Month: December 2019

Home Learning for December 9-13 (Week 16)

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  1. Read for at least 30 minutes each night. Complete the online reading log OR one on paper. (Copies are available in class).
    • Alert: Something NEW coming in January. Check back for the big reading reveal.
  2. Reflect back on Week 15, and complete the “Reflection: Learner Profile & Approaches to Learning” form.
  3. Explore the recommendations on IXL.com. These connect directly to what we have been learning in class.
  • **A Scholar has a goal: This week, we answered over 390 questions and almost 3  hours = 3.0 hours = 180 minutes  on IXL. 

Announcements

  1. Library is scheduled weekly on Thursdays.
  2. P.E. is scheduled weekly on Wednesdays and Fridays.
    1. Come dressed to exercise – sneakers, hat, sunscreen.
    2. Bring a water bottle
  3. Check your lunch card balance weekly.

Coming Soon

Below is a list of upcoming events of which to be aware.

  • December 9
    • SS Design Class: Scratch Games – 8:50 a.m.
    • SS Design Class: Pinewood Derby – 2:45 p.m.
  • December 13
    • Assembly
    • Early Dismissal – 11:30 a.m.
      • Notes:
        • Lunch will NOT be served on Friday
        • There will be NO ASAs on Friday
    • Report Cards
      • Available to parents through ManageBac
  • December 16 – January 3 – Winter Break (No School)
  • January 6 – Classes Resume

Condor Sports

  • December 10 – SS boys basketball vs. Loupiots
  • December 12 – SS girls basketball vs. Loupiots

 

We’re on Twitter!

Follow TASOK @TASOKinshasa

Follow TASOK PYP @TASOKPYP

Follow Fourth Grade @Scholarsare

Hashtag #TASOK

 

Learner Profile Trait of the Month – COMMUNICATOR

**Check back later in the week for additional homework related to in-class discussions and activities.

 

Fragments or Full? From Parts to Paragraphs.

lrupp Learner Profile, Literacy, Science, Social Studies, Visible Thinking, Where We Are in Place and Time 0 Comment

During our word work time today, Mrs. Kovacs invited us to consider elements of an essay by analyzing and assembling colored strips containing parts of sentences. Working collaboratively, we pieced together sentences. As we explored options, we realized that some strips could be torn in two to create simple, complex, and compound sentences. One of the challenges we encountered was ensuring that the strips made complete sentences and not fragments. Once sentences were assembled, we pieced them together into a paragraph, which included a thesis and supporting details.

To extend our learning, we were presented with another set of sentence strips containing content about different types of rocks. Once again, we pieced together the information considering complete sentences and paragraph structure. When we were done, we captured our final paragraph on lined paper. These informational paragraphs were shared in a jigsaw format, so everyone had an opportunity to learn about the different types of rock.

Multiple Sources

Transforming Fact into Fiction

lrupp Classroom Community, Literacy, Science, Social Studies, TASOK, Where We Are in Place and Time 0 Comment

After focusing extensively on reading yesterday, today we focused on writing. One of the articles featured in yesterday’s reading task was from Teaching Kids News. The article by Nancy Miller entitled “Japan’s 2011 Tsunami Sends Balls 8,000 Kilometers to Alaska” explained how a soccer ball and volleyball that were swept out to sea ended up being reunited with their owners. Today’s challenge required students to step into the skin of either the soccer ball or volleyball and to write a fictional story about the journey experienced from its perspective. Using facts from the article, learning from their inquiry into movement, and understanding about strong story development, students began crafting creative tales. Prior to writing, students identified the following criteria for a scholarly story:

  • realistic details
  • voice
  • dialogue
  • word choice
  • sentence structure
  • punctuation
  • figurative language (onomatopoeia, simile, metaphor, alliteration)

This prompt prompted a plethora of plot possibilities including:

  • meetings with sea creatures (ea urchin, beluga, krill, barnacles, birds / seagull).
    • sharks (bite, poke, nudge, slap, swallow).
  • deflation and sinking.
  • encounters with boats (ship, yacht, ferry, aircraft carrier, submarine, propeller).
  • being nabbed in a fisherman’s net.

Prior to beginning, students also considered the following options to hook their readers:

  • quote
  • dialogue
  • sound
  • action
  • question
  • description
  • small moment

After students got started, we paused to share some of our stories’ starts.

Multiple Sources

In an effort to dig more deeply into the idea of struggle and survival, we shared a read aloud of the book The Caged Birds of Phnom Penh by Frederick Lipp. Prior to reading, we paused to make predictions about the text, based on the title and Ronald Himler’s illustrations. To guide our predictions and our ponderings, we used a summary-style mneumonic device – SWBST-F (Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then, Finally). This graphic organizer will be used again on Wednesday when we revisit the text. Then, as we read, we paused after each page to peruse the pictures, ponder the plot, find figurative phrases, and consider connections to our compass point conversation.


Our discussions were deep and diverse, often diverting to delve into interesting individual incidences (here in Kinshasa, in our home countries, and from our travels around the world) that have influenced our ideas and impacted our lives. How will all these things intersect as we conduct our inquiry?

We also began to explore metric prefixes today. How could we incorporate these into our stories?

Of course, being a rainy day, we also had some fun with dominoes. It is interesting to see how problem solving, movement, and struggle and survival collide with these creations.

Reading. Rainfall. Sharing. Soccer.

lrupp Birthday, Classroom Community, Literacy, Math, TASOK 0 Comment

Today started with some rigorous reading. Scholars sought to:

  • apply a variety of skills and strategies when reading and analyzing fiction and nonfiction texts.
  • communicate understanding of context-related texts through thoughtful and carefully-crafted written responses.

All texts were connected with our inquiry into movement, with a specific focus on tsunamis. A poem, a Newsela article, and an excerpt from The Big Wave enabled students to connect what they’ve learned as readers to what they’ve learned as scientists and geologists. As fifth grade thinkers, students were encouraged to use their TTQA (turn the question around) strategy to write complete, thoughtful responses. It was especially exciting to see students read actively and apply annotation strategies to their text, making notes and highlighting key aspects of the texts to support their thinking and responses.

Students also spent time today applying understanding of decimals and measurement to tasks that required reference to rainfall and maps. Comparing, ordering, and applying operations of addition and subtraction were all incorporated into an authentic task. What kind of information do we use in our own lives that requires us to apply understanding of decimals and/or measurement? Is there a task or thinking challenge you could create to apply at home or at school?

Challenge: How can you use the linked resources to inquire further into decimals, measurement, and our countries of focus?

Multiple Sources

Perhaps Filip’s birthday bundt cake could be the beginning of that challenge? Certainly, as we cut the multi-colored cake, fractions were key to successful sharing, but… maybe another mathematical concept could have been applied.

Of course, we didn’t wait around too long to figure out any other options as mouths were watering as we waited for this mom-made masterpiece. What a wonderful way to celebrate Filip’s big day! Happy birthday, Filip!

 

This afternoon, we made a quick trip to Kindergarten to follow up on our introduction to Seesaw. In this second session, once again we worked with them to record their reading. Our goal today was to ensure they can share their learning with their parents independently.

After school, our scholarly soccer players engaged in a friendly game of football against Congo English Forever. Once again, we were grateful for all the parents who came to cheer us on.

Home Learning for December 2-6 (Week 15)

lrupp Classroom Community, Homework, Learner Profile, TASOK 0 Comment
  1. Read for at least 30 minutes each night. Complete the online reading log OR one on paper. (Copies are available in class).
  2. Reflect back on Week 14, and complete the “Reflection: Learner Profile & Approaches to Learning” form.
  3. Explore the recommendations on IXL.com. These connect directly to what we have been learning in class.
  • **A Scholar has a goal: This week, we answered over 390 questions and almost 3  hours = 3.0 hours = 180 minutes  on IXL. 

Announcements

  1. Library is scheduled weekly on Thursdays.
  2. P.E. is scheduled weekly on Wednesdays and Fridays.
    1. Come dressed to exercise – sneakers, hat, sunscreen.
    2. Bring a water bottle
  3. Check your lunch card balance weekly.

Coming Soon

Below is a list of upcoming events of which to be aware.

  • December 2, 3:30 p.m. – ES soccer team vs Congo English Forever
  • December 7, 10:00 a.m. – Association General Meeting (CAC)
  • December 9, 3:30 p.m. – ES soccer team vs Congo English Forever
  • December 13
    • Assembly
    • Early Dismissal – 11:30 a.m.
  • December 16 – January 3 – Winter Break (No School)

Condor Sports

  • December 5 – MS boys soccer vs. Cartesien
  • December 10 – SS boys basketball vs. Loupiots
  • December 12 – SS girls basketball vs. Loupiots

 

We’re on Twitter!

Follow TASOK @TASOKinshasa

Follow TASOK PYP @TASOKPYP

Follow Fourth Grade @Scholarsare

Hashtag #TASOK

 

Learner Profile Trait of the Month – COMMUNICATOR

**Check back later in the week for additional homework related to in-class discussions and activities.

 

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