Who We Are

Today, we started off by thinking about… problems. In preparation for writing about a small moment, a one time when we faced a problem, we brainstormed a list of different types of problems people face.

By generating this list of problems, students were able to jog their memories and identify a time when they faced a problem. After taking a mental snapshot and zooming in on one moment, students were challenged to recount the story with as much detail as possible, keeping in mind sensory details, thoughts, actions, and words.

Check out this video of Jack Gantos telling about a small moment problem he had. Pay special attention to how he zoomed in on the moment through the use of juicy details and considered the importance of structure as he developed his idea.

After a focused and fabulous time of writing, our learning community came together to find commonality. This quest for connection began as groups of scholars engaged in conversation in an effort to find things they had in common. Foods, family, feet, furry things, favorites, and foreign lands were discussed. Sometimes, rather creative connections were explored, as well. Each commonality was then captured on a card. Once enough cards were collected, groups were able to construct. The challenge was to create a 10- inch tower of cards that could stand for at least 5 seconds. Tough!

 

While I don’t think these qualities were captured on cards today, it was clear that patience, perseverance, and problem solving are common characteristics of our learning community.

As is true of the building of any construction, card or otherwise, it is important to establish a firm foundation. Likewise, as we embark on our fourth grade journey together and seek to build real and refining relationships with one another, a firm foundation key.

Consider… how is finding commonalities helpful to our classroom learning community?

Check out this house of cards.

Estimate: About how tall do you think it is?

Guinness Book of World Records: Largest Playing Card Structure

On Day 2, detectives dug a bit deeper into the classroom… decor. Each face and fabric, each flower and phrase, each book and blossom and bulletin board is purposeful and placed for perusal and pondering. Today, our task involved taking notice, so we can access our environment as a scholarly multiple source. 

After yesterday’s introduction to the TASOK learner profile and discussion of classroom and school expectations, today we took some time to wander and wonder around the room. Willing to learn, these thoughtful and curious scholars (a.k.a. fifth grade thinkers) read and reflected on quotes around the room. As COMMUNICATORS, each one posted questions of INQUIRERS and thoughts of THINKERS. As the year progresses, different quotes might catch an eye or spark an idea or inspire an action. Committed to considering different points of view, our OPEN-MINDEDness will allow us to continue to stretch and grow.

In an effort to share our thinking beyond our walls, we decided to walk and “CHALK.” In groups, students sought to describe or draw, what a scholar in a classroom at TASOK would look like, act like, think like, and behave like. 

Back inside, students huddled together in groups of 5 or 6 and prepared to listen to a story about the Wright Family. Each student was provided with a paperclip and instructed to pass it to the right each time he or she heard a word that sounded like “right” and pass it to the left each time he or she heard the word left.

   

Each group approached the task slightly differently.

At the end of the story, we took time to debrief. Students shared that the activity was confusing at times, but got easier as the story went on. They realized it required teamwork and that distractions, especially from groups that were louder, interfered at times with their ability to listen and focus. These ideas were then connected to how we function as a community of learners.

We also discussed the following questions:

• How much of the story can you remember?
• What does this activity tell us about communication?
• What does this activity tell us about teamwork?
• What does this activity tell us about listening skills?

 

Fourth Grade Scholars eagerly entered the room this morning for their first day of the 2019-2020 school year, ready to learn. Immediately, they were presented with their first of several secret agent missions, which they embraced enthusiastically. This helped us, as scholars, to exercise our brains and become familiar with some of the classroom environment, expectations, and elements (like the new-this-year “Pencil Parking”). With the learner profile in mind, THINKERS read Snapple Real Facts and responded to prompts on a small piece of paper.

Challenge: A Scholar is Curious  If interested in learning more… consult the multiple source you mentioned on your paper.

Curiosity Corner: If you want to read more Real Facts, check out the links embedded in the Padlet and capture your learning on your personal post-it.

 

We then went on  tour of campus to locate important places, especially the bathrooms. Along the way, we met Papa Paul, Papa Landu, Ms. Paula, Ms. Hall, and Mr. Mullen… each a important member of our TASOK community and powerful problem solvers (about which we will be learning more in our first unit).

Upon returning from our tour, we launched into an activity related to the learner profile. Each scholar sorted a set of traits in order of importance. We then compared our lists with others and discussed our reasons for ordering the traits. We are grateful to Ms. Paula, who popped in to ponder the traits with us.

 

Students then took time to think about which trait most describes them. People with similar traits gathered together to discuss their perspective on their traits. Each group collaborated to describe or draw, what a scholar in our classroom at TASOK would look like, act like, think like, behave like…

   

After recess, we took time to get to know one another as multiple sources. Based one projected prompts, we organized ourselves in various lines and blobs, ordering and gathering respectively. One such line had us organized from smallest to tallest. We’ll see how this order changes throughout the year.

Of course, in order to be scholars, we needed to know what scholars are. With the blog header as our background and a poster as our multiple source, we highlighted some key qualities and discussed how they shape our words, actions, and attitudes in class. It was exciting to see connections being made to the learner profile.

With a goal of becoming increasingly internationally minded, we took time to reflect on our personal background. Each student independently identified where he or she was born, his or passport country, and a country of interest. Using more multiple sources, atlases located in our resource library, students drew and colored flag and wrote about the importance and impact of each. These will soon be on display in our classroom.

Finally, to end the day, but to get our year off to a good start, we read Carol McCloud’s  Have You Filled  a Bucket Today? which talks and teachers about being “bucket fillers.” Throughout the year, we are committed to finding ways to care for, encourage, notice, affirm, and acknowledge one another in simple, yet significant, ways. This is a mutually beneficial process, as giving and encouraging not only brings joy to the recipient, but it also brings joy to the giver.

In the classroom, we have made mini “buckets” (really, origami envelopes) for our desks into which notes of encouragement can be delivered. We wrote our first bucket fillers yesterday, which will be delivered soon.

Please take a moment to enjoy a reading of Have You Filled  a Bucket Today? by the author, Carol McCloud.

To learn more about being a bucket filler, visit:

Bucket Fillers