Math: A Growth Mindset

This summer, I started reading Jo Boaler's book Mathematical Mindsets. I have been intending to take the online course from her at Stanford for a while now, but with the summer slipping by, I decided the next best thing was to take the online course for students. After diving right into it, I realized that it would be a wonderful launching off point for math instruction in my classroom.

The first day, when it was time for math,  I handed out some crisp, new math notebooks for them to decorate. Then I set the stage by asking who has ever thought of going to college. They told me of some well known colleges and universities around the world and we had a discussion.

Then came the shocking part. I told them we were going to do something that was so special, not many elementary students have ever done it, especially in 5th grade. We were going to start a college course on day one and it was going to be from Stanford! The kids were shocked, to say the least!

The second morning of school, during our daily meeting, I asked if students had any questions about the first day or what was to come. One girl raised her hand and asked for the link to the course. I then asked how many students went home to tell their parents about the course. More than half of the students had! I was so happy to see students taking "action" on the very first day which is one of the components of the PYP.

The course is linked here. As we progress, I will be posting activities and photos that show the work we are doing in conjunction with the coursework. The kids are so excited to learn about the brain, mathematical thinking and how anyone can "be a math person!" It is a great way to start the year and I encourage you to start the year the same way!

Exhibition Photos

Oh boy is the end of year busy for everyone, but with the three huge events for ISL grade 5 in the past month, I have barely had time to come up for air. Today the students are up in middle school for their shadow day so I have some time to breathe, catch up and give attention to some things that have been recently neglected, i.e., the blog.

Exhibition has come and gone and seems so far away, but in reality, it was just only a month ago. I could not have asked for anything more from the kids and they were wonderful, not only on Exhibition day, but all of the 8 weeks working and preparing for the event.

This year our topics were impressive and I was so proud of the depth in which they dove into their topics. The topics covered breast cancer, video game addiction, consumerism, endangered animals, brain health, food waste, sexism and homelessness. Here are some photos from the big day!

 

Exhibition Action Film Festival

We are in the process of brainstorming, drafting and receiving feedback on our action plans. Over the next few days we will be examining some videos and articles that show people taking action throughout the world. Enjoy a glimpse into our film festival with these selections.

 

Season of Giving Thanks

In the spirit of American Thanksgiving last Thursday I showed this video and then we participated in a sharing circle with all of grade 5. Each student and teacher got to take time to tell the group what they were thankful for.

The spirit of giving thanks has continued in my class with notes and poems of thanks. Many of my students have found or written me poems to show their appreciation for the work I do as a teacher. They have brought me to tears. I wanted to show some of what I have been receiving.

I fully believe that for as much as we do for children, they do so much for us too. I truly love my job and my students and am thankful for both every day!

 

Alex's Disaster News

Last night Alex took action and made a Natural Disaster Newspaper. Take a look. It is informative and his voice shines through!

 

Grace Takes Action!

A few days ago Grace came to school with a website that she wanted us to check out. It is called Canadian Gardening and has a lot of information about various plants. She showed us around and gave us a grand tour. Check it out if you have time! One of the articles I recommend is 12 Ideas for Your Edible Garden.

Canadian Gardening


 

Student Action: Plant Part Presentation

Shortly after arriving to school today after being sick all week, Arran surprised me with this lovely presentation. Nice work Arran!

Plant anatomy from Rorey Risdon

 

Student Action: Water Conservation

Saniya entered the classroom yesterday with a huge smile on her face and a flash drive in her hand. "I've created a presentation about water conservation," she stated. Little did I know what a presentation it was. She did a phenomenal job and surprised me when she said she completed it herself. I know who to go to next time I have to give a presentation. Check it out. Who knows, you might learn a thing or two and be encouraged to go save the world!

Water + conservation powerpoint from Rorey Risdon

 

Action! Anne Frank Report from Saniya

 Last night in my inbox, I found this report by Saniya. When learning about heroes, she was fascinated by the story of Anne Frank. Although Anne's story is challenging, Saniya decided to take it on with the help of her family. After she read it, she took action and completed this report. Electrifying work Saniya!



 

^{by saniya}        ANNE FRANK

Anne Frank was born in Frankfurt, Germany June 12^th 1929. She had an older sister named Margot. Anne went to the Montcore school and her two best friends were called: Sanne and Hannelie! She received the news that she was going into hiding (because of the world war 2), when she was only 13 years old!

They went into hiding at Anne Frank’s dad’s office. In the office there was an attic. Anne Frank lived in that attic for nearly 2 years! She had really bad nightmares and didn’t really enjoy the shooting and sirens at night(it didn’t really help her)! She had to share the attic with 7 more people named: Peter Van Daan, Mrs. Van Daan, Mr Van Daan, Mr. Dussel (a dentist) Her Mother (Edith Frank), her father (Otto Frank) and her older sister Margot! No-one was allowed to go outside of the attic except for their weekly shower! Imagine, that not being able to do anything! Not allowed to get a bit of fresh air!  Well why don’t you try to think of some things Anne could not do? To get rid of times when she couldn’t do anything she studied it was much harder (without a teacher) but, she tried. She was committed to because things were really hard for her but she didn’t just give up! Not just for studying but for other things like staying hopeful and building a stronger bond with her mother! (to help her stay hopeful she looked at a tree out of a window and watched by as the seasons pass! Later on, that tree was named the Anne Frank tree! But one sad night, during a strong summer storm her tree sadly had crashed down after, Anne Frank had died)!

During her (nearly) 2^nd year of hiding she fell in love with Peter Van Daan! She even dreamt of him!

But sadly enough, their secret did not last long after that! On August 1^st 1984 Anne Frank and everyone else in the attic/secret annex were arrested and taken to a camp to shave off all of their hair! After that they were taken to a labour camp in Belgium!

Only Anne Frank , Margot and their Mother were taken to labour camp Otto Frank said they might be separated and they were! When Anne Frank was only 15 she died!  Otto Frank was the only one of the Frank family to still survive the war! Otto Frank published the diary and Anne Frank’s story still lives on! Anne Frank is my hero and truly deserves to be a hero! Her story is truly amazing!

Here are some facts on Anne Frank:

·       She had to share a room with Mr. Dussel

·       Everyone thought she was a chatterbox (just like me)!

·       She didn’t really love her mother

·       Her real name is Annalise

This is a poem her father wrote for her on her B.day

As youngest among us, but small no more

Your life can be trying, for we have the chore,

Of becoming your teachers, a terrible bore

“We’ve got experience! Take it from me!”

“We’ve done this all before, you see.

We know the ropes, we know the game”

Since time immemorial, always the same.

Ones own shortcomings are nothing but fluff,

But everyone else’s are heavier stuff

Faultfinding comes easy when this is our plight,

But it’s hard for your parents, try as you might,

To treat you with fairness and kindness as well;

Nitpicking’s a habit that’s hard to dispel.

When your living with old folks all you can do

Is put up with their nagging-it’s hard but it’s true.

The pill may be bitter, but down it must go,

For it’s meant to keep the peace, you know.

For many months their not been in vain,

Since time goes against your grain.

You read and study nearly all day,   

Determined to chase the boredom away.

The more difficult question, much harder to bear,

Is “What on earth do I have to wear?

I’ve got no more socks, my clothes are too tight,

My shirt is a loincloth, I’m really a sight!

To put on my shoes I must cut of my toes,

Oh, dear I’m plagued with so many woes!

RESOURCES: The diary of a young girl book

WHERE: Secondary school

“No one ever becomes poor by giving.”

-Anne Frank

Words I learned:

Faultfindings- judgments based on personal opinions

Loincloth- a piece of cloth/clothing wrapped around the hips

Immemorial- prehistoric/old/ancient

Plagued- to pester/harass or to cause trouble or distress

Shortcomings- a failure, a fault or a defect

Dispel- to make a doubt, feeling, thought or belief disappear

Nitpickings- to look for small errors/ faultfinding

Student Action! Way To Go Keisha and Deborah!

Last week one of my students, Keisha, brought in an independent action project about Amelia Earhart! I was so impressed with her hard work and proud of her for going above and beyond. I love it when my kids take their learning to the next level independently.

Please remember, action can be a big project like this one, but it can also be a small gesture like having a conversation with someone about what you learned or reading a book to a family member. Just today, Deborah looked up information about a hero at home and emailed me the information. This is a great student action too. Keep up the great work kids!
 

Business Fair

The First Annual IST Grade 3 Business Fair was a fantastic success. It was such a fun day and it turned out better than I ever could have imagined. The project was the perfect culmination of our past two units on Economics and Advertising and the students really demonstrated their learning. In addition to the products, students created advertisements for their business that included a logo and slogan.

While we had many sweets for sale, I was happy to have a variety of booths. The students were very creative with their ideas. A few students sold cookies and treats, there was a massage parlor, a nail salon, jewelery and plates for sale and a lemonade stand. The kids had such a fun time selling their products to visitors and talking about their learning.

It was also nice to visit other classrooms and see our competitors :-) I want to send a huge thank you to everyone who purchased items that day and especially to the numerous parent volunteers! We could not have done it without you. All of our hard work really paid off and in total we raised about 3.5 million Tanzanian Shillings! That is about 2,200 USD. Incredible! 

Student Action: Class Riddles

 At recess, a few of my girls have been making up riddles for the class. This is a basic, yet really cool student action and I wanted to share some of them on the blog. These relate to our Body Unit from last month. Enjoy!

I am very small. You need water to make me move. What am I?
Answer: blood

What is your sixth sense? It ends with sense.  
Answer: common sense

 

Bake Sale Results!!!

Thank you to all of the families and students who helped bake goods for our CCBRT Bake Sale! It was a wonderful event. There were so many tasty treats and one of my girls even made some earrings to sell! The kids were thrilled to sell their goods and watched as their blue frosted cupcakes, chocolatey brownies and homemade breads slipped through their fingers in the name of a good cause.

Overall, we raised 422,500 Tsh for CCBRT. One generous grandmother from the US even sent a donation all the way across the oceans right into our collection can! After the baked goods were sold, Yuna and her mother took the left overs to CCBRT and gave the patients and their families some treats as a surprise. All in all, it was an amazing day and I am happy to be part of such a fantastic student led event. My class is truly.... electrifying!