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