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.

Welcome Back to School!

Dear Boys and Girls,

I shared a podcast about my summer on the Primary Thinkers home page.
How was your summer?  Did you go anywhere special?  What was the best thing about this summer?

I hope a few of you will post a comment about your summer.

I am looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Love,
Mrs. Koch

P.S.  Remember, only sign your comments with your first name and never share any specific personal information about yourself, your family or any of your classmates.  You should have your parents look over your comment before publishing it.  Also, keep in mind your quality commenting skills or watch the video to refresh your memory:

Mrs. Yollis' video,  How to Compose a Quality Comment,  http://vimeo.com/15695021

Welcome Back from Spring Break!

Over the past couple of SAGE days, I have introduced the students to another digital storytelling site, Kerpoof.  Today, they were given an account under my teacher account.  They know their user login and their password.  The A Day student need to remember their Class Account Code: L637.  Today, they also learned to add a new scene to their animated movies, add special effects, earn tolkens that can be spent in the Kerpoof store and how to save their projects on their individual account. 

The sites and applications to which I am introducing your children are useful, learning tools and applications.  Most are literacy based and many could be used for book reports, creative writing stories and possibly even reports. I want to familiarize your child with several Web 2.0 tools.  They can continue to explore and refine their use of the features of the applications on their own.   Once the class has a general feel for how to use the site/application, we are moving on to new tools.  If you or your child have any questions or concerns, feel free to call or email me!

The rest of our day, ebbed & flowed...  two students painted the background for their animal research project diorama.

Other students worked on building out the features on their animal mask.  A few had time to at least start the final layer of papier-mâché.

 

Several will be ready to begin painting their mask soon. 

Between doing these tasks, the students filled in a table with information about their own research animal and that of eight other classmates' animals.  The information for the table included the animal's length, weight, life span etc.   Next week, we will use calculators to find common units of measurement.  The students will then learn to create a bar graph online, to compare a measurable aspect of the animals. 

Several students also had time to work at their Exploratory center tasks.

The students ended their day with Senora Gates' Spanish lesson.  Today, they had an opportunity to use some of their vocabulary words to create complex sentences.  They also practiced their numbers in a timed "speed" game. 

It was good day and they worked hard!  Have a great week!

Take a Look Around Our Room...

Wrapping Up 3rd Quarter...

The students started their day working on logical thinking skills in the Logic Links program.  Next, we worked in the TOPS Math program on their mathematical problem solving skills.

After recess and lunch, we had an affective discussion on classroom expectations, learning to challenge and push yourself, "fairness" in a differentiated lesson, when and how to correct a teacher, being respectful and learning to successfully "play the game."  First, let me say, your children were not horrid today and our discussion did not arise from a problem in our classroom. Spring is upon us and the combination of:

• the weather changing
• passing into new developmental stages
• gained self-confidence
• and a relaxed level of comfort with teachers and the classroom setting

doesn't always bring out the best in a 2nd grader.  Although this problem is not exclusive to gifted students, I do feel the asychronous nature of their development often sets them on a path of conflict with peers as well as adults. It is important for them understand appropriate social interaction with peers and adults so they are better able to successfully navigate their path.

"Giftedness is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm. This asynchrony increases with higher intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly vulnerable and requires modifications in parenting, teaching and counseling in order for them to develop optimally." The Columbus Group, 1991, cited by Martha Morelock, "Giftedness: The View from Within", in Understanding Our Gifted, January 1992   (A great article by the way...)

This time of year I hear more teacher complaints of students being verbally critical of other students and even their teacher/s, becoming lazier about doing quality work, and walking a fine line with regards to respect as they challenge a teacher and/or parents' requests. These life skills are difficult for many adults but I think it is important to have discussions so they can begin to understand and hopefully make the wise choices.  And so the conversations continue....

Next, I showed the students how they will be building out the three dimensional features of their animal for their mask.  Only a few students had time for this step today.  They will be ready to finish up their Papier-mâché at the start of class next week. 

The rest of the class will work on these same steps when we return from Spring Break on March 19th.



The students ended their day with Senora Gates.  Today they played Bingo with Spanish numbers and colors.

 

Have a great week!

Wrapping Up Our Research- Let the Projects Begin!

What is it Mark Twain said.... "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated"-- or something to that effect.  Anyway, sorry for my blogging silence, I have been busy raising my teenagers.  LOL


The Reader's Digest Condensed version of the past few weeks....

• The students (as of today) have all completed their research packet.  They are happy to have made it over this hurdle.
• In almost every case, the students had some information that conflicted between their sources.  It gave us opportunities for conversations about valid sources and the importance of using current sources.
• They have greatly expanded their vocabulary and understanding of their endangered animal and the threats that impact its survival.
• In Storybird, the students learned to post a comment about stories their peers have published.  We discussed personal responsibility, appropriate form and content.  Commenting on stories is similar to commenting on our blog.  They had no trouble transferring their knowledge and skill to this application.
• The students continue to work on developing their collaboration skills as they write stories with their peers.

The students also selected and began their first project from their animal research.  Some students are creating a papier mache' mask of their animal while others have chosen to make an animal habitat diorama.  Today, the students making a mask completed the first layer of papier mache'.  I have asked the students to avoid wearing good clothes to SAGE over the next few weeks.  I have plenty of aprons, but our projects can be pretty messy.

This morning, the students had a wonderful opportunity to learn about endangered animals first hand.  Staff from the Kansas City Zoo presented their program, Journey to Survival, an interactive program designed to expand each student’s knowledge of endangered animals and what the students can do to aid in the survival of animals around the world. 

From Australia, we were introduced to the blue-tongued skink.  We learned how the natural balance can be disrupted when a non-native species is introduced into a habitat.  This occurred when rabbits were brought over on the settlement ships from England.  Without predators, their population exploded causing a competition for food with other native animals.  To "fix" this man-made problem, man imported foxes from England as they were the main predator for rabbits back in England.  Once there, however, the fox discovered the bilby, a slower moving marsupial that made for an easy lunch.  As the result of this man-made tragedy, the bilby is critically endangered.

Next, the students learned about the struggles of the black rhino on the brink of extinction.  Poachers hunt for and kill rhinos to use their horn in medicines some believe will make them stronger.

From the Amazon Rainforest, we met the double yellowed-headed parrot.  We learned about the destruction of its habitat and the illegal smuggling of these birds for the pet trade.

Finally, from the United States, we learned how even domesticated animals can become endangered.  Ask your child to tell you a little about Bubbles and the other animals they brought to our class.

Today I introduced the students to another digital storytelling site, Kerpoof.  This free site is a Disney created website where students can make pictures, storybooks and even animated videos.  It is very user friendly, engaging and inspires creativity in children as they tell their stories.  Turn your child loose on this site and they will use their imagination and writing skills to create original stories and projects.


They ended their day with our Spanish lesson and by working on their mathematical problem solving skills in the Math Rules program.