Our Cardboard Challenge Video --- check out pictures and videos from our week! :)
Our review week went pretty well. Minus me getting sick in the middle of the week. :( But, I think the Cardboard Challenge held the biggest votes for the best part of the week. We had a great time reviewing, playing games, and participating in the creativity of the challenge. See my Cardboard Challenge post here. :)
This week, we cleaned and organized the room a little bit. We reviewed our major skills, played games, and had fun. We also made Christmas cards to send to our friends in Oklahoma! We are very excited to send and receive cards from our new friends. We LOVE making those global connections! I think we are ready for Galileo week. If not, we are as ready as we can be. I am confident that these kiddos are going to do fantastic. I know they have worked hard this quarter and to me, I am aware of the growth they have made, and very proud of who these third graders are becoming! Third quarter starts after Christmas break, and is full of new skills and concepts. We will certainly be very busy this quarter, and I know we are all looking forward to and are ready for a long break!
This week, after our benchmark testing, we will have a grade level "Polar Express Day". We are watching "The Polar Express", eating fun snacks, and making a Penguin Craft! I am looking forward to a laid back day with all of the third grade friends! :)
Here are some pictures of our week in room 9!
Our Mystery Number Skype!! :) We Skyped with Third grade friends from Michigan!
We did it! We made it through our review week... and, of course, the best part was the Cardboard Challenge. We have been waiting for a long time to actually complete this activity. Check out my activity here as a freebie: TPT: Cardboard Challenge
So, we started the project with the "problem" that Toys 'R Us was looking for toys that were made from recycled materials. The students had to solve the problem by brainstorming a list of ideas for the toys or games that they could create. Kids were given the option to work by themselves or with a partner. After brainstorming and selection their choice, they had to draw what they anticipated it would look like, label it, and then prepare a list of materials. After they had passed those sections, they were given the clearance to go ahead and start building!!!
We started the project on Tuesday, and ended on Friday. We had about an hour each day to work. After projects were finished, students had to write a set of instructions or directions for play, and then record a commercial "selling" their product using persuasive language, and facts and opinions. On Friday, we only had a few minutes to clean up anything that needed fixing, and then in the afternoon, we played! The kids were able to walk around and try out other games. They had so much fun, and it was great to see them interacting and collaborating in such friendly ways. After playing, the kids wrote reflections about the project. Below are some quotes from their reflections, because some are too cute to not share! :)
"The best game I played was Hokey!" - Kevin
"I made a popcorn catch with Alexia H. It did work, but not the way I wanted it to work out. If we got to make a new one, I would build Smack the Penguin." - Alexia D.
"I had a good time doing the project. It was the best week of my life." - Kianna
"I liked Osvaldo's game the best. I liked it because of the designs and the color" - Javier
"We called our soccer game FIFA 14 but I accidentally wrote 19. When we finished, we had a lot of customers. I was getting tired." - Emmanuel
"I made a cool game. It did not work, but I am taking it home and making it even better!" - Alex N.
"I liked playing other people's games and looking at their ideas and getting to know them better!" - Shantal
"Cardboard Challenge was fun because you got to build something in your imagination that you always wanted to build before." - Joaquin
"I made a soccer game. It worked like a charm." - Kevin
And now... some pictures! :)
For me, the best part was listening to all of my kiddos talk and explore options and just use their creativity. They were able to just put their ideas out there and see what they were capable of. I loved listening to the conversations and debates. My next favorite part was watching them light up with pride when their project was finished and people were playing their game. They were all so proud of the work they created, and that's a feeling that they don't normally get to experience on a daily basis. It melted my heart! My third favorite part was being able to just sit back and listen and watch them get to know each other better through play. They were playing, but they were learning, ideas were sparking in their heads, and they were engaged with each other in so many ways.
I think overall, we made the best of the situation we had. This was the only week that I could make it work with our schedule, and third quarter being so jam packed. It also worked well to be able to blend in some of the things we had learned in quarter 2 to justify the time spent away from "instructional time". The kids enjoyed themselves, and were able to use their creativity and share that with their peers. I think they became closer friends through the activity, and gained confidence in who they are and what they are capable of. I also hope they learned to be proud of their work.
Now, for the commercials. :) This is something I think I am most proud of in terms of the "project" we had to create around the Cardboard Challenge concept. In September, these kids wouldn't go anywhere NEAR a video camera; they wouldn't even talk to me to tell me what they learned or knew, let alone put it on camera for other people to see. To me, watching these videos shows a growth that can not be measured, tested, or compared. I am so proud, and I hope they will be just as proud when they are able to see this! :)
(I am missing two groups---I don't know where they got lost...maybe one of the ipads at school. I will add them to the overall video later! :))
Woohoo! We love the Cardboard Challenge. Be sure to check out Caine's Arcade, where we got our inspiration for our project! :)
Well, holy smokes. Quarter 2 is almost over. We are almost halfway through the school year. Yikes! We just finished up our "instructional" weeks for quarter 2. We have this week of review to polish up some skills and practice for Galileo next week. Next week is our district Galileo testing (Benchmark assessment) for the 2nd quarter. Everything we have learned in quarter 2 will be assessed. I am more nervous this time than I thought I would be. I am trying to tell myself to not worry about these test scores. But, there is just so much pressure on me, and the kids to do well, and perform well, that it's hard to let those nerves go. I think the reason I am most nervous is because I have seen with my eyes how much my kids have grown this quarter. I have seen some of my lowest performing kids make HUGE strides and gains. I can feel their accomplishments, successes and confidence when I look at them each morning. What I am worried about is that Galileo will not. The test is worded weird, asks dumb questions that are irrelevant at times, and in my opinion, does not in fact assess what the students have learned. But, it is what it is, and I can't do anything about it right now. So, I am really focusing on moving on preparing my students the best that I can. When I reflect on quarter 2, we have really done some amazing things. We have learned a lot about multiplication and division, their properties, and relationships, and how to use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to solve for missing variables, find rules, and extend patterns. We still struggle a bit with patterns and rules and I am hoping we can touch on that this week during review. However, in math, my kiddos in room 9 are making tremendous gains. I am so proud of the things that they can articulate for me. Here are links to some of their videos about solving for missing variables:
P.S I am certain that my students are the most adorable kids I've ever met.
As you can see, they are not perfect. But, they are adorable. And, I love when they are using their resources to solve. They are learning, and making so much progress. I am so proud of them.
In reading, our latest push has been persuasive language and facts and opinions. We spent a lot of time learning about facts and opinions and how to distinguish the difference. We then moved on to persuasive language with loaded and emotional words. Phew, this was pretty intense and difficult. We wrote persuasive arguments about what the best candy in the world is. Some of us got the concept, and some of us still struggled. But, we are making progress. Slow, but it's there. Check out some of our writing on our kidblog page...
Here are some pictures of our last couple of weeks. I also have included some pictures of our State Project Posters. They turned out great. :) I love that I can include some social studies and geography in our day, even when finding the time to get beyond math and reading is so difficult. My perseverance (or stubbornness) will get us through anything! :)
I love when my kiddos want to read out loud to me... no reason just to read to me!
I started 12 days of Christmas with my kiddos on Thursday. I surprised them with a paper bag, a piece of candy, and a Christmas eraser. Thursday was the first day of Christmas for us. (There were 12 days of school left until break) They were able to decorate their bags and received another prize on Friday. I am excited to see them glow about the gifs they receive each day until break. It truly is the little things that make my heart melt.
And... of course we did a little Quiz, Quiz, Trade action this week...
AND, we Mystery Number Skped with second graders from Wisconsin. My kiddos were excited to ask if they were Packers fans and disappointed to learn that they live so close to Illinois, that only half of the class cheers for my Clay Matthews! :)
I have to share that as I am reflecting on the week we had, the things we did, and the learning that took place, I am overwhelmed with joy. It is very easy to get stressed out in this profession, and I have so many rough days, so many days where I just break down in tears because I just don't know what to do. But, when I look at these pictures, and when I watch the videos, and when I think about how far we have come in room 9, that is when it sparks. It's all that matters. I love my job. I love these kids. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world.
This week, we prepare for Galileo with games and activities to help us review. We also are participating in our very own Cardboard challenge. I am so excited to see what creativity can come alive in room 9 this week. I am also excited to hear the reflections of my students about their creativity. I love opening their eyes, their minds, and their hearts. This is going to be a great week.
My last bit for this post ... our class made circle map (I officially was trained in thinking maps this week) :) ... what we learned or did in quarter 2. Don't forget our Frame of Reference: How we learned those things!!
