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!