We made it through the ill-derness.

Dear families,

It looks like we have made it through that nasty spell of sickness that was going around..  So many students have been sniffling, coughing and sneezing over the past few weeks.  We worked extra hard to wash hands and keep our areas tidy, but it seems like everybody, including me, got to enjoy the bug!  

We are moving into some new areas of study in Math.  Third graders are going to be working on adding and subtracting with larger numbers as well as understanding and using fractional relationships.  Fourth graders are exploring strategies for dividing larger numbers - what we were taught as “long division.”  While they will learn the traditional algorithm or method for division, we take time to build conceptual fluency first.  

Your child may have told you that we have been doing some mingling of classes with Ms. Elissa and Ms. Rotwein.   We call it the Triple Flip.  Each student will have the chance to work with each of us three teachers over the next weeks.  With Ms. Elissa the kids are learning about the history of the struggle for civil rights in Portland.  Ms. Rotwein is helping students understand and unpack gender stereotypes. Students in my class are writing odes to special places in their worlds.  It is so much fun to work with the different student groups.

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:   Due Friday 3/18

• READING: Daily reading and one Reading Journal Response.
• MATH: Math Practice

Garden Design Challenges

Ms. Kathleen, our garden coordinator, had a brilliant idea for our class. She challenged us to a Pea Race. Yes, the joke that immediately comes to mind has been brought to our attention.  The challenge is to see who can get pea plants to bear fruit first.  Kathleen had students use seed catalogs to choose a variety. They looked closely at whether it was a climber or a bush pea and how many days for germination and maturity. Next they designed and built trellises that they thought would best support the variety of pea that they’d chosen.  

The structures are so fun.  Some are heavily engineered teepees while others involved bicycle wheels and lots of twine. Most excitingly, the peas have started to sprout.  Come by when you have a chance to check  it out.  The kids will gladly give you a tour.

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:   Due Friday 3/7

• READING: Daily reading and one Reading Journal Response.
• MATH: Math Practice

Leap Day News

Upcoming special event: Read across America Day Celebration, 2:00-2:45 Wednesday 3/2

Thanks to everyone who made time to complete the Notice and Wonder activity with their child.   The questions you asked about the different math pictures were very probing and showed real engagement with mathematical ideas.  

This next week we are launching some new writing activities and beginning to talk about the state assessments.  We have not yet received any information about when we will be taking the tests.  I do not spend too much time practicing for the tests because I know the regular work we do in class will prepare the students to show what they know when they take the tests.  However I do like to give them some experience navigating the online assessments and in doing the particular kinds of thinking that standardized tests require.

If you would like some information about the tests and the standards please check out the following links.

PPS Overview of the SBAC tests and Common Core: http://www.pps.net/Page/732

State of Oregon Notice about Assessments including Opt Out information: http://www.ode.state.or.us/superintendent/priorities/opt-out-final.pdf

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:   Due Friday 3/4

Weekly News!

This week I am sending home a new homework piece that I hope you will complete with your child.  This is a very open-ended Math routine we have been doing for the past few months.  I described it in last week’s note.  Simply, we look at a mathematical image and then discuss what we notice and wonder.  This is intended to be an open-ended and exploratory activity.  There is not a right answer.  If the class needs prompting I simply ask them to tell me what they see.  It is magical how putting observations into words drives our brain to make connections and inferences. I’m also going to ask the class to challenge you to pose a mathematical question about the images!

Our class has wrapped up our personal essays.  I am very pleased with the work they have done.  You should be receiving a typed copy of the essay with a self-reflection  attached.  

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:   Due Friday 2/26

• READING: Daily reading and one Reading Journal Response.
• MATH: Notice and Wonder.

Names __________________________________________

Take a look at the images below.  Record what you notice and about the images and what you wonder.

What do you notice?

What do you wonder?

What do you notice?

What do you wonder?

Notice and Wonder

If you follow our classroom on Twitter you may have noticed that I interact sometimes with a lot of people who post about teaching Math.  Math was not my first love.  I’ve always been more of a Literacy guy.  But seeing all of the amazing work that my virtual colleagues of the (ahem) Math Twitter Blogosphere has given me inspiration and a lot of ideas.  One of the key techniques I’ve garnered  is called “Notice and Wonder.”  It is nothing too sophisticated; in fact it is quite simple.  You present an interesting mathematical picture or graphic and ask students what they notice and wonder.  What happens can be a slow burn but is always kind of magical.  Slowly students start to perk up.  They will ask questions and share startling mathematical realizations and connections that I would never think to show them.  

This process feeds a student’s independent stance toward learning.  It gives them ownership of the learning and challenges them to find their own way into understanding a situation.  At this point in our time together this is my main goal for students.

In the coming weeks, I will be sending home interesting images that pertain to mathematical ideas and simply ask students to notice and wonder.  I hope you will join them in adding your observations and questions.

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:   Due Friday 2/19

• READING: Daily reading and one Reading Journal Response.
• MATH: Practice pages!

Wapping up essays

Thanks to everyone who responded to the favorite place family interviews.  We learned about our connections to places all around the world.  If you have not yet had worked on your family interview, please do so this week.  

This past weekend I read through all of our class’s essay drafts.  What a treat.  The students have tackled some mature essay concepts like making a clear claim in a thesis statement, backing the claim up with evidence and then connecting the evidence to the thesis with analysis. The essays are based on “I believe” pieces that are collected at http://thisibelieve.org/  I was moved by the anecdotal evidence our young writers included in their pieces: tales of triumph, woe and resilience.

In the coming weeks we are going to break out an old type kit I created with a previous class so that students can typeset their thesis statements and print a few posters.  If you are available in the afternoon this week to help set type and print please send me a note or a text.

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:   Due Friday 2/12

• Family interviews if not yet complete
• READING: Daily reading and one Reading Journal Response.
• MATH: Practice pages!

Places that are Important to Us

Do you have a favorite place to be? What makes it your favorite?  Is it beautiful or peaceful? Do you feel at home there?  Or is it a place that is important to your story?  How about a favorite building or a favorite sculpture?  These are some questions our class will be exploring in anticipation of our upcoming historical inquiry.  We will be studying various unsung heroes and unknown stories of Oregon History.  Students are going to pick one to study with the goal of coming to understand the social, cultural and political forces that shape the story of our place.  This will culminate in them designing a memorial to commemorate and explain the importance of their inquiry topic.  To get some practice as a group, we are studying the history of the Grand Ronde Tribes, focusing on their displacement and forced resettlement.  How could we commemorate and share this often untold story?

Which brings us to the places that are important to you.  To build a personal, fundamental connection to these kinds of stories, I am asking students to gather information from you and other family members about places that are important to you.  Please help them fill out the family interview sheet when you have time.  If you are able to reach out to other family members that would add so much.   This will replace our usual Math homework for this week. As always, please get in touch if you have any questions.

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:   Due Friday 2/5

• Family interviews
• READING: Daily reading and one Reading Journal Response.