Time is so flying! I guess that means we're having fun (!?). I asked the students the other day what they would suggest as topics for next year and I was surprised at some of their answers. One was A REPORT about countries...a REPORT??? My big toe! This is Enrichment, where you stick your neck out and do things NOT usually done in the regular classroom! I suggested, and I did it nicely, that no, we wouldn't even consider doing a "report" unless it was as a travel agent who had researched a complete itinerary with flights, costs, sights to see, time-tables and postcards. There were a number of "Adopt a/an ________(space, country, animal)" ideas. Which was cool this year but let's come up with something new! I tried to point them into the present by reminding them of the earthquakes and oil spills going on. Everyone seems to agree that the challenges proposed by the PBS Design Squad are a lot of fun (& they don't realize how much they are learning - about problem solving, about risk-taking, about their own abilities). So that's a good possibility!
Personally, I'm leaning toward having each class have a 6to9 week tour of duty in the Broadcast room. Whether or not they want to be On Air there is SO MUCH to learn there! Technology, graphic arts, communication/journalism, presentation and advertising, even typing are a few topics that come to mind. Lights, sound, teleprompter, cameras, action! Plus, because it would be occurring during the day in a less harried manner, it can be recorded, re-recorded, critiqued and improved. I would love to see interviews, book talks, photo-essays written, performed and produced by students and aired on our daily broadcasts. We may even get into some clay-mation....
This is an incomplete blog, I'll be back. Meet me here! XXOO!!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Saturday, May 1, 2010
WOW! The end of the school year is soooo close! and I've fallen down on keeping up with this blog. So here are some highlights to catch up on the way things are going!
Talent Pools have had many on-going assignments & projects this year - they were asked to try to find a project, near and dear to their hearts, that would help others. In lieu of this "Mess", as it was called, a project that they could work on (off & on) all year was requested.
Recently, several of the projects have really taken off - the girls who put together a donation project for animal toys for the Humane Society, the boys who had a similar donation project for clothing to the Salvation Army, and a third grade project to provide folders of learning games & activities to be used by the library, art, & music teachers for their special students who aren't able to do some of the activities with their classmates. One student received a couple of very detailed emails from a city planner when questioned about the viability of an above ground subway to relieve traffic on 280 (a BIG news topic at the moment).
A requirement of these projects was to write to "Experts" in the field. Letters went to the Humane Society, the Salvation Army, the ASPCA, a graphic designer, a cartoon artist, a Birmingham City Planner, among others. Several letters were written to Mrs. Baggett requesting permission to place boxes or signs around her school. They had to give starting dates, ending dates, how often they would check to keep things neat, etc. She has been very accommodating!
A number of projects have fizzled but I hope they are listening when I tell them that sometimes worthwhile efforts require even MORE effort than what they have invested so far. Then they have to ask themselves if they want to pursue this project farther. If yes, then re-thinking and redirecting is in order. If no, then examination of what was done and accomplished needs to be celebrated and used as a learning experience. All students are going through a "What did you learn from this activity?"
It was firmly suggested that these projects be kept at school because another "assignment" for this school year was to dig into becoming a Self Directed Learner. Talent Pool students kept notes in their journals about their talents, their interests, their pluses and minuses. It was an exercise to help them understand that life and learning is what they make of it. Parents, bless their hearts, do their best to make life good, organized, and easy for their children. Teachers, bless their hearts, offer all sorts of learning opportunities designed to produce a student who is full of knowledge. In my class students are challenged to USE (or find out how to) what they know (this "knowledge") to create what they can imagine. Learning, I believe, is Problem Solving and Creativity. It is overcoming obstacles, it is not easy, it is not (at first) organized, but by DOING they gain self-confidence, personality, and (I hope) a love of what this knowledge-stuff can do for them. It takes responsibility, it take tenacity, it takes focus, it takes being honest with themselves. It is hard work. I think it is/will be worth it.
They also were given the task of dipping a toe into Chemistry by Adopting an Element. In this assignment they drew elements out of a bag and had to (3rd graders) create a baby-book to record various information they did major research to find. They had to create a picture of the element's "family", a glyph of the element using it atomic number, a Bohr's model (ask about that!), write a poem about the element, figure out their element's future profession, a sign for the hall AND a rebus (a pronunciation picture)! The fourth & fifth graders had similar assignments but to a higher level. Wow!
In between all this, they worked on origami, pop-ups, and MATH!! Gentle Readers, do your own self directed learning and search for the 24 game, the game of SET, go on my wiki, and play along! YOU are the BEST model for your child!! SHOW them how you can learn new tricks!
Enough! Ti voglio bene! XXOO!! Mrs. Mac
Talent Pools have had many on-going assignments & projects this year - they were asked to try to find a project, near and dear to their hearts, that would help others. In lieu of this "Mess", as it was called, a project that they could work on (off & on) all year was requested.
Recently, several of the projects have really taken off - the girls who put together a donation project for animal toys for the Humane Society, the boys who had a similar donation project for clothing to the Salvation Army, and a third grade project to provide folders of learning games & activities to be used by the library, art, & music teachers for their special students who aren't able to do some of the activities with their classmates. One student received a couple of very detailed emails from a city planner when questioned about the viability of an above ground subway to relieve traffic on 280 (a BIG news topic at the moment).
A requirement of these projects was to write to "Experts" in the field. Letters went to the Humane Society, the Salvation Army, the ASPCA, a graphic designer, a cartoon artist, a Birmingham City Planner, among others. Several letters were written to Mrs. Baggett requesting permission to place boxes or signs around her school. They had to give starting dates, ending dates, how often they would check to keep things neat, etc. She has been very accommodating!
A number of projects have fizzled but I hope they are listening when I tell them that sometimes worthwhile efforts require even MORE effort than what they have invested so far. Then they have to ask themselves if they want to pursue this project farther. If yes, then re-thinking and redirecting is in order. If no, then examination of what was done and accomplished needs to be celebrated and used as a learning experience. All students are going through a "What did you learn from this activity?"
It was firmly suggested that these projects be kept at school because another "assignment" for this school year was to dig into becoming a Self Directed Learner. Talent Pool students kept notes in their journals about their talents, their interests, their pluses and minuses. It was an exercise to help them understand that life and learning is what they make of it. Parents, bless their hearts, do their best to make life good, organized, and easy for their children. Teachers, bless their hearts, offer all sorts of learning opportunities designed to produce a student who is full of knowledge. In my class students are challenged to USE (or find out how to) what they know (this "knowledge") to create what they can imagine. Learning, I believe, is Problem Solving and Creativity. It is overcoming obstacles, it is not easy, it is not (at first) organized, but by DOING they gain self-confidence, personality, and (I hope) a love of what this knowledge-stuff can do for them. It takes responsibility, it take tenacity, it takes focus, it takes being honest with themselves. It is hard work. I think it is/will be worth it.
They also were given the task of dipping a toe into Chemistry by Adopting an Element. In this assignment they drew elements out of a bag and had to (3rd graders) create a baby-book to record various information they did major research to find. They had to create a picture of the element's "family", a glyph of the element using it atomic number, a Bohr's model (ask about that!), write a poem about the element, figure out their element's future profession, a sign for the hall AND a rebus (a pronunciation picture)! The fourth & fifth graders had similar assignments but to a higher level. Wow!
In between all this, they worked on origami, pop-ups, and MATH!! Gentle Readers, do your own self directed learning and search for the 24 game, the game of SET, go on my wiki, and play along! YOU are the BEST model for your child!! SHOW them how you can learn new tricks!
Enough! Ti voglio bene! XXOO!! Mrs. Mac
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Just here passing things on...
Here's a wonderful blog to begin a new year.
Huge long e-dress but, I think, worth it!
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2010/01/being-first-rate-you.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CoolCatTeacherBlog+%28Cool+Cat+Teacher+Blog%29
XXOO!! Mrs. Mac
Here's a wonderful blog to begin a new year.
Huge long e-dress but, I think, worth it!
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2010/01/being-first-rate-you.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CoolCatTeacherBlog+%28Cool+Cat+Teacher+Blog%29
XXOO!! Mrs. Mac
Saturday, January 16, 2010
It's Elemental!
Wow! 2010!! It'll be a very good year!
We started a side-project (beside working on the Mess projects) called ADOPT AN ELEMENT this week! It has been surprisingly exciting! Funny, I don't remember being this excited when I took chemistry!
We started with an info hunt to define the following vocabulary:
Mendeleev
Periodic Table of Elements
element
atom
proton
neutron
electron
nucleus
atomic number
Given 15 minutes and only (OMG!) BOOKS! each class came up with working definitions and what seems to be a hunger for elemental knowledge was born!
My third graders are creating a Baby Book for their adopted element (they got to reach into the bag and select from the first 20 elements to choose their subject, two students actually chose TWO!). Through their research they'll find out if their element is either a boy (a solid) or a girl (a gas) that they get to name and will produce a birth certificate that will be included in the baby book. The baby picture will be the Bohr's model of the element's orbitals. In weekly pieces the adoptive "Parents" will be creating a pronunciation rebus, a poem about their element, the element's home address, a family portrait, and a glyph (a type of pictogram) using the elements protons, neutrons, electrons, and atomic number. Oh, and they have to come up with an appropriate career for this element! I've heard that Lithium wants to grow up to be a psychiatrist and Sulfur plans on becoming a plumber. Among all sorts of other things! Everyone is also learning how to write a business letter to people who are professionals in their Mess field, asking for information to help them do their best on their Mess Project. And, for some reason, being able to check out books from my personal library is a BIG thing!
Fourth grade chose the elements between 21 and 40. They also have to create a pronunciation rebus and poem and Bohr's model but their assignment includes an advertising slogan and an ad layout poster for their element.
The adoptive parents in fifth grade chose two elements from 41 on. A few traded one in to chose again, once everyone else had chosen. They will do all that the fourth grade is doing only twice!
We are all creating an element mobile for the classroom and will post our Elemental Info on the wall in the hall.
I am so proud of the way they are helping each other - finding definitions, element information, rhyming words, etc. etc. They are reading all sorts of things! Oh, did I say that they (all grades) have to list at least 3 sources of information, and only two may be from the Internet? Oh, well, I'll tell you later!
This is all so cool!
XXOO!! Mrs. Mac
PS: http://www.chem4kids.com/
is a good place to refresh (or re-learn!) the beginnings of chemistry!
PS My Daughter, who is a pregnant published author in the MD/PhD program at Northwestern University in Chicago, says I have too many exclamation points. WHO can have too many EPs when you are excited?? What does she know!?! Besides EVERTHING?!
We started a side-project (beside working on the Mess projects) called ADOPT AN ELEMENT this week! It has been surprisingly exciting! Funny, I don't remember being this excited when I took chemistry!
We started with an info hunt to define the following vocabulary:
Mendeleev
Periodic Table of Elements
element
atom
proton
neutron
electron
nucleus
atomic number
Given 15 minutes and only (OMG!) BOOKS! each class came up with working definitions and what seems to be a hunger for elemental knowledge was born!
My third graders are creating a Baby Book for their adopted element (they got to reach into the bag and select from the first 20 elements to choose their subject, two students actually chose TWO!). Through their research they'll find out if their element is either a boy (a solid) or a girl (a gas) that they get to name and will produce a birth certificate that will be included in the baby book. The baby picture will be the Bohr's model of the element's orbitals. In weekly pieces the adoptive "Parents" will be creating a pronunciation rebus, a poem about their element, the element's home address, a family portrait, and a glyph (a type of pictogram) using the elements protons, neutrons, electrons, and atomic number. Oh, and they have to come up with an appropriate career for this element! I've heard that Lithium wants to grow up to be a psychiatrist and Sulfur plans on becoming a plumber. Among all sorts of other things! Everyone is also learning how to write a business letter to people who are professionals in their Mess field, asking for information to help them do their best on their Mess Project. And, for some reason, being able to check out books from my personal library is a BIG thing!
Fourth grade chose the elements between 21 and 40. They also have to create a pronunciation rebus and poem and Bohr's model but their assignment includes an advertising slogan and an ad layout poster for their element.
The adoptive parents in fifth grade chose two elements from 41 on. A few traded one in to chose again, once everyone else had chosen. They will do all that the fourth grade is doing only twice!
We are all creating an element mobile for the classroom and will post our Elemental Info on the wall in the hall.
I am so proud of the way they are helping each other - finding definitions, element information, rhyming words, etc. etc. They are reading all sorts of things! Oh, did I say that they (all grades) have to list at least 3 sources of information, and only two may be from the Internet? Oh, well, I'll tell you later!
This is all so cool!
XXOO!! Mrs. Mac
PS: http://www.chem4kids.com/
is a good place to refresh (or re-learn!) the beginnings of chemistry!
PS My Daughter, who is a pregnant published author in the MD/PhD program at Northwestern University in Chicago, says I have too many exclamation points. WHO can have too many EPs when you are excited?? What does she know!?! Besides EVERTHING?!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
This ia a blog that I read: (GREAT stuff!!)
Taking it Home with Self-Directed Learning by Bob Sprankle
Permanent linkI love it when this happens: when learning goes home, never having been assigned by the teacher, but taken up by the student.
It happened a bunch this week, so I'm smiling hard and telling the tale in 3 acts:
Act 1: The scene is 2nd graders who are learning how to change the font in their "Peace Cards to the World" that they're making in the tried and true application, KidPix. One girl comes across the font called, "Alex" and pretty soon students are asking, "Who's Alex?" I explain that this is the name of the font and that it was probably named after the person who made it (Alex). The girl who discovered the font lights up and says, "Cool! That would be cool to make your own font." Moments later, we are downloading the template to make your own font from FontCapture.com and I'm showing her how she can in fact create her very own font. She asks me if she can take the template home, and I say sure. The next day, she has created three beautiful fonts on the templates, has named them ("Peace," "Cactus," and "The Squirrel") and brings them to me. I scan them in, upload them to the site, and voila! she has her own fonts.
Now most of her class is taking home the font template and are bringing back font after font after font. My scanner is busy and happy, and this class has become font designers all on their own: it was never a part of my curriculum.
Act 2: It's a lesson working with photo images with 4th graders at the site Pixlr.com, which is a free web-based graphics program that does many things that the very expensive Photoshop can do. Students are working with the photos that they recently took in Art and are literally jumping out of their seats when they discover something new that completely transforms their photos into amazing works of art. At the end of the lesson, student after student actually thanks me for the lesson.
Then half the class goes home and fires up Pixlr.com on their own and continues creating art. They can't wait to tell me about it when I see them next.
Act 3: I'm watching 3rd and 4th graders "knock it out of the park" with their Poetry Blog they're working on: their poems are amazing, but so are the in-depth comments that they leave for each others' work. They don't just say that they like a poem. They are following through with our lesson of "What Makes a Good Comment" and telling why they like the poem, asking the poets questions about their inspiration, and starting threaded conversations with each other.
One student goes home and shows her mother the blog, teaches her how to log in and how to leave a meaningful comment. The mother joins in and leaves her daughter and another student comments on their work. The girl is overjoyed when she reads this the next day.
Now other students want their parents to join in. Neither their teachers nor I have even sent a letter home to orchestrate this.
It's happening all by itself.
The show continues... without the teacher as director.
Posted by Bob Sprankle at 12/10/2009 05:11:28 AM |
It happened a bunch this week, so I'm smiling hard and telling the tale in 3 acts:
Act 1: The scene is 2nd graders who are learning how to change the font in their "Peace Cards to the World" that they're making in the tried and true application, KidPix. One girl comes across the font called, "Alex" and pretty soon students are asking, "Who's Alex?" I explain that this is the name of the font and that it was probably named after the person who made it (Alex). The girl who discovered the font lights up and says, "Cool! That would be cool to make your own font." Moments later, we are downloading the template to make your own font from FontCapture.com and I'm showing her how she can in fact create her very own font. She asks me if she can take the template home, and I say sure. The next day, she has created three beautiful fonts on the templates, has named them ("Peace," "Cactus," and "The Squirrel") and brings them to me. I scan them in, upload them to the site, and voila! she has her own fonts.
Now most of her class is taking home the font template and are bringing back font after font after font. My scanner is busy and happy, and this class has become font designers all on their own: it was never a part of my curriculum.
Act 2: It's a lesson working with photo images with 4th graders at the site Pixlr.com, which is a free web-based graphics program that does many things that the very expensive Photoshop can do. Students are working with the photos that they recently took in Art and are literally jumping out of their seats when they discover something new that completely transforms their photos into amazing works of art. At the end of the lesson, student after student actually thanks me for the lesson.
Then half the class goes home and fires up Pixlr.com on their own and continues creating art. They can't wait to tell me about it when I see them next.
Act 3: I'm watching 3rd and 4th graders "knock it out of the park" with their Poetry Blog they're working on: their poems are amazing, but so are the in-depth comments that they leave for each others' work. They don't just say that they like a poem. They are following through with our lesson of "What Makes a Good Comment" and telling why they like the poem, asking the poets questions about their inspiration, and starting threaded conversations with each other.
One student goes home and shows her mother the blog, teaches her how to log in and how to leave a meaningful comment. The mother joins in and leaves her daughter and another student comments on their work. The girl is overjoyed when she reads this the next day.
Now other students want their parents to join in. Neither their teachers nor I have even sent a letter home to orchestrate this.
It's happening all by itself.
The show continues... without the teacher as director.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Nov 09
I missed October and this is almost the end of November!! Phew! We MUST be having fun! Time is FLYING!!
Just spent yesterday (Nov 23, 09) in a meeting with all the other Hoover Enrichment teachers, sharing our various robotics resources. It was fantastic! Then...at lunch we talked and talked and talked to a group of teachers from Hoover High, Spain Park, & Simmons connected with the Engineering Academies. We talked about how we can all work together; through peer helpers, perhaps on Skype, which is so near and dear to my heart (being the topic of my EdS paper!!). Joy!
THEN, we had another guest, Scott Ferguson (tech-guy, late of the Rick & Bubba show) who brought his Lego 'bot (named Robbie) who solved a Rubik's Cube!!
Then we played with Scratch & Alice programming (both free, BTW), Blabberize.com, NumberTwins (from Coolgames.com), and FreeRice.com. We were in Traci Ingleright's classroom/science lab at Gwin - about the only spot that would hold all of us. We ate ALL day, and with ALL of the excitement, I had to come home and take a nap!
The students are working diligently on a number of things -
*What are MY Talents? - Looking at how THEY learn, interact, what are their strengths, are they good at flexibility, fluency, forecasting, considering all the factors, what are the rules?, etc. etc.
*They are keeping a journal entry weekly on how they can/are/should become a self-directed learner, one of my goals for them.
*I always throw in problem solving (usually math problems) as an "Early Bird" (something to work on until everyone gets there/gets settled) whether they "LIKE" math or not (they WILL!).
*The students have all (beware of saying "all") chosen logos and code names, several have put themselves in blabberize and they are on the Podcasts, vodcasts, wiki's and blogs page in this wiki.
*Most of my students have also signed up for our "social networking" blog pages on Edmodo.com, including those in the AltaMath team, the Celebrate Science bunch, and the GEMS (Girls engaged in Math & Science)(but it's not a HAVE TO JOIN thing). Each class is a separate group - like my 4th graders on Thursday aren't mixed in with the 4th graders on Monday but both classes are connected in the Talent Pool group. Other people (including parents, siblings, anyone not invited) cannot access these groups. However, the students can text back and forth to each other (to each other's group/not individually), they can text me and I can text them. I've put a few math problems out there, suggested several mind-exzercising web sites and am playing it by ear (or eye, as the case may be). I'm not very happy with the amount of "zup?" "nothing, I'm bored" conversations. But we've only had this for a week and a half.
*AND, the COOLEST part of all, is that some of my students have begun fleshing out their MESS that they will work on. The assignment (due the week of Nov. 9) was to be thinking about, and, YES, they knew about this since our second class meeting, discussing an idea for a mess that they would like to attack. Not the kind of mess in their rooms but something that they can go outside of themselves for the greater good. So far, I have a group creating greeting cards for shut-ins (& trying to figure out ways to raise money for the supplies since Mrs. Mac is getting ready to cut them off), another group who is creating a portfolio of bulletin boards and (pro bono) marketing them to teachers, a group researching how they can alleviate some cruelty to animals, a team is creating teaching videos for Mrs. Rich and myself to teach other students to run the computers in the broadcast room.
Several groups are still more into "how can we raise money" than what they will actually do with it. We have talked about their responsibility with the money and that they may ask for parental donations but must keep track of that money/what they spend on supplies and pay it back before any profits are given away. Money raised - donations to be paid back = profit to go to charity.
One absolutely fascinating "mess" some 5th graders are attempting to tackle is researching what they can do to get the ball rolling on planning and building a rapid transit/subway in the Birmingham area. Where can they find out what has already been proposed? Who do they need to talk to, convince, lobby? If you know of anyone who could be instrumental in helping these far-sighed young people, please let me know. I know a city planner for B'ham and they'll contact him next week... but this is HUGE! I'll keep you abreast of what's happening!!
*Of course, there's always room for Origami, PopUps, and Automata - Automata are those wonderful whirly-gig-type contraptions where you turn the crank and the wings on the bird flap or something like that. Well, I bought several from www.robives.com and some students are making automata out of paper. This activity teaches PATIENCE, precision (in cutting, scoring, folding, gluing) and how gears, pistons, and all manner of machinery work - by building it! I also appreciate anything that helps with fine motor skills. As groups the students built arch bridges (complete with crockodiles in the water if it should collapse!) and test
ed a bunch beam bridge designs to see which could hold the most pennies.
Phew! Time's flying! Enough for now!
I'll be back! XXOO!!
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