The Rookery

The Herons thoroughly enjoyed Minnecanos by Mixed Blood Theater.  It was an artful exploration of what it means to have an ethnic identity.  "Jimmy" a Minnesotan boy whose great grandfather immigrated for Mexico, does not know much at all about the traditions of his elders – in large part because…

Today the Herons found out the roles they will be playing in our production of Twelfth Bite.  I can't wait to get started.  I am continually amazed by the power of theater in a classroom.  We recently had a half a day of professional development devoted to looking at how we…

The rain and snow held off for a wonderful day at St. Olaf, today.  Thank you to Joe Gransee-Bowman for coming along with us to share his green building expertise.  A huge thank you to Cassie Paulsen and Emma Fitz Chapman, the co-coordinators of St. Olaf Science Alliance.  They organized…

A major theme in our four/five math instruction this year is flexibility.  We know that students who are comfortable with math concepts are able to use them flexibly and creatively.  They are able to play with numbers and use math to understand complex situations. We've learned not to assume that…

In a progressive classroom, we always strive to make learning meaningful – to give students a reason to know something beyond scoring well on a test.  When it works, students feel a deep need for information.  One of the most powerful tools I've found to create this need is role play.…

Bacon-Stix – real bacon fake nails were a big hit in the Herons. Chindogu is the Japanese art of "useless" inventions.  I put "useless" in quotations because the rules of the art form is that the invention be of use to someone because it solves a problem (even if it's…

Every day we begin writing with a mini-lesson.  Mini-lessons are very short and are not necessarily meant to be applied that day by the students.  For some, it is a first introduction to a concept which they will begin to recognize in their reading.  For others, it serves to refine…

Three kids were staring at their computer screen on Tuesday when they gasped so loudly everyone came running.  Their screen was filled with multicolored stars.  "HOW'D YOU DO THAT?!" everyone wanted to know.  Soon the class scurried back to their computers to try out the new idea. For our geometry…

The 4/5 classess have begun our regular math routine. We spend 15 minutes in foundation math, reviewing and learning the basic skills necessary to solve problems in math. The rest of our time, about 55 minutes, is spent in exploration math. In our first exploration math unit, we are studying…

Today, the Herons left school singing.  They were trying to figure out all the words to an epicly long song we sang at our campout.  One child would remember one part, another would fill in the next.  They bopped along, working together, laughing and content as they left the building.…