Room 124

Stenhouse Blogstitute 2012

Mr. Brown — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 21:10:07 +0000

I love the summer. It gives teachers time to reflect, think, and make big plans for the next school year. Stenhouse has provided teachers with an opportunity to hear from leading educational experts on teaching and learning. These Stenhouse authors will be sharing brief, but incredibly thoughtful posts on math, reading, conferring, classroom talk and writing. This is an incredible opportunity to be inspired and challenged by some of the most respected names in our field. The Blogstitute begins on June 25 on the Stenhouse blog, and here is a list of authors…

Mark Overmeyer
Jeff Anderson
Kristi Lattimer and Kimberly Hill Campbell
Peter Johnston
Charles Fuhrken

Stenhouse will also have some sneak peeks of new professional videos that will be released soon. I’m also very excited about some discounts and prizes that Stenhouse is offering on their books. During the event Stenhouse is offering a 20% discount and free shipping on any books or videos by the Blogstitute authors. Just use the discount code BLOG when placing your order online starting June 25 until August 30. Three lucky commenters during the blogstitute will receive a package of five books of their choice. I can always count on Stenhouse to provide theoretically sound and practical resources – their authors have had a tremendous impact on my teaching.

Be sure to checkout the Stenhouse blog this summer for this year’s Blogstitute!

Our Bookmark Economy

Mr. Brown — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 18:48:38 +0000

Our last unit of study in Social Studies was focused on the economy. We learned about producers, consumers, supply, and demand. We learned about goods and services, and factors that affect pricing. As a culminating activity, each table formed their own bookmark making company. They had to select a name and nominate a CEO for their company. Each company was given a $100 investment (from me) to buy any needed supplies. But supplies were not their own expense – companies had to set aside money for rentals (scissors, markers, crayons, glue) and salaries for each employee. This was a great lesson in budgeting and planning. Students could purchase foam for $4 a sheet or spend $1 on a piece of regular paper. Companies could purchase supplies such as pipe cleaners, foam stickers, ribbon, construction paper, cardstock, beads, etc. I loved watching the kids think through their plans – What supplies do we need to create quality bookmarks? What types of bookmarks are my consumers looking for? What incentives could I offer to entice customers to shop in my store? What will my consumers be willing to pay?

After purchasing supplies and setting aside money for salaries, our students got to work. Some companies poured their time and money into creating just a few bookmarks. They bought the best supplies and were strategic with their designs. Other companies in our classroom mass produced bookmarks with “cheaper” materials. After a day of creating, we then set up our stores. Employees were paid, and we set out spending our hard earned dollars on bookmarks.

After the experience, we reflected on our new learning. We realized that pricing is affected by supply and demand. We realized that unique goods can often demand higher prices. We learned that it requires planning, budgeting, and careful accounting to run a successful business. We also learned that good service can keep your customers coming back. The kids had a blast and were able to learn about aspects of our economy in a very hands-on way. Enjoy the pictures of our students hard at work creating and building their bookmarks…

Pentomino Puzzle #3

Mr. Brown — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 16:29:52 +0000

Three times this year! It’s a new record! Rebecca found a solution for the 10×6 pentomino puzzle earlier this year, and then just a few weeks ago, Rylee and Javionna found a second solution. During our last week of school, Rylee, Javionna, and Sydney were all working together to find yet another solution to the puzzle. I think they surprised themselves when they found this new solution. I’m so proud of these smart mathematicians. It takes a lot of spatial reasoning and perseverance to find a solution to the pentomino puzzle. Congratulations!

Create – An Original Song

Mr. Brown — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:25:34 +0000

Our school-wide theme this year was “Create” – a very appropriate theme for our arts-based school. In response to this theme, our class wrote a song. Rebecca, her sister, and several of their classmates formed a club this year – The Make The World a Better Place Club. They have had fund raisers, given money to various charities, and have completed service projects within our community. We have been so impressed with their passion and determination to make our world better, and we were inspired to write a song that reflected the many ways we could join in with their efforts. We brainstormed ideas, came up with a melody, and a song was born – “Create Our World”. You can click here to listen to the song or download it to your computer.

For our annual classroom treasure project, Mrs. Cathleen Seay helped our class create a beautiful display to represent our song. Students drew pictures that represented the lyrics, and Mrs. Seay decoupaged them onto letters that spelled “Create.” If you look closely, you’ll see the words of our song filling the background of the display. Mrs. Seay put in a LOT of work to make this happen – thank you!

Pentomino Puzzle Solved!

Mr. Brown — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:03:47 +0000

It’s happened again! Just two months ago, Rebecca found a solution to the 10×6 pentomino puzzle. Well, Rylee and Javionna were using their morning exploration time to work with the pentominoes, and they found another solution. This is an incredibly challenging puzzle, and I’m so proud of Javionna and Rylee’s persistence and hard work. Here is as picture of our smart mathematicians…

Field Day Part 1

Mr. Brown — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:56:20 +0000

During the first part of Field Day, we participated in lots of water activities. Needless to day, the kids got very wet! They had a blast throwing wet sponges, catching water in plungers, and using their toes to find treasures in the mud. The weather was great, and the kids had an incredible time. A big thanks goes out to our P.E. teacher, Mrs. Rohrer, for organizing such a fun day!

Field Day Part 2

Mr. Brown — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:53:06 +0000

Here is a video highlighting the second part of our field day. We had a great time on the field doing relay races and tug of war. I love how the kids cheer each other on during the course of each race.

More Review Writing

Mr. Brown — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:48:17 +0000

For our Review Writing study in writer’s workshop, students published their work in a variety of ways. Several students enjoyed using a free program called Audacity to make a digital audio recording of their voice. Audacity is a fun and relatively easy to use software (and it’s free!). Students learned to record their voice, add in music, fade music volume in and out, and make general adjustments. Here are several podcasts (audio recordings) created by our students. Just click on the link below to listen, or you can right-click on the links and download them to your computer (maybe add them to your iPod or MP3 player at a later time).

Cole’s Cookout Review

Cole’s Outback Review

Jaden’s Review of Modern Warfare 3

Miller’s Review of Hunting

Noah’s Review of Papa John’s Pizza

Noah’s Review of Zikes

Sydney’s Review of Stone Academy

Releasing Our Butterflies

Mr. Brown — Sat, 05 May 2012 18:44:32 +0000

Life cycles are amazing, aren’t they? Right after Spring Break, we started observing these tiny, tiny caterpillars. They were only half a centimeter to a centimeter long when we first got them. We watched them grow and grow and grow – until several of them were an inch long. We watched in fascination as they attached themselves to the top of their cups, forming a “J” shape, and then their chrysalis. At this point, we moved them to our butterfly sanctuary, attaching each one to the side of the net. After a week, our first butterfly crawled out of its chrysalis and began slowly spreading its wings. We were prepared for the red meconium that would ooze out of each butterfly (don’t worry – it’s not blood). More and more hatched – Tyler counted 32 in all! And then it was time to release.

The kids told me releasing our butterflies was happy and sad all at the same time. They were happy for them to be free, but were sad – we had become somewhat attached to them as we observed them each day. This was my first butterfly release, and I was in awe. It was truly a beautiful sight. I think my favorite part of the video is right when I open up the lid of the sanctuary, and the kids make a big gasp and yell “Freedom!” A big thanks goes out to Jonah who filmed the event for us (I did the last minute or so). We hope you enjoy the following video and pictures of this special occasion.

What’s in Soil?

Mr. Brown — Sat, 05 May 2012 17:50:00 +0000

When I posed this question to the class, the answer I got was “dirt.” Nothing too much beyond that. So I brought in a bunch of soil from my backyard, and we started taking a closer look. As you can imagine, we would surprised by what we found. We found earthworms, roots, insects, parts of dead insects, sand, rocks, pebbles, leaves, and much more. Dr. Kaup (Rebecca’s dad) loaned us a microscope that could be attached to my iPad (cool, right?). When you look at the pictures below, you’ll see Miller and other students holding the microscope with everyone leaned in to the center of the table to view the image on the iPad. This enabled us to have a really close view of soil! After observing, we took detailed notes in our science notebook to record our important findings. If you’re viewing this on an iPad, click here to see the pictures.

Building Terrariums

Mr. Brown — Sat, 05 May 2012 17:49:10 +0000

In all my years of teaching, this was my first opportunity to build terrariums with my students. I was hesitant at first – how interesting can a bowl of soil be? I stand corrected. Terrariums have been one of the most fun investigations we’ve initiated. The kids had a blast designing their terrariums. Students mixed soil and sand, formulated the grade of their terrarium slope, added twigs, leaves, sticks, rocks, and then planted rye grass seeds. Over the course of a week, we studied earthworms, rolly polies, and potato bugs – each day adding new species to our terrariums. But the fun didn’t end with the creation. At this point, we love looking at our terrariums every day. What has changed? What’s new? We’ve found molted skin from our bugs. We’ve mourned the loss of dead earthworms and rolly polies. We’ve studied mold and wondered why it grows. We’ve taken scissors to our rye grass for a quick trim. We’ve changed our landscape, wondering if this will make a difference to the organisms that live within our terrariums. All in all, it’s been a wonderful learning experience. Even as I’m writing this, I can’t wait to see what has changed since this past Friday! If you’re reading this on your iPad, click here to see pictures.

Estimating and Measurement

Mr. Brown — Sat, 05 May 2012 16:40:38 +0000

I hate to admit this, but measurement is not my favorite unit of study for math workshop. But this year I was pleasantly surprised at how much FUN I had with it. We spent a lot of time in class doing real estimating and measuring. We had out measuring tapes, rulers, yard sticks, balance scales, spring scales, and all kinds of liquid containers. I feel that all these hands-on experiences really gave our kids a deep understanding of these measurement concepts. We now have estimating standards (1 inch is about a paper clip), and we’re much better at understanding distances. We can look at a container and accurately decide its capacity in terms of cups, pints, and gallons. And we came a long way with weight – we now know the difference between ounces, pounds, grams, and kilograms. If you’re viewing this on your iPad, click here to see the pictures.

Miller’s Terrarium

Mr. Brown — Sat, 05 May 2012 15:32:34 +0000

I love it when kids take their new learning outside the walls of our classroom. During science, we’ve had the opportunity to build terrariums in class – and the kids have loved it. We’ve learned about soil, earthworms, sow bugs, rolly polies, plants, fungus, and the water cycle. Miller decided to build his own terrarium at home. As you can see from the pictures, he was extremely deliberate as to what he included and how it was arranged. The focus of his terrarium was the frog (whom Miller appropriately named Kermit). Miller did a lot of research as to what the frog needed in order to survive in his terrariums. He read lots of books, talked to his classmates, and even consulted a “frog expert” who lived up the street. We had a long conversation about the frog’s hand (you can see it clearly in the last picture). Our inference was that a cat in the neighborhood might have bit it off, but Kermit was able to escape. After a few days, Miller decided what was best for Kermit was to set him free. I’m proud of Miller and all that he learned from this experience. Have you ever built a terrarium at home? It’s incredibly easy, and your kids will find it fascinating. Here are a few pictures of Miller sharing his terrarium with us…

Review Writing

Mr. Brown — Sat, 05 May 2012 15:10:15 +0000

Earlier this month, we finished a unit of study in writer’s workshop focused on opinion writing. We learned how to write effective reviews – which was really a lot of fun. Students choice of topics included books, movies, restaurants, school subjects, vacation destinations – the variety seemed endless. We learned how to establish credibility within our writing, use persuasive language and precise details, organize our ideas, and support our thinking. Kids published their reviews in a variety of formats – digital audio recordings, hand written forms, typed papers, and movies (using photostory). Click on the links below to see several of our students’ photostory reviews. I love how these students use their writing, their voices, and images to convey their thoughts.

We have been learning a lot about photostory, but it doesn’t mean we’re perfect. As you watch, you’ll notice the volume levels should be adjusted a little better. Some kids need to talk a little louder during recording, while others might need to talk a little bit softer. But it’s a learning process. Creating digital media is becoming such a big part of our society and culture – I’m glad our kids are having an opportunity to begin creating in this medium.

Usually I embed all videos within a post, but I’ve noticed our computers at school have a difficult time loading our blog’s home page where there are numerous embedded videos on the home page. Does that happen to you at home? In an attempt to solve this problem, I’m just providing links to the videos. Simply click on the link and it will take you directly to the video on Schooltube. This makes me a little bit worried. Here’s why – in theory, blog viewers are more likely to watch a video of it’s embedded as opposed to clicking on a provided link. Whatever the case, I hope you’ll take the time to click on the links below to experience our students’ hard work. Thanks for watching!

Photostory Reviews (click on the links below):

Jonah’s review of Skylander

Tyler’s review of Skylander

Rylee’s review of Barley’s Restaurant

Anna A.’s review of Outback

Jay’s reviews (3 different reviews)

Elias’ review of the Road Warriors (our Greenville hockey team)

Jaden’s review of IHOP

Richard’s Van review

Sydney’s review of Pizza Inn

The West

Mr. Brown — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 19:33:39 +0000

As a culminating activity to our study of the United States, students worked with a partner to create a movie about a cultural region of their choice. Each student was responsible for showcasing information about the geography, customs, and food that are unique to their particular region. Students began by drawing sketches of their ideas and then constructing paragraphs about each topic. After this, students used markers and crayons to create a final copy of each drawing. I scanned each student’s artwork, and then teams of students used Photostory to record their narration (of the paragraphs they wrote earlier) and select appropriate background music. Students learned SO MUCH about technology through this process – how to open projects, save projects, record audio, and problem solve. I am very impressed with the technology savvy that many of our students possess (or learned through this process). Students also learned to work on a team to create a project – managing their time, monitoring their progress, setting goals, compromising, and staying on task. All in all, it was an incredible experience for our students. I am proud of their accomplishments!

Here are videos our students created about the West…

by Jonah and Micah

by Sydney and Jay

by Aleta and Tyler

The Midwest

Mr. Brown — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 15:48:14 +0000

Here are 4 videos about the Midwest United States…

by Isabelle and Drew

by Richard and Jaden

by Noah

by Alex

The South

Mr. Brown — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 15:39:43 +0000

Here are 4 video projects about the South…

by Ashtan and Kaylee

by Kenneth and Anna A.

by Javionna

by Elias

The Northeast

Mr. Brown — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 15:35:10 +0000

Here are two video projects about the Northeast United States…

by Rebecca and Rylee

by Miller and Anna S.

Science Fun Day 2012

Mr. Brown — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 20:32:07 +0000

Once a year, Stone Academy participates in Science Fun Day. Parent volunteers and members of the community come in to share fun and engaging science activities with each grade level. Our second graders had a blast making predicting and inferences with gobstoppers, touching ALL kinds of animals with the Critter Keeper, and finally making ice cream with our science lab instructor (states of matter). We also had the opportunity to see a presentation from Roper Mountain Science Center focusing on physics. All in all, it was definitely a Science FUN day! If you’re reading this on an iPad, click here to see pictures of our young scientists.

Building Geometric Solids

Mr. Brown — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 18:55:54 +0000

I love building shapes. And so do our kids. During our study of geometry, we spent time building geometric solids (three dimensional shapes). Using the simple materials of straws and twist-ties, our kids created some really interesting solids. Some students started out building square pyramids, but then challenged themselves to build pyramids with other kinds of bases. Other students began by building a cube or rectangular prism, but then went on to build a pentagonal or hexagonal prism. Anna S. even built a cone by using just twist-ties! I love activities that invite kids to extend their thinking. I love when kids can problem-pose and develop new challenges for themselves. This activity also gave us an opportunity to better understanding the concept of edges and vertices – it gave our kids hands-on practice identifying and counting these characteristics. Here are some pictures of the geometric solids we constructed. If you’re reading this on your iPad, click here.