Sizzle Week
Lil Sizzle is a week- long intensive study of a subject area of interest for students in grades 3-5. During this week, all regular scheduled classes are suspended so that students can work in a smaller group setting devoting their time exclusively to the topic they selected. Twelve students chose to work with me on a Musical Theater Project. Many were surprised that I was leading the group because it wasn't math related. Math Teachers can be artsy too! Using the beloved storybook, Jumanji, as our source material, students wrote scripts, picked parts, developed scenes, composed a small musical introduction and ending, and made props for their performance. Lucky for us, teaching artist, Joanna Carpenter guided us through this process. We learned a lot and had fun doing it. See our process here.
New Blog: Engaging All LearnersClasses are made up of so many different types of learners and abilities. How can we keep everyone challenged, engaged, and meeting his or her individual goal?
Here is an example of an activity that engages all students. Fifth Grade Trip To Ridgewood ReservoirHappy Pi DayWe had some fun with Circumference on Pi Day. Students left school learning why we call March 14th "Pi Day." After watching Sir Cumference and The Dragon of Pi, we explored Pi by measuring various circles around the room with string the size of the circle's diameter; confirming that the circumference is in fact three strings and one-seventh. The favorite activity of the day were soundscapes we created for the number Pi. We gave 3.14 sound. Here is what we came up with...
Caught Rockin' Morning MeetingCluster Wide Morning Meeting is an initiative I started a few years ago in order to build community among our youngest learners at the Renaissance Charter School. The last Wednesday of every month students in grades K-5 convene in the auditorium for a brief 20-minute check in. More...
Math the Musical
Problem Solvers...Top 10 Ways To Survive Christina |
Comics AND Math
WINNER WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER
CONGRATULATIONS GO TO THE EARHARTS OF RENAISSANCE. At the Eastern Regional competition on March 16th, our team of 5th graders won 2nd place in the Elementary Division. They were invited to participate in the State competition in Binghamton, NY on April 6th. At the State competition these students won the Highest Instant Challenge Score as well as Second place for their technical challenge. They will advance to Globals in Kansas City, in May. Join me in giving our dedicated fifth grade students: Anand, Umed, Taye, Andres, Emily, Ominya, and Niki a well deserve round of applause!
Destination Imagination is a creative problem solving competition. Teams of seven students choose a challenge to work on over several months. Our school's team, the Earharts of Renaissance, chose the Technical Challenge, "On Target," where they were tasked with building an aircraft that could fly and drop payloads over a target before landing. They also had to create a story about someone exploring a remote place. Our team designed and built a quadcopter, learning about circuitry, soldering, and the principles of flight. Their story focused on the historical mystery of famous aviator Amelia Earhart. They had characters that came from the future in a time machine and dropped supplies from their quadcopter to help Amelia survive. The Dream Bubble
Our Elementary Students were asked: " What kind of World do you want to live in? We have come a long way since the dreams of Martin Luther King Jr. But there is still a long way to go. Students thought of ways we could make our world a better place, and created images of their own dreams for the world. Through this art installation, look closely at the stained glass windows; peer out on the dream of our youngest TRCS students. For More...
The Moment the Bubble Inflated...
FIFTH GRADE ORIENTATION PICNICA Skype Conversation with Marilyn BurnsIt was an honor having Marilyn Burns Skype with my third graders. Here is what we learned!
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