It's All Fun & Games...
5/1/2021
As I reflected on the past two weeks and began to write about our most recent science-based project, the PNA Arcade, I pulled up my list of science standards that this project addressed. Our driving question had been: “How can we apply our new learning about energy to create arcade games for our school that are fun and challenging to play?” I set out to talk about how students were applying their beginning knowledge about energy and engineering to create arcade games made of cardboard and other discarded items, all while reinforcing the ideal of being ecologically responsible by reusing discarded materials during Earth Week. But, as I sifted through the dozens of photos I took and reflected on all that I observed throughout this project, it wasn’t the science standards that kept bubbling to the surface. It was the learning standards and academic practices that cross all learning areas that kept showing up in every picture and every note I took. The best learning that happened during this project wasn’t about so much about science, it was about life. Our Collaboration standard, "Communicates and contributes positively to classroom and community,” was in evidence everywhere I turned. Students politely shared materials, asked if they could help a classmate, offered ideas, commiserated when a friend faced failure, and complimented and cheered each other on. Classmates and friends supported each other every step the way, from holding cardboard in place, to sharing the duct tape, to monitoring a friend’s game while she or he stepped away. I watched every single student apply the Creativity and Innovation standard, "Formulates and uses original ideas and methods,” as they worked through multiple iterations of their arcade games. More than once I watched a student try a solution that did not seem like it could possibly work, only to watch them figure out a solution that I never would have predicted. I watched students try one thing, fail; try another, fail; and try yet another approach, never giving up. They kept pushing, trying, testing, and innovating, all demonstrating our Problem Solving standard of "Perseveres to find solutions to difficult tasks or complex issues.” The persistence and unwillingness to give up that these young learners demonstrated was enormous. From beginning to end, the PNA fourth graders pulled together as a community of learners and creators to put together a truly fun and innovative arcade for the first, second, fifth, and sixth grade students. Their excitement when their friends and siblings played their games was very special to watch. It was a delightful reminder of the very best kind of learning: hands-on, extended, problem-based, creative. The kind of learning that PNA loves best! Patience + Persistence = Pride
4/4/2021
We educators are always seeking to engage our students in hands-on learning, because we know how motivating and effective such learning is. Hands-on learning is defined as "learning that is gained by actually doing something rather than learning about it from books, lectures, etc. : involving or allowing the use of your hands or touching with your hands; actively and personally involved in something.” We’ve done less of these types of activities than we’d like this year due to COVID-19 protocols, but we’ve worked very hard to keep this important mode of learning at the forefront, especially in our project-based learning work. There are several components of a “gold standard” project in project based learning. Among those, “authenticity” and “a public product” are particularly important because they greatly increase student motivation, interest, and desire to do high-quality work. They can also be among the more challenging to accomplish; doing real-life work and processes with young children isn’t always an easy feat, especially so in our current COVID-19 classroom set-up. And while one can always “create” a public audience for a project, it’s always ideal when the final product truly is needed or wanted by the final recipients. Our annual PNA Auction projects are just about as authentic and public as we can get. Each year our students become artists, creating an art project that is auctioned off to support the PNA mission. Parents and community members view the artworks and bid on them, often with great enthusiasm and generous donations. The creation of these projects usually takes place outside the regular classroom activities with a parent volunteer or guest artist, but this year, again due to COVID-19, the work was part of our regular classroom day. In fact, much of the work took place over the last two weeks, ironically juxtaposed against our standardized testing. Each day, after a morning of quiet, solitary testing, in which students worked on tests where they chose answers from a predetermined list of A, B, C, or D, we spent the afternoons figuring out how to create electrical circuits and working on our Auction projects. Tinkering, trying, testing, and talking took the forefront as students put forth their best efforts to create an artwork that auction-goers would want to purchase. Since I am a quilter, that was the project I could best support. Divided into two convenient groups of 8 boys and 8 girls, students imagined a theme for their quilts; brainstormed and debated and defended ideas; came to consensus over a final decision; created prototype sketches and provided critical feedback to each other; and then got to work on their art. In several instances, students had to start over, try again, scrap an original idea. Once they began the sewing tasks, the majority of students learned to use a sewing machine for the first time. There were fingers poked with pins, seams that went awry and had to be unpicked and re-sewn, and the constant challenge of mastering a new process. When their squares were complete, they went up on the design board and students collaboratively decided on the best layout for the final quilt. Throughout this process, students were focused, excited, engaged, and productive. They showed patience and persistence. They helped each other, pushed on each other’s thinking with respect and kindness, worked together on something tangible and beautiful. Their pride when the quilt top came together this Friday was a joy to behold. This was something they had created with their own hands, and they were so proud of it. In school, writing an essay or reading a book or solving a math problem are all authentic tasks. They ARE hands-on and real-life tasks and they are important ones for our kids to learn. But it’s different kind of learning to take fabric and crayons and a sewing machine and creating a soft, vibrant blanket that will be auctioned to eager buyers. Students left Friday feeling accomplished and capable. More than one student went home this week and sewed on their home machine… bean bags and stuffies were made and proudly shown-off. Plans for quilts and other sewing projects are already being made. Students know they have the power to create things, to learn new things, to do hard things. That’s the power of hands-on, project based learning. Oh, and the quilts? They are beautiful. I’ve provided some sneak peeks for you in the pictures below. But you’ll have to check out the PNA Auction to see the full view. We need that authentic, public audience, after all!! A Landslide of Ideas...
1/16/2021
It is sometimes a little scary to consider the fact that we are all very much at the mercy of “Mother Nature.” Our earth is shaped each day and over time by various natural processes and events, and those changes affect us - sometimes drastically. Fourth graders have been studying the rock cycle and earth’s processes. They’ve learned about volcanoes, erosion, and weathering, and the evidence that they leave behind. This week they turned their attention to the types, causes, and dangers of landslides. It’s a phenomenon that is particularly relevant to Alaskans after the landslides in Haines in December, which we discussed as a part of this activity. The Next Generation Science standards for grade 4 call for students to understand, observe, and measure the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans. The standards also expect that students generate and compare multiple solutions to these impacts. In this way students begin to understand the process of engineering and how we use it to keep humans safe. Even at this young age, students begin to brainstorm ideas, refine them, examine them for effectiveness, and defend them to critics. Our lesson this week, from the Mystery Science curriculum presented students with an imaginary situation in which they have won a new home: in the town of Slide City. The home is located very near the location of a previous landslide that occurred due to several factors: a very steep mountain near the town; a lot of heavy rainfall; and a homeowner at the top of the mountain who had heavily watered his land. Students are tasked with either protecting their new home from a future landslide, or preventing a future landslide from occurring. We began with a brainstorming session in which students were encouraged to think far and wide for anything they could and not to judge or criticize an idea the moment. They were reminded that many current solutions and inventions originated from ideas that seemed far-fetched. After generating a large variety of starting points, students are now creating their own plans for solutions. Listening to these young scientists toss ideas, questions, concerns, and hypotheses around was exciting. They debated with each other; pushed on each others’ thinking; defended their reasoning; asked questions. They sketched and erased and sketched again. At one point, a student came to me and asked: “When we create our plan, are we going to have to make sure that guy at the top of the mountain can get groceries?” While I smothered a smile at the way this was phrased, I was struck by his intuitive understanding that any solution must be considered from many angles and must take into account many stakeholders.
Though the lesson was meant to be finished already, it isn’t. Students are taking the challenge quite seriously and haven’t landed on their final plans yet; we will have to finish our work on Monday and students will present their ideas to each other. Watch this link for pictures of their final plans: they will certainly be unique and creative evidence of our young scientists’ budding skills as engineers! Just a Note...
12/13/2020
Last week our daily Morning Message asked students to grab a sticky note with a classmate’s name on it and write a compliment on it. At the end of the day, the sticky notes were passed out, so each student received an anonymous compliment. Many of those notes have stayed inside students’ folders or on their tables for several days: a testament to the power of kind words. They like seeing them, tangible and real in front of them. We are blessed during this pandemic to have so many technological tools that allow us to see and hear each other from a distance. We have instant connection via texts and Face Time and Zoom. Emails allow us to check in with others and communication takes place in seconds. And yet the power of a handwritten note or card is undiminished. Notes, cards, letters are special: they are tangible, personal, real. Holiday cards arrive in the mail and bring a smile to our faces, and they are even more exciting when a letter accompanies them. Letter writing is a writing mode that isn’t often given much attention, but it is a powerful mode for students to explore. It’s a very personal way to share one’s thoughts and ideas, and because there is a known audience, it requires the writer to think about the reader at the other end. In doing so, the writer becomes aware of all the traits of good writing organization, word choice, conventions, ideas, sentence fluency, voice. How will the letter be perceived? Will my message be understood? Which parts are most important, and which parts can be cut? If I am writing a postcard, how will I make my message clear and meaningful in such a small space? And so we are exploring letter writing. As we continued learning about the fifty states for social studies, we have joined with other classrooms around the country in a 50 state postcard exchange. This week students read several postcards that have arrived so far. They were enchanted and excited to hear from students in other states. We read about historical facts, state nicknames, interesting activities and more. Students are itching to begin writing back to share about OUR state. As they do this, they will be thinking hard about the best ways to craft their message, to share what they love about their home with someone who has never been there. Additionally, students will begin writing reader response letters in reading workshop. Each week they will write a letter to their teacher or a classmate about their current book. They will use the letter to share a brief summary and share their personal response and connection to the text. This makes students be reflective as they read, and to consider the author’s message, craft and style. They will share their thinking in letter form. Finally, we received an invitation from a teacher in Russia to correspond with her students. These Russian students are eager to connect with our class, and thus we have yet another reason to become better writers. The simple letter - on a postcard, in a reading journal, to a student on the other side of the county or the world - becomes the vehicle for communication and connection. We can all use as much of that as we can get right now! Creature Creators Pt 2: Completion!
11/7/2020
While there’s always excitement when beginning a project or task, there’s great satisfaction in finishing things. Bringing a large project to completion is an important thing for young learners to experience. The sense of accomplishment and efficacy that comes from successfully meeting a goal helps build confidence and teaches learners that they have control over themselves and how they shape their own learning.
This week brought 4th graders to the end of two long term projects: Creature Creators and their maps of Imaginary Lands. In both cases they were completing long term projects that were designed to show their knowledge and understanding: of animal structures and geographical features. Pride and excitement were the overriding feelings as students brought their final creature models to the lobby for the school to see. Maps will be hung throughout the school as well. The most critical question on students’ minds was: “Will we get take them home?!” They are all very excited to share their work with their families; many shared that they already have places picked out where they will display them. This is a critical aspect of PBL: students who complete projects of this nature have an investment in their work, a genuine desire to share what they have created and accomplished. They have invested themselves in the process and the product. Are the final projects exactly what they originally envisioned? In many case, no. Was the process painless and perfect? Usually not! There were cracks in the models; plans that were too grand; struggles with tools and materials; poor time management. But every single student persevered and felt the satisfaction of finalizing their work. They were proud of their accomplishments and were able to share what they would do differently. And as exceptional learners, they are excited to tackle our next new learning experiences. Creature Creators
10/24/2020
Project-based learning, (PBL) a learning method that we strive for at PNA, is a way of thinking about school that moves us beyond traditional schooling routines and structures. One key aspect of PBL is the goal of “authenticity.” Working to make learning relevant and engaging, we try to have students show their learning and skills in ways that are authentic: more about doing than knowing. The experts at PBL Works define it in this way: "When people say something is authentic, they generally mean it is real or genuine, not fake. In education, the concept has to do with how “real-world” the learning or the task is. Authenticity increases student motivation and learning. A project can be authentic in several ways, often in combination. It can have an authentic context, such as when students solve problems like those faced by people in the world outside of school (e.g., entrepreneurs developing a business plan, engineers designing a bridge, or advisors to the President recommending policy). It can involve the use of real-world processes, tasks and tools, and performance standards, such as when students plan an experimental investigation or use digital editing software to produce videos approaching professional quality. It can have a real impact on others, such as when students address a need in their school or community (e.g., designing and building a school garden, improving a community park, helping local immigrants) or create something that will be used or experienced by others. Finally, a project can have personal authenticity when it speaks to students’ own concerns, interests, cultures, identities, and issues in their lives." This past week we began a final project to close out our science unit on animal adaptations. Capitalizing on students’ imaginations and fascination with fantasy and science fiction books, movies, and games, the project invites them to become creature creators, a real-life career. Our Driving Question: How can we, as creature designers, create a creature for a science fiction movie that will seem realistic?" After learning a little bit about the process that a creature creator uses (see this link for a little peek and to understand how these artists must use real life science knowledge,) here’s what students were invited to do: You have been hired as a creature designer for the next Hollywood blockbuster movie! The movie involves visiting many different fantasy environments. The movie director wants you to create a realistic animal or plant for the scenes on one of these planets during the movie. You have been asked to learn about the fantasy planets, learn about one planet's environment and habitat, and use your knowledge of animals' and plants' internal and external structures and adaptations to create a creature that could survive in the planet's ecosystem. You will need to make your imaginary creature realistic so that movie goers will be able to imagine that the planet is real. Use all the knowledge you have been gathering about animals' and plants' structures. Once you have created a scientific diagram and and a model your organism, you will deliver a presentation that explains your design and convinces the director that your creature should be built for the movie. Using what they have learned in science class about how animals’ internal and external structures help them grow, survive, and reproduce, students sketched creatures for their chosen habitats, thinking carefully about the environment and what their creatures would need to survive and thrive. They began building 3-D models of their creatures, a process that was challenging and engaging. Designs were adapted and re-thought, construction challenges were handled, and creativity reigned. Things did get a little messy! Next week students will finalize their models and scientific diagrams and prepare to pitch their creations to the teacher/director. Though we may not be creating an actual movie, applying scientific knowledge and being creative problem-solvers are very real processes these young learners will be called on to do in any of their chosen life paths. They are well on their way! The Power of Zooming Out
10/10/2020
Although school schedules and structures often require us to divide our learning activities into specific subjects, in reality those divisions are less clear cut and rigid. Even in the world of careers, a scientist must consider the connections and impact of geography and economics, of history and civics. Skills and knowledge of math and language arts come to play across all of content areas and real life work. Students who understand how interconnected all learning is, who can “zoom out” in their thinking, are better able to be creative problem solvers. Exceptional learners are challenged to look for connections across subject areas and learning activities: to see a bigger picture and to wrestle with abstract concepts. A common topic wove its way into our learning this week: scale and powers of ten. In math we began our second unit by diving into our understanding of ten: what happens when we multiply by ten? And again by ten? And again? How do numbers change when we continually increase them tenfold? And how can we conceptualize large numbers? Students reached back to their early learnings about place value, using place value tiles to represent 1 (a unit), 10 (a strip), and 100 (a mat.) Then we used the mat, an array of 10 by 10 units, to construct a strip-mat: 1000. And then a mat-mat: 10,000. Physically building these models helps students to make a very abstract thing more concrete and real. This model will be hanging in our classroom for the next weeks as a visual aid in understanding the process of multiplying by 2-digit numbers. How then did the “power of ten” show up elsewhere in our learning day? Well, we are digging deeper into geography, and especially the geography of the United States. Again, some big ideas and varying terms that are somewhat abstract somehow needed to be made concrete and applicable. What is the difference between a continent, a country, a state, and a city? How are they related in size and function? This can be really challenging for young learners to sort out. So we watched an old film that “zooms” our view of a picnic on the grass from one square meter all the way out to millions of meters, watching how our view changes with each power of ten. Then we created a paper model to help situate ourselves on the map: from our home or school out to the solar system. This model can help students to sort out the differences between all the geography terms they are learning, and to more clearly understand the maps they are studying. We saw other point of connection between our science studies and the fantasy/science fiction book we are reading in ELA: Gregor the Overlander. Gregor, an 11 year old boy, finds himself below the Earth’s surface in an Underland populated with people and animals who have adapted to living with very light. How easy it was to connect our learning in science about how the eye works, what role light plays, and how animals’ body structures are adopted for survival! Though we may organize our day and our resources around individual subjects, learning in our fourth grade classroom is always an opportunity to see how all of our skills and knowledge in those subjects come together to build bigger understandings. Listen closely to your child’s conversations to see these connections being made. It's where the learning happens! Scientific Modeling
9/26/2020
Humans are scientists. We seek to explore, question, and understand the world around us. We see situations or problems, hypothesize about why things occur or how problems can be solved, test out our ideas, refine our thinking, and continue the cycle of inquiry. Young learners love science class because it is a natural extension of the way they see and interact with their world every day. They are filled with questions they wonder about and are fascinated when they can discover answers to the questions spinning in their heads. PNA aligns science instruction with the Next Generation Science Standards, a set of learning expectations that were developed and released in 2013 by state policy leaders, educators, and various partner groups such as the National Research Council (NRC), the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The standards are designed to prioritize coherence across all grades levels, and they include three key components: disciplinary core ideas; science and engineering practices, and cross-cutting concepts. Science instruction should integrate content knowledge and scientific practices in meaningful ways. As students learn key information about the life, physical, and earth sciences, they also learn about and practice engineering and design concepts such as developing and using models, and constructing explanations and engaging in argument. They also connect discreet facts with big ideas like patterns, structures and function, and stability and change. These concepts cross over into all the science disciplines and help learners see the “big picture.” Our first scientific explorations this year have been in Life Science, as students seek to be able to: 4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. and 4-LS1-2. Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways. We’ve begun by learning through models. Students have created some models of the human finger and eye and compared those to similar structures in animals. Students have made a “robot finger” that moves when the “tendons” are pulled. They also crafted a working model of an eye that projects an image on a “retina.” Next we will be connecting these experiences to an understanding of how the individual parts of an organism’s body work together as a system. We’ll also explore how animals in different habitats have different structures to support survival by integrating our science learning through a social studies project about the regions of the United States. Fourth grade scientists are forging ahead! Not quite the same.
5/9/2020
Finishing our 19-20 school year via distance learning was not what any of us expected or wanted for our final trimester in fourth grade. It has definitely been a challenge for all of us involved. However I believe the students have risen to the challenge and have been a credit to themselves for their determination, tenacity and optimism they have brought day in day out to our online sessions.
We are a school community that strives for hands-on, face-to-face, multi-age and active learning. It is sad to know we won’t get to be in the same space together until next school year. Though. each day we connect with each other online using videoconferencing. We play games; share "good things;" discuss our assignments; use whiteboards and screen share interesting or funny things we have found. We appreciate and value the chance to see and hear each other and to add to our shared experiences. We may be finishing our school year from a distance, but we are still learning together! However, it is not quite the same. We have found some amazing and cool resources out there in the world of distance learning. Virtual field trips into the deep corners of the world and beyond. Programs and apps that allow for new content learning and investigation and new digital platforms that allow us to share and connect like we never have before. However, it is not quite the same. It's that connection between students and teachers, the one that gets nurtured and developed all year long, the one that happens as you develop a face to face relationship. It's the inside jokes that belong to just our class, the quick laughs at something silly, the insightful comments and flashes of brilliance and personality that shine through or even the simple fact of sharing a snack and lunch together. These moments are missing. While I am grateful for the opportunities to continue teaching remotely, to continue to provide instruction as well as I can, and to continue to nurture the connection that we still have... Its not quite the same. I miss seeing the students faces. I miss working together on problems. I miss laughing and learning. Quite simply, I miss my class. |
Martina HenkeMartina Henke has been a K-8 educator for 30+ years. A life-long learner, she loves working with kids of all ages, new technology, great books, fiber arts, and her wonderful family! Archives
April 2021
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