Thursday, March 19, 2020

"At-Home" Learning Challenges




I know that students are spending a lot of time in front of their screens.  Luckily, technology is assisting students with keeping some normalcy with regard to learning routines.  However, I've found a resource that may help your child complete learning tasks without the use of a device.  "At-Home" Learning Challenges will allow your students to practice a variety of concepts in a fun and meaningful way.  The activities are OPTIONAL.  However, if your child completes a fun challenge, I would love to see pics that can be shared on our blog.  Please click HERE to access these challenges.  Students may pick and choose activities that they find most appealing. Please contact me with any questions you may have. Thanks!
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Saturday, February 29, 2020

5PA Update

Last week, students began a project entitled CSI (Color, Symbol, Image).  They will continue to work on this learning task throughout the upcoming week.  I will be performing periodic check-ins with students to ensure understanding and progress.  The goal will be for ALL students to complete their writing by Wednesday.  If they are unable to complete their work during this time frame, they will be asked to complete it for homework. I've been very impressed by students who have chosen to take their work home without any encouragement from me.  This shows the level of effort and motivation students have to accomplish their learning goals.  During the remainder of the week, students will complete any necessary writing revisions, complete illustrations and put together their project. I am looking forward to viewing their final work.
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Saturday, February 29, 2020

4PA Update

This week, students will be completing the Chalk Talk learning task from last week. They will continue to engage in written conversations about "The Old Man and His Affectionate Son".  We will take some time to debrief and reflect upon the ideas that were written as well as focus on student performance.  Students will be responsible for answering the following questions:  What was easy about the learning task?  What was interesting and challenging about the learning task?  What was too hard about the learning task?

 Students will also be viewing a TED Talk about ageism and, afterward, they will participate in a backchanneling learning task during which they will be asked to respond to some important questions related to the video.  
A backchannel is a great classroom tool because it can be used to:
  • Give all students an opportunity to participate
  • Encourage questions
  • Allow for students to process and engage at their own pace
  • Extend discussions outside of class time
  • Make thinking visual
  • Great for introverts
  • Provide a record of participation
  • Hold students accountable
  • Get real-time feedback
  • Discuss thoughts during a read-aloud
  • Share ideas during a group project
At the end of the week, students will participate in a team debate carousel to explore the following scenario:  A society does not have enough resources to feed all of its people. There is a proposal to take all people over the age of 70 into the mountains and let them fend for themselves.


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Saturday, February 29, 2020

3PA Update

Students will be wrapping up the annotation process for "The Green Man" on Monday.  For the remainder of the week, each learner will be using evidence from the text to create a visual representation of the Green Man. This learning task will enable students to use their artistic abilities.  It will also allow them to use imagery and to use specific details within the text to create their products.  In addition to their artwork, students will be responsible for composing a brief paragraph that demonstrates the change that the main character underwent in the story. I am eager to observe each student's work.  Once everyone is finished, we will read the picture book which will enable the learners to compare and contrast their work with the illustrations within the book. This is a major highlight and I expect that the students will be extremely shocked to see what the Green Man actually looks like.
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Sunday, February 23, 2020

5PA Update

This week, students will wrap up their annotations for "Literary Lessons" by Louisa May Alcott.  Students will then begin working on a Color, Symbol, Image project which I strongly believe will deepen their understanding of the text.  Students will consider the big ideas and important themes in what they have just read and will be required to do the following:

  • Choose a color that best represents the essence of that idea.
  • Create a symbol that best represents the essence of that idea.
  • Sketch an image that you think best captures the essence of that idea.

There will also be a writing component that will require students to support their thinking with text evidence and appropriately explain and justify why they selected specific evidence.  Prior to beginning the project, the students will be provided with various examples and will review a rubric that outlines the product expectations. Students will have approximately a week and a half to complete this learning task.
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Sunday, February 23, 2020

4PA Update

Last week, the students were extremely engaged during our initial read of "The Old Man and His Affectionate Son".  I believe this was a result of the work we completed prior to reading the text.  Students listened, intently, to determine if their theories about the story were correct. During the upcoming week, students will continue to annotate the text.  Each learner will also participate in a learning routine entitled Chalk Talk.  This routine calls upon students to respond to higher-level questions in a written form.  It is basically a written conversation that occurs amongst their peers.  Students will rotate to various questions and be guided by three questions in order to elicit optimal thinking and participation:
What ideas come to mind when you consider this idea, question, or problem?  What connections can you make to others' responses?  What questions arise as you think about the ideas and consider the responses and comments of others?
If time permits, students will participate in a team debate carousel that relates to the story. Students will be prompted to give their opinions about the following scenario: A society does not have enough resources to feed all of its people.  There is a proposal to take all people over the age of 70 into the mountains and let them fend for themselves. I am excited to observe students' thinking.

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Sunday, February 23, 2020

3PA Update

Last week, students read "The Green Man" by Gail Hailey.  They were intrigued by the plot of the story and had various theories about the main character.  During the upcoming week, students will work to clarify their understandings of the main character's transformation as well as other important events in the story.  This work will occur during a close reading of the text.  Students will be annotating the text and will focus on internal and external change, details, big ideas, symbolism, etc... This work will span across the entire week.  Each learner has been exposed to annotation and has a good grasp of the concepts. As a result, I will be encouraging independence with this skill.  We will begin the week with a model and shared practice.  Then, students will be responsible for completing this task independently.  Please be aware that students will be given specific portions of the text to annotate and will not be required to annotate the entire text.  
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