Meet the Crayfish!

For the Structures of Life unit we have some additions to our classroom… crayfish!!  Crayfish are marvelous classroom organisms that are exciting and easy to care for.  Through close observation and investigation the students can learn interesting details about animal structures while developing sensitivity to the needs of living organisms.

The students love standing around watching and conversing about the crayfish.. they’re like little living magnets!  They’re terrific animals for us to study with fascinating appearances.  They’re quite bizarre with an array of legs, appendages, and movements. 

Crayfish are great animals for us to study! They walk, swim, eat, hide, breathe, mate, molt, and die right in the classroom.  Our crayfish habitat is a microcosm of life of earth and we’re learning somuch by spending some time with them! 

Story Flow: Grab and Keep Your Reader!

The boys and girls really enjoy working on their Young Author's Day books!  We work on them a little each day and every time we go over the schedule and they see "YAD" there's cheering J The kids are strong in their understanding of narrative/expository writing and it's a treat for me to help them mesh that with their creative ideas and the process of writing a book.

So far we’ve covered the planning stage where each child developed their ideas and drew out a “story map” that included characters, setting, a problem, and lose ideas about what happens in the beginning, middle, and end (ask your kiddo where they may end up if they go on a road trip without a map…) J

Next we dove into how to begin a story and what the beginning should do.  We’ve read and discussed several books as a part of this process including “What Really Happened to Humpty?” and “A Book For Bramble”.

We have also discussed what happens in the middle of stories, and what good authors do to keep a reader’s attention.  Part of the analogy we’re using is “it’s not very useful to catch a fish if you lose it while trying to reel it in”.  You can “lose a fish” by adding too many details, changing too many things, or just the opposite. 

We’re currently in the middle of our Young Author’s Day rough drafts and I can’t tell you how proud I am of how far your 3^rd grader has come with their writing.  They are really stepping up to the challenge and I can’t wait for the finished products!

 

Critical Prompt Words

At this point in the year, I can tell that the students have truly grown in their ability to identify what it is they're being asked in a question and respond appropriately. I am thinking particularly of the growth I've seen in 4-pt Quick Check questions.  Now is therefore the perfect time to begin the discussion around addressing specific writing prompts.

Prompt reading is a skill that is honed over time and with experience. Grammar, vocabulary, and personal ability are irrelevant if a writer doesn't know what they're supposed to be writing. Thankfully, there are certain key words that tend to get repeated throughout elementary curriculum. Today we created a list of words that we consistently see in prompts and then we dissected a response to the following prompt: Describe your favorite part of the day and explain why it is your favorite.

The first thing we did was pull out the critical words from the prompt: describe, explain, and favorite. Next we talked about how it's ALWAYS a good idea to begin a prompt response by repeating the prompt. Also included in our discussion was how good responses do more than respond- they elaborate and give details! They also include language relevant to the prompt (since the prompt was about a favorite time of day- we boxed words that we felt were related to "favorite"). Similarly we talked about using fun words (if we can use them correctly) J  Lastly, we talked about ending a response by relating it back to the prompt.

Phew! We worked hard on this, but the kids had a blast and were able to tell me at the end of the day the elements to a good prompt response.

They say writing a great paper that doesn't address the prompt is like riding a one-way cruise liner to the middle of the ocean: it's fun, but going nowhere. As emergent writers, I want the kids to feel successful and confident and hope building a strong foundation that directly teaches how to address a prompt will help get all their cruise liners headed toward somewhere more like Hawaii J

 

 

Applied Learning

In true March Madness fashion we said so-long to the Madness with a bang!  We reviewed how 64 teams were divided and divided all the way down to 4, and how the number of teams per region after each round was multiplied by 4 to get the total number of remaining teams.

To go along with our earned Game Day and “Air Bud” movie the students also earned Madness Goody Bags- but there was a catch.  In order to get their baggy and drink for the movie we did a rapid-fire times table and each kiddo had to answer a multiplication question J 

After the movie and recess, students used their tickets to get into our “Big Dance”!  This is where they used their whiteboards to compete for the “Wooden Trophy”!  They responded to the multiplication and division questions on the PowerPoint you were sent earlier.  The winner of each then got 3 chances to shoot a basket.  The boys and girls were so into it and very supportive- cheering and yelling for everyone to get a hoop!  The student with the most points at the end won the Wooden Trophy (a stuffed basketball) J  There were also some buzzer-beater questions to help get rid of left over candy! 

Our principal and some other building staff came in at the end to join in the last of the Madness, and to help us pick the championship game and champions…. We’ll have to see if Wichita State plays Michigan, and if Wichita State makes it all the way!



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An April Fools' Prank Gone Wonderfully Awry!

What started out yesterday as a well-planned April Fools’ prank turned out to be something much more J  Our principal and I orchestrated a plan for him to come to the classroom at the end of the day during Madness Math, which he did.  He told the boys and girls that his boss, the Superintendent, had come in and seen all of our UW vs. WSU rivalry stuff and demanded it stop and we all get along- aka be on the same team.  To see if we were going to have to be Cougs or Dawgs for the rest of the year, he was formally observing me and how well I taught/how well the kids learned would determine if we could stay Huskies or would have to become Cougars!

The kiddos couldn't believe it but when they realized we were "serious", they got serious.  Our prank was going well and the kids were very engaged in the lesson J  They were working on their white boards to address questions like:  if 4 games were played over the weekend- how many total teams played? And, if there were 16 teams left on Friday and 2 teams play per game- how many games were played over the weekend? 

Then the announcement was made that we were “taking too long to solve the problems which reflected poorly on my teaching” and that “we clearly needed a Coug in charge and would have to take down all of our Dawg gear and anything purple/yellow”.  The kids thought he was kidding, but I played along and went around taking down all things Husky. 

I was still under the impression we were going to shout APRIL FOOLS’! at some point… until the principal said that if the students could solve one last problem in 2 minutes or less, he’d reconsider.  The problem was: can you determine how many teams are left in the whole tournament?  Yes or no, show your work.  They worked in partners and I’m not sure I can say the kids have ever worked harder!  They were discussing, collaborating, thinking and rethinking and then not so shockingly… they started to hold up their boards with work that clearly and correctly showed that yes, they could determine how many teams were left in the whole tournament!!

It was such a treat getting to see the kids apply newly learned skills to a real life situation.  So much so that ultimately we couldn’t tell them they’d actually done it all for a joke.  We wanted them to think they’d used their newly learned math skills to save our Husky pride, because they DID!  So, what began as a prank took an unexpected turn for the better J

 

Madness Math!

Today your child graduated from multiplication to division and I couldn't be more proud! We learned that as with multiplication (which is used to quickly add repeated numbers), division is used to quickly subtract repeated numbers. Throughout this EnVision Topic we will learn two interpretations of division, how to model the difference between the two different interpretations, and how to apply whichever model works best for your kiddo to real life situations.

Case in point: I can't think of a more fun and enjoyable way for your third grader to celebrate graduating than with some March Madness Math! We are capitalizing on what is being referred to in our classroom as "the Madness" by combining many different aspects of learning :)

I told the kids that in the NCAA tournament, 16 teams start out in each of 4 regions. Since bracketology involves the same number of teams playing per region, we used that knowledge combined with what we know about multiplication to help figure out how many total teams are involved in the Madness (16 x 4 = 64). We used the 4's trick to help solve, too! (16x2=32, 32+32=64).

We also know certain things happen within each region to help narrow down the 16 teams. For example in each game, there can only be 2 teams that play and 1 winner of that game. We used what we just learned about division to help understand the systematic process taking place within each region to get us down to semi-finals, and ultimately "THE BIG DANCE!" (16/2=8, 8/2=4, 4/2=2, and 2/2=1 team left per region).

Combine all of that with the energy and excitement that comes naturally when talking about rivalries, underdogs, big dunks, and teamwork on the basketball court- and it isn't hard to understand how Madness Math has quickly become the highlight of our days here at Rush!

The atmosphere in our classroom when we incorporate lively discussions with relevant learning targets is truly special.  Everyone is engaged, focused, respecting each other's opinions, and having fun!  For instance, after we wrapped up the Madness today and were filling out our Daily Planners, one student came up to me and said, "Miss Dupart I think our Florida Gulf Coast team is going to win on Friday because in our planners it says that Friday is 'Good Friday'"...I couldn't help myself but to laugh out loud; you know me :)  What a wonderful thought!

The boys and girls also have the opportunity to earn a vote at the end of the day for who they think is going to win what match-ups are left... today everyone voted for the Sweet 16 winners! Any opportunity to build on community and classroom environment... :)

Hawks: Risk vs. Reward

Yesterday the Seahawks began trade negotiations with the Minnesota Vikings regarding acquiring wide receiver Percy Harvin- and I was reminded of one of my all-time favorite quotes:    

“A child can teach an adult 3 things- to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires…” – Paulo Coelho

Coach Carroll’s philosophy “win forever, always compete” is something he began after being fired as New England’s head coach. From New England he went on to make 7 straight BCS appearances as the head coach at USC.  During his last 3 seasons with Seattle Pete's kept the Seahawks busy with the same mantra, and our most recent trade aligns with the team’s focus. They seem to be working hard as individuals toward a common group goal- get to/Win the SuperBowl.  Everyone seems willing to do their part.

But you can’t attain big success without big risk, which is what some say the move for Harvin is. In life, if you choose not to seize crucial moments out of fear- either from what others will think or of rejection- then you run the risk of denying yourself the chance to capitalize situations that may only come around once and could be game changers. The key is preparation.

It is vital that our students understand we work hard in life and in school because hard work is what awards opportunities. The ability to know which opportunities are worth seizing come via preparation and readiness. Like the Seahawks who are busy working hard every day in order to put themselves in a position to acquire potentially game changing players, we too need to busy ourselves with preparation for the future. This is of course so that when the right opportunity presents itself we are ready, educated, and unafraid to seize the moment and command… demand… that which we desire.

Carroll emphasizes the importance and influence of words. He talks about the lasting impact that words can have on one's ability to achieve what it is they set out to accomplish. In the same fashion that a locker room is a great place for a coach to use words to challenge and motivate athletes, the classroom is a great place to challenge students while simultaneously reminding them of all their potential. So long as they learn to busy themselves with preparation, they will earn the capability to demand future opportunities. 

State Brochure Project!

In Social Studies, your third grader has been learning all about how physical geography affects communities. They are able to identify, describe, and give examples of physical features, climate, and natural resources for various geographic areas. We are emphasizing the impact that physical location has on these factors. For example the West Coast, South, Mid-West, and East Coast have very different physical features and climate.. and the boys and girls love learning about them!

We spent this past week reading and learning about 3 very different communities: Roseburg, OR, Las Cruces, NM, and Gloucester, MA. Then we filled out a chart in our Journals with information pertaining to the climate, natural resources, and physical features of each place. This was all in preparation for the upcoming Social Studies Project that we began today. The kiddos are so excited!

Today the students picked a community/state and will make a travel brochure for it! They were able to choose between Boise, ID, Houston, TX, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They began the first part of research today- reading about their state! We will conduct all research for the brochure in class on the Netbooks! We are only using the lwsd.org site for researching information (specifically CultureGram) :)

The above picture is an example of what a brochure could look like. A big part of our conversation is around what the purpose of a travel brochure is, and who the audience is!

This project is great because it aggregates so many academic areas- including what it means to plagiarize.  I'm looking forward to seeing what the kids produce, especially because they seem to be particularly motivated (I think because they get to use the Netbooks....) :)

David Schwartz Visits Ben Rush!

We are steadily building upon our understanding of multiplication and the boys and girls are still loving it :) To make things even better we were very lucky to have David Schwartz at our school recently! He is an award-winning, wonderful children's book author and is known for incorporating his love of big numbers into books. His visit synched perfectly with our multiplication unit :)

 

When he came, one of his books that he talked about was "On Beyond A Million". It deals with multiplication, big numbers, and the powers of 10. The book takes kids up through the trillions! They get SO excited when learning about big numbers that there must be something inherently emotional about working with huge numbers. I believe the idea that every time you add a zero to a number it gets 10 times bigger and that's really big, is that intrinsic piece.

 

 The key to learning about big numbers is relating them to something meaningful- something concrete- and David Schwartz was able to do that. He brought his book "On Beyond A Million" to life right here at Ben Rush! He used bags of popcorn to show the kids what 1 kernel, 10 kernels, 100 kernels, 1,000 kernels, and 10,000 kernels looks like. The kids were entirely riveted :) Please ask your third grader about the popcorn experience with David Schwartz!

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 





Sounds Come From Vibrations!

Of all of the wonderful science projects and experiments we've done in class, I have to say that today's lesson seemed to excite the kids just a tad more than usual :)  We had a great time exploring the production of sound with a tuning fork (on the left) and long gong (on the right). 

We learned all about sound sources (things that make vibrations) and sound receivers (things that detect the vibrations) including how certain animals generate and receive "sound".  Ask your kiddo how a fish, grasshopper, and snake communicate! 

With the use of the tuning fork and long gong the boys and girls looked for vibrations at the sound source, identified sound receivers, and compared sound volume/vibration intensity.  They explored the vibrations using the instruments as well as other tools such as a ping pong ball, water, paper, and their own cheek!

The main take away point from today was for the kids to not just understand but experience that sound is caused by vibrations :)

Narrative Writing: Beginning A Story



We had a lot of fun today in Writer's Workshop! The boys and girls always love when it's time to work with their narratives :) Now that they have learned to create quick sketches and quick notes, they are ready to learn how to write a story/narrative beginning, middle, and end- all with flowing transitions.  The 6 strategies/methods above give students tools for beginning their story narratives- no small process because the beginning is where an author grabs the reader!

The goal of providing students with 6 different ways to start a story is not to limit them but to give practice so that they may become more aware of how narratives start and eventually develop their own approaches : )

We read through the 6 methods as a class and then talked about the similarities and differences.  Then we shared which beginning we liked the best.  I told the kids that I preferred the “Interesting Comment” method for the particular story title of “Soccer Superstar”.  Then I took out the Quick Sketch that I’d done as an example with the kids and modeled how to turn it into full sentences that amount to the beginning of a story.  There is a lot of thinking and playing with organization- it’s important that the students learn how to consider what a reader would thinking as they read.

Below is one example of a student’s work.  Their Quick Sketch is on the right and how they chose to begin their narrative is on the left.  We had 5 students who were able to share their Quick Sketches and beginnings… and many more who haven’t had a chance yet : )

 

                 

 

Science Code Detectives :)

Students were put into groups of 4 and asked to develop a code by assigning letters of the alphabet to a selection of objects. Using this sound code, the students sent messages to one another by dropping a series of objects into the drop chamber.

The target of the lesson was for the boys and girls to recognize that the properties of sound can be used to make a code and communicate different bits of information. They learned that the more they could discriminate between sounds, the easier it was to determine what letter was being made and vice versa. For instance, 2 metal objects may sound very similar and it would be challenging to figure out which letter was being represented.

 

A Problem Solving Classroom

 A climate that is conducive to problem solving is as important as the math problems themselves. My goal is for the students to feel comfortable playing around with numbers, problems, and solutions, as well as learning to throw up their hands whenever they hit a bump in the road. They should feel free to experiment, think, talk, talk about their thinking, and make mistakes. Successful problem solving cannot happen in an environment that stresses doing the problem alone, getting the right answer, or doing the problem only one way. When students are encouraged to explore, be open-minded, curious, and make guesses- successful problem solving behavior will flourish :)

One of the many reasons I love teaching math to third graders is because they're capable of understanding an array of methods and ways to reach one common answer. Consulting various resources regarding problem solving, including those within our EnVision curriculum, has shown that there are many different lists of problem solving strategies. 

Because there will more than likely be more than one way to solve any given problem, teaching a variety of these strategies is key.  I've grouped the essential strategies into 5 categories: draw a picture or diagram, use manipulatives, extend a repeating pattern, make a table/list/chart, and choose relevant information.

While the students are learning that they can use whichever strategy works best for them, a few things will always remain consistent.  I refer to these as the 4 stages of problem solving: understanding the problem, devising a plan, solving the problem, and checking the problem. 

At this stage in the game the boys and girls know how to check for understanding of a problem.  We are currently working within the "devise a plan" (pick a strategy) stage, as well as the "solve the problem" stage.

Bumps in the road? Go over or around!

As we move further into the year, I'm realizing the impact that having continuous conversations around persevering and setting goals has on the students.  The best way to connect with the kids on these topics is through example. 

 We started out by looking at the above picture.  I explained that it’d been almost a year since I was able to run, and that it took a lot of seemingly pointless/minor exercises to get me to where I felt strong enough to attempt a run.  We discussed challenging ourselves to do the labor- no matter how simple or difficult it may seem- so that we can then do the fun stuff.  The skills of persevering and honing grit are going to be tremendous assets to the kids for the rest of academic careers.

 Next we talked about how it felt the day of my first run- I was thrilled before and during, but highly disappointed afterward.  In my mind I had set a goal of running 1 mile, and in reality I was unable to reach it.  Defeated and unsatisfied I hung my head (I showed the kids how I looked after my run).  

 When I did that, every student got wide eyes and a few said aloud things like “don’t give up!” or “persevere!”  This allowed us to transition nicely into the conversation of what to do when you hit a bump in the road- something that is an obstacle and makes you feel like you “can’t”.

 The discussion went on and the kids realized by looking at the picture that I didn’t give up and eventually met my goal of 1 mile. We were then able to talk about what would have happened had I accept defeat and not challenged myself and the kids had great things to add.  Some commented on how I was excited, then defeated, then excited again.  Others talked about how the littlest things (stretches etc.) helped me get to “the big mile”. 

 Most importantly was the understanding that when you do your best, even if you fall short and get defeated, you need to be satisfied.  If you are unsatisfied with your best, you create mental bumps in the road that make it very difficult to persevere and try again. The key is to balance satisfaction with motivation.

 I am excited to help support you and your student set and reach their own goals for the upcoming second quarter J

 

Multiplication: Writing to Explain

The boys and girls have learned how to explain their thinking regarding solving multiplication problems.  Today they learned how to write out their thinking.  To start we talked about what makes a good math explanation and came up with: correct, complete, and easy to understand.  Keeping those components in mind, they were given the following problem to solve:

Kay needs $25 to buy a bicycle helmet.  She earns $9 a week babysitting.  How long will it take Kay to earn the money she needs?  Decide how to solve the problem, then write an explanation of your thoughts.   

Students shared their responses and we discussed how there is often more than one good explanation for each problem, since there is often more than one way to solve it.  As the kids shared, the class offered improvements when needed.  Ultimately, all of the explanations were alike in that the answer was the same- Kay needs 3 weeks to earn the money for the helmet. 

One of the key points throughout this unit is going to be the use of *tables.  Tables are great visuals for patterning and showing information in a predictable manner.  As we move through multiplication, the skill of knowing how to create and set up a table is going to be key :)

Winter X-Games

This past weekend I enjoyed watching the Winter X-Games like I do every year J I’m always amazed at the level of difficulty of tricks, the amount of work that must go into preparing, the dedication, and how much fun the participants have! The X-Games also remind me of the power and relevance of goal setting, and how it is never too early to talk about the importance of acting purposefully. Watching 14 yr-old Ayumu Hirano medal in the Super Pipe yesterday drove this point home even more.

I showed the kids highlights from some of Hirano's footage and they were amazed! So much so that they got out of their seats and began imitating him :) Then we talked about how they thought Ayumu got to where he is today and ultimately decided that "hard work and a plan" were the culprits. It was great to see the boys and girls excited about what making goals can lead to.

Setting goals is the first step to achieving them and achieving goals is one of the first steps to success. Having a clear and focused idea of what you’re after is key- essentially placing significant importance outcomes. However, the journey toward that outcome is equally important. It’s especially important for kids because it’s easy to get overwhelmed by concentrating on where you're going instead of how you're going to get there.

It’s critical to set goals for a number of reasons including getting used to thinking/planning ahead, learning to persevere through obstacles, and also to grow to accept failure. The more adaptive students become to the process, the healthier their self-esteem is as they get older. That, and thinking about the future becomes much more fun!

I'm looking forward to discussing your child's progress regarding the goals they set in our previous conferences :)

 

Multiply the Fun!

  What more of an enjoyable way to aid the transition from addition/subtraction to multiplication than some Math Games!  Today the boys and girls were placed with a partner and given a pair of dice, game pieces, and two versions of the game "Toss Up". They worked together to practice the multiplication facts we've learned so far.  

The target for the lesson was NOT rote memorization but for students to learn new vocabulary and how to visualize multiplication.  The easiest way to do this is to think in terms of groups.  For thinking about multiplying in this way they need to understand that 3x5 means 3 groups of 5.  Similarly 5x3 means that you have 5 groups of 3. 

Although the answers are the same and we discussed this, the initial goal is to be able to draw pictures that accurately go along with problems on an assessment.  After we’ve built up a foundation and understanding of what multiplication is, we will work toward more challenging problems and alternate ways to think about multiplication : )

The Seahawk Connection!

In our community we love sharing special moments and yesterday's Seahawk playoff win is no different!  To go along with our school theme this year of perseverance, the kids saw this as they walked into class today :)  It's fun to connect passions to lessons and talk about how we are inspired.  During our Monday meeting several students mentioned different aspects of the game that they enjoyed watching, from the score to certain runs or plays.  Afterward we discussed some of the obstacles the team had to overcome, and what it took to get the win.  We are looking forward to continuing making connections, and the next Hawks game :)

HaPPy BiRThDaY Ben RuSH!

Today we celebrated what would have been Ben Rush’s 267th birthday by learning about who he was, his accomplishments, and by representing our school spirit :)  The kids worked hard to prepare a great skit and chant for the spirit day competition and we won our very first cheetah! 

If you’re like me, you may not know much about Benjamin Rush.  What I’ve learned through being at this school is that he was not only a writer, physician, and educator… but a Founding Father and signer of the Declaration of Independence.  Rush was also an opponent of slavery, helped found the first women’s college, and most notably helped mend the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams by encouraging the two to write letters to each other.

We are proud Cheetahs here at Ben Rush Elementary and feel fortunate in the community we’ve all helped to build here :)