Break, What Break?

Walking through the halls of Concord Elementary, one would never guess that students had just returned to school from a 5-day break.  Rich learning opportunities abound in writing and math as students engage in meaningful work.

5th Grade Writing:  Students collaborated to research an historical topic, ranging from the sinking of the Titanic to September 11th.  Independently, they used their research to write a non-fiction "book."

Multiple drafts demonstrate student engagement in the writing process

Students use Post-it notes to add ideas to their drafts

Revisions are evident with editing marks and taped together paper and index cards for added thoughts

Students create systems to check their work

Peer feedback helps students monitor their mastery of writing skills

2nd graders set personal goals to improve their writing

 2nd and 4th graders spend their afternoon expanding thinking through mathematical processes.  

A first attempt to independently complete a long division problem

Checking for accuracy - students self-monitor their understanding

Using Post-it notes to identify the tens and ones place in double digit addition

Increasing the relevance of math by using students in the word problems

An interdisciplinary connection:  by using Fitbits, students are merging their understanding of physical education topics with their math centers.  Students practice their estimation and addition skills, adding a higher level of depth of knowledge by creating a word problem that merges those skills.

Checking their steps

Making math fun, yet still relevant

Students are "Rockin'" Level 2 DOK!

DOK 2:  Students classify rocks based on their properties.

Okay, it's a cheesy pun, I know, but when you see student understanding result from thoughtful lesson planning, let's celebrate it.

DOK 2:  Students interpret an infograph to build knowledge of governmental structures.

DOK 2:  As others work independently, this student gets purposeful and needed support to further mathematical understanding, interpreting word problems to find a solution.

DOK 2:  Students construct a pictograph, merging words and images, to summarize the concepts of Daoism.

DOK 2:  Students match the equation, the chart, and the word problem to demonstrate mastery of the same concept across various mediums.  While "match" would typically be considered a DOK 1 verb, the complexity of this task moves beyond recall as multiple connections are made.

Peek-A-Boo: A Sneak Peek into Classrooms 11.10.16

Students work independently and in small groups during literacy time.  This provides teachers the chance to work with small groups of students to support their individual learning needs.

Independent reading:  non-fiction text on the iPad

Partner reading:  students enhance this by pointing out newly learned words and punctuation.

Group reading:  students use a big book to collaborate on their reading fluency.

Making a play:  students practice reading together to perform for their peers.

Word work:  students highlight their known words and then practice reading the entire passage.
 

Student-Centered Centers:  student pictures used to show the tasks in various centers.

Word Detectives:  students earn their badge after mastering their learning in "Units of Study."

Reading habits bookmark:  students identify the reading strategies as they apply them.

Skype allows 3 schools to collaborate to learn exciting information.

Skyping between middle and high school:  band students learn they've been accepted to the Tournament of Roses parade on January 1, 2018.

Writing provides students an opportunity to further their knowledge, critically apply their learning, and develop their organization skills.

Writing in French:  students write in French and each group member ensures accuracy for their peers.

Student writing:  kindergartners add details, including feelings to their writing.

Makerspaces are fun spaces...but makerspaces for the sake of creation are limited.  The strongest maker movements are those with a purpose, tied to standards and problem-solving skills.

The Cardboard Challenge:  students present their catapult to the class.

*A shout out to Patti Thomas, 8th grade social studies teacher, for the clever title idea!