The Rookery

Right now the Big Birds are studying fractions in math and I've been working with my group to multiply and divide with fractions.  For multiplication, I had the students reflect on what multiplication meant before we began.  We then applied those definitions to make sense of multiplying by fractions and…

Every morning, the Herons get together for a 15 minute "reunion" (spanish for "meeting.")  It's lead by a different student each day but follows the same format – students welcome each other, share announcements, make short shares (5 words, no questions), long shares (questions allowed) and then play a game…

The snow was perfect, the rivalry was simmering, there really was not choice but to abandon the P.E. lesson plan and head out to the big field for a giant snow ball fight (which I recently learned is Japanese team sport called yukigassen)  It was an epic battle against the…

Caroline just shared with us the final report from the evaluation team that visited our school in late February, the culmination of our self-study process.  The report will be shared with our authorizer, Northfield School District.  The introduction was written by Rob Hardy, after he and his team observed classes,…

I just read an article on Northfield Patch about the very significant cuts that the Northfield Public Schools will be facing next year.  The first paragraph mentions cutting elementary band, a program which has been a favorite of Prairie Creek fifth graders for years.  (There's a public hearing at 7pm…

It's Electric (If I knew how to insert the music to the " Electricslide" here, I would) Hopefully by now you've heard about some of the initial adventures of our first theme.  Yesterday, students were very sure they could easily make light with a battery, a paperclip and a flashlight bulb.…

It's personal project season — a great time of year at Prairie Creek when kids regularly come bounding up to you, eager to share the latest fact they've learned about their passion.  The lunchtime conversations one overhears are full of tidbits from research:  "Oh, you probably had that dream during…

Some of you may have heard the recent fund drive for National Public Radio.  One of their recurring themes is, "How much is this news coverage worth to you?  A quarter a day?  A dollar?"  They then go on to talk about how much people pay for cable or for…

 Our last class at Wolf Ridge was the ropes course.  I was ambivalent about that.  Yes, it could be a very exciting way to end the week.  On the other hand, sometimes when students do not do every stage of the ropes course they are frustrated and feel that they've…

Great day – but cold.  The video camera was so cold that it hurt to hold it so I don't have a ton of footage.  Why the long video then?  Because I hit the wrong button and included whole clips instead of doing the auto edit and by the time…