Building a Reading Life
10/26/2017
PNA supports the overwhelming amount of research on the need for students to spend time actually reading. In third grade, reading workshop is an important part of daily instruction. It begins with a whole group mini-lesson where students are explicitly taught a powerful reading strategy. Then, students choose a good reading spot where they can settle down and continue their independent reading work. Students also receive feedback during individual or small group conferences. A reading workshop usually ends with readers sharing a little bit of what they read and the strategies they used to understand the story. To support reading workshop, students are also encouraged to read 20 minutes each night Making prediction is one of the skills emphasized in third grade. This skill enables readers to become active readers instead of passive bystanders. Look at the reading learning progression that happened in third grade. The first picture on the left shows students' prediction before the workshop and the picture on the right shows prediction done during the reading workshop.
Consulting the Experts
10/20/2017
Ward (2011) conducted a study on the impact of guest speakers in the classroom. She found that a guest speaker in a classroom will have greatest impact if the content is both age appropriate and content specific to what is being studied. In addition, she claimed that having a guest speaker in the classroom seemed to mean more to students over a longer period of time. Bringing experts into the classroom is also an important element of PBL. According to Suzie Boss, an educational consultant and a member of BIE's National Faculty, we make the most of learning experiences when we get the community involved in our projects. She believes that "most students respond positively when they have opportunities to tackle challenges or investigate issues that extend beyond the classroom walls."
In third grade, students welcomed two experts who provided us content expertise that helped answer students' "need to know" questions and our driving question, "What can we, as geographers, add to Public Land's Great Alaskan Kit to teach other classrooms about Alaskan regions?
Our first speaker was Glenn Hart, Education Specialist at the Alaska Public Lands Information Center. He had the third graders play the game Jeopardy to help them learn facts about Alaskan geography.
Our other speaker was Shad O'Neel, a glaciologist, a PNA parent and Cameron's uncle. Through a presentation, he shared his wealth of knowledge on the environmental characteristics of Alaska's five geographical regions. He also brought his own pictures of glaciers in Alaska that prove global warming is real!
Guest Speaker's Feedback:
"It was fun to speak to the super-engaged third grade class. The student's excitement is always so fun to see, and a sure sign of them getting a great education. In addition to being so engaged in learning, it was awesome to see how polite and courteous the kids were. That made it really easy for me to share the slides, and answer questions as they came up. I only wish all audiences were that awesome to talk with!" - Shad O'Neel
Sources:
Ward, S, 2011. The impact f guest speakers in the science classroom. Montana State University. Retrieved from http://scholarworks.montana.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1/2502/WardS0811.pdf Boss, S. 2013 September 16. Get your community on board with PBL. BIE. Retrieved from https://www.bie.org/blog/get_your_community_on_board_with_pbl Geography with Parents
10/13/2017
According to National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools, when parents are involved in their children's education, children succeed at higher rates. Students perform better and are more likely to graduate and continue onto college. At PNA, parent involvement is encouraged, valued, and appreciated. The school would not be where it is now without the support of PNA parents. One of the opportunities for parents to be involved is through Parent Lunch. It is a time when parents or guardians join the class and experience their child's learning environment. In third grade, parents and guardians joined the class launch of their Geography unit, having Parent Snack as an entry event. PNA does not have a set textbook for social studies so teachers use a variety of resources. A teaching kit was borrowed from Public Lands to teach the kids about Alaska. The kit was opened in class, and we discovered that it is somewhat outdated and missing some things. This is a real world problem that calls for a PBL project with the driving question: "What can we, as geographers, add to Public Land's Great Alaskan kit to teach other classrooms about Alaskan regions?" In order to answer the driving question, what are the things students need to learn? One of the students answered, "Maps!" So the third graders together with their parents or guardians used their map skills for an "Alaskan Map Quest". They answered questions together that helped the students explore the Alaskan map. After the class activity, parents, guardians, and students enjoyed a scrumptious snack together. Parent Snack provides parents an opportunity to experience how it is to be a third grader and at the same time it gives students a sense of security to know that their parents and the school are a team working together to support them all the way. Parent Feedback:"Instead of the kids preparing a presentation for us, we joined them in class as they started their geography unit. We worked on a collaborative assignment using maps and printed materials about Alaska to answer questions about the state. It was fun to see all our kids engaged and confidently hunting for information, problem-solving with parents and peers, and thinking about geography in a very hands-on, real-world way. Also, there were cookies. :-)" - Cheryl M.
Game Day!
10/7/2017
How did you learn about forces when you were in elementary school? At PNA, third grade students were expected to show what they know about forces and interaction by creating their own arcade game. Since PBL takes learning to a whole new level, students took their learning beyond the classroom. Students had to present to parents, other students, other teachers, and to an organization called Kids' Kitchen. Presenting student learning through a public display is an important aspect to Project Based Learning because it adds to the authenticity of the learning experience. Read on to see the final steps toward 3rd Grade's final product, Game Day.
First, third graders advertised Game Day during morning announcements and went to every class to invite them.
Second, they practiced their presentation skills with the Head of School. There were three important things they had to include: (1) the answer to the driving question: How can we, as engineers, create arcade games for Kids' Kitchen? (2) Where are the forces on your arcade game or what is the science behind your arcade? (3) How do you play your game? After presenting to the Head of School, they watched their videos for Peer Evaluation. After receiving feedbacks from Ms. Hoefer, their peer, and teacher, students wrote their reflection on what they need to work on to prepare for their final public presentation.
3rd Grade asked the school community to bring carrots and broccoli when they come to play their arcade games. These vegetables were donated to Kids' Kitchen. PNA's 3rd graders and the kids' at Kids' Kitchen enjoyed a scrumptious meal together.
After dinner, kids at Kids' Kitchen had so much fun playing the arcade games. The third graders didn't want to leave. According to BIE, there’s one final benefit to having a public product: the proud moment when students present their work to the “real world” is often a memory they will keep for the rest of their lives.
Parent's Feedback:
"I honestly didn't know what to expect but I was impressed with the organization of the meal preparation and the friendliness of Elgin and the Rec Center staff. Elgin has a genuine love and passion for all children. My heart was overjoyed when I witnessed the kids equally as excited about playing the arcade games as our kids were to create and share them. When it comes down to it, they share the common bond of being curious kids who love creativity, friendship, fun, & learning. " - Rachel Botson
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Jessica GrahamMs. Graham graduated from the University of Alabama with a BS in Early Childhood/Elementary Education, and is currently working on her master's in reading. She enjoys hiking, traveling, arts & crafts, and playing the ukulele. Archives
April 2021
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