Fact Thanks

Yesterday there was a buzz in the classroom.  The class was excited about the fact check.  They had been practicing and they felt they would improve their scores.  They were happy when the time was up.  A couple kids commented that they weren’t sure they had done more, but they were sure that they had tried some of the facts that challenged them.  They hadn’t skipped over them.  There were two kinds of accomplishments yesterday – more speed with accuracy, and more awareness of the fact that challenge.  We’ll check again next week.  So far the record is 69 of 70 problems done in 3 minutes and 5 seconds!  That is called knowing the basic facts!

Space Museum Change

Big Bang of Space Inquiry – March 28, 2013 6:15 pm to 7:15 pm

Hopefully snow will not be an issue next week and we’ll be all set to go.  We appreciate the changes and adjustments you have to make to join us and we certainly understand that this may not work for all families.

The children have worked hard to research and understand accurately.  They have made some efforts to group information and think more about paragraphing.  Most of the children are making an extra effort to proofread and ask others to double check for them before they print for presentation.

Here is a sneak preview of what you’ll be seeing.  The class is excited about what they will be able to teach you as you tour the Big Bang of Space Inquiry museum next week.

Choices

S.E.L. – Coming to Know Yourself Well and Truthfully

We continued our conversation about choices this week.  We considered what we share publicly and what we know to be true in our hearts.  We related those choices to the effort codes on the report cards.  We began to think about the difference between knowing what could be done and what is done.  Our sign-in question asked how often children thought about neatness and accuracy when they were writing.  Most of the children indicated they always did.  I know that isn’t true – some of the children always think about it, but most of the children only think about it when they are reminded.

I shared my observations and asked them to consider the work in their folders and reconsider their choice.  Then we talked about the difference between knowing what you intend to do and what is real. We talked about the importance of being honest with yourself.   We used the fable, The Belling of the Cat, to help illustrate this difference.  Sometimes it is easier to talk about things than to do them.   Talking, however, doesn’t provide a solution; only action does.  We’ll see what actions our class takes in working to learn and improve.

Bits and Pieces – thing you might want to talk to your child about

• We began Gooseberry Park this week.  It is a story about friendship and struggles with an interesting twist.  Ask your child about it.
• We have continued to work with fractions.  We are learning how to use the numerator and denominator to guide our thinking.  We’ve been exploring fractions by thinking of how brownies could be shared and we’ve been exploring fractions by talking about reading half a book, or a fourth/quarter of a book.  It is different thinking and is stretching what we know.
•  We have also continued our work in discovering how to be more aware of your inner voice as you read.  How do you keep track of it?  When is it helpful and when is it distracting?  How can you keep track of the thinking you are doing and how can you make it matter?  “I was thinking while I was reading.  I had these questions and made these predictions.  Now what am I going to do?”
• We have a challenge with Mr. Caron on Tuesday, March 26.  We should be ready to be outside.  We never can tell.
• Big Bang of Space Inquiry Museum – Thursday, March 28 from 6:15 to 7:15 pm
• Unnamed As of Yet Museum to share independent research work on Tuesday, April 30
• Thank you to Rachel Robie for helping us create our Space Adventure based on George’s Secret Key to the Universe.  It’s fun to think about where we’d go if we could use Cosmos to blast off into space.