tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74456184107747712732024-03-04T23:14:04.096-05:00Teaching and Learning in CommunityAn extension of one fifth grade teacher's Professional Learning CommunityAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-57743192172269788552015-06-20T18:37:00.000-04:002015-06-20T18:37:38.235-04:00Big Ol' ChangesI've been at the same school and lived in the same small city for the last <b>TWELVE</b> years.<br />
<br />
Now all that is changing. And I'm feeling a bit like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXN1AOzZ6-9qTMgIX2qsbfr2WXz4KZv9vw2sHY5WT7dR5ObGEKeR20R_oK3bqMoOWp3dGx0XcnVeiWT-66MBhsmznl8dQT798-yhNEiWD07AloScSB9P4_4lxXu_b6KBUF255f1pqd-6g/s1600/fearchange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXN1AOzZ6-9qTMgIX2qsbfr2WXz4KZv9vw2sHY5WT7dR5ObGEKeR20R_oK3bqMoOWp3dGx0XcnVeiWT-66MBhsmznl8dQT798-yhNEiWD07AloScSB9P4_4lxXu_b6KBUF255f1pqd-6g/s400/fearchange.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I mean I know that theoretically changing schools and cities will be good for me. But also, I really really really really love the school I'm at... or was at... But I'm moving 4 hours away to be close to my parents. Which means leaving the school I love and the city I love and starting fresh.<br />
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So - I'm kind of very nervous about the whole thing.<br />
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But there are some great potentials in the next adventure for me.<br />
<br />
My new classroom is:<br />
1. A multiage class with half 4th graders and half 5th graders<br />
2. A team-teaching environment where my classroom can be merged with the neighbor's via a moveable "wall"<br />
3. A team approach where we don't see us as 4 separate classes of 22 students, but as a group of 88 students and 4 teachers<br />
4. Lots of targeted flexibility to meet student needs<br />
5. A service-learning, integrated, project-based approach to content areas<br />
6. My first chance to really and truly use standards-based grading<br />
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Basically, we're going for:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CATPiO604a8b5eXWTOe8xPvEVWcEv4zt2HkTGpx8s3jfxUfuurBV-Pxuv3IEq3aW8HZR44Kg-kt1EfnNt_jFoqh5DVsowfA0Yaj56V9dCgnkO8asGSkOoV95cCf0h5mSGDK9hyphenhyphenCpZNi0/s1600/team.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CATPiO604a8b5eXWTOe8xPvEVWcEv4zt2HkTGpx8s3jfxUfuurBV-Pxuv3IEq3aW8HZR44Kg-kt1EfnNt_jFoqh5DVsowfA0Yaj56V9dCgnkO8asGSkOoV95cCf0h5mSGDK9hyphenhyphenCpZNi0/s400/team.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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In short, I have a lot to learn. Coming from a "My Classroom is My Kingdom" environment to a "We're Making This Happen Together" environment is going to be a great learning opportunity for me. I look forward to exploring all the pros and cons, and experiencing all the adventures. But, MAN am I NERVOUS!<br />
<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-7871121835005937282015-05-14T20:10:00.000-04:002015-05-14T20:10:00.847-04:00Student-Designed Force and Motion Experiments<a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2015/05/force-and-motion-inquiry.html">Yesterday</a> I invited my students to pose a question about forces, and then design an experiment to answer that question. More details about that process in my post on <a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2015/05/force-and-motion-inquiry.html">Force and Motion Inquiry</a>.<br />
<br />
Today the students implemented their experiments, and it was <b><span style="color: #990000;">AWESOME!</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b>
To help them be structured, I created this document for them to use:<br />
<center>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="undefined" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_29822" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/265378061/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true" width="100%"></iframe></center>
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Ahead of time, I wrote each group's question in the question section so that they were sure to stay focused on <i style="font-weight: bold;">just that one </i>question. This turned out to be a good decision, because a few groups started adding on another "What if we..." tinkerings and I had to remind them that today we are only focusing on their original, approved question.<br />
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Their research questions were:<br />
1. How do different inclines relate to the distance an object travels?<br />
2. How do different inclines relate to the amount of force needed to move an object up a ramp?<br />
3. Will an object move faster forward or backward? What if it is carrying different types of loads?<br />
4. How does the amount of force used relate to the distance an object travels?<br />
5. How does the amount of force used relate to the speed of an object?
<br />
<br />
The groups eagerly set up their experiments and got started. I asked each group to take 3 photos or videos to share during their presentations at the end of the session.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4S1JKD0WGUaCj56yFlK2268KNNwvWszMZFCAtBxVdMxRdFQ3IwhapmdKp1ioGEaEKyiydXnIsa5xW-cWPpPhTT6fr6pMQLtOrYd4KMG04BkL2ZgmxJRa2o_2Te63UGXlQQ0PNPZV-EWe/s1600/IMG_0489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4S1JKD0WGUaCj56yFlK2268KNNwvWszMZFCAtBxVdMxRdFQ3IwhapmdKp1ioGEaEKyiydXnIsa5xW-cWPpPhTT6fr6pMQLtOrYd4KMG04BkL2ZgmxJRa2o_2Te63UGXlQQ0PNPZV-EWe/s320/IMG_0489.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setting up an experiment for different loads</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnm1aVUZM6B_bPkjSWijoVfH-R0MEiKk_BP9IhljAgSs5vFZNjjecRk5Y4cuOgONnhbVFIkBjbdNxBlUGjpOwFbPuDnC-IZwPGhoaOY7gV_BSZWa2yYO06fduwwCD4nP8DX2kafalV6KQt/s1600/IMG_0490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnm1aVUZM6B_bPkjSWijoVfH-R0MEiKk_BP9IhljAgSs5vFZNjjecRk5Y4cuOgONnhbVFIkBjbdNxBlUGjpOwFbPuDnC-IZwPGhoaOY7gV_BSZWa2yYO06fduwwCD4nP8DX2kafalV6KQt/s320/IMG_0490.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The incline for question #2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As I circulated, I noticed a few key things:<br />
* Tons of buy-in and excitement about the task<br />
* Lots of discussion about experimental design<br />
* Lots of reasoning about forces, distance, speed, and loads<br />
* Some difficulty understanding the need to replicate each test several times and to <i style="font-weight: bold;">record</i> <b><i>the data</i></b> from these additional tests<br />
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I also loved the <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #990000;">real-world</span></span> use of measurement tools since many groups were using meter sticks for distance measures, or stopwatches for time/speed.<br />
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The final step was to present their findings to the class.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgd3k9SZHItQGzA_x7Gh6fBW3PuRN9gm6hwz_D_84EknLT_kjOSUTK1l-1AAaoHQOakM6LyvjvCwo826vFpcnm9sAPYdXSGI7F5J-LtGFpa7ejEsoRv2EYPw4gLZW66CWyzVKvoOfLzmr6/s1600/IMG_0494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgd3k9SZHItQGzA_x7Gh6fBW3PuRN9gm6hwz_D_84EknLT_kjOSUTK1l-1AAaoHQOakM6LyvjvCwo826vFpcnm9sAPYdXSGI7F5J-LtGFpa7ejEsoRv2EYPw4gLZW66CWyzVKvoOfLzmr6/s320/IMG_0494.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry the pic is so dark! We were having a natural-light day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I displayed each group's photos/videos as they discussed their question, procedure, data, and claim. During each presentation, we also paused so that the rest of the class could discuss predictions or do data analysis. Each group was required to take a photo of their data table, so the class took a few minutes to discuss the data before the presenting-group explained their interpretation.<br />
<br />
Overall, my main take-away is that Student-Designed Explorations are <span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>powerful</b></span> learning and community-building experiences!<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">~ Amanda</span></b><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-46521877564621026582015-05-13T20:48:00.000-04:002015-05-13T21:00:06.025-04:00Force and Motion InquirySo here's the deal - We're moving. We're moving 4 hours away to new homes and new jobs. And, what do you know, finding jobs and selling a house take a lot of time and energy. But as of today - the house is under contract and we both have jobs. Hooray!<br />
<br />
Now I just have to keep my head in the game for the last 5 weeks of school. Oh... and find a house to buy... no pressure.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpFPenRgiYsd_kRX0SijjHYAQ_WG5CkiOUcrUVtXt-kc2pzE7ub81T7a2NVjQUEOcdqNVD9PvFbfm5R4iwPQf-ZFi_P0GSoB_7e4V8AX9N1x5wwRQEyhNf1RGU0DEdG5VTXeaZ_U77_rG/s1600/stress-cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpFPenRgiYsd_kRX0SijjHYAQ_WG5CkiOUcrUVtXt-kc2pzE7ub81T7a2NVjQUEOcdqNVD9PvFbfm5R4iwPQf-ZFi_P0GSoB_7e4V8AX9N1x5wwRQEyhNf1RGU0DEdG5VTXeaZ_U77_rG/s200/stress-cartoon.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Yesterday my students did an experiment to test this question:<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">How does the mass of an object relate to the mass needed to move that object a certain distance?</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
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They did a great job implementing the experiment, recognizing that an increase in mass requires you to increase the force, and coming up with great applications of this concept. <b>However</b>, since I asked the question and designed the task, it wasn't really true inquiry.<br />
<br />
Enter today's work...</div>
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<b>TODAY</b> I challenged them to design their own experiment that answers a question about force. There were a few rules, though:</div>
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* The experiment must answer a question about force</div>
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* The experiment must be completed in one session</div>
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* You may only use materials that are readily available</div>
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* You must have some data, and you will create a table for keeping your data</div>
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* You will present your findings to the class</div>
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For additional guidance I said,</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b>"Think about force, mass, speed, distance, direction, inclines, surfaces, and anything else that might affect motion."</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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I was really pleased with the questions that the students came up with:</div>
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<br /></div>
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1. How do different inclines relate to the distance an object travels?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46k0aB6hkdjkW30wMl2N0a-CKxI8uXr8v0gFt7Gpm564Z6m9hsHqz59cGk4A6jBKSK_KzYO6c1OZJuES12Y7B7qrjpQK2N-7COb7b3DyI4_lueVAJ-7K4x2uaFidmHzj07sJHNFs_RoCR/s1600/dsdasda.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46k0aB6hkdjkW30wMl2N0a-CKxI8uXr8v0gFt7Gpm564Z6m9hsHqz59cGk4A6jBKSK_KzYO6c1OZJuES12Y7B7qrjpQK2N-7COb7b3DyI4_lueVAJ-7K4x2uaFidmHzj07sJHNFs_RoCR/s200/dsdasda.png" width="200" /></a>2. How do different inclines relate to the amount of force needed to move an object up a ramp?</div>
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3. Will an object move faster forward or backward? What if it is carrying different types of loads?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
4. How does the amount of force used relate to the distance an object travels?</div>
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5. How does the amount of force used relate to the speed of an object?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Tomorrow each group will perform their experiment and present their findings. I can't wait!<br />
<br />
<br />
**Note: Planning a follow-up post with pics, etc of their work**</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">~ Amanda</span></b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-16399703932838196302015-03-11T23:10:00.002-04:002015-03-11T23:10:30.534-04:00Struggling with ThemeMy students struggle to understand theme. They always confuse it with main idea, and sometimes even that's asking a lot.<br />
<br />
I recently read aloud <i>Heart and Soul </i>by Kadir Nelson. It's a nonfiction book about African American history and it's fabulous. I love <a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2014/01/non-fiction-is-for-reading-aloud-too.html">reading aloud Kadir Nelson'</a>s nonfiction history books.<br />
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<a href="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/cc/01/c7/cc01c7fe3d2a6657b62345d9bb83299c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/cc/01/c7/cc01c7fe3d2a6657b62345d9bb83299c.jpg" height="318" width="320" /></a></div>
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We had studied theme about 2 weeks prior, so for fun, I asked my students to write down the theme of <i>Heart and Soul.</i> Their responses were all over the place. </div>
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* One-third wrote accurate main ideas</div>
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* One-third wrote accurate themes</div>
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* One-third wrote random, barely-connected statements</div>
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This result irritated me. Come on, people!!! So I typed all of their responses into <a href="http://bubbl.us/">bubbl.us</a> so that we could do a class sort. Here's what it looked like before we sorted it:</div>
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<a href="http://learning180.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/0/2/20025193/3733850_orig.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://learning180.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/0/2/20025193/3733850_orig.png" height="298" width="640" /></a></div>
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*** Cue massive discussion. ***</div>
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We analyzed each and every one of those bubbles. Some were obvious, but there was hearty disagreement on at least half of them. The students debated back and forth. I tried to stay out of it, but needed to offer nudges every now and then.</div>
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Ultimately, it ended up like this:</div>
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<a href="http://learning180.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/0/2/20025193/2252633_orig.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://learning180.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/0/2/20025193/2252633_orig.png" height="282" width="640" /></a></div>
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`I ended up being really pleased with how this experience turned out. The discussion and sort really helped clarify the difference between a main idea and a theme. To double check understanding, I had them write theme for a different book after this and the results were much better (about 80% correct).</div>
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We clearly still need to keep working on theme - it's a super-challenging concept! But, we're getting there =)</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">~ Amanda</span></b></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-19535007060457177812015-01-22T23:14:00.000-05:002015-01-22T23:14:23.245-05:00Mystery Skype is Getting Even BetterI love Mystery Skype! My first post about it, <a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2011/11/engaging-every-student-with-mystery.html">Engaging Every Student with Mystery Skype</a>, is super popular. It's still a good representation of how Mystery Skype works, why to bother doing it, and how to organize the students/tasks.<br />
<br />
This year I have been really working on incorporating reflection. After <a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2014/10/mystery-skype-photo-gallery.html">our first Mystery Skype</a> of the year, we identified a few things that we did well, and several to improve.<br />
<br />
Before our second Skype last week, we reviewed these goals and made changes. Our favorite change was to have the entire class use choral response answer the questions we needed to research.<br />
<br />
Photos by student photographer, Trevor:<br />
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<embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F107185508972214677676%2Falbumid%2F6107382477997098961%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCM2kv-KV5c_10AE%26hl%3Den_US" height="267" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://photos.gstatic.com/media/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400"></embed><br />
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Apparently, the students really enjoy the reflection process because they had no problem coming up with things to improve for next time! My favorite thing is that with both Skypes, my students are finding things that the <i style="font-weight: bold;">other</i> class is doing that they want to incorporate. Learning from others, yay!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">~ Amanda</span></b><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-90752495050526757852015-01-19T12:39:00.000-05:002015-01-19T12:39:19.762-05:00Quick UpdateRather than feeling guilty for not posting for two-ish months, I thought I'd drop a quick update for you. Do you remember back in November 2013, when I let you know that <a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2013/11/celebrating-this-week.html">we had had a miscarriage</a> at 5 months?<br />
<br />
Well, terribly enough it happened again over Thanksgiving 2014. I looked back at my posts and realized that there was a 3 month hiatus after the last miscarriage, so missing 2 months isn't so bad. We've been focusing on healing and grieving. I've learned that this stuff really sucks, and it's made worse by how few people talk about it. So, I'm here to say - Miscarriage Sucks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://kidswestalberton.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/grief.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://kidswestalberton.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/grief.jpg" height="298" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This isn't me, but it totally captures the feeling</td></tr>
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<u>Teaching and Blogging Note:</u><br />
My class <i style="font-weight: bold;">DID</i> do an awesome <a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2014/10/mystery-skype-photo-gallery.html">Mystery Skype</a> last week. The photos are sitting on my camera, begging to be turned into a slide show - so you can look forward to that.<br />
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Also, this week we will be voting on our Top Ten Favorite books for the first semester. I'm looking forward to comparing this year's list with <a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2014/02/student-top-ten-books-so-far-this-year.html">the one from last year</a>.<br />
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In summary - I have two posts planned for this week! That's a comeback, friends!<br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>~ Amanda</b></span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-55317795430314987262014-11-21T22:10:00.001-05:002014-11-21T22:10:38.695-05:00Big iPad Summit Take-AwaysLast week I took a team of teachers from my school to Boston for <a href="http://ettipad.org/">EdTechTeacher's</a> iPad Summit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkC058tcbMBwacRtgdKajn6tinW-4J0b-QPXKcEcrZFMc00SsvhJrmdpd5IKiTu39C87TkxW0yNNv8phXVmJWgtHs-bOZwsc9VCWl1SZzcaWUjRFa21fUTmEPcxy07MoPQwHOuL9ORTNep/s1600/ett.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkC058tcbMBwacRtgdKajn6tinW-4J0b-QPXKcEcrZFMc00SsvhJrmdpd5IKiTu39C87TkxW0yNNv8phXVmJWgtHs-bOZwsc9VCWl1SZzcaWUjRFa21fUTmEPcxy07MoPQwHOuL9ORTNep/s1600/ett.png" /></a></div>
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We had a super-awesome-fantastic time. It was my first time in Boston, so I was eager to check out all of the historical sites. Each day after the conference we explored the <a href="http://thefreedomtrail.org/">Boston Freedom Trail</a>, with sites important to the American Revolution. I can't wait to share the pictures with my students when we study this time period later in the year.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYoDyjakfP2JW8dwxnR6aG-MsPJZBY9OBSGD8LWw7kRjtkcVffUp1CvbVcJGgF3tX7YCxPEzVVwesd6hF_l5qNslaDnZUfTETsc9LNnoOxoamOCEt4lsgkudj2NMIyeTbrBpBgSwnFYSdH/s1600/boston+(Copy).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYoDyjakfP2JW8dwxnR6aG-MsPJZBY9OBSGD8LWw7kRjtkcVffUp1CvbVcJGgF3tX7YCxPEzVVwesd6hF_l5qNslaDnZUfTETsc9LNnoOxoamOCEt4lsgkudj2NMIyeTbrBpBgSwnFYSdH/s1600/boston+(Copy).png" height="203" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eager for the first session to start!</td></tr>
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So, I've been processing my learning for a full week. And I'm ready to share my reflections from the conference:</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Big Idea #1 - It's About the Process, Not the Product</span></b></div>
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Creating something on the iPad is a process that really strengthens the most important skills our students need. Those skills are sometimes called the 4 Cs: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, and Critical Thinking. Our focus should be more on<b><i> how</i></b> they develop these skills, rather than how perfect and pretty the end-product is.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Big Idea #2 - It's Not About the Apps</span></b></div>
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This conference totally shifted my thinking on the topic of apps. Instead of looking at them as, "I found a great app for fractions!" or "What are the best apps for fluency?" we should think about how the iPad can be a tool to extend, enrich, and strengthen learning.</div>
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Yes, using apps for targeted curriculum needs is still a valid approach, and one that I will continue to use. For instance, I love the Quizlet app for practicing vocabulary. My students visit a vocabulary station with a partner and work together with the quizlet app to practice. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYITh3IanWLWy7j2zAr0k55LSzodVshQjW0GPvUw_YvhvzXNcOivRkeOlt9SEWxIKF5xYGDgwLflHsMAWa5cMTmKqoJxuK85AMe3FYf5PZV8RYorHQEArn7w0WEZTstmp3X4FjmzK0lsq/s1600/quizlet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYITh3IanWLWy7j2zAr0k55LSzodVshQjW0GPvUw_YvhvzXNcOivRkeOlt9SEWxIKF5xYGDgwLflHsMAWa5cMTmKqoJxuK85AMe3FYf5PZV8RYorHQEArn7w0WEZTstmp3X4FjmzK0lsq/s1600/quizlet.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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However, the larger use for iPads should be as a seamless learning tool. We shouldn't be using the technology just because it's there. Focusing on apps leads us to make instructional decisions such as, "This app about polar bears is really cool. Let's do something about polar bears." Our decisions should be learning-driven, not app-driven.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Big Idea #3 - Sometimes Analog is Better, iPads Are for Specific Needs</span></b></div>
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Sometimes you should just stick with paper and pencil. Keynote speaker, Greg Kulowiec, gave a great example of his sketchnotes.</div>
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A device is not always the best tool for the job. Greg recommended 4 primary uses for the iPad and I am using these as the foundation for my decisions about when/how to use them:</div>
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1. Students archiving their work/thinking</div>
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2. Students annotating work/images/etc</div>
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3. Students creating</div>
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4. Students sharing their work</div>
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And so -</div>
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I am super thrilled to report something new I am trying as a result of all this major learning. Each week I will be providing my students with 1 hour to <b>create a project that reflects on their learning</b>. The big, amazing thing about this project is that it tackles all three Big Ideas.</div>
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I am not teaching my students how to use any of the apps.</div>
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We are depending on an inquiry process to struggle with the tools, make attempts, make mistakes, make discoveries, and create.</div>
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For now, I have limited my students to 4 apps that are both free and easy to export. After all, one key point is that the students need to share their creations!</div>
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Yesterday we had our first go at this project. Happily, every single student completed and exported their work within the hour. Most of it is pretty poor. The sound quality is usually terrible, the creativity is slim, and the tools were not well-leveraged.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-syeL32E_UgnSlSwlK5m8eLeUgqw162xwHSIo2euAC6H0OOMn2K8M4jIavpxI11CLG_LkwMPbgG857z8cbxP0Tq6c50QHa1qlJhvNFNM8TFlvBfj56ItUv9ENPuRgcjIwuziPg53c09tA/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-syeL32E_UgnSlSwlK5m8eLeUgqw162xwHSIo2euAC6H0OOMn2K8M4jIavpxI11CLG_LkwMPbgG857z8cbxP0Tq6c50QHa1qlJhvNFNM8TFlvBfj56ItUv9ENPuRgcjIwuziPg53c09tA/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eli found a quiet room for recording</td></tr>
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HOWEVER -</div>
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I fully expected this. That's part of the inquiry process. The goal is not to be great now, but to continue to discover ways to create and reflect. I fully expect that we will have several more weeks of sub-par products. But we will steadily improve. I keep reminding myself that <b>it's about the process, not the product.</b> So, when sharing their work, we used critiquing to make plans for improvement. </div>
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The hardest part of the process, for me, was not helping when they had trouble. I told the students that they would struggle, but that they could figure out these apps and tools for themselves. Still, it was hard not to swoop in whenever they ran into a problem!</div>
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Here are two student projects from the week - </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="https://www.educreations.com/lesson/embed/26864964/?ref=embed&s=jikSgR" width="480"></iframe><br />
Zach mispronounces the word tertiary and it's kind of hilarious :)<br />
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Mason's ChatterKid about Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers:</div>
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<a href="http://kidblog.org/Northrup2/9dba611d-ce4f-495b-b8e4-2a513b0a216b/producers-consumers-and-decomposers/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOH68l_xk0yZv4h6koJiG3Xy3OVMkCOytI1zbxbxfyLHWU6gGOhnijKh6N7D-FBPj-_lxIIebY5I1pwN4XZIJFAWOU5amHbBjdnKUnQ4UGZxIb9SwiT-TEGc79H2oWFreioonc_IR3VPd2/s1600/chatter+(Copy).png" /></a></div>
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Mason's sound quality is great!</div>
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In reflection, the 50 minutes spent creating these projects was well worth it. I saw so much critical thinking, grit, and problem solving. Several students started reflections on different topics or using different apps, and then switched. This kind of flexibility is important. Others recorded over and over again, trying to make it terrific. Perseverance and dedication really matter. I can't wait to see how this process grows and evolves over the year!</div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>~ Amanda</b></span></div>
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Thanks to a generous grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund to pay for our trip to the Boston iPad Summit!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55rtfPtSCnw_qKukMgGdsk1_-wu_gtGIFDJqlEpjECrBj9UxPwy40-KqOubK98mEIDSMpsySJPKsM5yhSfCHaS-x0MS0fTOe7VRt2mgE3uGzL2lh_JJvri2KZjjxpYQEZxGqb7RGCdypy/s1600/Burroughs_Wellcome_Fund_Black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55rtfPtSCnw_qKukMgGdsk1_-wu_gtGIFDJqlEpjECrBj9UxPwy40-KqOubK98mEIDSMpsySJPKsM5yhSfCHaS-x0MS0fTOe7VRt2mgE3uGzL2lh_JJvri2KZjjxpYQEZxGqb7RGCdypy/s1600/Burroughs_Wellcome_Fund_Black.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-6502845327054804782014-11-02T11:46:00.001-05:002014-11-02T11:49:50.153-05:00Multiply and Divide, Big and Small - NCCTM14Last week I had the honor of presenting at the NC Council for Mathematics Teachers Conference.<br />
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My goal was to work on strategies for teaching multiplication and division with whole numbers, decimals, and fractions.<br />
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Read that list again.<br />
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It was clearly too much. So - I opted to have my fabulous participants vote on which areas were their strongest needs and we started there. We ended up doing the top two needs: fractions and whole numbers. The group ranked decimals as their least need, which really surprised me!<br />
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I promised my participants that I would post the presentation here. Please note - I hate presentations with lots of words on them, where the speaker is just reading off of the slides. Therefore, my slides mostly have problems on them, not explanations. The explanations come from group discussion. You'll have to figure out the words for yourself =)<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="400" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/41018904" width="476"></iframe><br />
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Here is the Division with Fractions handout that we worked on. I use this <u style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">before</u> doing any instruction in division with fractions. When students complete these tasks, I emphasize the importance of reasoning. We can solve these division problems without any algorithms!<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="400" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/41019012" width="476"></iframe><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-41818404983394690242014-10-30T22:28:00.001-04:002014-10-30T22:28:02.909-04:00STEM Challenge: InsulatorsYesterday we did our third <a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2014/08/engineering-with-spaghetti.html">engineering challenge</a> of the year. I love these things!!! This one doubled as a science experiment. The question was:<br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>WHICH MATERIAL WILL KEEP A CUP OF WATER THE MOST WARM? </b></span><br />
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The students worked in pairs. They could choose any <strong>ONE</strong> of <strong>FOUR</strong> materials to test. They attached the material to the outside of the cup any way they wanted as long as the cup could stand up and there was a place for pouring in water.<br />
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<strong><u>Materials We Tested</u></strong><br />
* aluminum<br />
* styrofoam<br />
* cotton (fabric and/or cotton balls)<br />
* plastic (laminating film and/or trash bags)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Picture" src="http://learning180.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/0/2/20025193/1933782_orig.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.129412); margin-left: -2px !important; margin-right: -2px !important; max-width: 100%; padding: 1px !important; vertical-align: middle; width: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creating a test for styrofoam</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Picture" src="http://learning180.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/0/2/20025193/8674027_orig.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.129412); margin-left: -2px !important; margin-right: -2px !important; max-width: 100%; padding: 1px !important; vertical-align: middle; width: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Attaching fabric to the outside of the cup</td></tr>
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Once the cups were built, we poured in hot water and measured the temperature at 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 1 hour, and 2 hours. We also measured the temperature in a plain cup with nothing attached.<br />
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Our data showed that cotton and styrofoam held heat in the best, but aluminum did the worst. Hmmm...<br />
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Connections to conductors and insulators will come next week.<br />
Love me some <a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2014/03/science-as-inquiry.html">inquiry-based science</a>!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-34832423123563288452014-10-20T22:49:00.001-04:002014-10-20T22:51:58.495-04:00Mystery Skype Hooks Another GroupLast week we did our first <a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2011/11/engaging-every-student-with-mystery.html">Mystery Skype</a> of the year. It was awesome to meet Elyse Marsh's fifth graders in New Castle, Delaware. This location presented an extra challenge because the Delaware map in our class atlas has only 3 cities, none of which are New Castle. I found myself running around to other classrooms trying to scrounge up some additional digital devices so that every group had access to a complete Delaware map.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1LFXL4yNamjU8iNaVzF_4GJ-Q-HRWGM_iwN6cc5q582gRX_yl08mjo384CT4k5drW2NiV1JqW7Mz-WIM64UOI7dgi9pNZS3sb2CdZQAY_7ew9WslMnS-FzDZtnBQ4Bq8vgzqk1erTt_V/s1600/SAM_0309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1LFXL4yNamjU8iNaVzF_4GJ-Q-HRWGM_iwN6cc5q582gRX_yl08mjo384CT4k5drW2NiV1JqW7Mz-WIM64UOI7dgi9pNZS3sb2CdZQAY_7ew9WslMnS-FzDZtnBQ4Bq8vgzqk1erTt_V/s1600/SAM_0309.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2013/12/picture-learning-mystery-skype.html">Every Mystery Skype</a> we improve our practice and learn new things.<br />
<u>Things We Did Well</u><br />
* Finally figured out how to keep the Messengers organized<br />
* Every group had lots of maps. Our questions and answers were better, as a result<br />
* The webcam & questions doc team worked seamlessly together<br />
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<u>Things To Improve</u><br />
* Still trying to figure out how many people to have in each group<br />
* The digital maps group was SO slow!<br />
* We liked how Ms. Marsh's entire class answered the question together<br />
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Below is a gallery of photos taken by our student photographer, Jacob.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kizoa.com/Video-Maker/d14204475k2843643o2/mystery-skype-october-2014"><b>Mystery Skype October 2014</b></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-77840495188539857892014-09-21T22:24:00.002-04:002014-09-21T22:24:31.796-04:00Modeling MultiplicationHere's the task...<br />
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Model a problem in 4 ways:<br />
1. Write a context or story for the problem<br />
2. Create a visual representation for the problem<br />
3. Solve it using two different algorithms<br />
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Here's some student work...<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-83488741863744915762014-08-27T16:03:00.002-04:002014-08-27T16:03:34.719-04:00Engineering with SpaghettiOn the 5th day of school we did our first Engineering Challenge:<br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Build a structure, out of only spaghetti and tape, that supports the weight of a large marshmallow.</b></span><br />
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The students were provided with 20 pieces of spaghetti and 3 feet of masking tape. They worked in groups of 4 and had 20 minutes to complete the challenge ~<br />
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* Tallest free-standing tower wins<br />
* Structure may not be taped to anything or leaning against anything (table, wall, chair, etc...)<br />
* Marshmallow must be loose, no spaghetti spears<br />
* Height is measured to the top of the marshmallow, not the top of the structure<br />
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We took a break halfway through the challenge (10 minutes) to tour the work of other groups. Each group visited the other workstations and discussed what they saw. No touching! Are there any ideas you could use in your own structure?</div>
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At the end, 3 out of 5 groups had completed structures - 2 collapsed with the weight of the marshmallow. Unfortunately, 2 of the 3 groups had forgotten to leave a place for the marshmallow to sit. The winning structure is below. It is 28.5 cm tall. Hooray!</div>
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In our debrief afterward, the most common comment was that next time they won't wait until the last minute to add their marshmallow (Good Call!). The winning group stated that it took them 6 tries and lots of adjustment to get their structure to stand with the marshmallow because it kept falling over.</div>
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Usually we only do a spaghetti challenge once, but this year I want to try something new. We will complete this challenge <b>at least 3 more times</b> this year. With several other Engineering Challenges in between. I'm excited to see how their structures improve as they have more experiences.</div>
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Many thanks to Shayla Rexrode (@ShaylaRexrodeDE) at <a href="http://www.discoveryeducation.com/">Discovery Ed</a> for her tips on improving my use of this challenge.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">~ Amanda</span></b></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-43105443957131758572014-08-24T15:50:00.001-04:002014-08-24T15:50:42.110-04:00Reflecting on Teacher LanguageI just finished read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13392640-opening-minds?from_search=true">Opening Minds</a></i> by Peter Johnston. Peter Johnston focuses on how teacher language impacts the classroom and its students. I had previously read his first book, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199755.Choice_Words?from_search=true">Choice Words</a></i>, and found it completely mind-blowing.<br />
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I was so affected by Peter Johnston's research in this book, that I knew I needed to process it via a blog post. And then - is it fate? - the #MTBoS Challenge for this week is to write about meaningful professional book. So - this post will work for that, too. And I'll even throw in a blurb at the end for a math-specific professional book!<br />
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So here are some major take-aways from <i>Opening Minds</i>:<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>1. Our feedback should be <i>process oriented</i> not <i>person oriented</i>.</b></span><br />
Rather than say, "Good job," or "I'm proud of you," or "I'm disappointed in you," or "You're smart." We should say, "I noticed that you took your time" or "I noticed that you explained your reasoning" or "What could you do differently?"<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>2. Get out of the way.</b></span><br />
We must take seriously the work that students can do when they are treated as agents of their own learning. We must provide opportunities for students to engage in dialogue with one another, without the teacher constantly commenting on student ideas or even repeating what other students say. We need to shut up and get out of the way. (<b>I need to work on this one big time!</b>)<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>3. Our students need explicit instruction about how to learn together.</b></span><br />
I have always started the year with several lessons around concepts like: Make Eye Contact and Disagree in an Agreeable Way, but our students will work better together if we go farther than that. We can provide phrases they can say to one another, "I disagree because..." "Can you explain what you meant by..." "I'm thinking that.... because..."<br />
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This year, I am going to make an extra concerted effort on all 3 of those take-aways. Last week I made some progress on 1 and 2, but still found myself slipping back into "Good jobs" and rephrasing student ideas. Next week, I'm going to work even harder and do some lessons around #3.<br />
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Here's a math professional book that I love:<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Student-Centered-Mathematics-Developmentally-Appropriate/dp/0132824876/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1408909584&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=teaching+student+centered+mathamtics">Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics</a></i> by John Van de Walle is kind of my math-teaching Bible. It was recently revised by Karen Karp, Lou Ann Lovin, and Jennifer Bay-Williams to add CCSS alignment. They explain best what this book is all about:<br />
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"The series has three objectives:</div>
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1. To illustrate what it means to teach student-centered, problem-based mathematics</div>
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2. To serve as a reference for the mathematics content and research-based instructional strategies </div>
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3. To present a large collection of high quality tasks and activities that can engage students in the mathematics that is important for them to learn"</div>
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There are 3 versions (K-2, 3-5, 5-8). Here's how I use it - before every unit I look up that content in the book and review Van de Walle's suggestions. Usually there are a few activities I pull straight from the book to implement in my class. During fractions and decimals work, his suggested sequence of instruction has revolutionized my teaching and improved my students' comfort and understanding of these difficult concepts.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-82309073338357909562014-08-17T13:56:00.001-04:002014-08-17T14:06:20.894-04:00Sunday SummaryIn my classroom we often use 3-2-1 to process our learning. My students write 3 things they learned, 2 things that were surprising, and 1 question they still have.<br />
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The Math Twitter Blogosphere (MTBOS) has challenged teachers to use the 3-2-1 format this Sunday to reflect on their previous week. There will be at least one MTBOS challenge each week for the 2014-2015 school year.<br />
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I spent every day last week working in my classroom, even though we aren't actually "on the clock" until tomorrow (Monday). The students start back this coming Wednesday.<br />
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<b><u>3 Things I'm Looking Forward to This Year</u></b><br />
1. Last May I was thinking about the many wonderful things that I've done in the classroom over the years, and then stopped doing because I wanted to try something new. I love doing new things, so my list was really really long. It includes things like <a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2012/01/parents-in-classroom-oh-my.html">Family Book Club</a>, Novels in Verse Book Study, and Technology Presentation Day. I'm really looking forward to bringing those great things back.<br />
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2. In June my school bought one class set of iPads. I have had 2 of these tools in my classroom for the last few years, and have found great ways to integrate them into teaching and learning. Having access to a full class set will create even more wonderful opportunities. I'm sure sharing them with the entire building will be difficult, but it's also going to be awesome. To make things even better, I received a grant to take 7 teachers (including me) to the<a href="http://ettipad.org/"> iPad Summit</a> in Boston this November. Woohoo!<br />
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3. As a school, we have decided to try some schoolwide initiatives around STEM. Specifically, lot of people are on board for<a href="http://code.org/educate/hoc"> Hour of Code</a> and we are going to try monthly engineering challenges (hopefully). I love this stuff and I'm excited to be doing it with others instead of by myself.<br />
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<b><u>2 Things I Want to Get Better At This Year</u></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShTM_kHWtHYgAj7BmKWYAuggCqOaHOlI1k7sHanIwQicGGQLQWM8S4osU9tOLnz8ctMhwuEls_lRZ7cYnLPW1fNJEn3EyQpL-mfJMtxUlcD2C8hts9NuXrQnI-KOeGBBKuiLzIoeZiXdA/s1600/math+author+book232.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShTM_kHWtHYgAj7BmKWYAuggCqOaHOlI1k7sHanIwQicGGQLQWM8S4osU9tOLnz8ctMhwuEls_lRZ7cYnLPW1fNJEn3EyQpL-mfJMtxUlcD2C8hts9NuXrQnI-KOeGBBKuiLzIoeZiXdA/s1600/math+author+book232.png" height="200" width="154" /></a>1. This summer I read Max Ray's book <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Powerful-Problem-Solving-Activities-Mathematical/dp/0325050902/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408296505&sr=8-1&keywords=powerful+problem+solving">Powerful Problem Solving</a>. </i>This is a publication from <a href="http://mathforum.org/">The Math Forum</a> and focuses on building a classroom community around problem solving, and helping students have the agency they need to move forward in mathematics thinking. The chapter on communication painted a picture of how classroom discussion should feel like a dinner party with student ideas, questions, and comments bouncing around as they engage with one another.<br />
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This means that the teacher shouldn't be commenting on every student remark.<b><span style="color: #990000;"> I need to work on my teacher language</span></b>. I want to stop repeating and rephrasing, and offering subjective remarks. There's lots of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Opening-Minds-Using-Language-Change/dp/1571108165/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1408296507&sr=8-2&keywords=choice+words">research</a> on how saying "Good job!" or "You're smart" is bad for people's learning and self-esteem. Working on that too...<br />
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2. Teaching writing. In general. Last year I started reworking my writing instruction. Our first quarter was spent on Narrative Writing, and it went great. The students really progressed. But our work with Informative and Opinion Writing were not as successful. Also, I need to figure out how to fit in time for one-on-one writing conferences.<br />
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<b><u>1 Thing I'm Nervous About</u></b><br />
1. This year I'm going to run a Minecraft club (once a week for 8 weeks). Right now I have no idea what it will look like, or how we're going to set it up. I'm not worried about "what the students will be doing," I'm worried about the technical aspects. I have a commitment from our district's IT department to help me get a server up and running, but I'm nervous that my tech skills won't be strong enough. Also - we only have 30 computers in the lab. What do I do if more than 30 students show up?<br />
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<b><u><br /></u></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-54569602838819817002014-08-15T21:44:00.000-04:002014-08-15T21:44:19.890-04:00Awesome Getting-To-Know-Your-Students TaskSchool is starting next week for me, and I just finished creating my Name Sign for the new year. This activity is my favorite way to start the school year because it's a non-threatening, creative way for me to learn about my students and their interests. Like all great things, I stole this idea. It comes from <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/First-Weeks-School-Strategies-Teachers/dp/1892989042">The First Six Weeks of School</a></i> by Paula Denton and Roxann Kriete.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zTrBuz_AtRyNnKmFA_wf6BL8PEdSWt88ubch-XtmP8uyiv6hjUTpFfYpGQIlCdAe2LXxZm1-MwznMVhb0EuSDVjlF8Y6Ss2PVBtha3nN0zCZ4-kJDmttocAz13C6RDr1AVh1_agJALSl/s1600/20140814123926_SAM_0180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zTrBuz_AtRyNnKmFA_wf6BL8PEdSWt88ubch-XtmP8uyiv6hjUTpFfYpGQIlCdAe2LXxZm1-MwznMVhb0EuSDVjlF8Y6Ss2PVBtha3nN0zCZ4-kJDmttocAz13C6RDr1AVh1_agJALSl/s1600/20140814123926_SAM_0180.JPG" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">I go over each image with the class as a way to introduce myself.</span></td></tr>
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We always do this activity on the first day of school. As the students draw and color, I walk around and ask each student about their work:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
"What are you drawing for your favorite thing to do? That's so cool that you enjoy ____ !"</div>
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<u>There are 4 boxes on the Name Sign:</u></div>
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1. Someone who taught you something</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgTgaDmLty2auRuUvaMF2r782EQv3h6kP27IGjKHlAW-xTfZMZzfupFyrPVxsoBJzENkKUT9DR1N93rPAjJOLoZjsza5xqcS45QXd55qWJR4tPpWeJ80oUmWS7TSFVgYJml-bPzPSaLmeO/s1600/20140814123931_SAM_0181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgTgaDmLty2auRuUvaMF2r782EQv3h6kP27IGjKHlAW-xTfZMZzfupFyrPVxsoBJzENkKUT9DR1N93rPAjJOLoZjsza5xqcS45QXd55qWJR4tPpWeJ80oUmWS7TSFVgYJml-bPzPSaLmeO/s1600/20140814123931_SAM_0181.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My aunt taught me how to keep a puppy occupied</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
2. Your favorite place in the world</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHQhON8fCz7kD-ik1RIrQngkp84oAKf84D-f2I3OwqY_VGliNUjf0KHIVblmM7KFMWo8dHsF2N4hlVv4MVX9lRMCpJPbDVK9b6_vFgsDg7sqHrXtl6yiMYHPkvI7Q0oLqOPfaxIui65wf/s1600/20140814123935_SAM_0182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHQhON8fCz7kD-ik1RIrQngkp84oAKf84D-f2I3OwqY_VGliNUjf0KHIVblmM7KFMWo8dHsF2N4hlVv4MVX9lRMCpJPbDVK9b6_vFgsDg7sqHrXtl6yiMYHPkvI7Q0oLqOPfaxIui65wf/s1600/20140814123935_SAM_0182.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driving in my car , Ernesto, with my two dogs, Lucy & Boomer</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
3. Your favorite thing to do</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7C9IlCBnb6mUYJ_O6f17gYHt1R_aAGWZeeskGEp5q9vMA-DisqFht442q7vZ3W8c3K91a_ZAImbh3apwyGoY_CGOvF6xZhVwY7vQQuBOlVK-WD215XuS-E_WpGKD5P_QDQ7dtA0Z_riL/s1600/20140814123939_SAM_0183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7C9IlCBnb6mUYJ_O6f17gYHt1R_aAGWZeeskGEp5q9vMA-DisqFht442q7vZ3W8c3K91a_ZAImbh3apwyGoY_CGOvF6xZhVwY7vQQuBOlVK-WD215XuS-E_WpGKD5P_QDQ7dtA0Z_riL/s1600/20140814123939_SAM_0183.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love swimming laps</td></tr>
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4. A time when you spent 3 great days in a row</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lWpNOknSLNsjjj0ovE_aXdj7zWURv2M4GOCoxfbgko0L5HPMARWD_qnUT6Cnx2xcUkmkysPSZ_cKhgbGRnTpcdB1-PoXg1YmXeR-gs2JY9LKOaq2OVgl5Gr3TysPfOj3xnqrRZ7PBt8O/s1600/20140814123944_SAM_0184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lWpNOknSLNsjjj0ovE_aXdj7zWURv2M4GOCoxfbgko0L5HPMARWD_qnUT6Cnx2xcUkmkysPSZ_cKhgbGRnTpcdB1-PoXg1YmXeR-gs2JY9LKOaq2OVgl5Gr3TysPfOj3xnqrRZ7PBt8O/s1600/20140814123944_SAM_0184.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I spent 3 great days in a row at the beach with my family.</td></tr>
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<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/First-Weeks-School-Strategies-Teachers/dp/1892989042">The First Six Weeks of School</a></i> suggests pairing students to share their Name Signs with someone, then having each student share something they learned about their partner in a whole-class circle. This activity is terrific every year. It gives me a great way to make a connection with every student right at the beginning, and the sharing process sends the message that we care about the individuality of each student.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">~ Amanda</span></b></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-25653166377039179192014-08-05T18:48:00.001-04:002014-08-05T19:19:25.581-04:00Technology Smackdown - 9 Ways to Use TechLast week I conducted a fun 2-day workshop for 34 educators called Conquering Grade 5 Mathematics. After lunch one day we had a Technology Smackdown. Each of 9 brave participants had 3 minutes to share a website, app, device, or strategy with the group.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyV6phfO24P2wSRJKrbAga4KYZZpcfm37P_OvAF1RwxT-jcNkL4EYifg_VxRchSnMkpGqlVbvZMKgh-3vFWZOJvaiRJvfOBW9Qx3c_25sOH95ZY-ZqNFLfkrhAxr39VFVG2nZR4WiBk8zL/s1600/techsmackdown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyV6phfO24P2wSRJKrbAga4KYZZpcfm37P_OvAF1RwxT-jcNkL4EYifg_VxRchSnMkpGqlVbvZMKgh-3vFWZOJvaiRJvfOBW9Qx3c_25sOH95ZY-ZqNFLfkrhAxr39VFVG2nZR4WiBk8zL/s1600/techsmackdown.jpg" height="183" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's been a few days since then, but I will try to remember the wonderful resources shared:<br />
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<b>1. <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/id526959716">Math Doodles</a> -</b> A math game app that asks students to solve problems that are both challenging and fun. These logic puzzles can be easily altered by Easy or Hard, Solve or Race, or even the style of number displayed (dice, words, digits, fractions, etc..)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrBdWjDOeUklU2BFD3A8xQmKUmuYGyub3LZ92UbObXAePf64djgbiwdF0M8YzejOAUO7qJitzxWhON-h7fLndYdcAIkW43J7TGeif0sa9c9H7g-F5BQS6384g9_GasQlV2cJi04pxIzi44/s1600/ScreenshotConSum4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrBdWjDOeUklU2BFD3A8xQmKUmuYGyub3LZ92UbObXAePf64djgbiwdF0M8YzejOAUO7qJitzxWhON-h7fLndYdcAIkW43J7TGeif0sa9c9H7g-F5BQS6384g9_GasQlV2cJi04pxIzi44/s1600/ScreenshotConSum4.png" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
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<b>2. <a href="http://www.flocabulary.com/">Flocabulary</a></b> - A video-based vocabulary website. Each set of vocabulary words, math strategies, science concepts, or other content is set to an animated pseudo-rap song.<br />
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<b>3. <a href="http://www.mobymax.com/">Moby Max</a></b> - An adaptive practice website for language arts and math.<br />
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<b>4. <a href="http://www.discoveryeducation.com/">Discovery Ed</a></b> - Not just streaming videos anymore. Some cool multimedia to supplement lessons, plus now you can set up student accounts.<br />
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5. <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/word-games-for-kids-futaba/id426517722?mt=8"><b>Futaba</b> </a>- A terrific game for up to 4 players. Especially powerful for vocabulary and math fact fluency.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoHrmILcGangcRMW2Mh6Ql0DMKL4TJ7XzO0BTuESsElAhOljSqho6rmxU04jDEaQBBgOob3a0ZmYIEdtiGcx_F96opP4hyeyCx2MhUxGlZLBTjvHFw56V0bkd3PfAzO7BJ8cZmbKVA4R4/s1600/futaba+(Copy).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoHrmILcGangcRMW2Mh6Ql0DMKL4TJ7XzO0BTuESsElAhOljSqho6rmxU04jDEaQBBgOob3a0ZmYIEdtiGcx_F96opP4hyeyCx2MhUxGlZLBTjvHFw56V0bkd3PfAzO7BJ8cZmbKVA4R4/s1600/futaba+(Copy).jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>6. <a href="http://valeriefaulknermathclub.com/">Valerie Faulkner Math Club</a></b> - The terrific website of a local math-ed professor. Val Faulkner's site offers some great lesson ideas, activities, and support videos. We especially like the <a href="http://valeriefaulknermathclub.com/student-help/middle-school-math/dividing-with-fractions/">Bean Party</a> for division with fractions.<br />
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<b>7. <a href="http://www.showme.com/">ShowMe</a></b> - A simple whiteboard app with a much more user-friendly web component than <a href="http://www.educreations.com/">Educreations</a>.<br />
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<b>8. <a href="http://plickers.com/">Plickers</a></b> - So so so cool! Free student response system and all you need is 1 teacher iPad. Watch the video and you will be amazed. Prepare to download!<br />
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<b>9. </b>Oh geez - I'm missing one! If you were there and remember which tool I forgot, please let me know!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-2350388216116024262014-07-02T15:15:00.001-04:002014-07-02T15:15:26.301-04:0040 Book Challenge: Student Progress UpdateOne of my goals in taking on<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Book-Whisperer-Awakening-Inner-Reader/dp/0470372273/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404327500&sr=1-1&keywords=book+whisperer"> the 40 book challenge</a>, was to encourage more students to complete the 40 Book Challenge themselves. Last year, 5 of my 22 students completed the challenge and the others each read at least 20 books.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDX91ZSNDZabIhRlrYw5MDNLv9SIPgDQCfFFGbD5YqwbmXfP5e4zIWETkhzMJxn2nFedhAUq1-2RlxP0iw4xNr8BRJogRpNHl6b8HVijf_6IOpkHgSymZ38fT3nKkcdENQcxXrFxYMJIC-/s1600/book+challenge+(Copy).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDX91ZSNDZabIhRlrYw5MDNLv9SIPgDQCfFFGbD5YqwbmXfP5e4zIWETkhzMJxn2nFedhAUq1-2RlxP0iw4xNr8BRJogRpNHl6b8HVijf_6IOpkHgSymZ38fT3nKkcdENQcxXrFxYMJIC-/s1600/book+challenge+(Copy).png" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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For the challenge they needed to read a certain number of books in each of 10 genres, plus several free choice books. Every teacher sets up the 40 books differently, here's how I do mine:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWyq7wS4gORvYUm-NwjlKVKAEnSyq4S0pH65ZBF2OCq9Taotle4M0Px1yiIwwBjUOjCIgU6UB0eIc8rCljbwie0jTqZCmZ6eSLZEo12ynGB2ND6IQFTvwH1uu9TPImwF4c0rCpiXX1Um1/s1600/40books.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWyq7wS4gORvYUm-NwjlKVKAEnSyq4S0pH65ZBF2OCq9Taotle4M0Px1yiIwwBjUOjCIgU6UB0eIc8rCljbwie0jTqZCmZ6eSLZEo12ynGB2ND6IQFTvwH1uu9TPImwF4c0rCpiXX1Um1/s1600/40books.png" height="640" width="500" /></a></div>
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This year, 14 out of 19 students have completed the challenge. The others each completed at least 25 books. The books totals in our class ranged from 25-90, with an average of 52 books read.<br />
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Hold on - wait - really!?!?!? That is simply amazing.<br />
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Granted, this group of students was already known as "readers," by teachers of previous grades. But still...<br />
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So <b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">what did I do differently this year</span></b> to have such a dramatic change in results?<br />
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1. I made a concerted effort to emphasize productive reading habits. My students took to bringing their book with them everywhere - even to the computer lab since it takes 3-4 minutes for the computer to load. This is a strategy Donalyn Miller talks about in her terrific book, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Book-Whisperer-Awakening-Inner-Reader/dp/0470372273/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404327500&sr=1-1&keywords=book+whisperer">The Book Whisperer</a></i>.<br />
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2. We did our weekly check-in, <a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2013/12/its-monday-what-are-you-reading.html">It's Monday, What Are You Reading?</a> religiously. They held each other accountable, "You're still reading that book! It's been 3 weeks! That book is only 200 pages long. You need to do something about that."<br />
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We developed a cult of excitement about books. At It's Monday, What Are You Reading? books changed hands regularly. "What part are you at?" became the most popular question. Heated discussions, spoiler alerts, and debates over which book is best in the series were commonplace.<br />
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3. The 25% Boards were effective motivators. Students fist-pumped whenever they reached a new board. "Yes! I can sign the 50% board!" They smiled broadly as we clapped for them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWDvfEPbOS1ouXkn1XbFhaztsUorM7005uwD5YHFqQJx80ZIAxcoFTMVZyOcjv_7XMiMssonA3HENVFR-5P-llKfmlXYezMdshZTvNH9N4VAWGJmJj8ijRWCL-XrRYHjWHXPz7E27gFZH/s1600/20140612195716_SAM_0175+(Copy).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWDvfEPbOS1ouXkn1XbFhaztsUorM7005uwD5YHFqQJx80ZIAxcoFTMVZyOcjv_7XMiMssonA3HENVFR-5P-llKfmlXYezMdshZTvNH9N4VAWGJmJj8ijRWCL-XrRYHjWHXPz7E27gFZH/s1600/20140612195716_SAM_0175+(Copy).JPG" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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The only downside, is that the social pressure was maybe a bit too intense. I'm a bit worried about my 5 students who "only" 25+ books. Although I told them that it was only a challenge, and we emphasized how awesome it is to read 30 books in one year, the social pressure to finish all 40 was palpable. Still, I had a <b>one-on-one conversation with each student during the last week of school</b> to emphasize their incredible reading growth this year.<br />
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4. I took on the challenge for myself as well - and made my progress VERY VERY public. You can read more about<a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2014/05/reflecting-on-40-book-challenge.html"> The Teacher's 40 Book Challenge in my reflection post</a>.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Something I still need to work on ~</span></b><br />
Also - I had several students who still avoided poetry, nonfiction, and traditional literature like the plague. I know that the best way to prop up these genres is to get excited about them myself... working on that...<br />
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I successfully added <a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2014/01/non-fiction-is-for-reading-aloud-too.html">nonfiction read alouds</a> this year and my class got really into reading nonfiction books by Kadir Nelson. I'm still looking for really engaging nonfiction to read aloud - I discovered Catherine Thimmesh's books this year so I may read one of those. Of course, I also need to read aloud more poetry.<br />
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Perhaps we will try a sequence of read aloud books:<br />
1. Nonfiction<br />
2. Novel<br />
3. Poetry<br />
4. Repeat<br />
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I'm really curious to see if these results will be replicated next year. If so, that means that this success wasn't just a group that already read a lot. Crossing my fingers.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">~ Amanda</span></b><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-57074843319823767242014-05-31T18:34:00.001-04:002014-07-02T15:16:31.841-04:00Reflecting on the 40 Book ChallengeAs we close in on the end of the school year, I'm glad to say that I have completed the Teacher 40 Book Challenge. In September,<a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-40-book-challenge-teachers-can-do.html"> I wrote about my plan</a> to complete the 40 Book Challenge alongside my students. However, since I am an avid reader, I told my students that I would read <b>double</b> the number of books in their challenge. This means that I needed to read 80 books.<br />
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The number of books wasn't the challenge for me, though. Overall I read 125 books this school year. The challenge for me was reading the various genres. The Challenge includes several titles from each of 10 genres.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr59s-jorO6comyAtjOkcfrUj0gxiJKAM5dudLbcBN_ZyvZNnsYAbVQHZvLKklF8c7DSm1RmJ-59jzUKTY7oiMHeZrI7l0q9j1vOiZI9y92Mlt51yxi3tCA_zgmszXnUNSZG_R2IWuZ0nH/s1600/20131002_172005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr59s-jorO6comyAtjOkcfrUj0gxiJKAM5dudLbcBN_ZyvZNnsYAbVQHZvLKklF8c7DSm1RmJ-59jzUKTY7oiMHeZrI7l0q9j1vOiZI9y92Mlt51yxi3tCA_zgmszXnUNSZG_R2IWuZ0nH/s1600/20131002_172005.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My progress - Very, very public</td></tr>
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My favorite genres are fantasy and science fiction. This was made <b>painfully obvious</b> when I completed those genres (8 fantasy and 4 science fiction) by the end of September. Never fear, I thought, I'll just put the rest of them under free choice....<br />
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My Free Choice Novels (18) were completed in January. Oops.<br />
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Like most of my students, I found myself struggling to complete the poetry, classics, and nonfiction requirements. With 5 weeks left in the school year, I still had one from each of those categories to read. So I set up a plan and publicized it to my students - I would read on of those books each week, finishing the challenge with 2 weeks to spare.<br />
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And... I did it! You can even check out <a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/p/40-book-challenge.html">my complete list</a> of books read.<br />
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<b>Thoughts on My Personal Progress: </b><br />
I really enjoyed reading genres that I'm not accustomed to. For instance I absolutely loved <i><a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/2013/11/classics-review-my-fathers-dragon.html">My Father's Dragon</a></i> (classic)<i>,</i> <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11288619-the-mighty-miss-malone?from_search=true">The Mighty Miss Malone</a></i> (historical fiction), and <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17165888-the-animal-book?from_search=true">The Animal Book</a></i> (nonfiction). I can confidently say that I would not have read <i style="font-weight: bold;">any</i> of those terrific books if it weren't for this challenge.<br />
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I learned that I need to cultivate a more specific interest in nonfiction, mystery, and poetry books. To do this, I want to find authors and/or series that really grab me.<br />
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In May I needed 2 more nonfiction books, but had no interest in anything on the shelves. So I did a search on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list">Goodreads Listopia</a> for great nonfiction books. I was looking for a consistently wonderful author. I already love<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/27541.Steve_Jenkins?from_search=true"> Steve Jenkins</a>, but I've already read all of his books. Luckily, I discovered <a href="http://www.catherinethimmesh.com/books/books.html">Catherine Thimmesh</a>. I went straight to the library and check out two of her books, <i><a href="http://www.catherinethimmesh.com/books/team.html">Team Moon</a></i> and <i><a href="http://www.catherinethimmesh.com/books/scaly.html">Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled</a></i>. They were excellent!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8azuiRYL13OcqoXicopwa_o7G4Jw-6dvWCjB9NPifNksCrljC2BaFtq0CZG4P4Ca5ak530UGuiGlPVwV9lIkCb24CS1z1wd39es40pL6su-7cxUnornl2L-37tDvDeq8dxVMM7dI4oLok/s1600/thimmesh.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8azuiRYL13OcqoXicopwa_o7G4Jw-6dvWCjB9NPifNksCrljC2BaFtq0CZG4P4Ca5ak530UGuiGlPVwV9lIkCb24CS1z1wd39es40pL6su-7cxUnornl2L-37tDvDeq8dxVMM7dI4oLok/s1600/thimmesh.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Thoughts on My Students's Progress:</b><br />
School is out in 2 weeks, so I'll update you then. As of now, 9 of my 19 students have completed the challenge. That's double our completion rate from last year! Plus, there are 3 other students who are <i style="font-weight: bold;">so </i>close.<br />
UPDATE ~ Read my<a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2014/07/40-book-challenge-student-progress.html"> Reflections on Student Progress</a> in which I am flabbergasted by the completion rate.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-72786293806455490432014-05-11T20:14:00.001-04:002014-05-11T20:19:37.965-04:00Dividing Decimals Using ReasoningWhen I first learned that I would have to teach division with decimals, I panicked. Those rules confuse me, and I wasn't sure that I could teach it in a student-centered way so that I wasn't just telling the students what to do without rhyme or reason.<br />
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Then, I happened onto a terrific strategy for dividing decimals using reasoning.<br />
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When my students and I divide with decimals we focus on using reasoning to figure out where the decimal goes. We have three different strategies for reasoning about division problems:<br />
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<b>1. Make an estimate using simple numbers</b> <br />
In the problem below, we estimated 97.5 / 6.5 as 100 / 5 or 100 / 10<br />
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<b>2. Turn it into a multiplication problem</b> <br />
In the problem below we rewrote the problem as 6.5 x ___ = 97.5 or 10 x ___ = 100<br />
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<b>3. Think about how many ____ are in ____ ?</b> <br />
In the problem below we thought of, "How many 6.5s are in 97.5?" or "How many 10s are in 100?"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPXFbzeV3wjon9Oo_mMBLhTMIDYbWavPwoxlGQlzWSMfK23wfDF7MONe1v_nArQa9N2WVwYW0-iMic4OCQgzDzQbRXXgjGHCuikwxKTn-Ns4QB-Ja4lRZelnMbV3zrGccR-cIZbRNmgLP/s1600/dividedecimals.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPXFbzeV3wjon9Oo_mMBLhTMIDYbWavPwoxlGQlzWSMfK23wfDF7MONe1v_nArQa9N2WVwYW0-iMic4OCQgzDzQbRXXgjGHCuikwxKTn-Ns4QB-Ja4lRZelnMbV3zrGccR-cIZbRNmgLP/s1600/dividedecimals.png" height="320" width="261" /></a></div>
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Then, all we need to do is find the digits in the solution (975 divided by 65), and use our reasoning from above to place the decimal.<br />
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You can see all our steps in the image above. I like this way better than memorizing a rule (like moving the decimal), because the students can make sure that their answer always makes sense.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">~ Amanda</span></b><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-29196031814642981532014-04-20T20:28:00.000-04:002014-04-20T20:30:21.559-04:00Math Free-Time ResourcesI'm looking forward to sharing some Math Free-Time Resources at the <a href="https://www.bigmarker.com/GlobalMathDept/22April14">Global Math Department webinar </a>on Tuesday. We'll also be hearing from Dan Anderson of <a href="http://recursiveprocess.com/">recursiveprocess.com</a><br />
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To make resource-sharing easier, I thought I'd throw together a post of documents, etc related to Math Free-Time. Feel free to download, share, modify, and/or use at will =)<br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/219294369/Math-Free-Time-Tasks" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Math Free-Time Tasks on Scribd">Math Free-Time Tasks</a></div>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="undefined" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="400" id="doc_49418" scrolling="yes" src="//www.scribd.com/embeds/219294369/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/219294684/Math-Free-Time-Student-Goals-Sheet" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Math Free-Time Student Goals Sheet on Scribd">Math Free-Time Student Goals Sheet</a></div>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="undefined" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="400" id="doc_5418" scrolling="yes" src="//www.scribd.com/embeds/219294684/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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Presentation:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="426" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/33739405?rel=0" style="border-width: 1px 1px 0; border: 1px solid #CCC; margin-bottom: 5px; max-width: 100%;" width="527"> </iframe> </div>
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My posts on Math-Free Time are at<br />
* <a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2012/02/student-made-video-math-free-time-fun.html">Student-Made Videos</a><br />
* <a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2012/01/math-free-time-does-it-all.html">Math Free-Time Does It All</a><br />
* <a href="http://teachingandlearningcommunity.blogspot.com/2011/10/free-choice-in-math-worth-our-time.html">Free Choice in Math - Rigorously Engaging</a><br />
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Please holler if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions!<br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>~ Amanda</b></span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-38815674577453599972014-04-13T23:04:00.000-04:002014-04-13T23:06:36.039-04:00Modeling the Water CycleLast week we did one of my all time favorite demos - a model of the water cycle.<br />
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Studying the water cycle is tricky to do with inquiry because it's a global system, so it's hard to examine and manipulate. You have to scale it down, instead. There seem to be a lot of people who use <a href="http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=water+cycle+in+a+bag&qpvt=water+cycle+in+a+bag&FORM=IGRE">a plastic baggie</a> in a window to model the water cycle, but I've found that the bag just gets too damp inside and it's hard to see what's going on.<br />
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I found this model somewhere on the internet about 6 years ago and have been using it ever since -<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA19vKS1Mh-LID2Ux1Kf-dt1CxGxKMFqkNZDapBTUHbaR09_bpQoIKx2jEcvLzNc-cGPyVnfi-YcvUZkV8_7oaI5KInu8Uxv1XP5iiQ98IG6uoe6-aL5tt92Nxl7tgsxtl0meHeUhCmmT6/s1600/WaterCycle1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA19vKS1Mh-LID2Ux1Kf-dt1CxGxKMFqkNZDapBTUHbaR09_bpQoIKx2jEcvLzNc-cGPyVnfi-YcvUZkV8_7oaI5KInu8Uxv1XP5iiQ98IG6uoe6-aL5tt92Nxl7tgsxtl0meHeUhCmmT6/s1600/WaterCycle1.png" height="303" width="400" /></a></div>
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The <b>coolest part</b> is how you can actually <i style="font-weight: bold;">see</i> condensation happening, as the water vapor turns back into a liquid, forming droplets on the bottom of the cold pan. Interestingly, at least half of my students believe that these droplets come from the ice in the pan - that the water is actually <b>seeping</b> through the pan. That's why the second and third questions below are so important.<br />
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The key is to have small groups (4-6 students) visit and analyze the model at least twice each. At each visit, I crouch down with the students and ask for their observations. Then I follow-up with questions:<br />
* What is happening here?<br />
* Where do you think those water drops came from?<br />
* How is that possible?<br />
* What is the ice for?<br />
* What is happening to the water's state of matter?<br />
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I usually introduce the term "water vapor" during these small group discussions, as well.<br />
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After visiting the model, the students draw a picture in their notebook and label what they can such as Owen's labels of ice, heat, liquid, and water vapor below.<br />
During our whole-class debrief, we add water cycle terms to each part of the drawing:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhypheneDbwumcg5h3G3TMbXf5E5QGZmF1Q-yzsGyhY1h9SiK4RO5F16tQiVykQUjpCWijjcrH16Hi4qkxfP7etgIN-BDd4uxs5_NRgIhTs1h_2WDYwHOn8T5JzfWyDpQp-kQ2OczyQK8H-Wqw/s1600/WaterCycle2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhypheneDbwumcg5h3G3TMbXf5E5QGZmF1Q-yzsGyhY1h9SiK4RO5F16tQiVykQUjpCWijjcrH16Hi4qkxfP7etgIN-BDd4uxs5_NRgIhTs1h_2WDYwHOn8T5JzfWyDpQp-kQ2OczyQK8H-Wqw/s1600/WaterCycle2.png" height="380" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Owen's diagram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Finally, we work together to figure out how this model represents the Earth. What does the pan of ice represent? The water droplets under the pan? The heat source?<br />
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I add a few extra terms as we go and then we have a new diagram:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1T852jeLHjUGpR1FwdlQoixRf6wWL6GZWJ5-RPFGrFVPkp9sk2RGQqsFKNXvLjE0_ixNu_F6gIYfp5UlwlpFJohIbHaH7IqQu4v8yT6fyXvZYc1P2PwoTr5usOKK-NMR0evjbPFw9X6pz/s1600/WaterCycle3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1T852jeLHjUGpR1FwdlQoixRf6wWL6GZWJ5-RPFGrFVPkp9sk2RGQqsFKNXvLjE0_ixNu_F6gIYfp5UlwlpFJohIbHaH7IqQu4v8yT6fyXvZYc1P2PwoTr5usOKK-NMR0evjbPFw9X6pz/s1600/WaterCycle3.png" height="343" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Owen's second diagram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This demo really makes the water cycle visible and sticks with the students throughout their thinking about it in later activities.<br />
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What's your favorite water cycle investigation?<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">~ Amanda</span></b><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-19618399923783073372014-04-09T23:17:00.000-04:002014-04-09T23:17:13.217-04:00Posing for Character TraitsI've found that my students don't truly understand many of the words that we assume they are familiar with. This disconnect between what the teacher <i style="font-weight: bold;">assumes</i> the students already know and what they <i style="font-weight: bold;">actually</i> know is especially prevalent with <b>character trait words</b>.<br />
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There are many lists of character trait words out there (just search for it, they're easy to find and free). I mashed them up and made my own. Feel free to use it. Click on the image below for the full document.<br />
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<a href="http://1drv.ms/1n5JGIf"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpavGniySTRXyIuUNx0owA3KmHfogl1X7T839RQkFqbOrOZllHTGzr_4z7_CiB1kQzp2_cPzGBfYF5XG7CTu-UTfx5GTnFdJR4jooGQLOo1CiYAjI4dWVg11j5Vn8UCq8DFbsrl-WzjfL9/s1600/list.png" height="260" width="320" /></a></div>
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To help my students strengthen their understandings, we started by identifying the words on the list we weren't sure of. We identified 14 words including:<br />
* ambitious<br />
* arrogant<br />
* considerate<br />
* gullible<br />
* impulsive<br />
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Then, I assigned one word to small groups of students ~ a word for each group. They had <b>TEN minutes</b> to:<br />
1. Figure out the meaning of the word using classroom resources<br />
2. Design a tableau - essentially a frozen scene - demonstrating the trait<br />
3. Make or gather any needed props<br />
4. Practice<br />
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Each group presented their tableau and the class used inference skills to figure out the meaning of the word.<br />
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I'll be posting these images on a wall in the classroom as visual reminders. We'll be doing the remaining 8 words over the next two days.<br />
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The students had so much fun that they cheered when I told them we would do it again tomorrow. Ahhh... happy learning students = happy teacher<br />
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Were you surprised by any of the words they didn't know?<br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>~ Amanda</b></span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-90062169229267800562014-03-27T06:00:00.000-04:002014-03-28T21:01:39.633-04:00Science as InquiryI believe that students learn best when they work together with materials and figure things out on their own. Rather than lecture about how and why things work, I provide activities that help students see for themselves. <i><b>After</b></i> (and during) these activities, I lead class discussions to explain how and why and teach vocabulary. Student observations and ideas are the focal point of these discussions.<br />
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My students tell me all the time how much they love science. Just last week I had a conversation that went like this,<br />
<b>Student:</b> Ms. N, on last week's progress report, all my grades were As and Bs, except one C. What subject was that, I can't remember?<br />
<b>Me:</b> I'm not sure, let's check and see...<br />
<b>Student:</b> Well, I know it couldn't have been science because I love all the experiments we do in science and I try really hard in that subject!<br />
<b>Me: </b>**smiley face**<br />
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This method is called Inquiry-Based Instruction. I use an instructional model called "The 5E Model:"<br />
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I've found this model to be so effective, that I use it in most of my non-science instruction, too. It works <i style="font-weight: bold;">great</i> in math and language arts.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-82722702146567193362014-03-25T17:49:00.003-04:002014-03-25T17:49:53.655-04:00How I Teach VocabularyI have read some recent research which indicates that fifth graders benefit much more from good vocabulary instruction than from traditional weekly spelling words (<i>Bringing Words to Life</i> by Beck, McKeown, and Kucan, 2013). Many students can memorize spelling words for a weekly test, but quickly forget them and rarely use the correct spellings in their actual writing.<br />
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Therefore, I developed a 5 step vocabulary teaching process described below -<br />
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Many people use 10, or even 20, words per week, but I find that if you have that many words, the meanings aren't as powerfully learned and readily called upon. Rather, they are forgotten quickly. In my class students learn 4 vocabulary words each week (one per day Monday-Thursday).
<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/msnorthrupsclass/_/rsrc/1309209163408/vocabulary-words/EvanMoorWordADay.png?height=100&width=75" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://sites.google.com/site/msnorthrupsclass/_/rsrc/1309209163408/vocabulary-words/EvanMoorWordADay.png?height=100&width=75" style="border: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="150" /></a><br />
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My initial problem was where to find the words. There are so many great words out there! I settled on <i>Word-A-Day</i> published by EvanMoor. It has a great list of words and oral test questions for each word. It is published for grades 1-6+<br />
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<b><u>Our Classroom Process</u></b><br />
1. Each day we begin by discussing the chosen vocabulary word. We spend about 10 minutes discussing examples, non-examples, and applications to real-life.<br />
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2. Each night the students choose one of several vocabulary practice tasks to complete for homework. These include activities such as creating a Wanted poster for the word or writing a haiku. Our homework choices board for <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ckpmee0BlEuj-K4pwtVBunCyvuRcTtLwqhqdwrccCvw/edit?hl=en_US" style="color: rgb(0, 85, 150) !important;" target="_blank">1st semester</a> and <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1icZVuOn6YAa3XpifU8fGPtCqZxfRzioMXQGvhjnhRU8/edit?hl=en_US" style="color: rgb(0, 85, 150) !important;" target="_blank">2nd semester</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/msnorthrupsclass/vocabulary-words/DSCN0218.JPG?attredirects=0" imageanchor="1" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: none; clear: left; color: rgb(0, 85, 150) !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://sites.google.com/site/msnorthrupsclass/_/rsrc/1319761113279/vocabulary-words/DSCN0218.JPG?height=150&width=200" style="border: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="320" /></a>3. The next morning I choose one very clear drawing of the word that was done by a student for homework the previous night. I show the chosen drawing to the class and we discuss why this drawing makes sense. The drawing is then placed on our classroom Vocab Board (left).<br />
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4. On Friday, students take a vocabulary test. This is a cumulative test containing the 4 words for the current week and 6-8 other words from previous weeks. I write the words on the board so that students can copy the correct spellings on their tests. Remember - meaning is what counts here, not spelling. The important thing is to spiral old words back into the tests, especially the tricky ones. This means that in March we might see words from January, November, and September.<br />
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5. In reading and writing lessons my students and I frequently find real-life uses of our vocabulary words. The students also enjoying finding uses of these words in TV shows, movies, songs, and at-home conversation.<br />
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I have been teaching vocabulary this way (more or less) for the last 3 years, and it has been an amazing journey. At the end of each year I give an assessment on all 120 vocabulary words, in which the students write definitions, sentences, or draw pictures to show their understanding of each word. So far, 95% of my students have successfully learned at least 110 words. Awesome!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">~ Amanda</span></b><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7445618410774771273.post-11795984964247899132014-02-23T14:53:00.002-05:002014-02-23T14:53:39.343-05:00Interactive Word Walls: An Incredible Tool for ScienceWord walls are really popular in elementary classrooms. I had a traditional word wall for a few years, like the one below. It's supposed to help with spelling, but I soon realized that nobody used it. So a few years ago I freed up that wall for something more useful.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisY5DI_vWhGLOjBzyqpFvOer6fJkz0UpSSXf99wRuDlrZhXy9gNVLVf45un-g67gH4iA4sBDSL_xhb2tsG4hFP3Kod90f2K7SgByvxIi3osWqgeo5xyHUZsiCMSrnEIV4XifehIbZNgPJt/s1600/wordwallold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisY5DI_vWhGLOjBzyqpFvOer6fJkz0UpSSXf99wRuDlrZhXy9gNVLVf45un-g67gH4iA4sBDSL_xhb2tsG4hFP3Kod90f2K7SgByvxIi3osWqgeo5xyHUZsiCMSrnEIV4XifehIbZNgPJt/s1600/wordwallold.jpg" height="200" width="141" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional word wall</td></tr>
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Then, in November, I read an article in <a href="http://www.nsta.org/elementaryschool/"><i>Science and Children</i> </a>called <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/files/sc1301_42.pdf">"Interactive Word Walls" by Julie Jackson and Rose Narvaez</a>. It's not a great title, but it came with an awesome picture:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0Yt60qZcB_p9INCGEFjA7-zuWjjFZBWJM8EGgud-MEGE54bvKiL9-4w06b1zv85oKrlcSwi2mCg2ZLjGQeiU1Trvih9KeMP6Bcqcuq5PAB6KNH_4o31_YFj-Ox0YizhYtf1CmacW3Sl-/s1600/wordwallnew.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0Yt60qZcB_p9INCGEFjA7-zuWjjFZBWJM8EGgud-MEGE54bvKiL9-4w06b1zv85oKrlcSwi2mCg2ZLjGQeiU1Trvih9KeMP6Bcqcuq5PAB6KNH_4o31_YFj-Ox0YizhYtf1CmacW3Sl-/s1600/wordwallnew.png" height="320" width="400" /></a></div>
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I was inspired! </div>
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An interactive word wall takes key terms and explores those terms through words, drawings, diagrams, and physical objects. It's interactive because <b>the students</b> are making all the decisions about what to write, draw, and put on the wall. They bring in all the items and help the teacher decide what to include and where it goes.</div>
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Amazing!</div>
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<b>Logistics:</b> The example in the photo above has the word wall on a dry erase board. Here's an example from the article that uses a bulletin board:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqz9DbWmIZnJLyS4z04464eaIuJ1CHMkyDVQihKsKssbutjj4LBTdeFcao5oafahW4GSsMBBJSbLzvZTab7iWY259-1piz7OBabtUSLyzunS8BZGwgrytO5kZH5CBoLzK-m-hv2Mb2yUf/s1600/wordwallbb.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqz9DbWmIZnJLyS4z04464eaIuJ1CHMkyDVQihKsKssbutjj4LBTdeFcao5oafahW4GSsMBBJSbLzvZTab7iWY259-1piz7OBabtUSLyzunS8BZGwgrytO5kZH5CBoLzK-m-hv2Mb2yUf/s1600/wordwallbb.png" height="158" width="200" /></a></div>
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I didn't have any free dry erase or bulletin boards, so I used the cabinet faces in my classroom. To create the surfaces, I opted to laminate white poster board. That way we can write on the board with wet-erase marker so the boards will be easy to clean and set-up for the next collection of words.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM6P_Mihfsp7yyLdmVs60yp_k0KKul_cymeu2k_zSOIw4gOQBHssu6OdSSPmJDvJv9MWSkQWesa45LuehQUbBIAjtkwUIXptaMnu-2K6TrBMED_FE35068YPJWDxjkQY_3e_z4tdDFV9pq/s1600/20140221_151928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM6P_Mihfsp7yyLdmVs60yp_k0KKul_cymeu2k_zSOIw4gOQBHssu6OdSSPmJDvJv9MWSkQWesa45LuehQUbBIAjtkwUIXptaMnu-2K6TrBMED_FE35068YPJWDxjkQY_3e_z4tdDFV9pq/s1600/20140221_151928.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><u>How To Make It Happen in Your Classroom:</u></b></div>
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1. <b>Determine key vocabulary</b> for the chosen topic.</div>
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The word wall above is for Ecosystems. The vocabulary words we used were: biotic, abiotic, producer, consumer, decomposer, aquatic, terrestrial, and food web</div>
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2. As you study each term's information,<b> brainstorm ideas with the class</b> for the wall.</div>
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3.<b> Invite students</b> to bring items to class.</div>
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I usually use this as a homework assignment. The items might be actual things, drawings, print-outs, or photos. In the example below there is a bag of water, a stick, toy animals, a drawing of water plants, stickers, postcards, a drawing of the sun, and a student-made food web diagram.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8g-jEoqHsyp-a1NGSi0iFbaX9UeZ2P5LYDtX9BeU7piQU7r_0dPxynQPo0ma2TPenNV_82xXYsVz2dF1HmtnhfILc_acWzu7n-FH-FvpTkL_ozXcUf5_xz5rbWifjIkd_Qu0b13dHb9L/s1600/20140221_152013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8g-jEoqHsyp-a1NGSi0iFbaX9UeZ2P5LYDtX9BeU7piQU7r_0dPxynQPo0ma2TPenNV_82xXYsVz2dF1HmtnhfILc_acWzu7n-FH-FvpTkL_ozXcUf5_xz5rbWifjIkd_Qu0b13dHb9L/s1600/20140221_152013.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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4. Facilitate a <b>whole-class discussion</b> about each item, allowing the students to figure out where it goes and why.</div>
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My students and I love our Interactive Word Wall. Now, we have something that is useful because it supports meaning more than just spelling.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">~ Amanda</span></b><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com4