Learning to Share Our Thoughts & Post Our Comments

The Rotation A Day students had a busy day. We worked in the Problem Solver program and today's strategy focused on making an organized list to solve mathematical problems. The students were also introduced the the Logic Links program. This is an individualized program that allows students to progress at their own pace as they strengthen and exercise their logical thinking skills. You will have a chance to see how they solve these logic problems at our Fall Open House next Tuesday evening. 

After lunch and recess, we discussed our SAGE Class Rules. 

1. There is no such thing as a dumb question or answer.
2. This is a safe place to try new things.
3. It’s okay to say, “I don’t know.”
4. If you don’t understand, ask.
5. If you still don’t understand, ask again.
6. Be respectful of other peoples’ feelings and ideas.
7. It’s okay to disagree– try explaining your ideas.
8. It’s okay to be yourself, originality is in!
9. None of us are perfect.
10. This is a safe place to make mistakes- jump in a give it a try!

I am confident the boys and girls will find success with these rules.

 In the computer lab, the students had a chance to read and respond to the comments written by our Quadblogging partners. We have gotten 10 or 12 comments posted from the partner schools/students already this week.   That has been fun, but our A day students have each published a comment to respond to the questions the partner students have asked. 

The students analyzed the comments and noted misunderstandings, unfamiliar vocabulary and raised questions when the partners discussed something for which they were unfamiliar.  They even inferred from subtle details the students wrote, such as some of the schools wear uniforms, one of the schools does not make hot lunches and New Zealand is in a very different season from Missouri.  --Great Ah Ha moments! 

The students' comments have been wonderful (keep in mind, in most cases, this is their first attempt.)  They are beginning to understand how to use a greeting, compliment the writers, add additional new information, end with a question (to encourage further dialog) and close their comment appropriately.  They are so excited about it (and so am I!)

Next we learned the importance of having strong research skills.  We discussed and defined our 2nd grade Academic Vocabulary words: knowledge, comprehension, research and independent.  We are encouraging the boys and girls to be as independent as possible in their work.

 










We ended our day working at our individual Exploratory Centers.  Ask your child what he or she learned today.

Beginning Our First Exploratoy Center of the Year

At the start of our SAGE day, the last of the boys and girls finished writing the rough draft of their "Take a Closer Look at Me" poem.  Next, they took turns typing them on their own.  Their projects are great!  They will be display at our Oct. 2nd Fall Open House.

 

 During our morning, we discussed Bloom's Levels of Thinking and what each level might look like.  I introduced our Exploratory centers and the procedures we follow to select and complete a center.  The students had an opportunity to look through the choices and list their top three picks.  The boys and girls met with me individually to be sure their first choice center is a good fit for them.  We have students studying coordinates on a grid, wild dogs, Eric Carle, Claude Monet, Volcanoes, Puppets, The Boxcar Children, wild cats and more!  Ask your child which center he/she chose and what drew him/her to that center.

Exploratory Excitement on PhotoPeach

The first step in beginning any center is to fill out their Exploratory Contract.  This helps me keep track of their individualized work and it empowers the children to become more independent in their learning.

After filling out their contracts, they had about 40 minutes to begin the reading or video at their chosen center.  Next week, they will have time to continue their center work.  (The Knowledge Level task usually takes 2-3 SAGE days to complete.)

 
In the afternoon, we worked together in the Problem Solver series.  This week's focus was on the strategy, “Use Logical Reasoning.”  Our problems were not very hard, but we will be ready to apply this to more difficult problems soon!

Have a great week!

iLearn Podcasts

Last week, the boys and girls each made a podcast of their iLearn paragraph.  This is a paragraph the second graders wrote on their first day of SAGE to tell about a topic in which they love to learn.

They did a great job on their very first podcast!  Besides the fun of sharing their writing in a personal recording, this experience will also help them learn to speak with inflection, at an appropriate pace and volume, when they are orally presenting their learning, online or in person.

I used Audioboo.fm to embed their podcasts here.  I hope you enjoy hearing them as much as the students enjoyed recording them.

listen to ‘iLearn, Rotation A-1’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘iLearn, Rotation A-2’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘ iLearn, Rotation A-3’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘iLearn, Rotation A-4’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘iLearn, Rotation A-5’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘iLearn, Rotation A-6’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘iLearn, Rotation A-7’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘ iLearn, Rotation A-8’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘iLearn, Rotation A-9’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘iLearn, Rotation A-10’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘iLearn, Rotation A-11’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘iLearn, Rotation A-12’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘ iLearn, Rotation A-13’ on Audioboo

When you have a chance to learn something new, what topics interest you?

Dots Around the World Project- A Celebration of the book, The Dot

Week two, and our returning students are getting back in our routine.  Week two, and our new students are looking less anxious and fearful.  We are pleased to see that!

In the morning, I gave a more detailed tour of our blog with the help of our Smart Board.  We discussed our Blogging Guidelines and the importance of staying safe in our Internet interactions.  
I focused mainly on:

• Always having parent permission when exploring the Internet at home
• Never sharing personal information about yourself or others when on a blog or website
• Always sign blog posts or comments with only a first name
• Rules, responsibility and expectations come with the privilege of participating in our class blog
• This is an academic blog rather than a purely social blog and our interactions, posts and comments should reflect our learning.  (The learning being shared does not have to be exclusively "school learning."  It can be something learned in an activity with friends or family, a trip or even a new skill learned outside of school.)

We also reviewed how to post a quality comment:

Mrs. Yollis' video,  How to Compose a Quality Comment

Next, the boys and girls completed writing the final draft of their paragraph on something about which they love to learn.  They did a nice job on it.

 










In the afternoon, the students learned about International Dot Day and we read the book, The Dot. International Dot Day is a time to celebrate creativity in our children.  More than a half a millions teachers and students are participating in the global project.  Each child is asked to create their own dot image.  The students came up with a diverse  gallery of dots.  Check out their creativity below!

 For anyone who has been afraid to express themselves - from a child in art class to an adult whose fear has shut down a dream, Peter H. Reynolds' book The Dot (Candlewick Press) is there to remind us all to "Make your mark, and see where it takes you."

Today, my surprise was revealed to the students.  We have a new podcasting booth in our room.

 
 

The students also made an audio podcast of their "iLearn" paragraph, but that project will have to come in a later post when I have more time to upload them...

Just a reminder:
                                        Primary SAGE Parent Informational Meeting
                                              Thursday, September 13, 2012
                                                     Briarcliff Media Center
                                                          6:00-7:00 pm

This is an opportunity for you to learn more about the characteristics of gifted children, the SAGE Program, our curriculum and our blog. This meeting is intended for parents new to the program and those with questions about our curriculum this year. 

We hope you can attend!


Have a wonderful week!

A Fabulous First Day!

The boys and girls from Rotation A are enthusiastic, friendly and outgoing.  Mrs. Giacomo & I were eager to meet and get to know our A Day class and were impressed by their kindness and willingness to make new friends.  I was happy to see my returning students, but wondered what our class would be like with the addition of new students and a new mix of personalities?  Let me assure you, we couldn't be happier!  A few of the kids seemed to be a little anxious and there was an occasional "deer in the headlights" look that crossed a face or two, but they worked very well together and by afternoon, everyone was more relaxed and seemed to be enjoying their day.

The students began their morning by writing a paragraph about something in which they love to study.  Next week, we will try to finish these to share and display our interests and passions.

The students were introduced to TOPS Math and learned how we structure this individualized, problem solving program.

Several students even found time for a crazy puzzle.  --There are 250 possible combinations to these puzzles, but there are only 2 correct ways to solve them.   While most of the students explored one or more of the 248 incorrect possibilities, three students impressively discovered a correct combination! Kudos to them!

During our lab time, the boys and girls learned to log in to our computers with their new user name and password.  They also practiced accessing our class blog.

In the afternoon, the students had a chance to get better acquainted with a classmate they did not know. To do this, they took turns interviewing their partner and recording a few facts about him/her.

 

Each student introduced his or her new friend and told us a little bit about them. Some introductions were silly, some were very creative and a few were even animated (Great character voices Caleb!  I wish I had an audio file to share.)  Every single student seemed genuinely interested in their new SAGE friend.  They did a wonderful job on their introductions!  

I took meticulous notes as each child was introduced so I could share some facts about our friends.  Alas, they are on my desk and I am here at home...

However, the wonderful thing about a blog (or web log) is that it is interactive, so boys and girls, I need you to help me out!  With your mom or dad's help, please add a comment to our blog post and share one or two facts you learned about your new friend.  (Parents, this can be done without creating a Google account.)  Remember, we only use first names, so mention your friend by his or her first name and sign your comment with just your first name.

If you have trouble figuring out how to leave a comment, don't worry, you can do it in our class next week and we can help you.

We hope you enjoyed your first week of SAGE.  Have a wonderful weekend and we will see you next A day.

Our Quadblogging Friends

This year we will be participating in a global learning collaboration called Quadblogging.  The Quadblogging project matches four classrooms from around the world to share their blogs and share their learning.

For more information, go to our Primary Thinkers home page.