Addition and Subtraction

Most of our kids are pretty proficient at knowing how to follow the step-by-step procedure of adding and subtracting multi-digit numbers. But I really want our students to understand what's really happening to the numbers and why it's happening. For example, when subtracting multi-digit numbers - many kids can tell you, "You cross out the 3 and make it a 2. Then you turn the 4 into a 14." But when you ask them, "Why? Why does that happen? Why does the 3 become a 2? Why does the 4 become a 14?" - many kids are at a complete loss. So this week we have used base ten blocks to demonstrate our understanding of what happens when we add and subtract. These hands-on lessons have really made an impact on our kids. Several students have told me, "Wow, I never knew that's what really happened," or "I kinda knew what was happening, but now I really get it." I love watching the A-ha's on their faces when they come to these new understandings!

This is a drawing from Richie's math notebook. He's drawn a picture to explain how 277 + 58 = 335. Notice how he groups the ones together to make a ten, then moves the ten over with the other tens. Then he groups 10 tens together to make a 100, and then moves that one hundred over with the other hundred.


This is a drawing from Emma's math notebook, where she is explaining what happens when you subtract 158 from 243. Notice how she takes a ten and moves it over to the ones, creating 13 ones. Then she moves a 100 over to the tens, creating 13 tens.

Nakia and Porter are using the base ten blocks to demonstrate their understanding of addition and subtraction.

Writing with Rebekah's Mom

Two weeks ago, we were so fortunate to have Rebekah's Mom (Ms. Duckett) share her writing life with our class. I had taken so many wonderful pictures of Ms. Duckett sharing her journals and ideas with our kids, but the pictures were accidentally deleted from the digital camera. But I did take lots of notes, and I wanted to share some of the big ideas she shared with us:

• Choose a journal or notebook that you love. You are much more likely to write in a notebook that you connect with.
• The texture of a notebook is important. Ms. Duckett has found that smooth, slick notebooks tend to fall apart. Choose a quality notebook that will last.
• The size of your notebook is very important. Choose a notebook that's convenient to transport. You never know when you'll find an idea, and it's very useful to have your notebook handy.
• Learn to look for ideas all around you (Ms. Duckett told a very interesting story about a squirrel - she took the time to stop and notice life around her).
• Your notebook is a safe place to write - you're the main audience!
• "So the thinker of thoughts will become the writer of words" - what an incredible quote! It reminds me of a poem we sometimes say in our classroom: "What I think, I can say. What I say, I can write. What I write, I can read. What I read, I can share."
• It's fun to look back at notebooks and journals you've kept in the past and see how you've changed and grown.
• Your life is worth writing about!

At the end of her presentation, I asked Ms. Duckett to share some of her thoughts about writing - some parting wisdom for our class. I was lucky enough not to erase this from my video camera!

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Native American Tableaus

During our study of Native Americans, we learned about four cultural regions: Eastern Woodlands, Great Plains, Southwest, and Northwest Coast. Each region has its own distinct environment, which creates its own unique culture. To demonstrate the big ideas we learned through this study, groups of students created tableaus. Their tableaus were based on the following questions:
- What was their environment like?
- What was their greatest resource?
- How did they obtain food?
- What kind of houses did they live in?
- What was their culture like?
We hope you enjoy the video!

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Math Games

You may have asked your child recently, "What was your favorite part of the schol day?" I'm guessing that some of them may have answered "math games." During each unit of study, I teach our kids some games that help reinforce the concepts we are learning in class. We have learned how to play Nim and Poison; both games require you to develop strategies with numbers (Cameron has become our class expert). We played Addition Top-It to strengthen our addition facts and Name That Number to practice number equations and algebra. During this past week, I taught the kids how to play High Number Toss and Number Top-It; both games reinforce what we have learned about place value. Students - I've placed a poll in the sidebar of the blog for you to vote for your favorite math game. I'm interested to see how the results turn out!

Allison is getting her cards ready for a math game.

Caitlyn and Jo'nae get ready for another round of Name That Number.

Lightbulbs and Batteries

This past week, I gave pairs of students two wires, a battery, and a flashlight bulb. I presented this challenge - Using these materials, make the light bulb come on. Our kids loved it! They immediately started coming up with configurations to light the bulb. If a plan didn't work, they revised their thinking and developed a new plan. Eventually each team was able to make their bulb light up. I then presented the question - Why is this happening? We used what we had learned about static electricity to infer an explanation. We figured out that the negative charges from the battery flow through the wire, across the filament, back down into the other wire, and into the other side of the battery (the positive side). We learned this is called a complete circuit (it kind of sounds like circle). Electricity always flows from negative to positive to make a complete circuit. Here are some pictures of our young scientists as work...

Julian and Jo'nae are working together to hold the wires and light bulb.

Tymeir and Alex are demonstrating one way to light the bulb.

Richie and Clayton did an excellent job working together to develop a plan.

Native American Studycast

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Our Native American test is this Thursday, September 11th. The study guide came home on Monday. All students brought home their Social Studies book and binder today in order to help them study. This studycast is another way to help your child study! Listen to the studycast, try to answer the questions, and see how well you know the information. Last year, many of my parents would listen to the studycast - it would enable them to more effectively review the test material with their child. Let me know what you think. If you have any questions, post a comment below this post - I'll find you an answer. Was this studycast helpful? Let me know - your feedback would be appreciated. Good luck!

What is Reading?

Last week, we participated in a very important study during Readers' Workshop. We asked ourselves this question - What is reading? To begin this study, each student responded to the question in his or her reading notebook. We then spent 3 days reading different picture books that offer us new perspectives on what happens when we read. After each picture book, we'd ask ourselves - How is my idea of reading changing? At the end of our study, students wrote their new definition of reading, adding in the new ideas and perspectives learned in our study. Here is how Coco responded in her reading notebook at the end of our study:

Reading is lots of things. It especially makes you think. The "easy" books can especially make you think the hardest. I thought that reading was something else, but it's not. You have to think ahead and you have to figure it out. And if there's a problem, try to figure out the problem. Make a solution. Reading is many things, but you always think when you do it.

I was so proud of Coco's change of thinking! I'm glad that her (and her classmates') definition of reading has expanded. Reading IS thinking!

Living Together Differently

For the past two weeks, our class did a study on "Living Together Differently." Each day we read a picture book and asked ourselves these questions - What does it mean to live together differently in our class? How should we treat each other? What does this picture book teach us about how we live together? How can we live and learn together in our community? When the two weeks were over, each student made a poster highlighting a "big idea" we learned. We hope you enjoy the video.

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