Asking Big Questions

Engaging students in their own learning and offering them choice as they learn to navigate digital tools and research skills is are to pedagogical strategies I strive to offer. Several students are choosing their own discovery quest topic, making research more student centered. I want students to be answering their own questions using digital tools. However some of them come asking to do things that can be answered in a list or doing a quick Google search, which is not the objective of these discovery quests. I want students to start thinking about the big questions. For example, when I asked them the other day how it felt like to be a drop of water. That was a big question, which needed an activity to figure out. Their discovery quests should be something they investigate, involve an audience, and become the expert on to teach us! They should not be about their soccer team, or things you do unless they are choosing one of the topics off the monthly list. I told students today when you come to tell me their topic be prepared, as I will ask you what question they are answering too. I want students to start with a question. They need to think about things that Google cannot answer but rather be used as a tool to help answer their questions. I also hope students know that Google is not a reference, but rather a search engine to get to a reference. Learning digital literacy skills is as important as learning reading skills using a book. It is a different kind of reading, but one that will prepare them for the future.

Today my question about what it take to be a meteorologist was answered. Bri Eggers, from the channel 7 weather team, treated students to a fabulous presentation on STEM learning in weather. Students learned about various tools meteorologists use, her road to becoming a meteorologist, and what the weather studio is like. They discovered more about green screen technology and digital literacy skills meteorologists need to use. Students also learned the importance of social media in her job! Our audience could tell Bri is really passionate about her work. I hope she inspired some future meteorologists in our audience!

Going on Discoveries Enriches Students' Lives

Today is a day of discoveries! When I started discovery quests I had no idea it would turn into an odyssey of adventure where students and I journey into unchartered territory to learn new things. Students have moved beyond the standard presentations, including media and hyperlinks to bring their discoveries alive. Some have including experiments, Skype visits from experts, and classroom guests. Students are becoming more animated in their presentation skills, drawing their audience in with voice and gestures. Today we had some live chickens come visit us! We learned chickens do not get cold and that some like to eat lobster meat! These learning experiences really resonate with students, who will take these skills with them as they matriculate through school. They are learning that Google is not a reference, creative ways to involve their audience in presentations, and how to speak to an audience. Life long learning builds foundational skills and strategies students will access in their futures! I did ask students to think about what BIG question they are answering in their discovery quests. I love starting with a question! It helps shape discovery!

Students enjoying their visit from chickens!

I did my discovery quest early! I wanted to discover meteorology. I shared the background of Bri Eggers, meteorologist for WHDH. We read her weather blog, and checked out weather maps. I asked students to think of questions about meteorology. On Monday we have such a special treat. Bri is coming to visit us so we can learn more about meteorology. You never know where a discovery quest will take you or what surprise guest will be coming to visit us!

Students surprised Bri Eggers is coming to visit us! 

It Started with a Question

Do you ever just start with a question? Yesterday’s keynote speaker, Kerry Gallagher, asked the educators in the room to engage learners by doing just that! I want my students to want to learn, and starting by asking them something gets their minds going. This morning I asked them how it felt to be a drop in the water cycle. I got a spattering of answers that showed surface level understanding of the water cycle. I then activated prior knowledge, asking students what they knew about the water cycle. They were able to identify the major steps that they learned previously such as evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. They were missing a part of the water cycle. A student suggested groundwater, another well water, and a third mentioned a plant. Using the plant, we discussed what happens and how water can form on plant leaves and evaporate. Heading to Google I looked up transpiration. The first site ended in .gov and this gave me a teachable moment. Is this a reliable site to use?  William decided that since it was a government website we could rely on it as a resource. Clicking on the link took us to learn more about what transpiration was. Students discussed this word in terms of the water cycle.

Armed with knowledge we went back to the original question that asked students to think about what it felt like to be a drop of water in the cycle. Around the room I had placed different parts of the cycle and students had an opportunity to internalize what it would feel like to actually be a water droplet. Ask them where they got stuck, or what parts of the cycle they made it to. Students then had an opportunity to answer the question I started with, telling me how they felt being part of the water cycle. We completed our lesson watching a BrainPOP on the water cycle. 

Students discussed that being part of the water cycle is tiring and you might not know where you are going next. One student mentioned how challenging it was to survive as a water droplet. Some students mentioned they were bored because sometimes you get stuck in one place for a long time. A student connected this to the years it could take a drop of water to evaporate from the ocean. The journey is wet, cold, and lonely another child shared. One student mentioned that a drop of water is more important than she thought. Someone told me it was surprising that so many students had to visit the cloud station. From their writing I can see students have internalized life as a water droplet, and this all started with a question!

Organizing Our Inbox

How many of you have looked in your email inbox and groaned? The stack of emails you have to go through might seem daunting at times. Trust me I know as I have eight email accounts to check daily. I want students to get in the habit of not only checking their emails but organizing their inbox. The email account they have been given is one that each student will take with him through their time in our school system. Today I asked all students to check their email for me. Some had 95 emails in their inbox!

We discussed the importance of checking our email. Some emails we might want to file away while others we can delete. There might be some we want to leave in our inbox to respond to later. I walked students through the task of creating labels in their Gmail accounts (which are also known as folders to some). To read more about we did visit

https://support.google.com/inbox/answer/6067566?hl=en

Students created a 5^th grade label and began the arduous task of going through their emails. Some wanted to nest new labels in the 5^th grade folder (a label for blog, Ms. Freedman. Google classroom, etc. could be created). Students, as they grow up, will want to create more labels based on their needs. However this is a start! Students are thinking about how to organize their inbox and the importance of reading emails.

The Report Card DeMystified

Everyone will receive a copy of the behaviors that contribute to school success and social skill development portion of the report card today. The first column is where your agent reflected on what they felt he or she deserved. The second column I placed the letter I was planning to give your child. Children then had a chance write some goals to work on. Having students practice metacognition (thinking about your thinking) in regards to their behavior helps them self regulate their behaviors moving forward. Giving students control over their own learning is empowering.

The academic portion of the report card will look like it did in previous years. This is a standards based report card in the truest form. Therefore your child will be assessed using the letters B, P, P+, M, and E. If your child is beginning to meet the Massachusetts State Standards then he or she will receive a B for that standard. If your child is progressing to meet the Common Core Standards then he or she will receive a P for that standard. If your child is meeting the Common Core Standards then he or she will receive a M for that standard. If your child is exceeding the Common Core Standards then he or she will receive an E for that standard. The second thing you might notice is that not all standards are assessed first term. Several standards will be shaded out. In fact only a few standards are being assessed in math this term. Standards being assessed focus on what we covered during the term. Social studies and science are also included. The common core brochure I sent home over the summer directly ties into what is being assessed.