THE GIANT PEACH

To finish our personal narrative writing, the class embarked on a little digital storytelling project. After identifying a story that the kids felt they would like to share with the world, they began to edit and revise their work. Once they were finished with this step, they created a podcast of their story using Garageband. Next, a series of original multi-media illustrations were created using a digital camera. After digitizing all of the artwork, the boys and girls assembled their podcast and artwork into a digital story using iMovie. These stories have been added to our class channel on Youtube — thegiantpeachTV. You can view the videos by following the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/user/thegiantpeachTV#g/a

We hope that you enjoy our stories and look forward to hearing your comments.

People around the world are constantly making decisions about what to do, what to eat,  and where to live? How did you pick ISB as a school for your children?  In Social Studies, we have begun to look at the concept of influence.  Two essential questions are guiding our study.

The first is, How and why does the physical environment influence people?

In this context, we will look at how and why climate, topography, and resources influence things like people’s habitat, food, religion, clothing, economic levels, societal roles, etc.

The second essential question we will look at is How and why do people influence their physical environment? For example, How does people’s choices, actions or use of new technology impact the environment?

We launched our unit earlier in the week with a pre-assessment that was intended to help kids build their own understanding of the concept of influence, while capturing their current understanding or thinking.

In class, we’ve been building our understanding of small moments and personal narrative writing.  Personal narratives are often one of the first types of writing that children experience.  As writers, we have all written about ourselves, experiences, and feelings.  Central to our unit of study has helping the kids find great value in their own experiences.  This is an important piece to becoming an effective writer.  The kids become more engaged and invested when they write about themselves because they are the expert on the topics of their life.  When students write the stories of their life, they have a clear problem, solution, character(s), and setting.  As writers, they can continue to improve their craft and develop an original style and voice.  As part of our study,  we have published our stories as podcasts. We hope that you will take a moment to share and enjoy the stories.

To find a specific podcast, click on the “POST” button.  A class list will appear where you can select the podcast that you’d like to hear.  Please feel free to share the link to our blog with friends and family around the world who you think might enjoy our stories.  The kids are excited  by seeing the visitors to our blog and the “global” audience they have.

Everyone knows the importance that eating a balanced diet in helping our kids grow and develop.   Similarly, having a balanced “reading diet”  is also essential for learning.  Many of the books your children will encounter during his or her education will be non-fiction. So, it is important for your children to learn how to read non-fiction in a constructive manner.  Non-fiction or expository texts present facts about subjects, like real people, places, and events. Biographies, autobiographies, newspaper and magazine articles, personal and persuasive essays, histories, and textbooks are just a few examples of non-fiction writing.

Three guiding questions frame our  examination of non-fiction texts.  They are :

Why do good readers read non-fiction texts?

How do good readers make meaning of non-fiction texts?

How do good readers share and grow ideas?

Establishing a purpose for reading is an important trait that all good readers share.  People typically read fiction and non-fiction texts for different reasons.  Fiction and non-fiction texts also have very distinct features, and building an understanding of these features in a central focus of our study.

Although there are many kinds of non-fiction books, many have similar parts. For example, a table of contents is in the front of the book and lists chapter titles or section headings and their page numbers. Other books have a glossary at the back of the book; a glossary contains key words that are related to the topic and their definitions. After the glossary, there is usually an index. This lists all the big ideas and key words in the book and the page numbers where they are explored. An index can contain multiple entries for the same concept so the user can search for the concept in several different ways. Many non-fiction books have pictures, photographs, charts, or graphs. Reading the captions underneath them are an important and a habit that good readers of non-fiction practice.

It is important for the kids to understand that they can’t remember everything they read. Taking notes, stopping and jotting, or leaving reading tracks, as they read is an excellent way to keep track of important information and make connections with their prior knowledge.

Our class is starting a new unit about multiplication and division called Multiple Towers and Division Stories. During this unit, student will build on the work they did in the unit Factors, Multiples, and Arrays. The kids will be solving multiplication problems with 2-digit numbers, division story problems, and problems about factors, multiples, and number relationships. Throughout the unit, the kids will work towards these goals:

- Multiply 2-digit numbers by 1-digit and small 2-digit numbers

- Solve division story problems, 2-digit and small 3-digit numbers divided by 1-digit number

- Use story problems, pictures, or models to represent division

- Multiply by 10 and multiples of 10

- Demonstrate fluency with multiplication combinations through 12×12

In our math class, students spend time discussing problems in depth and are asked to share their reasoning and solutions. It is most important that the children accurately end efficiently solve math problems in ways that make sense to them. At home, encourage your son/daughter to explain their thinking to you.

Our class will work on multiplication and division again later this year in the unit How Many Packages? How Many Groups? when they will solve problems with larger numbers and share a variety of solution strategies.

Our class is has started a new mathematics unit about data and probability called Describing the Shape of the Data.  During this unit, students collect, represent, describe, and interpret data.  They will also be looking at the probability of various events.

In our study, students are working towards:

- designing an effective survey question to compare two groups
- organize and represent data about two groups
- describe the shape of a data set
- use data to compare two groups
- use evidence from a set to support an argument
- describe the likelihood of an event

We live in an information rich world, and it is important for students to experience the various ways that information is communicated and represented in the world.

At home, there are a number of ways that you can help.   As you are reading a newspaper, magazine, website, or blog, point out the various graphs and charts to your child.  Talk about how you make sense of the data, what they mean, and why you are interested in them.  This is a great opportunity for you to show how graphs communicate important information to you and your family.

Should you be watching TV when a weather forecast announces a 70 percent chance of rain, you can ask the kids if you will need to carry an umbrella today?  If you need to make a decision, try flipping a coin.  Would you like milk or juice with dinner?  This can then lead a discussion or experiment into how many times heads or tails would appear if you flipped the coin 20 times in a row?

The ideas and possibilities are endless.  Asking a question and talking with your son or daughter about the math that is part of their everyday life is an wonderful opportunity for learning.

Homework is an important link between learning inside and outside of school.  Homework assignments provide reinforcement of the work the students do in math class.  Here are some suggestions for making the homework experience successful for your son or daughter.

Set a regular time everyday for homework and establish a quiet place for your child to work.

In our math class, students spend time working on problems in depth and are asked to share their reasoning and solutions.  It is most important that children accurately and efficiently solve math problems by using problem-solving  methods that are meaningful to them.  At home, encourage your child to explain his or her strategies and mathematical thinking to you.

When your child asks you for help in solving a problem, it may be  helpful for you to ask questions such as these:

- What is the problem asking you to figure out?
- Does this remind you of other problems?
- What part of the problem do you already know how to solve?
- What is a good place to start?
- What have you figured out so far?
- Would drawing a picture or diagram help?
- How can I help you … without telling you an answer?

If you would like to share any thoughts about how your child is approaching a homework task, please send me a note.

Below are some general development milestones to help you understand your child’s progress over the school year. Please remember that every child is different and may not fit perfectly into this framework.

Today
Nine is a time of general confusion for kids. Nine-year-olds:

- Want to put some distance between themselves and adults, and may rebel against authority.
- Need to be part of a group.
- Seek independence.
- Possess a high activity level.
- Can express a wide range of emotions and verbalize easily.
- Can empathize.
- Can think independently and critically, but are tied to peer standards.
- Begin to increase their sense of truthfulness.
- Are typically not self-confident.

Tomorrow
School isn’t just academics. It is a place to foster social and emotional growth. At nine-years-old, your daughter/son is learning how to make decisions and set standards. You can help by encouraging your child as they:

- Begin making decisions.
- Gain a greater sense of responsibility.
- Set personal standards.
- Develops personal interests and abilities.
- Develops social skills.
- Learns to engage in group decision-making.

Adapted from American School Counsellor Association

In his most recent book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell discusses the common traits that successful people like Bill Gates and The Beatles share.  One theory he presents is the idea that successful people have had 10,000 hours of practice in their area of expertise.  According to Gladwell, Bill Gates had already had 10,000 hours of programming experience before the time he left high school, and by playing at small German clubs for 8 hours a day, 7 days a week, for weeks at a time, The Beatles grew into a great band.  Similarly, Gladwell proposes that the main difference between good musicians who play in the orchestra and great musicians who are soloists, is the number of hours that they have practised.

This year, I have been asking the kids to read independently for 30 minutes at home, including weekends.  By reading at home, students are developing positive, life long reading habits, and working towards become an experienced reader.

It is within this context, that I ask you to consider the question … Can I skip my reading tonight?

Let’s look at two examples ….

Student A reads for 30 minutes, 6 days a week, for a weekly total of 180 minutes.  Student B reads of 10 minutes, 4 days a week for a weekly total of 40 minutes.

Over a 4 week month, Student A reads for 720 minutes, while Student B reads only 160 minutes.  With a 10 month school year, there is a significant difference as Student A reads for 7,200 minutes, which is 5,600 more than Student B’s 1,600 minutes.

Student A practices reading the equivalent of 13 whole school days a year.

Student B gets the equivalent of about 4  school days of reading practice.

By the end of 6th grade, if Student A and Student B maintain these same reading habits, Student A will have read the equivalent of 56 whole school days.

Student B will have read the equivalent of only 24 days.

Who would you expect to be a better reader?

Who would you expect to know more?

Who would you expect to write better?

Who would you expect to have the better vocabulary?

Who would you expect to be more successful in school…and in life?

I hope that this helps you answer the question … Can I skip reading tonight?

Adapted from Mrs. BArch, 2nd grade teacher, Resurrection School, KY

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Our class of budding scientists has begun to study Magnetism and Electricity. As we continue our study, we will investigate permanent magnets, build electric circuits, and explore electromagnetism.

At home, you can increase your child’s understanding and interest in magnetism and electricity by asking him or her to talk about the investigations we are doing at school. You may find magnets at work holding notes on the refrigerator or securing cabinets closed; electricity powering lamps, televisions, and flashlights; and electromagnets in motors and speakers. Electromagnets can be could in a variety of household appliances. To help your child investigate circuitry you may provide an old broken appliance for him/her to take apart. You can explore the appliance together to discover how it is wired and where connections are made.

One thing we will stress in our study of magnetism and electricity at school is safety. You may want to review your home safety rules for magnetism and electricity as well.

• Never put any object other than a certified plug into a wall.
• Do not open the case of an electric appliance that is plugged in.
• Do not bring magnets near computers, videotapes, or audio recordings.

We are looking forward to many weeks of exciting investigations with magnetism and electricity. If you have any questions or comments, or have expertise that you would like to share with the class, please drop me a note.