Assessment of, for, and AS Learning

What a marvelous Monday we had! It began, as usual, with French. How wonderful to have Madame Eale back with us this week.

We then did a mini-inquiry into sentence structure. Starting with a look at sleepy sentences, we looked at parts of speech and word order and discovered that sleepy sentences begin with a noun, pronoun, or article followed by a verb. Desiring to spice up our sentences, we took a peek at two possible alternatives – sentences beginning with adverbs and sentences beginning with present participles. After reviewing some sleepy sentences, we tried out some of our new tools.

Multiple Sources

We also completed our Unit 1 math assessment today, including a couple challenge questions. Using many multiple sources, students worked thoughtfully and diligently to show what they know, with evidence. Each math-magician was incredibly focused, put forth a great deal of effort, and took time to reflect and self-assess in a principled way. As we discussed prior to starting, this was an opportunity to of learning, for learning, and AS learning. By considering assessment from these alternate points of view, students were able to tackle the task with calm, confidence, and a growth mindset.

After school today, our elementary soccer teams competed against students from CS Diome Malumba. In true TASOK style, our condors embraced the challenges encountered and play with positivity and perseverance. We were grateful for all the support received from our peers and parents. What a great day for a game!!

Home Learning for September 30-October 4 (Week 7)

  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 6, 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.
    • Note: Password papers were distributed last Monday with MANY scholarly multiple sources.
  • **A Scholar has a goal: This week, we answered 1,245 questions and spent almost 8 hours 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.

  • October 10 – School Photos
    • 11:00 a.m. – Come dressed to impress!
  • October 14-15 – PYP Consultant Visit
  • October 14-18 – Congo Week
    • All Week – Pagne Contest – Wear your pagne proudly this week.
    • Tuesday, October 15 – Denis Copper Wire Art
    • Friday, October 18 -Whole School Assembly
      • 2:00 – 3:10 p.m. (CAC)
      • Pagne Fashion Show & Awards
      • Papy Pemba Dance & Traditional Congolese Music 
  • October 21-25 – October Break (No School)
  • November 2 – Student Leadership Halloween Carnival
  • November 6 – Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences
  • November 8 – TASOK Night Run
  • November 15 –
    • 8:00 a.m. – Counseling Workshop
    • 2:20 p.m. – Assembly
    • Trimester 1 ASAs End
    • ES Swim Team in Johannesburg
  • November 25 – Trimester 2 ASAs begin
  • November 27 – International Day
  • November 28-29 – Thanksgiving Break (No School)

 

We’re on Twitter!

Follow TASOK @TASOKinshasa

Follow TASOK PYP @TASOKPYP

Follow Fourth Grade @Scholarsare

Hashtag #TASOK

 

Learner Profile Trait of the Month – KNOWLEDGEABLE

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

 

Transformative Talk and Tasty Treats

Wednesdays always welcome us with wonderful words. Today’s were no exception, except they were exceptional. Despite the level of challenge encountered, students were able to make new notes and noticings related to spelling, structure, and sentiment.

We spent quite a bit of time on the prefix “trans,” which TRANSfixed us for a few minutes. After searching one of our multiple sources, we discovered it means “beyond, across.” We then brainstormed a large list of words that begin with than word part:

Challenge

What other words can you think of that begin with or include “trans”? When you think of some, be sure to TRANSfer them to your word work notebook.

 

While we started with a mouthful of words, we ended with a mouthful of chocolate as part of our celebration of Liliane. Baked with love, these beautiful cupcakes begged us to bite in just before we headed home for the day. Of course, they brought big smiles and sounds of satisfaction. We were grateful for the treat, but are even more grateful for the gift of Liliane in our classroom. Happy Birthday!

     

Even Mr. Wilson got in on the food and fun when he popped in to fill our bucket after we filled his to overflowing in P.E. today! Hooray!!

Beyond the Surface of Simple Shapes and Sentences

Today, we continued to consider problems writers faced and possible solutions. As we strive to move from simple to sophisticated, we considered connecting with coordinating conjunctions to form compound sentences. With this inquiry, came a new secret agent code: FANBOYS = for, and, nor, boy, or, yet, so. We examined mentor sentences crafted by the author of Chu Ju’s House, Gloria Whelan, color-coding complete sentences, conjunctions, and commas.



We also continued our work with our table groups to complete our geometric multiple source.

 

Considering Different Points of View


Multiple Sources:

Curious about Quotations and Quadrilaterals

Today, we engaged in two mini-inquiry activities. For the first, we were invited to investigate two texts in which the authors utilized dialogue. Using the Visible Thinking: See. Think. Wonder. Routine, we made notes and noticings related to punctuation, position, and purpose.

Dialogue is a great way to add voice to your writing. As we continue to draft and revise our mysteries, it would be worth considering incorporating some dialogue between characters.

Multiple Sources

 

Our second inquiry required table group triads to inquire into three- and four-sided figures. Once again, our observational skills were called to action. As mathematical problem solvers, we were challenged to use math language to describe our findings. This got us flipping through the pages of a mathematical multiple source in our class and scrolling through  Math is Fun, a wonderful online resource. Groups used multiple sources to learn about the shapes and chose one on which to become an expert. After posting to a padlet, groups collaborated to create a multiple source for others to use.

Made with Padlet

Padlet Painting: Pablo Picasso’s Brick Factory at Tortosa

Multiple Sources about Pablo Picasso

Reflection: How does geometry play a role in Picasso’s art?

Home Learning for September 23-27 (Week 6)

  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 5, and complete the “Reflection: Learner Profile & Approaches to Learning” form.

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 a few upcoming events of which to be aware.

  • September 27 – Elementary (ES) Assembly (CAC)

 

We’re on Twitter!

Follow TASOK @TASOKinshasa

Follow TASOK PYP @TASOKPYP

Follow Fourth Grade @Scholarsare

Hashtag #TASOK

 

Learner Profile Trait of the Month – INQUIRER


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

 

Attributes and Angles

After being introduced to a few of the properties or attributes of polygons, students were challenged today to put their polygonal powers into practice. Our first task was to connect two straws to create an always-exciting angle. Straws (representing line segments) and twist ties (serving as the connecting vertex) were rotated into varying sizes of acute and obtuse angles with some right and reflex angles thrown into the mix. Students then ordered their angles from least to greatest. As students compared their creations, aligning vertices and line segments became a preferred practice.

We then added another line segment to create terrific, although sometimes-tricky… TRIangles. Some scholars opted to use multiple sources as references and subsequently adjusted angles and switched out sides. By manipulating the straws and twist ties, many triangles were made. In addition, a number of thoughtful math conversations occurred as we challenged one another to consider different points of view and describe our figures with mathematical language.

After a brief brain break (a.k.a. recess), we returned to ruminate on rectangles, rhombuses, and other quadrilaterals.

By the end of our time together, the board was bursting with our ideas into which we might make further inquiries. As we continue to look at and learn about the language of lines and ponder the properties of polygons, perhaps some of ideas will be refined or revised.

Check out the following multiple sources to help you inquire further into the ideas investigated today.

Flocabulary: Types of Triangles

Here are a couple other videos from Math Antics on some related topics – polygons and quadrilaterals

Math is Fun

In addition to reading and ruminating on some rigorous ideas, you can use Math is Fun’s online tools to play with polygons and their angles.

As we continue to become more powerful math-magicians, we will be able to use polygons and our understanding of them as multiple sources. We will use polygons as tools to explore concepts related to angles and fractions, as well as, problem solving and algebra.

Make YOUR Mark!

As an extension of our celebration of Dot Day and our continued pursuit to understand the form, function, connection, and perspective of problem solvers, we read another book by Peter Reynolds – Ish! This allowed us to engage in another thoughtful discussion, this time adding a layer of comparison and contrast.

As you think back on this week, on Vashti, Ramon, Chu Ju, and YOURSELF, consider how YOU can “make your mark” as you continue on your learning journey. Add your ideas to the Padlet. (Note: Please be as reflective and specific as you can).

Made with Padlet

 

Silk Worms, Story Structure, and Symmetry

Today’s tasks brought up lots of questions and piqued our curiosities on a number of topics. Check out a few resources to add to your knowledge of China.

How does the description of this fishing community compare to the description by Gloria Whelan in Chu Ju’s House?

The following video depicts a different fishing strategy.

How is this type of fishing similar to and different from the way Chu Ju fished with Wu and Yi Yi? How are these fishermen problem solvers?

After Chu Ju left Wu and Yi Yi, she ended up at a silk worm farm. Of all the challenges Chu Ju faced in her new “home,” it was the sound of the worms chewing that was most problematic.  What will she do with this problem? Will it become an opportunity?

Multiple Source: Kiddle: Silkworm Facts

As part of our Dot Day celebration and… our next lesson in math, we started to explore some of the most basic elements of geometry. We began by examining some images of modern architecture in China. We then proceeded to identify the elements of geometry, which we then used in a Dot Day symmetry task. As we worked to complete the task, pondering the problem-solving process was paramount.

Multiple Source: Math is Fun: Geometry

Skip to toolbar