Today, TASOK welcomed hundreds of students from schools across the city to join in on a journey through the jungle. The cross country meet provided opportunities for some students to run a rigorous race and for others to stand by and support. As a bunch of bystanders, fourth graders were able to witness the power of words to strengthen and spur others on. With outreached hands, we heartened competitors and community-members alike, participating in each person’s pursuit of perseverance. With simple words of encouragement, we saw smiles shine on fatigued and frustrated faces. With the clapping of hands and the chanting of cheers, we saw slow, struggling steps transform into speedy, strong strides.
We were grateful for the chance to serve with smiles and support and to see how easy and essential encouragement is.
Having spent time yesterday conducting research, mostly online, we discussed the importance of print resources and strategies for reading and gathering information. To learn more about the value of print resources and expand our understanding of movement as a change agent, we began with a close look at the rock cycle. As we began our read aloud of a nonfiction text, we first looked at the table of contents and identified topics about which we would learn. Depending on what we wanted to know, we could have jumped directly to a section of the book that was most relevant to a specific topic.
Prior to reading our first section, we examined the pages and noted a number of important text and graphic features – titles, subtitles, insets, captions, diagrams, photos. Each element was specifically selected to draw our attention to important information.
We then began our investigation with a look at igneous rock. Using a main idea-detail web, we paused to process what we read and capture key ideas and details.
Below is a slightly different version of the same strategy.
Rock Cycle Resources
We spent much of the rest of the day researching. After recess, Ms. Paula came in to observe our inquiry skills. She had some important questions for us as we explored various resources and valuable feedback – both glows and grows – related to our approaches to learning (thinking, research, self-management, social, and communication skills). In the days ahead, we will make adjustments based on her noticings and our own reflections.
Number lines were also on our agenda for today. Exploring how number lines are related to fraction bars enables us to add another tool to our mathematical toolkit.
While some could easily have said Monday was miserable, in our class, we had a most marvelous day. Despite the rain, or perhaps because of the rain, we managed to conjure up all our creative juices and collaborate on a number of projects.
Of course, a significant amount of time was spent reading and reflecting on our novels with our reading groups. Several groups really dug in and discussed ideas deeply. Many connections were made to our shared text, The Big Wave, and even to our previous read aloud, Chu Ju’s House.
At recess, students continued to work together to build castles and domino trains. In addition to the calm and cooperation, the connections to movement were especially exciting.
During our math time today, we inquired into the identity property and how our understanding of that (connected to our learning about factors and multiples) can help us with equivalent fractions. Knowing how to represent a whole as 1/1, 2/2, 3/3. 20/20, 100/100… helps us understand how to find equivalent fractions using an abstract strategy.
This afternoon, we used our time to consult multiple sources and gather information about our research topics. Some resources were worth sharing and occasionally caused a crowd to gather. Conversations around the Chromebook can really push our thinking and cause new questions to be asked.
To finish off our week, we started with a Friday fishbowl activity to observe an effective and efficient reading group. Five scholarly risk takers were willing to be the “fish,” masterfully demonstrating how readers read, speak, think, and write when studying a novel together. Observers were able to notice areas where the group and group members glowed and were able to make suggestions for growth. Through the observation process, both the observers and the observed were able to reflect on their process and make adjustments.
As we have been gathering more and more exposure to and experience with movement as a change agent, we were anxious to continue our reading of The Big Wave. The first chapter introduced us to the main characters and a huge movement-related problem. The details provided by the author caused us, as readers, to QUESTION… an important (and scholarly) reading strategy. Our inquiring minds caused us to wonder about volcanoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and more.
In an effort to satisfy our curiosity, we dug into our resources and worked to collect and cite information about our topics. As we read, we tried using Cornell Notes to save and organize our ideas. Since this was our first official attempt at Cornell Notes this year, we realized there is a lot of room to grow.
To learn about Cornell Notes as a note taking structure, listen to Mr. G explain. While it sounds like he is talking to an older audience, I think his visuals will be beneficial.
If you’d like to take your Cornell Notes to the next level by combining them with Sketchnotes, check out Doug Neill’s video. I think you’ll LOVE this as an option for learning.
In the personal example he shares, I was especially amazed at the neatness of his work and how purposeful and patient he was in putting together all 11 pages. I can infer that the book he read and the topic he was researching was important to him.
Another topic of today was representing fractions on a number line. Like fraction circles and fraction bars, a number line is a great tool for visually representing fractions… including those greater than one whole.
This evening, several scholars participated in the second annual Night Run hosted by TASOK’s cross-country and track teams. Runners embraced the challenge, ran with perseverance, and experienced the “exhilaration of victory” of a race well run. Two of our very own scholars, Celeste and Filip, placed, about which we are very proud! It was especially exciting to see and hear how runners celebrated one another. What encouragement!
While we didn’t have any tricks today, we certainly had plenty of treats.
W began our day with a time of reflection, in preparation for next week’s three-way conferences. Using a Seesaw sort, students read through a set of descriptors related to the approaches to learning and the learner profile. Each student was to identify things they were proud of so far in fourth grade, and things on which they still need to work. Students were extremely thoughtful, which will provide a very firm foundation on which to develop goals.
While some students were working on their Seesaw sort, others celebrated and showed evidence of learning on their math assessment. By exercising their brains, using multiple sources, and showing a great deal of perseverance, students were able to demonstrate understanding of a variety of important skills and concepts explored over the last few weeks. It was especially exciting to see the level of effort and engagement when presented with the final challenge question.
This afternoon, students spent some time with Ms. Kraft in the library “tuning in” to topics related to our current unit of inquiry. Using the list of ideas brainstormed during a previous session, students identified their top three topics of interest and provided persuasive evidence to substantiate their selection. Ms. Kraft was grateful for the amount of detail provided on the selection forms.
As a PYP librarian, Ms. Kraft plays a critical role in supporting student inquiry and facilitating research and ethical documentation. She is a valuable multiple source, particularly in the development of research skills, one of the five approaches to learning categories.
Ms. Kraft did a great job tuning in to students’ interests today.
At the end of our day, we finished off with a video about plate tectonics. Pausing frequently, we engaged in really powerful conversations related to our central idea: Movement is a change agent and our key concepts and lines of inquiry:
Form – Types of movement
Causation: Forces that cause movement
A new idea we learned today was about the role of heat as a force that causes movement.
Thanks to Luca, who demonstrated a scholarly curiosity, willingness to learn, and use of multiple sources, we were able to learn about the idea of convection (and… began to wonder about the con- part of the word found in many other words we know – convergence, continent, convert, convertible, conversation, consider, conveyor. Does con- have the same meaning in each of these words?)
ALERT: As you are listening, pay attention to words and phrases like:
scientists believe…
some people think…
geologists suspect…
one theory is…
many hypothesize…
These indicate that these are ideas that people have wondered about and researched, but do not necessarily have definitive proof.
Finally, today, we ended with an awesome example of student agency and action. Since it is Halloween, Alex and Khaleel wanted to do something special for their peers. With much planning and a great deal of time and effort, they hand made a set of foldable drawings… one for each student. At the end of the day, after taking the initiative to tidy off the table tops and keeping it top secret all day, the boys presented their project with an enthusiastic “Happy Halloween.” One of the first responses was… “This is so creative!”
Over the break, whether you were traveling or stuck close to home, you had an opportunity to be an eagle-eyed observer. As a scholarly sleuth, did you search for clues proving weathering, erosion, or deposition has taken place. If you suspected that wind, water, ice, or roots caused weathering, erosion, or deposition, did you get a picture of the evidence? If so, submit them with the hashtags:
#wandering&weathering
#erosioniseverywhere
#dropinondeposition
Additionally, were you on the lookout for landformsand bodies of water – mountains, hills, valleys, plateaus, cliffs, caves, sand dunes, bays, ponds, lakes, rivers,… and so many more. If you saw a landform or body of water, send in a picture with the hashtag:
#Look! A landform
What about other examples of movement?
#Movementisachangeagent
Or, geometry?
#GeeISeeGeometry
Secret agents, did you accept this challenge? The challenge continues this week…
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?
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.
Over the past few days, scholarly scientists have worked through the structure of the scientific method in response to the question: How can solar energy be harnessed to cook? After conducting research and gathering information about solar energy, students formulated a hypothesis and began planning their experiments. Color, shape, size, and materials were all considerations for the construction of a solar oven. Materials were listed, diagram drawn and procedures documented, keeping in mind independent, dependent, and constant variables. Once the plan was in place, students were ready to test out their solar over structure. After several days of overcast skies, we were grateful for a wonderful window of sunshine that allowed the “mercury” in the thermometers to rise. Carefully, scholarly scientists watched the clock and recorded their observations in a data table. In addition, sensory observations were recorded. In the end, after devouring the delicious marshmallow sandwich, students captured their conclusions and reflected on the key concepts of structure.
Today was busy from the beginning. We started by revising “I am” poems to write in our risk-taking bursts. It was powerful to revisit our big ideas related to risk-taking and resilience.
We then had a special time with our buddies. For those of us working with Mr. Matthew’s preschool 1 class, we took time to read a book by Nathalie Slosse entitled Big Tree Gets Sick. As we read, we were able to make connections to our buddies unit of tools, but we also saw connections to our unit on structure and our solar oven project. After reading the book, we took time to think about one of our preschool buddies, Lucas, who also happens to be a sibling of one of our scholars, Liam. Lucas has been very sick, and we wanted to send him something to let him know we are wishing him well and hoping for healing. Each member of the class wrote a note on a heart-shaped leaf to add to a “big tree” of encouragement.
Feel better soon, Lucas!
This afternoon, we took time to continue building our solar ovens and document the experiment process.
Some groups are getting quite close to completion. The question is, which cooker will harness the solar energy the best… and why?
Things continue to bustle next door as fifth graders complete their final preparations for their PYP Exhibition. Today, some mattresses arrived!
Donations for the shoes and clothing drive were gathered yesterday. After calculating the items, the coordinators revealed the data today and have set a new goal for their drive. They have extended the deadline until Friday, May 24 to help meet their new goal of 1,000 articles of clothing.
Despite the big pile of clothes collected in our classroom, we are currently running a bit behind in the challenge. At the moment, we are in third place. While our priority is to show caring and kindness, a cupcake party does sound like something worth working for.
As part of their Fifth Grade PYP Exhibition related to the central idea of sustainability, two groups of students have opted to organize projects in response to their trip to Stand Proud, an organization that helps survivors of polio and youth with other disabilities.
Pool Party
One group is organizing a fundraising pool party to help Stand Proud purchase water filters.
After surveying possible attendees (students in grades 3-5), the student organizers decided on this Wednesday, May 15 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. The cost of the event is $7.00 (Note: A discounted price of $5.00 is available for those who bring food donations to share).
Students must have a signed permission slip in order to attend.
Note: The event will have adult supervision.
Shoe and Clothing Drive
Another group of students is organizing a shoe and clothing drive, also to support Stand Proud.
The clothing drive will run from Tuesday, May 14 through Monday, May 20. The student organizers are inviting students and other members of the TASOK community to donate old shoes and clothes that are still in good condition.
Note: Students have specified that clothing donations must be thoroughly washed.
Multiple Sources
To learn more about polio, check out the following links:
