August #2
Classes begin tomorrow. I've tried to make sure there are no conflicts in the schedules, that all transfers have been checked, all the good stuff. I spent two daze downtown going over all the State Department rules and regulations and how to be effective about the affective needs of bright students after a half-day with the other Hoover Enrichment teachers, going over the same things! I'm READY!
This year...
First, I really want my students to take a good look at themselves. We will be taking interest inventories*, learning style inventories*, practicing being a Self-Directed-Learner*, looking at what matters to them in the world and developing ways to take charge of it. By December they should have a packet of THEMSELVES that they can bring home to share with you (but I hope they've been sharing & you've been asking about it all along).
Second, in between all of the above, will be an artsy dip into PAPER. We'll start with just folding paper and go from there. Small muscle manual dexterity exercises. You might hear words like foldables, origami, kiragami, pop-ups, automata, & quilling and catch your child folding napkins or scraps of paper or jazzing up a report with a touch of color. Of course this also includes all the things you can do ON paper - Splodges!, printing, drawing, painting, resist...the list is endless! Wait till they get to design Holiday Cards! I anticipate that they will knock your socks (stockings??) off!! ANY paper you can part with will be accepted gladly. Pretty stationary or scraps of gift wrap? Newspapers, especially the comic sections? Tissue? Thin cardboard or card stock? Used scrap paper (works great for practice pieces)!! Do you parents have any paper expertise you would like to share?? Let me know! Come visit!! We may even make paper, that depends on their interest.
*Interest Inventory: Taking a look at what THEY want to know about and facilitating their journey to finding out more.
*Learning Style Inventory: When a student is aware of HOW they learn, how they best receive information, they can accommodate when the delivery of information isn't a best fit. For example, one of my styles is as a visual learner - that is, I like to SEE it. That means I learn best by reading or watching a movie or seeing someone do something. So when I have to sit through a lecture (and LISTEN) I have ways I accommodate to make it more of a visual (& therefore more accessible to my brain) experience. And then I have to DO it, feel how it's done, in a more physical/kinestetic style. The whole thing is METACOGNITION - thinking about how you think & working for your own best interest.
*Self-Directed-Learner: a student, of ANY age, who takes responsibility for following an interest or a need to know and, by doing so, can learn just about ANYTHING they want! AND I know YOU are modeling this sort of behavior for your children!!
Come get SPOTTED at Riverchase! More SOON!
XXOO!!
Mrs. Mac
"Learning is like rowing upstream: not to advance is to drop back." ~~ Chinese Proverb
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
AUGUST!!
The heart beats a little faster...anticipation builds... dust bunnies (okay, okay, dust rhinos) fly.... getting ready for the new school year is SO exciting! Of course it eats away at the summer vacation but what's a summer vacation among friends? I taught a bit of summer school (well, if you call vermiculture (worm farming) summer school), I've cleaned out my garage like a dutiful person, I scraped, re-taped, mudded, sanded & re-painted my skylight (SO proud!!), & I visited my 5 month old grandson in NY (SO cute!!). I'm ready! Except for the ironing...!
NOW for the beginning of a new school year! I plan to use this wiki more and more this year so keep it bookmarked and come back often!
More SOON!! XXOO!! Mrs. Mac
The heart beats a little faster...anticipation builds... dust bunnies (okay, okay, dust rhinos) fly.... getting ready for the new school year is SO exciting! Of course it eats away at the summer vacation but what's a summer vacation among friends? I taught a bit of summer school (well, if you call vermiculture (worm farming) summer school), I've cleaned out my garage like a dutiful person, I scraped, re-taped, mudded, sanded & re-painted my skylight (SO proud!!), & I visited my 5 month old grandson in NY (SO cute!!). I'm ready! Except for the ironing...!
NOW for the beginning of a new school year! I plan to use this wiki more and more this year so keep it bookmarked and come back often!
More SOON!! XXOO!! Mrs. Mac
Monday, July 13, 2009
July Already!!
However, GREAT news! Last evening was the last class toward the Educational Specialist in Technology degree! Still have loose ends to complete but, phew!, that's over!
Allow me to invite you to the final product of the Leadership in Technology class, with LOADS of THANKS to all the other teachers for all of their input.
http://leadersintech.wikispaces.com/
I believe I've already started uploading some of the ideas for next year so keep in touch! Loads more to come!!
XXOO!!
Mrs. Mac
However, GREAT news! Last evening was the last class toward the Educational Specialist in Technology degree! Still have loose ends to complete but, phew!, that's over!
Allow me to invite you to the final product of the Leadership in Technology class, with LOADS of THANKS to all the other teachers for all of their input.
http://leadersintech.wikispaces.com/
I believe I've already started uploading some of the ideas for next year so keep in touch! Loads more to come!!
XXOO!!
Mrs. Mac
Saturday, June 20, 2009
JUNE 2009
Oh, WOW! Just finished a week-long class on VERMICULTURE! From 9 to 11 in the morning, at Aldridge Gardens in the field trip garden, 10 students learned about WORMS!! Katy, a 10th grade helper, was my right-hand person. There were 8 boys, 2 girls. There were 8 small people going into kindergarten, one going into 1st grade, one going into 2nd. They came from all over - Macadory, Bluff Park, church schools. Yet they melded into this cool bunch of dirt explorers! It was hot, it was sticky, sometimes it was smelly! We identified poison ivy, gourds, lilies, tomatoes, bamboo, pillbugs (rolly-polly bugs), butterflies, beans, and bees. We learned about (short word) ROT and (long word) DECOMPOSITION. We recited the silly poem about "Ooey Gooey was a Worm." We had a meeting in the Stump Circle where we read about the Magic Schoolbus. We also read about what (who?) could be found under a rock, what's in the Diary of a Worm, and used magnifying loupes (5x) to really get down and observe THINGS. The explorers drew pictures, a few wrote words, of the things they saw. They used pens so there wasn't a big to-do about erasing mistakes (Soooo helpful!).
I remember, as an undergrad, writing a paper on how I could teach anything from picnic table in the yard...ah, youth! Oh, BTW, I haven't yet gotten a grade for the last paper I wrote, and the hindsight is killing me. There have been SO many new articles since I wrote it, so much MORE new information, more people who agree with the idea, that would have made it better. C'est la vie! Now, the latest class has us examining Leadership. It's funny. It feels like opening a whole new view on the world. You know, I've always been so appreciative of my leaders. I appreciated that they did- whatever- they did so that I could do what I do. But this class has opened my eyes to the power welded, or not welded, by school leaders. And the resulting percolation into classrooms. Or is it an upward movement? Yes, I know I have to have a vision of what I aim to teach, I have to stand behind, believe in what I have as my goal, and make sure my students know what the goal is... What I hadn't solidified in my mind was how much this all matters from MY leaders. So now I'm embarking on a campaign to rekindle the Hoover vision of a technologically POWERFUL educational system so that we make the BEST use of all the tools given us to enhance the lives of our students. So there!
Sorry, early morning soapbox!
Back to last week - one day we created fingerpainted worm tracks by pouring a puddle of liquid laundry starch on the back of freezer paper (the shiny side is too slick). To that Katy added a couple of drops of blue, yellow, and red food coloring. Stir it all together and you get the greatest shades of brown! And really GOOEY fingers! We let it all dry and the next day we added worm eggs (splotches of brown puff paint), we printed worms using stamps carved from potatoes (we added the leftovers to the compost pile!) and several more made with a trail of glue covered with sprinkled dirt. It really does LOOK like a worm- when they stretch out you can see the particles of dirt moving down their digestive system. We had a failed experiment (but a GREAT photo!) of making gummy worms. If you take 3/4 cup boiling juice + 1 package of unflavored gelatin, mix, pour into a loaf pan, and submerge about 10 drinking straws in it, cool and squeeze out the "worms". We tried it also with a package of BLUE jello + 1/2 cup boiling water, the rest is the same. The straws were too skinny so getting the worms out was sticky, hard to accomplish, and didn't work well!! YOU try it with FAT straws! But the photo of everyone showing their blue tongues is priceless!
Oh, the best part! We made worm condos! Everyone got to take home a tennis ball tube with a (decorated, of course) coffee filter paper (w/ rubber band) "roof." Rocks in the bottom, dirt, clay soil laid the foundation. Created a decorated, removable paper skin for the tube (worms like DARK!!). Added a touch (!) of water and chose the best 5 worms and an egg or two with a little compost to inhabit the home.
I didn't know pre-K's could do so much! This was a GREAT bunch of kids; they shared, they discussed, they worked hard, they cleaned up (don't tell their moms!)! I had a Blast! Thanks!
Oh, WOW! Just finished a week-long class on VERMICULTURE! From 9 to 11 in the morning, at Aldridge Gardens in the field trip garden, 10 students learned about WORMS!! Katy, a 10th grade helper, was my right-hand person. There were 8 boys, 2 girls. There were 8 small people going into kindergarten, one going into 1st grade, one going into 2nd. They came from all over - Macadory, Bluff Park, church schools. Yet they melded into this cool bunch of dirt explorers! It was hot, it was sticky, sometimes it was smelly! We identified poison ivy, gourds, lilies, tomatoes, bamboo, pillbugs (rolly-polly bugs), butterflies, beans, and bees. We learned about (short word) ROT and (long word) DECOMPOSITION. We recited the silly poem about "Ooey Gooey was a Worm." We had a meeting in the Stump Circle where we read about the Magic Schoolbus. We also read about what (who?) could be found under a rock, what's in the Diary of a Worm, and used magnifying loupes (5x) to really get down and observe THINGS. The explorers drew pictures, a few wrote words, of the things they saw. They used pens so there wasn't a big to-do about erasing mistakes (Soooo helpful!).
I remember, as an undergrad, writing a paper on how I could teach anything from picnic table in the yard...ah, youth! Oh, BTW, I haven't yet gotten a grade for the last paper I wrote, and the hindsight is killing me. There have been SO many new articles since I wrote it, so much MORE new information, more people who agree with the idea, that would have made it better. C'est la vie! Now, the latest class has us examining Leadership. It's funny. It feels like opening a whole new view on the world. You know, I've always been so appreciative of my leaders. I appreciated that they did- whatever- they did so that I could do what I do. But this class has opened my eyes to the power welded, or not welded, by school leaders. And the resulting percolation into classrooms. Or is it an upward movement? Yes, I know I have to have a vision of what I aim to teach, I have to stand behind, believe in what I have as my goal, and make sure my students know what the goal is... What I hadn't solidified in my mind was how much this all matters from MY leaders. So now I'm embarking on a campaign to rekindle the Hoover vision of a technologically POWERFUL educational system so that we make the BEST use of all the tools given us to enhance the lives of our students. So there!
Sorry, early morning soapbox!
Back to last week - one day we created fingerpainted worm tracks by pouring a puddle of liquid laundry starch on the back of freezer paper (the shiny side is too slick). To that Katy added a couple of drops of blue, yellow, and red food coloring. Stir it all together and you get the greatest shades of brown! And really GOOEY fingers! We let it all dry and the next day we added worm eggs (splotches of brown puff paint), we printed worms using stamps carved from potatoes (we added the leftovers to the compost pile!) and several more made with a trail of glue covered with sprinkled dirt. It really does LOOK like a worm- when they stretch out you can see the particles of dirt moving down their digestive system. We had a failed experiment (but a GREAT photo!) of making gummy worms. If you take 3/4 cup boiling juice + 1 package of unflavored gelatin, mix, pour into a loaf pan, and submerge about 10 drinking straws in it, cool and squeeze out the "worms". We tried it also with a package of BLUE jello + 1/2 cup boiling water, the rest is the same. The straws were too skinny so getting the worms out was sticky, hard to accomplish, and didn't work well!! YOU try it with FAT straws! But the photo of everyone showing their blue tongues is priceless!
Oh, the best part! We made worm condos! Everyone got to take home a tennis ball tube with a (decorated, of course) coffee filter paper (w/ rubber band) "roof." Rocks in the bottom, dirt, clay soil laid the foundation. Created a decorated, removable paper skin for the tube (worms like DARK!!). Added a touch (!) of water and chose the best 5 worms and an egg or two with a little compost to inhabit the home.
I didn't know pre-K's could do so much! This was a GREAT bunch of kids; they shared, they discussed, they worked hard, they cleaned up (don't tell their moms!)! I had a Blast! Thanks!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Hello, out there!
This is still May! Wow! That's so hard to believe that the school year is over. If you are anything like me, though, the thoughts of what's coming next are bubbling to the surface. In a way, I really wish we had year-round school. Nature doesn't stop and start a snowball from rolling down the slope...it doesn't make sense to me to stop and start school for the summer. Yes, a vacation now and then is lovely - I'd never get anything painted or cleaned out but I know I feel I do best with a regular schedule (ask me again during the regular schedule and I'll tell you differently!). I'm a creature of habit and I feel guilty about not taking my shower 'till ten. I mean, I've worked, but in my jammies with a cup of coffee nearby.
I'm finishing a thesis paper (due next week) so I'm not in my right mind. I play all the games I see my students play to avoid the inevitable...well, I haven't seen them have this great NEED to clean house...to avoid sitting down and actually writing the paper. I've changed it at least 5 times and I am not sure about this edition. My professor liked the last start but I had already changed it again before I heard from her. If you really want to know, it's about using all of the wonderful technology Hoover provides to reach out to other schools (in the HCS system, for now) to differentiate for students who need to progress further faster. Not truly acceleration, like grade skipping, but allowing them to advance in subject areas at a natural pace for them (remember the snowball??). Because all of the schools are connected via closed-circuit, it seems to me that, with a well placed video camera or webcam, classes from one school could be broadcast or taped, to be used for students in another school. Or maybe a teacher at one school might be a mentor for a student at another. (eew, that sounds like more WORK, doesn't it? Teachers are already stressed as it is!)
Here's a for instance, anyway; suppose there was a student who was very interested in learning another language, or had a gift for mathematics. Why not allow them to pursue a talent or learning desire? If whatever the topic might be isn't available in the student's home classroom, maybe it's down the hall or in another elementary or middle or high school. We have the technical capability. Maybe I'm not seeing all the pros and cons, but it seems to me that it would not take a lot of effort to send out an SOS email about a student who is HERE (pre-tested out of American History for knowing 96% of the content that will be taught in the next 2 months) and would benefit from being (virtually) THERE, with a more advanced American History class or something else that lights their fire.
I've been talking about this with everyone who will listen (like you, right now), trying to get my thoughts in order, reading everything and have found a couple of encouraging compatriots - one was Mr. May, our Art teacher. He latched on to the idea and ran with it. He suggested a couple of students who, haivng done their work for him, would benefit (possibly be less disruptive??) with access to additional/different instruction. He doesn't teach batik (I've asked) but Judy Davidson at Rocky Ridge does, perhaps she could video a lesson (which would have it in storage for multiple uses...?!(for me, too!!)) or stream a lesson to Mr. May's room sometime. Right now, Mr. McKinley, who helped coach the Altamath team, is creating MathCasts (short video/virtual blackboards that explain/examine math procedures) to help the team members (or any math student) work on constructing math concepts. As you know, there's a power point on this wiki that shows students what they need to know/how to work the math problems given in the Altamath test. The world is out there. We need to be able to access it. Oh, BTW, it works both ways - what if a student at Berry needed a refresher class in something offered at Riverchase... We have the schedules what what is being taught when, now we just need to fit them to the students!! Anyway, the possibilities are endless, in my mind.
One last parting shot, an Enrichment teacher at another school mentioned that the streaming videos, etc. would also be useful for a student of hers that has a physical challenge and if often at home, ill. Through the wonderful (I've said that before, haven't I?) technology provided by Hover City Schools, she can have that student in her class with the others, via Skype or Moodle (I'll digress on that one, later).
Thanks for playing along with me, it's only 8am, I've got 2 hours before my shower!!
Let me hear YOUR thoughts!
XXOO!!
Mrs. Mac
This is still May! Wow! That's so hard to believe that the school year is over. If you are anything like me, though, the thoughts of what's coming next are bubbling to the surface. In a way, I really wish we had year-round school. Nature doesn't stop and start a snowball from rolling down the slope...it doesn't make sense to me to stop and start school for the summer. Yes, a vacation now and then is lovely - I'd never get anything painted or cleaned out but I know I feel I do best with a regular schedule (ask me again during the regular schedule and I'll tell you differently!). I'm a creature of habit and I feel guilty about not taking my shower 'till ten. I mean, I've worked, but in my jammies with a cup of coffee nearby.
I'm finishing a thesis paper (due next week) so I'm not in my right mind. I play all the games I see my students play to avoid the inevitable...well, I haven't seen them have this great NEED to clean house...to avoid sitting down and actually writing the paper. I've changed it at least 5 times and I am not sure about this edition. My professor liked the last start but I had already changed it again before I heard from her. If you really want to know, it's about using all of the wonderful technology Hoover provides to reach out to other schools (in the HCS system, for now) to differentiate for students who need to progress further faster. Not truly acceleration, like grade skipping, but allowing them to advance in subject areas at a natural pace for them (remember the snowball??). Because all of the schools are connected via closed-circuit, it seems to me that, with a well placed video camera or webcam, classes from one school could be broadcast or taped, to be used for students in another school. Or maybe a teacher at one school might be a mentor for a student at another. (eew, that sounds like more WORK, doesn't it? Teachers are already stressed as it is!)
Here's a for instance, anyway; suppose there was a student who was very interested in learning another language, or had a gift for mathematics. Why not allow them to pursue a talent or learning desire? If whatever the topic might be isn't available in the student's home classroom, maybe it's down the hall or in another elementary or middle or high school. We have the technical capability. Maybe I'm not seeing all the pros and cons, but it seems to me that it would not take a lot of effort to send out an SOS email about a student who is HERE (pre-tested out of American History for knowing 96% of the content that will be taught in the next 2 months) and would benefit from being (virtually) THERE, with a more advanced American History class or something else that lights their fire.
I've been talking about this with everyone who will listen (like you, right now), trying to get my thoughts in order, reading everything and have found a couple of encouraging compatriots - one was Mr. May, our Art teacher. He latched on to the idea and ran with it. He suggested a couple of students who, haivng done their work for him, would benefit (possibly be less disruptive??) with access to additional/different instruction. He doesn't teach batik (I've asked) but Judy Davidson at Rocky Ridge does, perhaps she could video a lesson (which would have it in storage for multiple uses...?!(for me, too!!)) or stream a lesson to Mr. May's room sometime. Right now, Mr. McKinley, who helped coach the Altamath team, is creating MathCasts (short video/virtual blackboards that explain/examine math procedures) to help the team members (or any math student) work on constructing math concepts. As you know, there's a power point on this wiki that shows students what they need to know/how to work the math problems given in the Altamath test. The world is out there. We need to be able to access it. Oh, BTW, it works both ways - what if a student at Berry needed a refresher class in something offered at Riverchase... We have the schedules what what is being taught when, now we just need to fit them to the students!! Anyway, the possibilities are endless, in my mind.
One last parting shot, an Enrichment teacher at another school mentioned that the streaming videos, etc. would also be useful for a student of hers that has a physical challenge and if often at home, ill. Through the wonderful (I've said that before, haven't I?) technology provided by Hover City Schools, she can have that student in her class with the others, via Skype or Moodle (I'll digress on that one, later).
Thanks for playing along with me, it's only 8am, I've got 2 hours before my shower!!
Let me hear YOUR thoughts!
XXOO!!
Mrs. Mac
Sunday, May 10, 2009
May 09 MacBlog
Happy LAST MONTH of SCHOOL!!
Thanks to all who came out for the Share Fair!!
And thanks to all for loaning me your children this year!!
I found the following on line and felt that this encompassed a lot of what our Design Unit was all about:
This next weeeeeeeek will be filled with inventory of the LEGO boxes. I've been a real witch about them - I have a baggy of LEGO pieces I found on the floor. I'm going to exact a penalty from the team that needs them back!! We've got to take care of the things that we share! Oh, and cleaning up the room. Teachers are supposed to have all of their stuff that's on the floor moved out into the hall so the custodians can strip the floors....ahhhhh!
Please put on your lists for me for next year: Duct Tape HotGlueGun-Glue Sticks Printer Ink
On second thought, don't. I'll remind you again next year!! But now you'll be forewarned!
Thanks for a great year with these small people. I wonder what kind of mischief we can get into NEXT YEAR!! Keep in touch, I'll try to write in the blog more often (especailly if people out there write to me, too!) Stay safe and excellent to each other!!
XXOO!!
Mrs. Mac
Thanks to all who came out for the Share Fair!!
And thanks to all for loaning me your children this year!!
I found the following on line and felt that this encompassed a lot of what our Design Unit was all about:
Learning and innovation skills increasingly are being recognized as the skills that separate students who are prepared for increasingly complex life and work environments in the 21st century, and those who are not. A focus on creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration is essential to prepare students for the future.
Creativity & Innovation
Think Creatively
- Use a wide range of idea creation techniques (such as brainstorming)
- Create new and worthwhile ideas (both incremental and radical concepts)
- Elaborate, refine, analyze and evaluate their own ideas in order to improve and maximize creative efforts
Work Creatively with Others
- Develop, implement and communicate new ideas to others effectivel
- Be open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives; incorporate group input and feedback into the work
- Demonstrate originality and inventiveness in work and understand the real world limits to adopting new ideas
- View failure as an opportunity to learn; understand that creativity and innovation is a long-term, cyclical process of small successes and frequent mistakes
Implement Innovations
- Act on creative ideas to make a tangible and useful contribution to the field in which the innovation will occur
Browse Creativity & Innovation Resources
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
Reason Effectively
- Use various types of reasoning (inductive, deductive, etc.) as appropriate to the situation
Use Systems Thinking
- Analyze how parts of a whole interact with each other to produce overall outcomes in complex systems
Make Judgments and Decisions
- Effectively analyze and evaluate evidence, arguments, claims and beliefs
- Analyze and evaluate major alternative points of view
- Synthesize and make connections between information and arguments
- Interpret information and draw conclusions based on the best analysis
- Reflect critically on learning experiences and processes
Solve Problems
- Solve different kinds of non-familiar problems in both conventional and innovative ways
- Identify and ask significant questions that clarify various points of view and lead to better solutions
Browse Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Resources
Communication & Collaboration
Communicate Clearly
- Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts
- Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values, attitudes and intentions
- Use communication for a range of purposes (e.g. to inform, instruct, motivate and persuade)
- Utilize multiple media and technologies, and know how to judge their effectiveness a priori as well as assess their impact
- Communicate effectively in diverse environments (including multi-lingual)
Collaborate with Others
- Demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams
- Exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises to accomplish a common goal
- Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work, and value the individual contributions made by each team member
This next weeeeeeeek will be filled with inventory of the LEGO boxes. I've been a real witch about them - I have a baggy of LEGO pieces I found on the floor. I'm going to exact a penalty from the team that needs them back!! We've got to take care of the things that we share! Oh, and cleaning up the room. Teachers are supposed to have all of their stuff that's on the floor moved out into the hall so the custodians can strip the floors....ahhhhh!
Please put on your lists for me for next year: Duct Tape HotGlueGun-Glue Sticks Printer Ink
On second thought, don't. I'll remind you again next year!! But now you'll be forewarned!
Thanks for a great year with these small people. I wonder what kind of mischief we can get into NEXT YEAR!! Keep in touch, I'll try to write in the blog more often (especailly if people out there write to me, too!) Stay safe and excellent to each other!!
XXOO!!
Mrs. Mac
Monday, March 2, 2009
Forget February! It's MARCH!
Okay, okay, I missed February's posting - I meant to "get a round tuit" but didn't. It was an exciting month and March is following it's example. I'll try to make up for missing it!
The Talent Pools are all burbling with activity on this Robotics and Design Unit. Of course, there were a few set-backs - some students didn't quite understand that when I said "I want you to write down the design steps" that it meant WRITE DOWN the design steps. When a group/team tells me they have completed a project I ask them to sit down with me and share their journals. For each activity they should have a tab and then they should start with 1. Identify the Problem. I had a couple of journals that were shared without even a Title!! of their projects. Au Contrare! I believe I'm identifying a problem here... that what they are working on producing is haphazard, can be done in a slapdash manner, and doesn't have any rules. WRONG!! I will not allow the team to go on to the next activity without satisfying my criteria. Title. Identify the Problem (some projects identify the problem for them!). Then 2. Brainstorm (& research - you can get some good ideas through research!!), LISTEN to each other and WRITE THE IDEAS DOWN! Even if you don't like a particular idea, take the time to write it down, it may lead, later, to a better idea. Draw pictures. LABEL the pictures! I tell these junior engineers that by writing all this down & drawing pictures together they make sure that they are all on the same page, talking about the same thing, coming up with a common goal. 3. Design what your best idea should look like (I want 3 designs so your team has a choice), label the parts of your design. (I figure I've been saying this to my classes for two months now, now I'm saying it to you, the parents) 4. Build your best design using materials that the team provides. If you don't have the materials, what will you do in my class? 5. Test your design, sometimes the test is provided for them, sometimes they have to devise their own tests (WRITTEN, if you please! Charts are fine!!). I suggest that they try a test at least 3 times, so they can take an average or know that it's not just an "oops" before they try to change anything. Keep records!! So you can 6. Evaluate What went well? What didn't? How far, how fast, how high? Problem solve! If a prototype boat sinks...if a paper table falls over....if a vehicle veers to the left, figure out why, fix it and try again! 7. Redesign, if necessary, then try, try again.
Yes. I am being as hard as possible. Some students couldn't wait to create a "balloon car". Problem (not provided for them): Create a vehicle that will travel at least ____ feet using a balloon. I provided all kinds of information on Newton's Laws, photos from the Internet of ooodles of ideas for balloon cars. I believe my 5th grade would still be playing with the balloons if I hadn't said "Enough." We have videos and photos of some of the test runs that you will be able to see at the Share Fair in May. I love the fact that the tiles on the floors are one foot square, it makes measuring how far so much easier!
I have told the students that while I'm glad they like these projects, the projects are not MY prime concern. My goals for this unit are 1. To learn/use the design steps (on paper, in their journals, to solve problems), 2. To be responsible - responsible for the Lego Kits they are using (I have a baggy of parts found on the floor...), responsible for bringing in their share of the materials needed for their projects, and responsible for their behavior in the group and in my room. 3. To learn to work in a group. When we started they decided that they wanted to keep the same group throughout this unit. They chose one person in their group to be "Captain", this is the person who cheerleads the group, keeps the projects flowing, is responsible for the Legos and cleaning up after each class (not that they have to DO it all, they are the ones I am relying on), etc. However, after almost two months of togetherness, working as a group was getting to be so difficult (or that other groups' projects looked like more fun) that a couple of students asked if they could change groups. A discussion of What Does a Team Look Like?, How Does YOUR Team Look?, What Can YOU do about It? has helped. I have given the teams the option to change "Captains", if they want (but I'm not making more business cards!). I do feel that our Talent Pool Group Problems have strengthened the attainment of my goals and, however much the students may complain, they are learning how to problem solve.
Anyway, PI DAY is coming up! Since the numerals in Pi are 3.14, Pi Day is held every year on March (3rd month) 14th. Shakespeare obviously missed his chance to quoth, "Beware the Pi of March!" Since March 14 is a Saturday this year, we are celebrating on Monday, March 9, during the Altamath Team time (8:15-9). BTW, the 16 fifth grade students on the Altamath team are competing this Saturday, March 7, so good luck to them all!! The competition is also held for 6th and 7th graders as well, so encourage your 4th & 5th grade students to try out next year!
March is the last month in the Mini-Courses on Building Big that I've been offering to 1 & 2 & 3's. I'm also seeing some fourth graders for an independent project who decided it looked like fun. This month the topic is Skyscrapers! So we'll see what occurs! The PBS series is based on the book Building Big by David Macaulay and investigates the history, engineering, and building of Tunnels, Dams, Domes, Bridges, and Skyscrapers. You & your child can participate on-line at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/. I hope you've seen some of the videos of these mini-courses!
There are 3 R2D2's taking shape in my room. This is an independent project near and dear to the hearts of three "Robo-Boys" from Ms. Corgill's class. I'll post photos soon. Another independent project is a "Go-To Box" on Disasters being put together (for others to go to) by a team of students who see me on Tuesdays.
Friday afternoons are taken up with Celebrate Science, a competition for student science exhibitors for the McWane Center. They are SMART foxes - McWane is looking for science stuff that will appeal to students so who better to devise a new exhibit than students?? Our team took 3rd place last year so we are pumped this year! We have a GREAT idea, we think, so everyone is working diligently on creating the reasearch for and the building of our prototype, due to be judged at McWane in early May.
I'm sure there is more but it'll have to wait. So long for now!
Remember: Be Excellent to Each Other! &
Learning is like rowing upstream, not to advance is to fall back. Chinese Proverb
Mrs. Mac
The Talent Pools are all burbling with activity on this Robotics and Design Unit. Of course, there were a few set-backs - some students didn't quite understand that when I said "I want you to write down the design steps" that it meant WRITE DOWN the design steps. When a group/team tells me they have completed a project I ask them to sit down with me and share their journals. For each activity they should have a tab and then they should start with 1. Identify the Problem. I had a couple of journals that were shared without even a Title!! of their projects. Au Contrare! I believe I'm identifying a problem here... that what they are working on producing is haphazard, can be done in a slapdash manner, and doesn't have any rules. WRONG!! I will not allow the team to go on to the next activity without satisfying my criteria. Title. Identify the Problem (some projects identify the problem for them!). Then 2. Brainstorm (& research - you can get some good ideas through research!!), LISTEN to each other and WRITE THE IDEAS DOWN! Even if you don't like a particular idea, take the time to write it down, it may lead, later, to a better idea. Draw pictures. LABEL the pictures! I tell these junior engineers that by writing all this down & drawing pictures together they make sure that they are all on the same page, talking about the same thing, coming up with a common goal. 3. Design what your best idea should look like (I want 3 designs so your team has a choice), label the parts of your design. (I figure I've been saying this to my classes for two months now, now I'm saying it to you, the parents) 4. Build your best design using materials that the team provides. If you don't have the materials, what will you do in my class? 5. Test your design, sometimes the test is provided for them, sometimes they have to devise their own tests (WRITTEN, if you please! Charts are fine!!). I suggest that they try a test at least 3 times, so they can take an average or know that it's not just an "oops" before they try to change anything. Keep records!! So you can 6. Evaluate What went well? What didn't? How far, how fast, how high? Problem solve! If a prototype boat sinks...if a paper table falls over....if a vehicle veers to the left, figure out why, fix it and try again! 7. Redesign, if necessary, then try, try again.
Yes. I am being as hard as possible. Some students couldn't wait to create a "balloon car". Problem (not provided for them): Create a vehicle that will travel at least ____ feet using a balloon. I provided all kinds of information on Newton's Laws, photos from the Internet of ooodles of ideas for balloon cars. I believe my 5th grade would still be playing with the balloons if I hadn't said "Enough." We have videos and photos of some of the test runs that you will be able to see at the Share Fair in May. I love the fact that the tiles on the floors are one foot square, it makes measuring how far so much easier!
I have told the students that while I'm glad they like these projects, the projects are not MY prime concern. My goals for this unit are 1. To learn/use the design steps (on paper, in their journals, to solve problems), 2. To be responsible - responsible for the Lego Kits they are using (I have a baggy of parts found on the floor...), responsible for bringing in their share of the materials needed for their projects, and responsible for their behavior in the group and in my room. 3. To learn to work in a group. When we started they decided that they wanted to keep the same group throughout this unit. They chose one person in their group to be "Captain", this is the person who cheerleads the group, keeps the projects flowing, is responsible for the Legos and cleaning up after each class (not that they have to DO it all, they are the ones I am relying on), etc. However, after almost two months of togetherness, working as a group was getting to be so difficult (or that other groups' projects looked like more fun) that a couple of students asked if they could change groups. A discussion of What Does a Team Look Like?, How Does YOUR Team Look?, What Can YOU do about It? has helped. I have given the teams the option to change "Captains", if they want (but I'm not making more business cards!). I do feel that our Talent Pool Group Problems have strengthened the attainment of my goals and, however much the students may complain, they are learning how to problem solve.
Anyway, PI DAY is coming up! Since the numerals in Pi are 3.14, Pi Day is held every year on March (3rd month) 14th. Shakespeare obviously missed his chance to quoth, "Beware the Pi of March!" Since March 14 is a Saturday this year, we are celebrating on Monday, March 9, during the Altamath Team time (8:15-9). BTW, the 16 fifth grade students on the Altamath team are competing this Saturday, March 7, so good luck to them all!! The competition is also held for 6th and 7th graders as well, so encourage your 4th & 5th grade students to try out next year!
March is the last month in the Mini-Courses on Building Big that I've been offering to 1 & 2 & 3's. I'm also seeing some fourth graders for an independent project who decided it looked like fun. This month the topic is Skyscrapers! So we'll see what occurs! The PBS series is based on the book Building Big by David Macaulay and investigates the history, engineering, and building of Tunnels, Dams, Domes, Bridges, and Skyscrapers. You & your child can participate on-line at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/. I hope you've seen some of the videos of these mini-courses!
There are 3 R2D2's taking shape in my room. This is an independent project near and dear to the hearts of three "Robo-Boys" from Ms. Corgill's class. I'll post photos soon. Another independent project is a "Go-To Box" on Disasters being put together (for others to go to) by a team of students who see me on Tuesdays.
Friday afternoons are taken up with Celebrate Science, a competition for student science exhibitors for the McWane Center. They are SMART foxes - McWane is looking for science stuff that will appeal to students so who better to devise a new exhibit than students?? Our team took 3rd place last year so we are pumped this year! We have a GREAT idea, we think, so everyone is working diligently on creating the reasearch for and the building of our prototype, due to be judged at McWane in early May.
I'm sure there is more but it'll have to wait. So long for now!
Remember: Be Excellent to Each Other! &
Learning is like rowing upstream, not to advance is to fall back. Chinese Proverb
Mrs. Mac
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