Testing out some ideas

Our study of electricity and circuits is continuing to be lots of fun.  Last week students explored how to light a bulb and then how to create a circuit with a switch.  This week we are going to study materials that are conductors, nonconductors and insulators by making “conductor testers.” We will use our knowledge about switches to leave an open section in a circuit that we can then attempt to close with various materials. If the bulb lights, it is a conductor. If it doesn't, then it must be an insulator.

If you are interested in brushing up your own understanding of electrical vocabulary, I recommend the Brainpop mini-films on the topic. If your child does not remember the login information, just give me text.

If your child has not returned their Reading Journal for a while, please send it in this week.  I would love to take a look at any work that they have done.  If it is lost, we can make some new ones.

Reading Aloud

There are times when the importance of a certain basic thing reemerges.  For instance, reading aloud.

I have the harmonious situation of parenting a fifth grader and teaching third and fourth graders.  It makes it really easy to buy or check out books for my boy: "You want that novel? It can come live in my classroom library when you're done with it? Sure. Let's get it."

The lines between home life and school life can get a little blurry, but overall that is a good thing.  For instance: the power and the struggle of reading together with a child.  In the classroom it's easy.  I pick a great book, I read it out loud to the class, we talk about it, and enjoy it together.  One of my favorite things as a teacher is when I look up from a read aloud and the whole class is quietly staring into space, completely wrapped up in a story. It happens with good nonfiction, too.

There is a lot of educational writing, theory and research about the importance of reading aloud to students.  And there is an even larger amount about the importance of families reading together.

But guilty secret, here - sometimes I dread it.  After a long day of working, meeting other people's needs, getting to and from work, etc., I really need a minute or two to myself.  There are some nights when my son asks me to read to him before bed that I really have to find a happy response.  I dig up the resolve from knowing there will soon be a day when he doesn't ask and I will miss it.

Speaking to many families over the course of my career, I know this is true for many of you, as well.  But I want to challenge you in the coming weeks to make that time, if you can.  A few years ago my family tried the TV Turn-off challenge for a week and it was astonishing.  I finished two serious books and started a third. Louis plowed through a pile from the library.

We have been working in class on reading to someone else as part of our daily reading routine.  It's kind of my new favorite part of the day.  There is so much subtle learning happening.  Everyday I see students coaching their peers, too, in ways that help me design lessons. Partner reading spreads a passion for certain books and new genres and builds new friendships.  Students discover new things about each other and themselves. If you can, make some more time to read together this week!

Homework, due: 11/6

Reading Response
Math Practice and Challenge
Read together!

Local food chain discoveries and thanks for great conferences.

Dear Families,  

Thanks for the conferences.  I felt like I was connecting with old friends. We laughed, we cried, we set some goals!  

One key goal for every student was working on an expert topic presentation.  For some students this will mean teaching a lesson on how to do something, for others it will mean presenting on a topic they know a lot about.  This week I am sending home a presentation planning form to help your student get started.  Please take some time to help your student start planning their presentation.

I know it is odd but the planning day for conferences was scheduled after conferences so there is no school on Friday, 10/30.  

We are bringing our study of how energy flows through ecosystems by trying to put together the pieces of the food web of our school terrain. We grabbed clipboards, paper and pencil and set out to see what we could bind in action. A notable and exciting discovery was the beetles boring into our wooden play structure (this is, of course, why we are replacing the play structure). I was thrilled that the students immediately called out "The beetles are primary consumers and the wood in the play structure is a producer!"

October Goal Setting form link

http://goo.gl/forms/4AmvUzfzeG

Everybody's doing something different!

We are very much coming together as a class even though our mixed grade group requires students to be coming and going at all times!  As hard as it can be to have students travelling and working on different projects at the same time, kids shouldn’t always be doing the same thing at the same time.  Each child’s curiosity and particular needs can only be truly satisfied when a classroom offers multiple options at once.  On Friday we had some Catch Up/Clean Up/Exploration time and it was fascinating to watch as students found their way into different projects.  If you are not already following our class on social media, I regularly post on Twitter and Instagram as @LewisRoom24 and you can see them at work.

A few upcoming events to know about

• Please consider coming to a Lewis PTA meeting.  This Tuesday, 10/13 at 6:30.
• There will be a two hour late opening this Wednesday, 10/14, for a staff training.
• Run for the Arts will happen on Thursday, 10/15.  Our class is scheduled to run at 1:30 if you would like to join us or help out.
• Fall conferences will be on Wednesday and Thursday, 10/21 and 10/22, which means no school those days.  School will also be closed that Friday 10/23.  There will be no homework that week.

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:   Due Friday 10/16

• MATH: math practice and review.
• READING: Please read every day and write one reading response in your journal.
• SCIENCE: Food chain questions.

Be in touch!

Dear Families,  

I want to re-extend an invitation for you to come by our class whenever you have a chance.  We love classroom visitors, guests, and helpers.  I am grateful to all of the family members who have had time to stop by.  I realize you lead busy lives so dropping by is not always an option, but I just want to make sure that you know we would love to have you.  Likewise, please be in touch by phone or email if you ever have a question, concern or just want to share some happy news.

This week we did some great problem solving as a group.  We noticed that lunch time had gotten a little too rambunctious and the class was having a hard time settling back into our afternoon work.  We met in a circle on the carpet and figured out what was going on and how we might deal with it.  The next day things went really smoothly.  It is always so gratifying when I turn a problem over to the students and they step up to figure it out or solve it.

Again, thanks for supporting your kids in writing fantastic reading reflections last week.  I am thrilled with the level of thinking and effort that went into them.  

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:   Due Friday 10/8

• MATH: Math practice sheets and KenKen puzzle.  
• READING: Daily reading and one Reading Journal Response.

Check out these KenKen resources.

Building on a Great Start

Dear Families,  

I am so excited about how our year together has started. We have a warm classroom community (not to mention a warm classroom) and passion for learning and creating. We have reestablished some solid work routines and developed some fun ways to do school.  

In the following weeks we are going to really focus in on the getting work done in a timely way and making sure that it is the best it can be.  We talked as a class about checking in with yourself to make sure that you are fully present.  We practiced checking in with our minds and our bodies to make sure that we were ready and engaged. Next week we will practice some self-coaching strategies to work through challenging moments.

Thanks for supporting your kids in writing fantastic reading reflections last week.  I am thrilled with the level of thinking and effort that went into them.  

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:   Due Friday 9/18

• MATH: Number Visuals activity
• READING: Daily reading and one Reading Journal Response.
• SCIENCE: Peripheral Vision science experiment.

Check out these websites for some helpful resources on the math homework.

http://www.datapointed.net/visualizations/math/factorization/animated-diagrams/

http://mathlesstraveled.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/f8d01c2c511da904ae6f094ed04d1066.png?w=640