Stick-to-it-ness and Perseverance

These quotes were shared by a consultant to our school last
year. I'll share these quotes today as well. 

I'm finding that the start-of-the-year learning experiences are starting with learning-to-learn mini lessons. Yesterday we discussed roadblocks to learning, and today we'll focus on stick-to-it-ness and making good learning choices.

We're at the end of two multi-day projects, number cards and landscape models, both projects have led to the kind of content talk, problem solving, attention to detail, and content introduction I hoped for. Now, however, at the tail end of the project, some students are losing stamina and focus. They've had enough and are ready for something new. I could choose to end these projects, and sometimes I do that, but in this case I know it's a perfect opportunity to teach children how to push through at the end and complete a project they're proud of.

I'll start with the accolades by acknowledging that the projects are AMAZING!  I am so proud of the way that they used a table of craft items and recyclables to create small models of their favorite places in nature with care and creativity. I'm also proud of the precision, numerical thinking, and share they used as they completed so many number cards. I can't wait to laminate and hang up the beautiful number quilt that will serve as a reference and help the whole school understand numbers and number patterns with greater detail and depth.

Next, I'll talk about a biking, running, or swimming race, and how at the very end there's always that temptation to give up since you're so tired and you've been running, swimming, or biking for so long. I'll say that's the time when you have to reframe, push through, and end with a job well done.

After that, I'll remind them that their learning choices matter: Work in a place that doesn't have too many distractions. Ask for help when you need it.  Help each other.  Focus and concentrate on doing a good job.

Finally, I'll introduce the independent menu that's listed on the class website and included below. A menu like this fosters independence, collaboration, and lots of coaching. Not unlike the football coach before a game, I'll use the first five minutes of the lesson to run through these points, and leave the remaining 50 minutes or so for students' active learning. "Less of us, more of them" serves learning well.

Learning Menu

1. Finish your number card.
2. Show teacher when done.
3. After review print the card, cut it out, and give it to the teacher.
4. Complete the landscape model.
5. Take a Photobooth picture of the model, and drag to desk top.
6. Find a real-time image of your favorite place in nature and also drag to your desk top.
7. Go to the class model share presentation, add a slide with the picture of your model and your actual favorite place. Then write a title (All caps for title's important words. ) and description under each picture.
8. Read over your slide to make sure you started sentences with capital letters and ended with punctuation. Show your slide to a teacher.
9. Complete last week's fact tests on That Quiz.
10. If done with all, learn and practice math with Khan Academy (see me if you forget how to log on).