A Tree House

During ESL, my group has been working with nouns.  We have identified, categorized, and now selected our favorite nouns in order to create a book. 

Previously, we have discussed and expressed our favorite people, animals, and places.  Yesterday, we began discussing our favorite things.  The students draw and explain their thinking to me, while I journal about their work. 

This has encouraged some interesting and emphatic responses.  I have received answers such as hot showers, superheroes, and candy bars. 

However, a very interesting response that has emerged (among different groups-not interacting at the same time) has been the tree house. 
Apparently this is a favorite "thing" for most of my students.  I thought this to be an unlikely response for students living in the city. 
Some assured me that they were talking about when they lived in Puerto Rico, but some insisted that they did indeed have one at their houses, here now in Buffalo. 

Their lively discussions about this topic has me thinking about a possible project and way to bring this into our curriculum. 
Another interesting aspect of this discussion, it that it came up while we were discussing our favorite 'things,' and not during our favorite 'places.'  If that is how the tree house is viewed, then we should be able to recreate this 'thing,' inside the classroom.

Inquiry Math

This year I have organized our math period different from last year.  We begin warm up fluency exercises on the rug, during our morning meeting.  Some of the exercises include skip counting, math games, or mini-lessons.



We then split into small groups.  The groups change daily.  Sometimes it is purposeful, and sometimes it is random.  Each group is then presented with a math problem that is challenging.  They are given 10 minutes to try and solve it.  My focus is on the process, rather than the end result. 





As the students work together to solve, I walk around and observe what strategies the students are using to solve the problem.  I am also watching how they work together.  This little inquiry exercise in our day is teaching the students much more than math.  It is teaching them how to problem-solve in a collaborative effort. 


It is also a window for me to see how they work with one another, and how they begin to solve a problem. 

On Friday, a couple of the groups were fighting over the manipulatives that I had passed to each group to help solve the problem.  I sat back and watched them.  This became a topic for discussion after the exercise because those two groups did not even come close to solving the problem because they were arguing.  Their lack of cooperation and positive communication became a perfect learning experience for the rest of the class.

One group got the answer right away in the correct format.  It was a student who is usually difficult, working with two other female students in the class.  He was the recorder.  They worked together, and finished before any other group.  I championed their problem-solving and collaboration skills for the rest of the class.  They were extremely proud.   

After the inquiry piece, I explicitly solve the problem incorporating feedback and strategies I observed as I walked around the room.   
 

Bienvenidos!

Bienvenidos a un ano nuevo llena de productividad y creatividad!

Our class has been working diligently on perfecting our classroom routines and following expectations. 



 I am very excited and thankful for the hardworking, respectful, students I have inherited this year.

Our first few days we discussed and finalized what our expectations should be for the year.  The students brainstormed on a thinking map what rules we would need for a safe and enjoyable classroom environment. 

 Eventually we wrote out our shared expectations and each child signed and later illustrated their interpretation. 

Thinking Map