Spring Has Sprung; Learning Adventures Ahead

Our mornings have again been opening with outside play. The fresh air gets us all ready for the day ahead. So does the mud, the monkey bars and rings, crazy fun on the slide, and games of playground tag. Cabin fever was at fever pitch. Everyone now seems to have much more energy. And good thing...there is so much going on and oh-so-much ahead!

Our intense focus on water, oil spills and alternative energy have kept the children active in science class for the past few months. After the group completed their letters to public officials that advocate for better protections around oil spills, Kate Perry moved the group into exploring water wheels and hydro power. Right now the children are working in pairs to design an operating water wheel.

The teams had to create a schematic of their water wheel, pick and choose supplies they would use to bring the project to reality, and structure a budget for building it. Each team has a $100 budget and they use a pricing list for each part they buy. The list includes items like plastic plates and spoons, popsicle sticks, wooden skewers for axles, and the all important strips of UGlu (priced at $2.00 an inch) to hold everything in place.

Designs began getting tweaked as the teams moved from their schematics to actual construction of the wheels. This trial and error and embrace of revision are the best kind of learning. Powerful lessons about perseverance and patience are at play. And, often, no one wants to stop work, even though science class runs into recess time!

As the teams begin finishing their first versions of their water wheels, they test them out. Together with Kate, they first spin the wheel on a holder to be sure they are satisfied with the placement of the parts.

If they are, they put the wheel through a test. A stream of water runs over the wheel and the teams watch for the wheel to spin smoothly. Their observations tell them whether adjustments are needed to make it function better.

Next, they have to be sure their wheel will turn with enough power to lift a metal nut that weighs 30 grams. Further adjustments may follow.

The National Science Education Standards state that "inquiry is central to science learning." In the following article (http://www.justsciencenow.com/inquiry), the case is made for inquiry in science classes. 

Inquiry implies that students are in control of an important part of their own learning where they can manipulate ideas to increase understanding. As students learn to think through the designs and developments of their own inquiry, they also develop a sense of self-responsibility that transcends all subject areas. 

Yes, this is exactly how we do science at Parker. 

Of course, life with seven, eight, and nine year olds also means that there must be time for coming together in creative play. Give this group a 15 minute "brain break" with some paper and tape around, and all of a sudden, some mysterious people in masks will appear. 

It all just makes you smile!

Art Up Close

The 2-3s' visit to the Albany Institute of History and Art was a great success. The group dug in and looked deeply at Hudson River School paintings (both from the original movement in the mid-19th century and contemporary large-scale works), asked and answered questions, did a little writing and made art in the museum's art room. The children did a great job representing themselves, your family and Parker. The trip celebrated all the learning this group has done about the Hudson River this year.

Making observations about color, shadow and light. 

 

Using our imaginations to think about how artists create their work.

Noticing details in a painting and speculating about what is happening in the scene.

 Discussing a Hudson River School masterpiece. 

 Gazing INTENTLY and noticing the artist's brushstrokes.

 Appreciating the fine detail in Hudson River School paintings.

 Working in pairs, the children chose a work of art and imagined themselves inside the painting. They sat near their chosen pieces to record details. Their task: write an imaginary post card to family/friends describing the environment in their painting.

 Brainstorming nouns and adjectives to help prepare sentences for their postcards.

 

Interacting with a light installation.

 In the art room for torn collage landscapes.

 Enjoying the comforts of a Dutch wooden clog. 

Smile.

Back in the Swing

Happy New Year! January always has us looking forward to the year ahead. I want to take a moment to reflect back on December. What incredible work the children achieved for our Show of Work!! It was a joy for me to kick off my holiday season with the children and families all gathered together. Thank you.

Here’s a candid image of some of the children working to set up our Hudson Riverscape before the big event:

 And a couple of fun shots from the days when we had snow on the ground: 

Last Monday, the children flew into the room and we were back in the swing IMMEDIATELY! Two weeks away from the children was enough for me.  :)

BACK TOGETHER WITH SMILES AND SILLY FACES

We began focusing on the Language Arts right away.

How lucky I am to have Jennifer Gresens not only teaching 2nd grade math, but working alongside me in the classroom on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Sharon Santacroce pushes in to the classroom at the same time as Jennifer. Sharon, Jennifer and I have come together to collaborate on a Language Arts routine for Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Each of us will run three Language Arts rotations for small groups. We are tailoring lessons to the needs of each group we see. We'll prepare work on phonics development, decoding practice and spelling, reading fluency and comprehension, as well as short writing tasks. Jennifer and I will continue individualized and small group work on Friday afternoons. We just launched on Tuesday and we are off to a great start. 

On Mondays & Wednesdays, we have a rotation with art, so I have the class in halves for 45 minutes each. The children have been devoted to Drop Everything and Read time since the very start of the year. As a group, the children can now maintain 30-40 minutes of sustained independent reading. It’s amazing!

We are now ready to move from individualized and independent reading work to our Literature Circles. Our circles pull together small groups of similar readers to share instruction with me and a literary journey. The children will be matched with trade books at their instructional level and every child will independently read his or her own copy of the text. I will gather the groups around particular teaching points (plot, sequencing, vocabulary, character development, themes, etc.). I strive to create an atmosphere that allows for wide-ranging conversations and builds excitement about books. 

Literature Circles will meet one to two times a week. In between, the groups will negotiate the pace of their reading to prepare for the next meeting. These small groups allow me to support, assess, and individualize the development of reading skills on an ongoing basis.  

So much ahead. I’ll keep you posted.

LISTENING TO A READ ALOUD

POND DIGGING...BIG MACHINE...OOOOOOOH!

Joy

As we wind down our semester, the children's working days are full. Everyone has been stretching academic muscles as essays are organized and composed on Hudson River topics.

Confidence is tested as the children move from their research articles into organizing and synthesizing those ideas in their own words--as best as each child can. Patience and focus have been tested as this work stretched over many days. As essays are finished, each child is struck with relief, then pride and, finally, joy.

My tradition is to do a little dance with each child as he or she writes that last word in the conclusion. Some kids love the jig. Some kids take off and run away giggling. Jennifer and I always make sure that their hard work is marked with a good mix of joy, humor and celebration.

The children can't wait to show you the writing moves they have made. We are all looking forward to celebrating with you this Friday!!

Equally important is to ensure that each day we get outside to blow off steam and just feel the joy in nature and good friends.

Getting the taste of our first real snow on our tongues!

Aaaah, to be with a group of smart, talented, funny and rambunctious kids each day: 

that's one of my life's greatest joys.