The Rookery

I've had several families ask me if I had any gift ideas for the holiday season and I realized I did.  I spend a lot of time with fourth and fifth graders, as you know, and have some ideas for things that are always hits.  You can also check out…

Today we experienced the factory model and interchangeable parts first hand.  I broke down the instructions for an origami box into individual folds and had students work in assembly line fashion to complete the units. Each child had a single fold to complete and then passed the unit along to…

Two posts ago, I mentioned four things that I could be writing about.  Since then, the pile of "to writes" has grown.  One of the challenges of busy times at school is that it can be hard to stand outside of the fray for a bit to reflect and write.…

"Everything happens 'after lunch'" lamented one fifth grader when I told her that's when she would find out about the persona she'd have for our Industrial Revolution theme.  By the time I handed out the roles, the Herons were at a fever pitch.  As they read, they called out questions,…

Today I had four possible blogs — the importance of understanding the fundamentals of multiplication as one learns an algorithm (I'm teaching it in foundation math right now), the fun we had constructing three dimensional shapes from nets (and challenge that this kind of spacial work provides for some kids who…

My colleagues and I spend a lot of time thinking, reading and talking about math instruction.  It's an incredibly complex topic and, unlike reading, there is no consensus in the expert community about how it should be taught.  Part of the challenge is balancing computation and vocabulary with conceptual understanding…

Many years ago now, one of the Elms came up with a Habit of Mind he felt was missing from the official list, "Going Above and Beyond."  We had some great discussions trying to determine if this idea fit in some of the others or if it indeed should be…

The Big Birds are working with geometry right now and seem to really be enjoying the concrete nature of the subject.  We've named, measured, and drawn angles.  We've looked at parallel and perpendicularlines.  We've differentiated rays, lines, and line segments.  Now we're tackling shapes. Naming shapes is something we begin working…

        Today the Herons were introduced to the computer language Logo.  It's the first language I learned when I was in grade school and, while it is capable of doing a lot, we'll be using a simplified version that is great for geometry (our current math theme).…

The Herons are in the midst of revising and editing their essays about their countries.  It’s a time consuming process and I have them use a Revision and Editing Checklist.  By the time they’re finished, they’ll have re-read their writing upwards of eight times.  Careful revision and editing is a…