Another New Homework Element

This week we are adding a new piece to our homework routine: reading journals.

This is a place for your student to write about what she or he is reading.  Writing in this way can be scary but it is the best way to discover how smart you actually are.  When a young reader understands that they are in conversation with the writer to make meaning, their reading comprehension and critical thinking blossom.

We will support our young readers intentionally, starting with simple techniques to summarize their reading.  This will be the groundwork for our year long comprehension strategies work. Tools for writing summaries are included in the journal, along with a family checklist you can use to support your child.

I am asking that each child write one meaningful writing response in their new reading response journal per week.  You can adjust based on the amount of time you have and your expectations for your child.  We can plan together during conference times to set individual student goals. One strategy is to break up the writing of the response so that your child writes a few sentences a day.

Please return the journal to school on Friday.    We will look over the work together as a class and students will share their thinking with each other.  I will look over the work but may not have time to respond to each child each week. Journals will come home again on Mondays.

This is a big new step and it will take our students some time to master the process.  We will be working on this same process in class, so everyone should be up and running soon!

In the journal you will find:

• Tools for summarizing what you read (We use these same tools in class).
• A model response that shows expectations for how students should be writing by December. Note that the first few entries might be shorter as we build skills and endurance.
• Topics for responses.
• Reading strategies and “sentence starters” that match them.
• A checklist for making sure writing is the best it can be.

These tools are new to our students.  I do not expect them to use them independently yet.  We will be studying them and practicing over the next few weeks so they should be clear on everything soon.  I am sending them home so you can use them to support them until they are independent.

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:   Due Friday 9/25

• MATH: a Math challenge activity
• READING: Daily reading and one Reading Journal Response.

Moving right along

New Homework Element

Looking over your feedback about homework, one thing that stuck out is that families want Science homework.  So, this week I am sending home a Science activity that you can do with your student.  This is a classic experiment.  How much weight can you float on a boat made out of a bit of aluminum foil?  You can use whatever weight you have handy but the classic unit is a penny.  Feel free to mix it up or use what you have on hand.  

There is a data table for your child to use for making predictions and tracking results. Also, please help them write some reflections on the process.

I am still fine-tuning the homework so please send me feedback in the comments section and extend or adapt the homework in any way that you find meaningful. My goal is for each student to have a meaningful  and fun school-to-home set of activities every week.

REMEMBER: Return any remaining paperwork!  Back to School Night is Tuesday, 9/15, at 6PM.  Wednesday, 9/16, there is a two hour late opening for staff development.

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:   Due Friday 9/18

• MATH: a Math challenge activity
• READING: Please read daily with your kids.  I am not sending home a reading log.  Twenty minutes is a good base amount.  I will send home some strategies for supporting your child and talking to them about their reading.
• SCIENCE: The aluminum boat exploration.

Thanks, families! And some words on homework.

I want to start by thanking you for all of the supplies.  We are well stocked for the year because of your generosity.   Thanks also for returning the school paperwork and for responding to my questions about homework.  If you haven’t had a chance to get that stuff in, please take a moment to return those items. If the homework note did not make it home, just let me know and I will send another along.

In order to make our home school connection strong and meaningful for each student, I am assessing their current strengths and needs.  Once I have that, I’ll try to create a routine that fits your responses. Until then we will have a weekly set of short activities for you to enjoy together.  

The key for this part of the year is laying the groundwork for seamless connection between our class and your home.  The main thing to practice is getting paperwork home and then back to school! Please check your child’s backpack and folder daily.

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:   Due Friday 9/11

• MATH: To start off our home-school connection, I am sending home one of the greatest math games - Tic Tac Toe sums.  This is a fun way to practice math facts and to think strategically.  The sheet is attached.
• READING: Please read daily with your kids.  I am not sending home a reading log.  Twenty minutes is a good amount, but feel free to adjust.  I will send home some strategies for supporting your child and talking to them about their reading.

First week. We're back!

It is so great to be back!  We are off to a great start.  We picked up right back up where we left off.

Now for the news everyone wants to know: when does homework start?  Short answer; next week.  Longer answer; this week I will send home a homework survey. It will ask for your thoughts on how homework has gone before and what you find valuable in homework.  As a parent of a fifth grader, I understand the value homework can have in connecting home to school.   And I also get how much of a pain it can be. So, I want your input.  Please look for the survey this week in your child's bag.

The students are really excited about the read aloud book we are reading right now - Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.  Check out this trailer for the book.

As always, please be in touch.  You can feel free to email me, call or text.  And please stop by, the door is always open.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1gL_vo7n1BWSHW5ZELdWaSKAuRlydX-chncL2Efd7Gz8/edit?usp=sharing

What a great year!

Well, this is it, friends.  I know people say this a lot but I can't believe it's already the end of the school year.  I am sorting through student work and marvelling at how our kids have grown.  Students who weren't really ready to read at the beginning of the year are reading and thinking independently.  Students who were complete strangers to each other at the beginning of the year are now like family.  Students who started with a handful of topics they cared about have found dozens of new lines of inquiry to pursue. We have become whole new, more mature versions of ourselves.

I want to take this last post to thank everyone for such a great year.  I want to thank Ms. Brenan and Ms. Leake for being inspiring and supportive collaborators.  I didn't get to work with Ms. Elissa or Mrs. Kennedy as much as I wanted but they both also kept me going.  I want to thank Tracy for all of the reminders and the thousand little things that she makes sure go right everyday.  Mr. Lauer makes Lewis a fabulous place  to work and to grow and explore as a teacher. Ms. Layman is not only an amazing PE teacher, but a relentless tinkerer and a creative inspiration.  Mr. Jamesbarry makes Music a joyful but intensely focused time - kids have fun while actually learning what it is to make music.  Ms. Kathleen made garden time a chance to explore the natural world around us and also an opportunity to give back.  Ms. Tori brought books alive for us, with high-flying read-alouds.  Our Learning Center team not only gave students the individualized support they needed but were always on hand to brainstorm ways to reach all of our kids.  Nick and Vianca were brilliant at helping Che participate but also at advocating for how our classroom could be more inclusive. Ms. Liska stopped by every day to check in on her special students and always left us smiling.  Rasema and Selim kept our room and the rest of the school looking good, even when we made a mess. This staff is an all around wonder.

I mostly want to thank you Room 5 families, though.  You shared these amazing students with me and gave me the support I needed to make meaningful learning happen.  Your kind words, helpful reminders, probing questions and good humor have made this a year I will never forget.  Thanks for everything.

Odds and Ends of the Year

These last two weeks of school are really important for our young learners in an unexpected way.  A big part of developing a sense of oneself as a learner is taking the time to reflect on what you've learned and how you've grown.  In this great post, Zarretta Hammond makes a strong case for why the end of the school year is a key time for our students to find themselves as learners and thinkers.  She writes, 

The brain remembers the first and last parts of an event more vividly then what happens in the middle. What we do at the beginning and end colors how we feel for years to come because it imprints the brain and leaves a biochemical tracer tied to emotions and neural pathways.So, just like we spent dedicated time at the beginning of school building learning partnerships, we should be using the last few weeks to reinforce important non-cognitive skills that can help students maintain a positive mindset and set them on the path of summer learning.

So we will be using these last days to take account of the journey so far and map a course for the future.  Hammond has a lot of ideas about how to do this, and we are going to focusing on two in particular. The kids are going to create a reflection piece that deals with "what they learned, how they learned, what was challenging, how they dealt with those challenges, what they feel proud of, how they changed."  The second part will be to give themselves what Hammond calls a Summer Assignment.  They will choose work that they want to focus on and choose some activities to keep themselves growing.  Look forward to those assignments and reflections to come home soon!

And below behold the mayhem of bridge destruction.  Reta's structural mock-up of the Marquam bridge withstood 60 pounds of text books before finally crumpling.  Mind that it is made of only craft sticks and hot glue.