We'll begin with a short meeting that focuses on our new year's classroom goals including learning and practicing a number of math standards, engaging in many science explorations and experiments, attending a theater performance, visiting Gillette Stadium to marvel at the architecture and engage in a maker activity, reading lots of books, and working together to further strengthen our classroom community of kind, caring, and creative learners.
I'll listen to students' stories and engage in lots of "kindwatching" as encouraged by the book, Timeless Learning. And as the first month takes hold, I'll focus in on my goal to better organize all the math and science materials to foster a learning environment where students are able to lead, explore, and collaborate with easily accessible materials and inviting spaces that enable that kind of student-centered learning and teaching.
The first math exploration will be a Valentine Piggy Bank problem that reviews the fall work with multiplication, addition, subtraction, volume, problem solving strategy, and good study habits and attitudes. It will help students step into this week's homework project which is to design a box or box set by creating a net and determining its volume as well as reviewing attributes of solid figure prisms and right rectangular prisms and volume calculations.
Our first film of the year which will be shown in small snippets throughout the month will be Akeelah and the Bee which will help us to focus on perseverance and the many ways we can overcome challenge, prejudice, and self consciousness to reach our dreams and potential. Science will find us revisiting our egg explorations with a focus on the questions:
- What is matter? What are the three main types of matter?
- What are properties?
- How can we use properties to describe how a typical egg differs from an egg that's been in vinegar?
- What is a chemical change?
- What is a physical change?
- What is evaporation? Is evaporation a sign of chemical or physical change?
- What does a complete lab report look like? Why is this important? How do scientists use reports like this to communicate and forward their study?
- What is a chemist and what does a chemist do?
With regard to professional study, our team will focus on how we'll help students to solidify computation and problem solving strategies, confidence, and effort. We'll like engage students in problem solving practice as well as creating and solving their own real-world problems. In science, our team will continue our student-centered study with Drumlin Farm naturalists in our effort to introduce climate change/global warming to students and the many ways that they can use their advocacy to protect and nurture the environment around them. Our school librarian who is also well versed in musical theater will lead the students and teachers in a study of Ragtime, the musical we'll attend--an event that's meant to teach students about musical theater as well as to introduce students to time periods, lifestyles, and experiences in life in order to broaden their understanding of the greater world and people.
As you can see there won't be any lost minutes in the first days, weeks, or months of the year. There's lots to do and today we'll begin the new year with enthusiasm, camaraderie, and care. Onward.
