Today was a BIG day for our brains. After adding another list of words to our word work journal, we readied our brains for some rigorous reading.
As we get closer to crafting scenes in which our problem solver solves problems, we took time to analyze and annotate examples of strong sensory-laden settings excerpted from Chu Ju’s House by Gloria Whelan. Working in pairs, students read through a sample of text and used an Icon Glossary created by Gretchen Bernabei. Students then, independently, did a quick sketch of the scene to see how vividly the author had painted a picture in their minds.Partners then compared their sketches, noticing, despite reviewing the scene together, they had envisioned different details.
With our brains warmed up, we then worked in groups to compare and order a set of cards featuring 64 of China’s tallest buildings. Using understanding of place value and number comparison strategies, students collaborated and communicated to completed the task. Once the cards were organized, students reflected on the problem solving process and the learner profile traits needed for the task. Finally, students embraced the final challenge of determining which combination of buildings would be closest to the length of the Great Wall of China.
As part of our mystery-making mission, students used some more multiple sources today to identify a city for their setting and research and record important facts that could be incorporated into their writing. Using our Chromebooks and laptops, students conducted targeted searches and shared information and ideas with one another. While there was tremendous level of excitement at the outset, students became increasingly serious and focused throughout the process, gathering a wide variety of vivid and valuable details to weave into their story.
Thank you, Parents, for venturing out this evening to learn more about life and learning in our classroom. Thank you, too, for taking time prior to the presentation to write a bucket-filler for your scholar. I know they will be thrilled to read your words of love and encouragement in the morning.
(Photo Credit: Paula Baxter)
For those parents who were unable to attend Back-to-School-Night, please look through the evening’s presentation using the following link:
After an extra day of weekend, we were ready to start off the week with word work. Students set up their new notebook and entered our first list of words… the learner profile traits. In addition to the list, we used our secret agent skills and captured “notes and noticings” on the facing page. Looking at the endings -er, -or, and -ar, and thinking about the parts of speech were some aspects of the words we considered today. Since this is our setup week, we will be making several entries. After this week, though, entries in our word work journal will take place on Wednesdays. We look forward to growing this multiple source, our vocabularies, and our understanding of words.
Note: One of the headings above has been adjusted to reflect our current practice of working with words. In addition, the main page provides a number of resources that can help inquiring minds explore and become excited about… words. Three of Mrs. Rupp’s favorites are listed below:
Thesaurus.com – I use this site ALL the time… especially when I am attempting to alliterate
We also spent some time exploring estimation. Students were presented with the following question (set in China).
To find the answer, most students initially used column addition with regrouping (U.S. addition algorithm) to find the EXACT sum, which they determined was GREATER THAN 20,000 kg. When asked if it was necessary to find the EXACT sum, scholarly students considered different points of view and tried a variety of estimation strategies that enabled them to respond to the question effectively and efficiently. Strategies included:
front-end estimation
close-to estimation
rounding (to the thousands and/or hundreds)
As a variety of students shared their strategies with the class, we were able to think about and discuss the effectiveness and efficiency of each option and circumstances when each might be appropriate.
Reflection: Which estimation strategy might you use at the grocery store? Why?
As we finished up our second fabulous Friday, we took time to revisit our web of problems brainstormed last week. After illustrating the ideas, students considered what kinds of problem solvers would be able to tackle each problem and the feelings associated with the problems. As we pushed our thinking, we realized that problems, which sometimes scary or frustrating, can help develop determination, courage, and creativity.
Speaking of problem solvers, fifth grade students (former fourth grade scholars), embraced the challenge of preparing our first class-led assembly… in one week. They pulled it off masterfully. Using their unit of inquiry into human rights and responsibility as their foundation, groups of students introduced us to a variety of rights we have. We were grateful for their effort and example of excellence!
Over the course of the last 9 days, we have read several books featuring problems and problem solvers. Working with a thinking buddy, students reflected on the readings and sought to compare and contrast the characters, setting, plot, problems, solutions, and themes. Because we are “fifth grade thinkers,” students were challenged to carefully and completely on the triple Venn diagram. Through their discussions and debates, students were able to identify significant comparisons and contrasts.
We started off our day today by spending time with Mrs. Kovacs, who is filling in for Mrs. Chofi while she is on maternity leave. Mrs. Kovacs conducted a Words Their Way assessment with us, which will help us identify areas for glowing and growing as scholarly spellers.
After completing the assessment, we had an opportunity to choose from a wide variety of mystery books featuring… famous fictional problem solvers.
We were able to read for 19 minutes without interruption or distraction. This was a great starting point as we seek to grow our reading stamina. While hard to put our books down, we managed to pull ourselves away for a brief discussion of key characteristics of the mystery genre.
We then gathered on the carpet to share a reading of Eve Bunting’s book One Green Apple (Interview with Eve Bunting). While reading, we discussed character, motivation, point of view, author’s purpose, conflict, and theme. As part of our analysis, we referenced TASOK’s Learner Profile, trying to identify qualities evidenced in the main character, Farah. We will be rereading this text to further discuss Farah as a problem solver. Our captured thoughts will allow us to compare and contrast ideas with several other texts.
Continuing our search for details to help design a detective story, we examined a variety of maps of China. Since setting can play such a critical role in a story, it is important to know where our mystery will take place and how location and place will impact the character and plot.
After recess, our math-magical minds were put to work as we compared and ordered large numbers. Being able to justify and explain our thinking was a critical component of today’s work. Using the place value chart and expanded form was one way we were able to compare today. Thankfully, we had our multiple source as a reference.
The highlight of the day was hearing such scholarly math conversations happening as we provided evidence for our thinking.
Today, we continued building our learning community by reading and discussing a book by Kevin Henkes entitled Chrysanthemum. (Click on the links to learn more about the author and the book). While the story is simple, the ideas are significant. After reading, we spent time discussing the form and function of Chrysanthemum as a problem solver. While it was not initially obvious how Chrysanthemum could help us learn about problem solvers (form) and the problem solving process (function), as we dug deep into the words and actions of the primary and secondary characters, we discovered there was more to learn than we first thought.
Challenge: With the Learner Profile in mind, add a note to the Padlet identifying a trait exhibited by one of the characters and explaining how that trait was shown.
In addition to referencing the TASOK Learner Profile and seeking to apply what we learned to our interactions with others, we also took time to analyze the text, considering the main character, her community, and the conflict (internal and external). From an author’s point of view, Kevin Henke’s word choice is particularly powerful. In the days ahead, we will continue to analyze these and other texts through the layers of the literary analysis triangle. In addition, we will make connections to other stories, draw conclusions, and identify theme.
Throughout the reading and analysis of this text, it was easy to put ourselves in the shoes of Chrysanthemum, but how would the story have been told if Victoria was the main character? As a scholar, consider a different point of view.
Challenge: Write a letter from the perspective of Victoria to Chrysanthemum. Retell the events of the story, apologize for the actions of Victoria, and explain the lesson learned. As you write, think about what qualities of a learner each character needs to strive to grow. (Online version of an in-class task).
Challenge: Somewhere in your letter, strive to use a list of synonyms in the same way Chrysanthemum’s father did.
After pondering problems faced by Chrysanthemum, we prepared to ponder some problems of our own… place value problems.
What is the problem with this set of digits? (Note: This is not the same number we used in class.)
528439846271
This was the question posed to our inquisitive inquirers today.
After some discussion, it was determined that this set of digits:
was difficult to read.
has lots of numbers.
has no places.
has some repeated digits.
included no operations (+, -, x, ÷).
528439,846271
When a single comma was added, the following observations were made and questions posed:
There are not enough commas.
Is it greater than or less than a million?
Our brains were exercised further when the number was changed to look like…
528439,846.271
At this point, we were able to determine that the number is:
528,439,846.271
We discussed the purpose of place and the meaning of value. And, returning to our observation about repeated digits, we compared how they are different.
Once again, our scholarly multiple sources came in handy.
Tiling tasks used in class have been acquired from Marcy Cook Math. iPad apps are available through the Apple Store, if interested.
After conversing about Chrysanthemum’s qualities as a problem solver this morning, we continued to contemplate the form and function of problem solvers in our own writing. Using some of the information gleaned about China yesterday, we began to craft a character sketch of our detectives. The goal is to craft a description that will enable someone else to create a clear and accurate illustration. Questions for consideration included:
Does he / she have special abilities?
What are his / her distinguishing features?
What are his / her strengths and weaknesses?
Does he / she have a sidekick or any close friends?
Each day (except Wednesdays) begins with French. Today, we headed to two separate classes to engage in language learning.
Upon returning from French, we started with a brief review of Friday’s reading of The Invisible Boy followed by a fresh book by Shirin Yim Bridges, Ruby’s Wish. This reading enabled us to make connections about problem solvers, but it also caused us to inquire about China, our country of focus for this unit.
We then transitioned to our observations of images featuring a variety of problems in China. With fresh eyes, we applied the visible thinking routine – See. Think. Wonder., adding on to the observations, insights, and inquiries of others.
After recess, we reviewed our work in our mathematical multiple source and sought to apply it to problems posed in our Everyday Math Journal. This will be a common practice this year, as we consider different points of view and provide evidence for our thought processes.
In the afternoon, we immersed ourselves in inquiry, examining an assortment of books and magazines about China with the intention of being inspired. Scholarly sleuths were presented with the task of finding something interesting about which they can write a mystery. Similar to Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House series, which contains nonfiction companion texts, we plan to use facts to create fabulous fiction.
Here are a few resources that might get you thinking:
To finish out our first week of fourth grade, we began by revisiting yesterday’s read aloud and analyzing the text and our central idea through the lens of story elements.
To expand our understanding of problem solving, we read another book entitled The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig. As we continued our pursuit of powerful problem solving ideas, attending to the primary problem, proposing possible solutions, and pondering perspective were prioritized. In addition, we examined the illustrations and discussed their connection to the text. As was true in What Do You Do with a Problem?, color was a key to communicating emotion and the message of the text.
Challenge: What do colors communicate? How can we make the invisible visible?
Use the Google Drawing document to create a list of colors and their related emotions. (**You will need to make a copy of the document before completing.**) This final product will come in handy as we write our own compositions.
We also continued our exploration of place value, a key to mathematical problem solving.
How do the following resources expand or deepen your understanding of place and value?
As part of out first unit of inquiry, we will be contextualizing the power, process, and perspective of problem solvers in China. Today, we started to study a set of snapshots set in China, each featuring a possible problem. Using the visible thinking routine See. Think. Wonder., we began to consider the implications of what we saw depicted in the images.
One of the images we looked at is included in the following video. What do you see, think, and wonder about what you see in this video? What problem is being presented in this video? How could solving this problem impact society? (positively? negatively?)
In addition to being the first week of school, we have had two big birthdays this week – Maada and Mathys. In honor one of our birthday scholars, Maada’s mom brought in some scrumptious cinnamon buns and lemonade. Yum! Everyone was thrilled with such tasty treats. Thank you, Maada, for sharing one of your favorites with us!
Do you have a favorite birthday cake recipe you are willing to share? If your tasty treats are not top secret, please share your recipes using the form below. We will assemble all contributions into a book of birthday bounty. Mmmm…
Finally, to end our week, we had our first assembly, led by former scholars, now in fifth grade, and one of our very own… Celeste. With the guidance of Ms. Paula, our new principal, the fifth (and fourth) grade facilitators presented most professionally. As we entered the CAC, the lights were dim and jazz music, selected by Morgane, created a calm and cozy atmosphere. Photos collected throughout the week were projected on the screen and we all looked on with smiles, snickers, and satisfaction. We were introduced to a number of new and returning teachers. The team also introduced us to our assembly essential agreements. We can’t wait for the next one… next Friday!
