish their stories.
In science, we'll continue our exploration of matter. They have been enjoying the science activities so far. It's been fun.
We won't do costumes Friday, but we will have our first Birthday Club party! Thanks to those parents who sent in their ONE-TIME $4 fee. Friday is also a free-dress for $1 day.
Also this week, we'll really get into our "UPREP Goes Green Project." For those of you who weren't aware, I am part of a group of 5 teachers that received a grant of technology products from Hewlett-Packard. We got the grant for designing a project where the students start up a recycling program at the school. This week, students will complete the first phase, which involves creating a presentation on the computer. Next week, they'll present these to other classes in the school so that other students are educated and then the recycling program will begin. It's an awesome reward for our school--only 101 schools earned this honor. I'll update you more as we get more done with this.
Until then, if you have any questions or concerns, be sure to send an email or leave a comment!
In math this week, we'll continue working on multiplication facts, but we'll add in some work with measurement, some story problems, and some work with what we call open sentences, which is really a pre-algebra concept. Here's an example of a very simple open sentence: ___ + 3 = 8 If you can fill in the blank, then you can do an open sentence!
We're on pace to have a Unit 3 test next Wednesday, the 5th of November. We'll have another quiz on Friday, too.
Writing Workshop will be busy this week, too. Students should have a final draft of their personal narratives by Friday. Hopefully, the kids will finish and will be able to type and publish their stories.
In science, we'll continue our exploration of matter. They have been enjoying the science activities so far. It's been fun.
We won't do costumes Friday, but we will have our first Birthday Club party! Thanks to those parents who sent in their ONE-TIME $4 fee. Friday is also a free-dress for $1 day.
Also this week, we'll really get into our "UPREP Goes Green Project." For those of you who weren't aware, I am part of a group of 5 teachers that received a grant of technology products from Hewlett-Packard. We got the grant for designing a project where the students start up a recycling program at the school. This week, students will complete the first phase, which involves creating a presentation on the computer. Next week, they'll present these to other classes in the school so that other students are educated and then the recycling program will begin. It's an awesome reward for our school--only 101 schools earned this honor. I'll update you more as we get more done with this.
Until then, if you have any questions or concerns, be sure to send an email or leave a comment!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Recommending a Movie I Haven't Seen
I try not to recommend movies I haven't seen yet, but I just have a good feeling about this one. It's called City of Ember. You can learn more about it here.
It came out a couple weeks ago, so it might not be around for much longer. But if it stays through the weekend, it might be a good one to check out. (Hopefully it will show up at the discount theater at the Universal Mall, too). Here are some current showtimes.
The movie is based on a book by Jeanne DuPrau. I really loved it. It's set in the distant future. The city of Ember is the last remaining city on Earth. But there's a problem...the lights are going out. Lina Mayfleet, a young girl, is the main character and the city's only hope.
Fox Walden is the studio that produced the film. They were behind movies like The Chronicles of Narnia and Bridge to Terebithia.
If you do end up seeing it, let me know. I don't get a chance to see many movies in the theater, but I like to know good ones to rent when they come out on DVD!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)