This past Friday was an exciting day at Laurel Mountain. First of all, we had our 4th and 5th grade Enrichment Cluster Showcase. The displays were set up in the mini-gym, cafeteria and in the hallway. Thank you to everyone came to see the incredible journey our 4th and 5th grade students have taken over the past eight weeks. The President of our RRISD School Board, Mr. Charles Chadwell, came by to visit. Jan Richards, our principal, toured him around the showcase. We were very proud to show the students' hard work to Mr. Chadwell.
I was amazed by the variety of products displayed at the showcase. We had live experiments taking place, demonstrations of peer mediation, movies, paintings, clay figures and bowls, beautiful cross-stitching work, monster heads and scary stories, a fire safety video, preserve tours, claymation videos and sets, student created comic strips, photography portfolios to name a few. It is always so impressive to see what the students can produce in eight hours over eight weeks. Our students are truly amazing!
After the showcase, several teachers and a couple parents from Pond Springs Elementary in RRISD met with Jan Richards and me to discuss the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM). At Pond Springs, they are working towards creating their own version of an Enrichment Slot (E-slot). This is the time that we have every Friday morning from 8:00-9:00. It was fun to answer questions about how we have developed SEM at our school. If you have not already figured this out, I am very enthusiastic about SEM and I love sharing that positive energy with other teachers. And it is REALLY exciting to that the philosophy of SEM and the idea of working with students' strengths and interests is starting to spread in own district.
Continuing to develop the whole child...
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Sharing Culture in Kindergarten
Laurel Mountain is a school where everyone is a teacher and learner. We love having students and parents share parts of their culture and heritage. This is what was happening in kindergarten last Friday.
In Mrs. Annette Lee's class, John K's parents came to share a Korean game with the Lizard class. The family is new to the United States and the student is learning English for the first time this year. It was a lot like our game called "Sorry". This game was really fun with lots of laughing and cheering. Games and puzzles are one of the favorite enrichment activities for the Lizard class this year, so this was a perfect fit.
In Mrs. Miranda's class, Westwood Dance teacher, Ms. Karen Searles, brought her students to present a dance and movement session with the class. The Westwood Dance students developed and led a lesson for the students centered around the theme of Mexico, which was also the kindergarten social studies unit last week. Also, this past Friday, Mrs. Loraine Gatson, a LME mom, taught the class about the Irish holiday custom of popping open Christmas Crackers and led the children in a craft activity.
In Mrs. Annette Lee's class, John K's parents came to share a Korean game with the Lizard class. The family is new to the United States and the student is learning English for the first time this year. It was a lot like our game called "Sorry". This game was really fun with lots of laughing and cheering. Games and puzzles are one of the favorite enrichment activities for the Lizard class this year, so this was a perfect fit.
In Mrs. Miranda's class, Westwood Dance teacher, Ms. Karen Searles, brought her students to present a dance and movement session with the class. The Westwood Dance students developed and led a lesson for the students centered around the theme of Mexico, which was also the kindergarten social studies unit last week. Also, this past Friday, Mrs. Loraine Gatson, a LME mom, taught the class about the Irish holiday custom of popping open Christmas Crackers and led the children in a craft activity.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
The Journey of the 4th and 5th grade Enrichment Clusters
This past Friday was the 8th and final meeting of the 4th and 5th grade enrichment cluster. The Showcase will take place in the cafeteria and mini-gym this Friday, December 9, 2011. 5th graders will tour from 8:15-8:45 am and the 4th graders will tour from 9:00-9:30 am. We hope that you are able to join us on this journey of enrichment.
Below you will find the summaries from the enrichment clusters.
Instantaneous Experiments - What a great time we all had! We created “Oobleck”, made our very own Lava Lamps to take home, found out what happens when you mix dish soap with yeast, made bar soap expand with just a microwave, and made the coolest Dry Ice Globes! The best part is that all the experiments we did can be made with materials that can be found around the house J
Is There a Doctor in the House? - In the Is There a Doctor in the House? enrichment cluster, students had the opportunity to practice suturing procedures with medical tools. They also explored the anatomy of the heart by dissecting a pig heart under the guidance of Dr. Su, an internist and LME parent. Mrs. Gini Hand provided lessons on infant/child CPR and choking. After predicting what areas in the school were likely to have the most germs, students took samples around the campus and grew bacteria in Petri dishes. All of the participants expressed a desire to continue exploring opportunities in the medical field.
Claymation - The students learned how to create a stop-motion film. They first learned the steps of stop-motion film by making a flip book. To begin their project, they decided on a topic/service, used a graphic organizer to layout their process, used clay, cardboard, and other materials to design their set. Using a digital camera to capture snapshots, they then uploaded the shots into Window's Movie Maker on the computer. Once they finished organizing and editing their snapshots, they added finishing elements like music, transitions, title, and closing credits.
Landscapes, Portraits, Still Life, Oh My! - In the Landscapes, Portraits, Still Life, Oh My! Enrichment cluster, students avidly and prolifically created beautiful works of art that reflected many different styles, textures, and color palettes. Each week, the children eagerly planned out their pieces, tried new techniques, and experimented with color mixing. Ms. Monica Aaroz shared with students pointillism techniques. Their favorite mediums were tempera/acrylic on canvas and watercolor on anything! Several students chose to donate their paintings to Meals on Wheels so that homebound adults may enjoy the artwork.
LME Crisis Response Team - The LME Crisis Response Team enrichment cluster began with a simulation of a potential, real-life situation: a fire in the nature preserve. Students were able to act out the scenario as fire, police, medical, school, and media responders, and were given the task to figure out how to best handle the emergency. We then had speakers from the Austin Fire Department and American Red Cross to teach us about their role in handling an emergency, and how we can be prepared for an emergency in our community. We spent time learning about personal safety plans, and students spoke to their parents about having a meeting place and evacuation plan for their homes. We spent the remainder of our cluster researching various types of emergencies, including hurricanes, house fires, flooding, and tornados. Students created products to share their new learning with others, and we left our cluster armed with helpful information about how we can prevent, be prepared for, and respond to many different types of crises.
Monsters and Myths - The Monsters and Myths enrichment cluster had lots of fun together. We began our cluster with Mr. Wheeler coming and talking to us about the history and mythology of monsters. This was a great interest starter. We then made tear art monsters. Mrs. Jackson did a mini lesson on ghost story writing. We all wrote ghost stories and then shared our spooky stories in the dark lit by flashlights. Then we learned about the art of applying make up to create a look. The students practiced on each other and then made their own monsters and wrote descriptions.
LME PHOTOGRAPHER’S SOCIETY - The LME Photographer’s Society has had a very productive 8 weeks. We started out with the basics of digital cameras and photography, and learned how to unload our pictures to a computer. We then ventured out to the preserve and around the school grounds to practice our outdoor photography skills. We learned some great lessons on composition and lighting. Next up was to visit the other clusters and learn the ropes of taking indoor pictures. Once we had enough photos, we began to think of a final product we could make using out fantastic images. The cluster learned about Microsoft Publisher, Photo Story, Picture Editor, and StudioWorks. StudioWorks is the program that Laurel Mountain uses to create our yearbook with the help of our wonderful volunteers! Each child selected which product or service they wanted to create, and we hope you enjoy the fruits of their labor at the Enrichment Showcase!
Rocks Beneath our Feet - We began our enrichment cluster by having the students develop a plan for what we would be doing over the eight weeks of enrichment clusters. While discussing our plans, it was important for the kids to decide on a particular product and service their cluster would focus on over the duration of the enrichment cluster. At the end of the first cluster, the students decided our product would be to conduct research on different kinds of rocks and minerals and create a new display for our preserve’s outdoor display case. In addition, we looked at having a presenter from Mad Science conduct a presentation on rocks. Our final idea was to try and find expert volunteers to come into our enrichment cluster to help the kids with their research.
After having made contact with some volunteers from Austin Gem and Mineral Society, we were able to get two different sets of volunteers to come to our enrichment cluster for 3-4 weeks. The volunteers worked with the kids on each of the specific research topics the kids were working on. In addition, these volunteers brought in many samples and provided brief presentations of their own and even provided specimens the kids could use that related to their research topics. Each of the specimens were accompanied by an information card, created by the students, that will be placed in the display case with its’ matching rock or mineral.
Once all of the information cards were developed for the different rocks and minerals, the cards were taken to Kinko’s to be laminated so they could be placed in the display case for others to read and learn from. During our 6th cluster, the volunteers and the kids went into the preserve to set up the display case. During the cluster showcase, the students will be taking parents into the preserve to show the display of rocks and minerals.
Our last cluster involved one of our volunteers coming in with rough minerals along with a gemstone cutting machine to show the students the process a mineral goes through from when it is mined to when it becomes a piece of jewelry. Each of the students was given a sample box of Texas rocks that they could keep for their own rock collections.
Cooking with Zeek - The kids learned about many different dishes from different parts of the world! Zeek, the beagle, traveled the world and sent back recipes and people to teach us how to cook cultural dishes. For the last cluster we had a contest! Each team was given a choice of ingredients to make something. Everyone came up with something different and the judges had a hard time picking a winner! You can check out our blog at www.cookingwithzeek.blogspot.com
You’ve Got Me in Stitches! - The girls in You’ve Got Me in Stitches! enrichment cluster had a productive and enjoyable time creating cross stitch pieces of their choice. While some of them had done some stitching before, this was a first time experience for most. Each girl has finished or is in the process of finishing a simple project and arrangements have been made to get the pieces framed as they are completed. We had hoped to have enough time to create some things to share with those in Central Texas who were affected the fires that occurred in September. But, we ran out of time and weren’t able to do that. However, many in our group commented that they might make something in the future to share with others who are facing hardship.
Draw Me a Story - In the Draw Me a Story enrichment cluster, we changed our name to The Mini Leonardo De Vinci's of LME and decided to sketch comics. We began our enrichment cluster with a visitor and LME mom, Monica Aaroz. She showed us some 3D drawing techniques and how to shade properly. As a group, we voted on drawing one large comic that would displayed at the Enrichment Cluster Showcase. We had a blast drawing funny little creatures, adding in hilarious dialogue and learning from one another. Look for our creative display of art!!!
Fitness for Fun - The Fitness for Fun enrichment cluster 2011 focused on engaging students toward a lifetime of health and fitness. Students learned the ten foundations of fitness, essential principles for proper nutrition, and basic standards for functional movements such as the squat, dead lift, and press. Through a series of guest speakers ranging from U.S. Army Special Forces to industry leading video game designers, students were given an opportunity to hear the benefits of maintaining a healthy life outside of an athletic career.
Lights! Camera! Action! It’s Movie Time - We had an awesome Movie Making enrichment cluster. Each student used the laptops, and later, the net books to create a movie on Movie Maker. Each student took pictures, down loaded pictures, created the movie, and the best part, added transitions and music to our own personalized movie. Later, we worked in small groups to create a LME movie…such as LME Pets, New Staff & Teachers @ LME, and LME Tour. We learned a lot and had great fun making movies. This is definitely a skill that each student will use long after this enrichment cluster.
Clay, Clay, Clay - What a blast we’ve had using our imaginations and skills to create unique works of art from clay. Our creations range from sculpture to potter’s wheel pots to pieces made with clay slabs to coil creations. Many of our pieces have been glazed and fired and are waiting to be seen by others. We have produced over 150 works of art in 8 weeks, or around 7 pieces of art per student. Not only have we been busy learning how to make different clay products, we have had a lot of fun creating and sharing with each other. We are also sharing with the community by donating several of our bowls to the Empty Bowl Project Auction, which provides financial support to the Round Rock Food Bank.
Cartoons and Comic Strips - In our cluster, we began by showing and discussing a variety of cartoons, from single-panel classics to four-panel current comics to graphic novels. We learned that a single-panel cartoon is often making a point and the others tell a story, though a very short story, while entertaining or teaching. We improvised some scenes, acting them out in front of the class, and then turned them into comic strips. Then, the kids created their own characters and put them into cartoon stories. We had a lot of fun creating, exploring, and discovering stories and characters.
Power Point Productions - Members of the Power Point Productions enrichment cluster learned to use animation both within the power point software program and through stop-action animation techniques. They then used their skills to produce animated short videos to send their message to the world. Over the eight weeks, students in the enrichment cluster produced a public service announcement and also created videos intended for entertainment. In the meantime, they increased their skills with this important presentation program.
Laurel Mountain Lionhearts Peer Mediation Team - Twenty-two 4th and 5th grade students completed the PAX UNITED training to become LME's first ever Laurel Mountain Lionhearts Peer Mediation Team. They played a lot of fun, active and engaging games to practice teamwork and cooperation, such as "People to People", "Team Juggling" and "Human Machines." They learned that conflict is a normal part of life and that a caring and supportive mediator can help people find solutions to conflict. The Peer Mediators practiced skills to help them be effective in helping others such as: active listening, making "I statements", and gathering/re-stating information. Using the script provided by the PAX UNITED Program helped these students develop the confidence to launch the program when students return from Winter Break. The Peer Mediators are continuing to work on ways to publicize the service they will be providing, so that parents, teachers and other students will know when Peer Mediation can be used and how to request a session.
Continuing to develop the whole child...
Below you will find the summaries from the enrichment clusters.
Instantaneous Experiments - What a great time we all had! We created “Oobleck”, made our very own Lava Lamps to take home, found out what happens when you mix dish soap with yeast, made bar soap expand with just a microwave, and made the coolest Dry Ice Globes! The best part is that all the experiments we did can be made with materials that can be found around the house J
Is There a Doctor in the House? - In the Is There a Doctor in the House? enrichment cluster, students had the opportunity to practice suturing procedures with medical tools. They also explored the anatomy of the heart by dissecting a pig heart under the guidance of Dr. Su, an internist and LME parent. Mrs. Gini Hand provided lessons on infant/child CPR and choking. After predicting what areas in the school were likely to have the most germs, students took samples around the campus and grew bacteria in Petri dishes. All of the participants expressed a desire to continue exploring opportunities in the medical field.
Claymation - The students learned how to create a stop-motion film. They first learned the steps of stop-motion film by making a flip book. To begin their project, they decided on a topic/service, used a graphic organizer to layout their process, used clay, cardboard, and other materials to design their set. Using a digital camera to capture snapshots, they then uploaded the shots into Window's Movie Maker on the computer. Once they finished organizing and editing their snapshots, they added finishing elements like music, transitions, title, and closing credits.
Landscapes, Portraits, Still Life, Oh My! - In the Landscapes, Portraits, Still Life, Oh My! Enrichment cluster, students avidly and prolifically created beautiful works of art that reflected many different styles, textures, and color palettes. Each week, the children eagerly planned out their pieces, tried new techniques, and experimented with color mixing. Ms. Monica Aaroz shared with students pointillism techniques. Their favorite mediums were tempera/acrylic on canvas and watercolor on anything! Several students chose to donate their paintings to Meals on Wheels so that homebound adults may enjoy the artwork.
LME Crisis Response Team - The LME Crisis Response Team enrichment cluster began with a simulation of a potential, real-life situation: a fire in the nature preserve. Students were able to act out the scenario as fire, police, medical, school, and media responders, and were given the task to figure out how to best handle the emergency. We then had speakers from the Austin Fire Department and American Red Cross to teach us about their role in handling an emergency, and how we can be prepared for an emergency in our community. We spent time learning about personal safety plans, and students spoke to their parents about having a meeting place and evacuation plan for their homes. We spent the remainder of our cluster researching various types of emergencies, including hurricanes, house fires, flooding, and tornados. Students created products to share their new learning with others, and we left our cluster armed with helpful information about how we can prevent, be prepared for, and respond to many different types of crises.
Monsters and Myths - The Monsters and Myths enrichment cluster had lots of fun together. We began our cluster with Mr. Wheeler coming and talking to us about the history and mythology of monsters. This was a great interest starter. We then made tear art monsters. Mrs. Jackson did a mini lesson on ghost story writing. We all wrote ghost stories and then shared our spooky stories in the dark lit by flashlights. Then we learned about the art of applying make up to create a look. The students practiced on each other and then made their own monsters and wrote descriptions.
LME PHOTOGRAPHER’S SOCIETY - The LME Photographer’s Society has had a very productive 8 weeks. We started out with the basics of digital cameras and photography, and learned how to unload our pictures to a computer. We then ventured out to the preserve and around the school grounds to practice our outdoor photography skills. We learned some great lessons on composition and lighting. Next up was to visit the other clusters and learn the ropes of taking indoor pictures. Once we had enough photos, we began to think of a final product we could make using out fantastic images. The cluster learned about Microsoft Publisher, Photo Story, Picture Editor, and StudioWorks. StudioWorks is the program that Laurel Mountain uses to create our yearbook with the help of our wonderful volunteers! Each child selected which product or service they wanted to create, and we hope you enjoy the fruits of their labor at the Enrichment Showcase!
Rocks Beneath our Feet - We began our enrichment cluster by having the students develop a plan for what we would be doing over the eight weeks of enrichment clusters. While discussing our plans, it was important for the kids to decide on a particular product and service their cluster would focus on over the duration of the enrichment cluster. At the end of the first cluster, the students decided our product would be to conduct research on different kinds of rocks and minerals and create a new display for our preserve’s outdoor display case. In addition, we looked at having a presenter from Mad Science conduct a presentation on rocks. Our final idea was to try and find expert volunteers to come into our enrichment cluster to help the kids with their research.
After having made contact with some volunteers from Austin Gem and Mineral Society, we were able to get two different sets of volunteers to come to our enrichment cluster for 3-4 weeks. The volunteers worked with the kids on each of the specific research topics the kids were working on. In addition, these volunteers brought in many samples and provided brief presentations of their own and even provided specimens the kids could use that related to their research topics. Each of the specimens were accompanied by an information card, created by the students, that will be placed in the display case with its’ matching rock or mineral.
Once all of the information cards were developed for the different rocks and minerals, the cards were taken to Kinko’s to be laminated so they could be placed in the display case for others to read and learn from. During our 6th cluster, the volunteers and the kids went into the preserve to set up the display case. During the cluster showcase, the students will be taking parents into the preserve to show the display of rocks and minerals.
Our last cluster involved one of our volunteers coming in with rough minerals along with a gemstone cutting machine to show the students the process a mineral goes through from when it is mined to when it becomes a piece of jewelry. Each of the students was given a sample box of Texas rocks that they could keep for their own rock collections.
Cooking with Zeek - The kids learned about many different dishes from different parts of the world! Zeek, the beagle, traveled the world and sent back recipes and people to teach us how to cook cultural dishes. For the last cluster we had a contest! Each team was given a choice of ingredients to make something. Everyone came up with something different and the judges had a hard time picking a winner! You can check out our blog at www.cookingwithzeek.blogspot.com
You’ve Got Me in Stitches! - The girls in You’ve Got Me in Stitches! enrichment cluster had a productive and enjoyable time creating cross stitch pieces of their choice. While some of them had done some stitching before, this was a first time experience for most. Each girl has finished or is in the process of finishing a simple project and arrangements have been made to get the pieces framed as they are completed. We had hoped to have enough time to create some things to share with those in Central Texas who were affected the fires that occurred in September. But, we ran out of time and weren’t able to do that. However, many in our group commented that they might make something in the future to share with others who are facing hardship.
Draw Me a Story - In the Draw Me a Story enrichment cluster, we changed our name to The Mini Leonardo De Vinci's of LME and decided to sketch comics. We began our enrichment cluster with a visitor and LME mom, Monica Aaroz. She showed us some 3D drawing techniques and how to shade properly. As a group, we voted on drawing one large comic that would displayed at the Enrichment Cluster Showcase. We had a blast drawing funny little creatures, adding in hilarious dialogue and learning from one another. Look for our creative display of art!!!
Fitness for Fun - The Fitness for Fun enrichment cluster 2011 focused on engaging students toward a lifetime of health and fitness. Students learned the ten foundations of fitness, essential principles for proper nutrition, and basic standards for functional movements such as the squat, dead lift, and press. Through a series of guest speakers ranging from U.S. Army Special Forces to industry leading video game designers, students were given an opportunity to hear the benefits of maintaining a healthy life outside of an athletic career.
Lights! Camera! Action! It’s Movie Time - We had an awesome Movie Making enrichment cluster. Each student used the laptops, and later, the net books to create a movie on Movie Maker. Each student took pictures, down loaded pictures, created the movie, and the best part, added transitions and music to our own personalized movie. Later, we worked in small groups to create a LME movie…such as LME Pets, New Staff & Teachers @ LME, and LME Tour. We learned a lot and had great fun making movies. This is definitely a skill that each student will use long after this enrichment cluster.
Clay, Clay, Clay - What a blast we’ve had using our imaginations and skills to create unique works of art from clay. Our creations range from sculpture to potter’s wheel pots to pieces made with clay slabs to coil creations. Many of our pieces have been glazed and fired and are waiting to be seen by others. We have produced over 150 works of art in 8 weeks, or around 7 pieces of art per student. Not only have we been busy learning how to make different clay products, we have had a lot of fun creating and sharing with each other. We are also sharing with the community by donating several of our bowls to the Empty Bowl Project Auction, which provides financial support to the Round Rock Food Bank.
Cartoons and Comic Strips - In our cluster, we began by showing and discussing a variety of cartoons, from single-panel classics to four-panel current comics to graphic novels. We learned that a single-panel cartoon is often making a point and the others tell a story, though a very short story, while entertaining or teaching. We improvised some scenes, acting them out in front of the class, and then turned them into comic strips. Then, the kids created their own characters and put them into cartoon stories. We had a lot of fun creating, exploring, and discovering stories and characters.
Power Point Productions - Members of the Power Point Productions enrichment cluster learned to use animation both within the power point software program and through stop-action animation techniques. They then used their skills to produce animated short videos to send their message to the world. Over the eight weeks, students in the enrichment cluster produced a public service announcement and also created videos intended for entertainment. In the meantime, they increased their skills with this important presentation program.
Laurel Mountain Lionhearts Peer Mediation Team - Twenty-two 4th and 5th grade students completed the PAX UNITED training to become LME's first ever Laurel Mountain Lionhearts Peer Mediation Team. They played a lot of fun, active and engaging games to practice teamwork and cooperation, such as "People to People", "Team Juggling" and "Human Machines." They learned that conflict is a normal part of life and that a caring and supportive mediator can help people find solutions to conflict. The Peer Mediators practiced skills to help them be effective in helping others such as: active listening, making "I statements", and gathering/re-stating information. Using the script provided by the PAX UNITED Program helped these students develop the confidence to launch the program when students return from Winter Break. The Peer Mediators are continuing to work on ways to publicize the service they will be providing, so that parents, teachers and other students will know when Peer Mediation can be used and how to request a session.
Continuing to develop the whole child...
2nd and 3rd grade enrichment cluster
We are already in full swing planning and organizing our 2nd and 3rd grade enrichment clusters. These enrichment clusters will start on Friday, January 13 and go through Friday, March 2, 2012. The enrichment cluster showcase will take place on Friday, March 9, 2012.
This year the 2nd and 3rd grade students will have 16 different enrichment clusters to choose from. A letter went home to our 2nd and 3rd grade parents yesterday explaining the upcoming enrichment clusters. The 2nd and 3rd grade students will be ranking their top four cluster choices in class this week. The students will find out on Friday, January 13 which enrichment cluster they will be a part of.
Here are the descriptions to our 2nd and 3rd grade enrichment clusters.
Space Cadets
Did you know that it takes more than 150 years for a car to drive to the sun? Did you know that summer will last for 21 years on Uranus? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be an astronaut? If you’ve ever been curious about space and want to learn more, join us on our next expedition as we take off to explore the universe. Get ready for an exciting adventure. We will have a blast!!!This year the 2nd and 3rd grade students will have 16 different enrichment clusters to choose from. A letter went home to our 2nd and 3rd grade parents yesterday explaining the upcoming enrichment clusters. The 2nd and 3rd grade students will be ranking their top four cluster choices in class this week. The students will find out on Friday, January 13 which enrichment cluster they will be a part of.
Here are the descriptions to our 2nd and 3rd grade enrichment clusters.
Space Cadets
Roaring ChefsMmmm… does the smell of hot, sizzling food make your mouth water? Do you crave zesty appetizers and sweet treats? Then, Roaring Chefs is the place for you! Throughout our cluster we will discover some of the tools used by chefs in the kitchen and do some cooking of our own. We may explore different types of restaurants and create a menu for our own restaurant or we could even cook and bake all kinds of foods from many different cultures. When it comes to food, the possibilities are endless!
Friendship Bracelet FanaticsDo you love making jewelry for your friends? Have you ever thought about making friendship bracelets to share with friends old and new? If so, then this enrichment cluster is for you! We will be learning many different ways to make beautiful friendship bracelet creations that we can make and share. Yarn, floss, beads...all these tools and more! If you've got a passion for creating cool jewelry to share, come join in the fun!!
Rainforest HeroesBecome a rainforest hero! Learn all about the rainforest, its animals, its natural resources, and much more! We could do fun activities, crafts, and even recipes to find out more about the rainforest! Best of all, discover all the ways in which you can help to protect our precious rainforest and the animals that live in it! Adventure awaits!
Inventing Minds ClusterAre you an inventor? Is there an idea you have that could change the world? Do you like creating things? If the answer to these questions is yes, then join us for the “Inventing Minds” enrichment cluster. We will explore the characteristics of famous inventors and the process they go through in creating inventions. Then we can try our hand at making some inventions of our own.
Under the SeaIs a dolphin a fish? How about a Moray eel or a Manta Ray? Are you like me? Are you fascinated by the creatures of the sea? If so, come along and we'll find out just what these creatures are all about. Become an underwater commodore and learn all of this and much, much more!
Violent Volcanoes and Quivering QuakesDid you know that the biggest volcano known to man stands over 18 miles high? Do you find it interesting that the largest earthquake we know of was in the United States? If you are interested in learning more, come join our cluster! We will learn why the earth rumbles and hot, liquid magma spews violently from the earth. You may even decide to create your own erupting volcano or quivering seismograph. We’ll have an explosion of fun and an earth shaking time!
LME Animal House!Do you love learning about WILD animals? Do you want to know how they survive in our dangerous world? Come join the “LME Animal House” enrichment cluster and have an adventure! Become an amateur wildlife biologist and delve deep to get the answers!
Clay CreationsDo you like working with your hands? Does the idea of molding squishy earth make you happy? Then, come and discover the art of working with clay. In this cluster we will explore the techniques of working with clay, working on the pottery wheel, and creating original works of art. The possibilities are endless. Bring your imagination and creativity!
Game On!You may have heard of Football, Basketball, and Cricket …but have you heard of Basque Pelota, Joggling, Netball, and Blo-ball? In this cluster we will explore common and unusual sports around the world. We will play different sports and create our own. Do you have game? Yes…then join this cluster!
Dreamy Drawing"Stars sparkling, greenish, yellow, white and in my head a starry night." Vincent Van Gogh (famous Dutch painter).
Do the swirling colors of the sky or bright electric lights spark your imagination making you want to sit down and draw? If so, this is the enrichment cluster for you! Join us as we discover new possibilities in drawing, learn about artists and creative expression. Bring your inspiration and imagination as we will explore the world of drawing. What's in your head?
Card Making Extravaganza!Do you like to cheer people up or make someone’s day? Then the “Card Making Extravaganza” enrichment cluster is for you! We will use stamps, glitter, embossing powder, and ribbons galore! If you want to make homemade birthday cards, thank you notes, and thinking of you cards then this is the cluster for you!
Take TwoDo you enjoy being behind a camera? Do you like capturing events on “tape”? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a videographer? If so, maybe this cluster is for you. Join me behind the “eye” of the camera. We will have hands on experience with flip cameras, digital cameras and computer programs for editing and producing photo stories and movies. Lights, camera, action!
Perfectly Prepared Pies!Love desserts? Love pies? Apple, cherry and pumpkin? Ever dreamed of being a baker, or owning your own bakery? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then this enrichment cluster is for you! Experience the joy of creating yummy pies for friends and family. Maybe you can bake a delicious pie to cheer someone up! Join me in the quest for the perfect pie!
Scalely FriendsWhat animal breathes air, is covered with scales, can lay eggs and is cold blooded? If you guessed a reptile you were right! Experience the wonder of these prehistoric creatures through hands-on experiences, a demonstration by a reptile expert, and opportunity to learn more about these creatures in an outdoor classroom. Make the “Scalely Friends” enrichment cluster your #1 choice!
Performance PaintingIn Performance Painting, you will explore the work of artists from around the globe, from Africa to Australia, from Europe to Asia, from ancient times until today and then create your own original works of art in the style you choose. This enrichment cluster will really give you the chance to be creative. If you want to use your hands and create artwork during every single enrichment cluster session, this is the enrichment cluster for you!
2nd graders rock!
In Ms. Rumpf's 2nd grade class, they have been learning about rocks.
Mrs. Hanson, Logan's mom, came to class and did a lesson on mining minerals. Students used different tools (paperclip and toothpick) to mine chocolate chips out of chocolate chip cookies.
This lesson modeled of how miners mine the earth for minerals. Students learned about different minerals that are mined and the different jobs it takes to mine minerals.
It was a great lesson!
Mrs. Hanson, Logan's mom, came to class and did a lesson on mining minerals. Students used different tools (paperclip and toothpick) to mine chocolate chips out of chocolate chip cookies.
This lesson modeled of how miners mine the earth for minerals. Students learned about different minerals that are mined and the different jobs it takes to mine minerals.
It was a great lesson!
Monday, December 5, 2011
The Sound of Music in 1st Grade
Laurel Mountain was alive with the sound of music this Friday during e-slot.
Mrs. Clements' first grade cubs shared their talents and interest in music. We had performances on the violin, keyboard, guitar and even some singers.
After sharing our talents and talking about our favorite instruments and kinds of music, the children got a chance to explore different instruments. Some of them even choreographed their own performances that were shared at the end of our e-slot time.
Mrs. Clements' first grade cubs shared their talents and interest in music. We had performances on the violin, keyboard, guitar and even some singers.
After sharing our talents and talking about our favorite instruments and kinds of music, the children got a chance to explore different instruments. Some of them even choreographed their own performances that were shared at the end of our e-slot time.
Continuing to develop the whole child......
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
What's Happening?
The end of the semester is always a busy time in a elementary school and Laurel Mountain is no exception. Here is a listing of the different enrichment activities taking place this week.
- In first grade, I am continuing the Primary Education Thinking Skills (PETS) lessons introducing Isabel the Inventor. She uses deductive thinking and loves to brainstorm. She even has special glasses that help her brainstorm.
- In second grade, I am continuing the PETS lessons where the students are practicing their convergent thinking with Dudley the Detective. He uses clues and is a very logical thinker.
- In third grade, I started a new round of PETS lessons. This time, the students are practicing with Dudley's famous logic elimination grids and deductive thinking, which is a type of convergent thinking. The students are finding and organizing clues, taking time to reflect, putting clues together and finding an answer. We all agree that logic problems are fun!
- Last week, I completed the LEGO lessons on gears with Mr. Hance's 4th grade class. The students built models of gears, learned about gear ratio, gearing up, gearing down, idler gear and compound gears. Then, the students built a leaf sweeper and put their new knowledge of gear systems to practice. The students experimented to find the most effective and efficient leaf sweeper.
- This week in 5th grade, I am working with the Holmstrom Hawks on the NXT Mindstorm Kits. They finished building their "Star Trek Doors" yesterday and we are moving on to the programming piece today. I was excited to show the students two videos from the website "The Futures Channel" about the new rover mission to Mars. This was a great connection between robotics and the real world. Here are the links to the videos:
Part 1:
http://www.thefutureschannel.com/dockets/realworld/mars_science_lab/
Part 2:
http://thefutureschannel.com/dockets/realworld/mars_science_lab_pt2/
- In first grade, I am continuing the Primary Education Thinking Skills (PETS) lessons introducing Isabel the Inventor. She uses deductive thinking and loves to brainstorm. She even has special glasses that help her brainstorm.
- In second grade, I am continuing the PETS lessons where the students are practicing their convergent thinking with Dudley the Detective. He uses clues and is a very logical thinker.
- In third grade, I started a new round of PETS lessons. This time, the students are practicing with Dudley's famous logic elimination grids and deductive thinking, which is a type of convergent thinking. The students are finding and organizing clues, taking time to reflect, putting clues together and finding an answer. We all agree that logic problems are fun!
- Last week, I completed the LEGO lessons on gears with Mr. Hance's 4th grade class. The students built models of gears, learned about gear ratio, gearing up, gearing down, idler gear and compound gears. Then, the students built a leaf sweeper and put their new knowledge of gear systems to practice. The students experimented to find the most effective and efficient leaf sweeper.
- This week in 5th grade, I am working with the Holmstrom Hawks on the NXT Mindstorm Kits. They finished building their "Star Trek Doors" yesterday and we are moving on to the programming piece today. I was excited to show the students two videos from the website "The Futures Channel" about the new rover mission to Mars. This was a great connection between robotics and the real world. Here are the links to the videos:
Part 1:
http://www.thefutureschannel.com/dockets/realworld/mars_science_lab/
Part 2:
http://thefutureschannel.com/dockets/realworld/mars_science_lab_pt2/
- This Friday will be the eighth and final meeting of our 4th and 5th grade enrichment clusters. Next Friday, December 9, will be our Enrichment Cluster Showcase from 8:15-9:30. Parents are welcome to come by to and tour the showcase to witness the journey in learning that our 4th and 5th graders have taken over the past eight weeks.
- This afternoon, I am excited to Skype with my new friends from Austin Elementary in Coppell ISD. They have decided to move forward with implementing SEM at their school and they asked me to join in on the discussion with their staff.
- Finally, on Friday I will be presenting at the TAGT Conference. I will be participating in the Curriculum Potpourri on using interest surveys to help with student motivation and building community within the classroom and school.
So, a very busy week with lots of great stuff going on. Continuing to develop the whole child....
Monday, November 21, 2011
Not for the Weak at Heart....literally
Check out what our future doctors in the "Is There a Doctor in the House?" enrichment cluster did last Friday. They got to dissect pig hearts!
Dr. Ann Soo (a Laurel Mountain parent) brought the pig hearts to the enrichment cluster meeting. She also brought along scrubs for the students to wear and an informative hand-out on the heart. They had a discussion on the parts of the heart, how the heart works and the cardiovascular system. Then, the students had a chance to get their hands dirty by opening up the hearts.
Thank you Dr. Soo for lending your time, talent and expertise to our students. I think we have some future heart surgeons in the making.
Continuing to develop the whole child...
Dr. Ann Soo (a Laurel Mountain parent) brought the pig hearts to the enrichment cluster meeting. She also brought along scrubs for the students to wear and an informative hand-out on the heart. They had a discussion on the parts of the heart, how the heart works and the cardiovascular system. Then, the students had a chance to get their hands dirty by opening up the hearts.
Thank you Dr. Soo for lending your time, talent and expertise to our students. I think we have some future heart surgeons in the making.
Continuing to develop the whole child...
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
3rd Grade Community Service
The third graders at LME trick-or-treated for Unicef this year as a community serviceactivity.
The children were shown a video of children in other parts of the world that depended on donations from Unicef to clothe, feed and provide medicines for them. We talked about how, at LME, we are fortunate to go to school, have plenty to eat, clothes to wear and when we are sick, go to the doctor.
The third graders decided that, "YES!" they wanted to help other children in the world and were committed to trick-or-treat for Unicef.
We are all very proud that over $1,100 was raised! This will buy a lot of very necessary items for children less fortunate. Way to help out 3rd graders!
The children were shown a video of children in other parts of the world that depended on donations from Unicef to clothe, feed and provide medicines for them. We talked about how, at LME, we are fortunate to go to school, have plenty to eat, clothes to wear and when we are sick, go to the doctor.
The third graders decided that, "YES!" they wanted to help other children in the world and were committed to trick-or-treat for Unicef.
We are all very proud that over $1,100 was raised! This will buy a lot of very necessary items for children less fortunate. Way to help out 3rd graders!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Sharing interests through bread
Our first grade students are learning about bread and grain in class. They are getting to taste and learn about different breads from around the world, how bread is made and learning how bread is a part of cultures from around the world.
This morning in Mrs. Clements' class, Mr. Webster (Clements' Cub parent) came in for the bread unit and actually made Boule with the kids. He taught them so much while he did it. But the best part, according to Mrs. Clements, was that he talked to the students about how cooking is a passion and interest of his. This was a great example of enrichment, and not just on Fridays.
How exciting to combine cooking (a top interest area in 1st grade) with a curriculum unit in first grade. And then the icing on the cake (or should I say bread) was having a demonstation by a parent who shared the same interest as the students.
Continuing to develop the whole child...
This morning in Mrs. Clements' class, Mr. Webster (Clements' Cub parent) came in for the bread unit and actually made Boule with the kids. He taught them so much while he did it. But the best part, according to Mrs. Clements, was that he talked to the students about how cooking is a passion and interest of his. This was a great example of enrichment, and not just on Fridays.
How exciting to combine cooking (a top interest area in 1st grade) with a curriculum unit in first grade. And then the icing on the cake (or should I say bread) was having a demonstation by a parent who shared the same interest as the students.
Continuing to develop the whole child...
New this Week
Even though it is the week before Thanksgiving break, we have many new enrichment activities taking place at Laurel Mountain.
This week, I will be starting new Primary Education Thinking Skill (PETS) lessons in first and second grade. In first grade, we will start to talk about Isabel the Inventor, who uses divergent thinking. She loves to brainstorm and think of new ideas. Ask your first grader what tool Isabel uses to help her brainstorm. In second grade, we will continue learning about convergent thinking with Dudley and Sybil. In this lesson, the students have to figure out the patterns in some grids using visual clues. These lessons will be taking place this week and the week after Thanksgiving.
Mrs. Hein's fifth grade class started their NXT Mindstorm lessons today. I have really gotten these lessons down to a science, since is the fourth class I have worked with. Today, I did the introductory lesson about robots and the students started to construct their "Star Trek" doors. The Heroes did a super job of working together in teams and taking turns building and gathering parts. I was very impressed.
Finally, I started working with Mr. Hance's class on the LEGO lessons focusing on gears. We discussed input, output, drive gear, driven gear and gear ratio. Then, the class began to build a model of a gear. Tomorrow we will discuss the gear they built using the LEGO Educational Kits and continue to build other gears. We will then move on to pulleys. Eventually, the students will get to build a "leaf sweeper" and do some a variety of trials to see which gears and pulleys make the sweeper work the best.
Continuing to develop the whole child....
This week, I will be starting new Primary Education Thinking Skill (PETS) lessons in first and second grade. In first grade, we will start to talk about Isabel the Inventor, who uses divergent thinking. She loves to brainstorm and think of new ideas. Ask your first grader what tool Isabel uses to help her brainstorm. In second grade, we will continue learning about convergent thinking with Dudley and Sybil. In this lesson, the students have to figure out the patterns in some grids using visual clues. These lessons will be taking place this week and the week after Thanksgiving.
Mrs. Hein's fifth grade class started their NXT Mindstorm lessons today. I have really gotten these lessons down to a science, since is the fourth class I have worked with. Today, I did the introductory lesson about robots and the students started to construct their "Star Trek" doors. The Heroes did a super job of working together in teams and taking turns building and gathering parts. I was very impressed.
Finally, I started working with Mr. Hance's class on the LEGO lessons focusing on gears. We discussed input, output, drive gear, driven gear and gear ratio. Then, the class began to build a model of a gear. Tomorrow we will discuss the gear they built using the LEGO Educational Kits and continue to build other gears. We will then move on to pulleys. Eventually, the students will get to build a "leaf sweeper" and do some a variety of trials to see which gears and pulleys make the sweeper work the best.
Continuing to develop the whole child....
1st Grade Enrichment
The first grade students are learning about maps and directions. In Ms. Wilson's class, Mr. Shepherd came in on Friday and showed the class some maps he used for work. The maps were of the area around Cannon Lake where they were running new electrical wires.
He also showed us a map he used when he was in the Marines at Camp Swift. It showed where different teams went for their maneuvers and training exercises.
Finally he showed us how to see LME on the computer using Google Earth! The kids loved it. It was a great addition to our map study.
He also showed us a map he used when he was in the Marines at Camp Swift. It showed where different teams went for their maneuvers and training exercises.
Finally he showed us how to see LME on the computer using Google Earth! The kids loved it. It was a great addition to our map study.
Monday, November 7, 2011
What's Inside My Body?
What's inside my body? Miss Lofaro's Leapfrogs studied bones last year as first graders, but they wanted to know more about the human body, so they did just that.
They read some books and saw a PowerPoint presentation so that they could learn more about the heart, lungs and digestive system (esophagus, stomach, liver and intestines).
Then they created a wearable poster of what the inside of their body looked like! Check it out in the pictures below.
They read some books and saw a PowerPoint presentation so that they could learn more about the heart, lungs and digestive system (esophagus, stomach, liver and intestines).
Then they created a wearable poster of what the inside of their body looked like! Check it out in the pictures below.
PETS Update
This week starts my second round of PETS (Primary Education Thinking Skills) lessons in 3rd grade. Over the next two weeks, we will continue to focus on convergent thinking. With convergent thinking, you read and organize the clues, reflect and think about the clues, use clues together and come up with an answer. The students will solve some more puzzles that the friends in the Puzzlers Club created. Ask your 3rd grade students which friends in Crystal Pond Woods use convergent thinking.
In second grade, Dudley is helping Sybil clean her lab. Dudley and the students use analytical thinking to label the containers of specimens in her lab. Then, we use deductive thinking to put the containers in a certain order on the high shelf in Sybil's lab. Deductive and analytical thinking are both types of convergent thinking.
Finally, in first grade the students are working on deductive thinking. Dudley has created a party game for Felix Frog's birthday party. The students use a Venn Diagram and deductive thinking to identify everyone at the celebration.
The PETS lessons are fun and challenging. I love the fact that each grade's lessons carry over to the next year. Therefore, the students are using their prior knowledge about how we think to help them solve the current year's puzzles and problems.
Continuing to develop the whole child...
In second grade, Dudley is helping Sybil clean her lab. Dudley and the students use analytical thinking to label the containers of specimens in her lab. Then, we use deductive thinking to put the containers in a certain order on the high shelf in Sybil's lab. Deductive and analytical thinking are both types of convergent thinking.
Finally, in first grade the students are working on deductive thinking. Dudley has created a party game for Felix Frog's birthday party. The students use a Venn Diagram and deductive thinking to identify everyone at the celebration.
The PETS lessons are fun and challenging. I love the fact that each grade's lessons carry over to the next year. Therefore, the students are using their prior knowledge about how we think to help them solve the current year's puzzles and problems.
Continuing to develop the whole child...
Apple Day!
The Donna Lee Lovebugs love science and cooking!
Since apples are plentiful this time of year, each Lovebug brought an apple to school for us to compare, sort, measure, investigate, and record the data. Then we used all of the apples to make applesauce.
First we had to read the recipe and follow the directions. We washed our apples, chopped them, and added all of the extra ingredients to the cooking pot. The "secret" ingredient is brown sugar! Yummy!
While we waited for it to cook, we did an experiment with apples: Does the inside of an apple change color after it is cut? We predicted and recorded the data in our Science Journals.
After PE, we checked on our experiment and wrote down the results.
Science and cooking is just a favorite with this age group. Plus, you get to eat your work!
Since apples are plentiful this time of year, each Lovebug brought an apple to school for us to compare, sort, measure, investigate, and record the data. Then we used all of the apples to make applesauce.
First we had to read the recipe and follow the directions. We washed our apples, chopped them, and added all of the extra ingredients to the cooking pot. The "secret" ingredient is brown sugar! Yummy!
While we waited for it to cook, we did an experiment with apples: Does the inside of an apple change color after it is cut? We predicted and recorded the data in our Science Journals.
After PE, we checked on our experiment and wrote down the results.
Science and cooking is just a favorite with this age group. Plus, you get to eat your work!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Star Trek Door Pictures
Here are some pictures from the "Star Trek" door building with Mrs. Castro's class.
Reading building instructions from the computer.
Searching for the correct parts.
Problem solving with Mrs. Levitan
A completed door!
Another week, another door
This week I am working with Mrs. Castro's Cougars on building and programming with the NXT Mindstorm LEGO Educational kits. Once again, the students are building the Star Trek doors. These doors will open when triggered by the touch sensor. The doors will play music as the open then the light sensor will tell the door to stop. The door will stay open for a specific amount of time that is decided by the student.
Today, the students are busy building the door with the NXT hardware. The students are learning that it is very important to follow EACH and EVERY direction. One missing peg, one wrong beam and the door will not work. And then the door will have to be rebuilt. There is lots of teamwork and problem solving happening today.
Tomorrow we will start programming the doors using the NXT software.
Continuing to develop the whole child...
Today, the students are busy building the door with the NXT hardware. The students are learning that it is very important to follow EACH and EVERY direction. One missing peg, one wrong beam and the door will not work. And then the door will have to be rebuilt. There is lots of teamwork and problem solving happening today.
Tomorrow we will start programming the doors using the NXT software.
Continuing to develop the whole child...
Friday, October 28, 2011
Pictures of Robots
Here are a few pictures of the "Star Trek" doors that Mrs. Sorrell's Superstars built this week.
Blogger Fever!
I am so excited that one of our 4th and 5th grade enrichment clusters has decided to start their own blog!
Our "Cooking with Zeek" enrichment cluster has started to write a blog. They love to eat and they love to cook. And what do people in the real world do who love to eat and cook? They share their passion and knowledge with others. A blog is a perfect way to do this.
The blog is called "Cooking with Zeek". Please check it out:
http://cookingwithzeek.blogspot.com/
Our "Cooking with Zeek" enrichment cluster has started to write a blog. They love to eat and they love to cook. And what do people in the real world do who love to eat and cook? They share their passion and knowledge with others. A blog is a perfect way to do this.
The blog is called "Cooking with Zeek". Please check it out:
http://cookingwithzeek.blogspot.com/
Mission Accomplished!
Today, the Sorrel Superstars finished building and programming their doors. Today, the students got a chance to showcase their robots to the class. And it was a big success. MOST of the doors, worked like they were suppose to. Some did not, but that gave way to a great discussion about how every invention does not work the first time, the second time or even the tenth time. Engineers are problem solvers and part of the fun working with the building and programming of the robots is working through the problems. We are thinking like scientists.
We had a variety of models and versions of the door. Some worked by pushing the touch sensor. Others were triggered by sound or distance. Some doors had lights to add to the design of the door. Some students decided to relocated the touch sensor on the door, so it made more sense when opening the door. Some students wrote music that played when the door opened. Other doors had fun commands. There was even one door that was a trick door, it pretended it "malfunctioned" and then laughed and opened the rest of the way. The students were creative and had fun.
I was very impressed with all of the students and the quality of work they put into their robots. I look forward to working with Mrs. Sorrell's class in the spring when we get to build and program a truck!
Continuing to develop the whole child....
We had a variety of models and versions of the door. Some worked by pushing the touch sensor. Others were triggered by sound or distance. Some doors had lights to add to the design of the door. Some students decided to relocated the touch sensor on the door, so it made more sense when opening the door. Some students wrote music that played when the door opened. Other doors had fun commands. There was even one door that was a trick door, it pretended it "malfunctioned" and then laughed and opened the rest of the way. The students were creative and had fun.
I was very impressed with all of the students and the quality of work they put into their robots. I look forward to working with Mrs. Sorrell's class in the spring when we get to build and program a truck!
Continuing to develop the whole child....
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Doors are Built!
Today, all of the Sorrell Superstars finished building their Star Trek doors. Now they are all working on programming "version one" of the door. Version 1 means that the door opens when the touch sensor is pressed. As the door opens , music plays. The light sensor will tell the motor to stop when a certain level of reflected light is read by the sensor. The door stays open for a specific amount of time (decided on by the students) and then the door closes. Then, repeat!
Once the students have shown mastery of this program, they are allowed to program the door on their own. Some students are choosing to program using the distance sensor. This means that the door opens when an object gets to a certain distance in front of the door (like a door at HEB or Target). Some students are programming the door to open using the sound sensor (like "The Clapper"). And some are adding more music for special effects.
On Thursday, the students will finish programming their Star Trek doors, so we can share on Friday. Then unfortunately, the students will have to disassemble their doors and clean up. The students are not usually too happy about this last part. It is sad to see their hard work and effort being taken apart. But we have to be ready for the next class.
Continuing to build the whole child...
Once the students have shown mastery of this program, they are allowed to program the door on their own. Some students are choosing to program using the distance sensor. This means that the door opens when an object gets to a certain distance in front of the door (like a door at HEB or Target). Some students are programming the door to open using the sound sensor (like "The Clapper"). And some are adding more music for special effects.
On Thursday, the students will finish programming their Star Trek doors, so we can share on Friday. Then unfortunately, the students will have to disassemble their doors and clean up. The students are not usually too happy about this last part. It is sad to see their hard work and effort being taken apart. But we have to be ready for the next class.
Continuing to build the whole child...
Monday, October 24, 2011
New Friends
This is a shout out to my new friends from Coppell ISD. :)
This past Friday, we were so thrilled to have visitors from Coppell ISD, which is outside of Dallas, Texas. Earlier in the school year, I was contacted by a representative from the district. She had found my name from the LME website. She shared that Austin Elementary School in Coppell was interested in SEM. They have sent 16 staff members over the past two years to Confratute at the University of Connecticut. Confratute is the conference/institute that occurs every summer that Dr. Renzulli, Dr. Reis and UConn staff plan and organize. I told them that they were more than welcome to visit and we made the arrangements.
In all, Coppell ISD sent the principal, assistant principle, TAG teacher, Dyslexia teacher, Technology Specialist and grade level teachers from Austin Elementary School, along with the Director of Elementary Education and Director of Strategic Initiatives.
Jan Richards and I took our new friends on a tour of the school while E-slot and Enrichment Clusters were happening. They were so impressed with our students, teachers, hallways, student work, bulletin boards and the overall positive atmosphere of LME. During the tour they were recording with their FLIP camera, taking notes on their i-pads, taking pictures with their i-phones and tweeting about their experience. It was so fun to see their excitement and enthusiasm. The assistant principal promised that he would send us a copy of the video that he is going to make with the footage of their visit (just a little reminder).
After the tour, we had a panel of several students from our Leadership Team, one parent and three LME teachers available to answer questions and talk about what SEM looks like at Laurel Mountain. The students were fabulous and had valuable insight on what SEM means to them. The staff from Coppell were able to ask honest questions to our teachers. My hope is that we were able to give them useful information that they can take back to their staff.
I look forward to having further conversations with our new friends from Coppell and maybe even taking a trip up there to say hello! It was inspiring and really fun to share all of the fabulous things that we do at LME to make this such a remarkable school.
I was very proud and honored to show our visitors around and represent our amazing staff. And it was very encouraging that these teachers from Coppell ISD found uour school, read about what we are doing and wanted to visit to find out more. I think that is a huge compliment to the great work that is accomplished at LME everyday. And that is thanks to our teachers, staff, students and parents.
Continuing to develop the whole child, by building a Texas community...
This past Friday, we were so thrilled to have visitors from Coppell ISD, which is outside of Dallas, Texas. Earlier in the school year, I was contacted by a representative from the district. She had found my name from the LME website. She shared that Austin Elementary School in Coppell was interested in SEM. They have sent 16 staff members over the past two years to Confratute at the University of Connecticut. Confratute is the conference/institute that occurs every summer that Dr. Renzulli, Dr. Reis and UConn staff plan and organize. I told them that they were more than welcome to visit and we made the arrangements.
In all, Coppell ISD sent the principal, assistant principle, TAG teacher, Dyslexia teacher, Technology Specialist and grade level teachers from Austin Elementary School, along with the Director of Elementary Education and Director of Strategic Initiatives.
Jan Richards and I took our new friends on a tour of the school while E-slot and Enrichment Clusters were happening. They were so impressed with our students, teachers, hallways, student work, bulletin boards and the overall positive atmosphere of LME. During the tour they were recording with their FLIP camera, taking notes on their i-pads, taking pictures with their i-phones and tweeting about their experience. It was so fun to see their excitement and enthusiasm. The assistant principal promised that he would send us a copy of the video that he is going to make with the footage of their visit (just a little reminder).
After the tour, we had a panel of several students from our Leadership Team, one parent and three LME teachers available to answer questions and talk about what SEM looks like at Laurel Mountain. The students were fabulous and had valuable insight on what SEM means to them. The staff from Coppell were able to ask honest questions to our teachers. My hope is that we were able to give them useful information that they can take back to their staff.
I look forward to having further conversations with our new friends from Coppell and maybe even taking a trip up there to say hello! It was inspiring and really fun to share all of the fabulous things that we do at LME to make this such a remarkable school.
I was very proud and honored to show our visitors around and represent our amazing staff. And it was very encouraging that these teachers from Coppell ISD found uour school, read about what we are doing and wanted to visit to find out more. I think that is a huge compliment to the great work that is accomplished at LME everyday. And that is thanks to our teachers, staff, students and parents.
Continuing to develop the whole child, by building a Texas community...
PETS times 3
I am so excited to start the Primary Education Thinking Skills (PETS) lessons in 3rd grade this week. This will be the first year continuing these lessons into the 3rd grade. Therefore, all students in grades kindergarten through third will be getting the enrichment thinking skills lessons every other week in the classroom.
For the next two weeks in third grade, I will review the friends and types of thinking from Crystal Pond Woods. Then, we will move on to an activity where we will practice convergent thinking. Dudley the Detective and Sybil the Scientist both use convergent thinking. In convergent thinking, you find and organize clues, take time and reflect on those clues, put clues together and finally determine the correct answer. The students get practice using their convergent thinking skills as we solve some "Puzzler's Club" puzzles together.
In second grade, Sybil the Scientist is showing Dudley the Detective the system she uses to classify objects by their attributes. This system is a Venn Diagram. When we classify objects by their attributes, we are using analytical thinking.
In first grade, the students are practicing the deductive thinking solving some different problems and puzzles. We are learning to think like Dudley the Detective by reading the clues, thinking about the clues, never jumping to conclusions and finding the one correct answer.
Having fun in Crystal Pond Woods and we continue to develop the whole child....
For the next two weeks in third grade, I will review the friends and types of thinking from Crystal Pond Woods. Then, we will move on to an activity where we will practice convergent thinking. Dudley the Detective and Sybil the Scientist both use convergent thinking. In convergent thinking, you find and organize clues, take time and reflect on those clues, put clues together and finally determine the correct answer. The students get practice using their convergent thinking skills as we solve some "Puzzler's Club" puzzles together.
In second grade, Sybil the Scientist is showing Dudley the Detective the system she uses to classify objects by their attributes. This system is a Venn Diagram. When we classify objects by their attributes, we are using analytical thinking.
In first grade, the students are practicing the deductive thinking solving some different problems and puzzles. We are learning to think like Dudley the Detective by reading the clues, thinking about the clues, never jumping to conclusions and finding the one correct answer.
Having fun in Crystal Pond Woods and we continue to develop the whole child....
Programming with NXT
For the past two days, Mrs. Sorrell's Superstars have spent their NXT time building the Star Trek doors and learning to program using the NXT software.
We discussed the different commands, or blocks, of the software. Each block tells the computer in the NXT brick to do a certain command. The blocks we concentrated on are the "move" block, the "wait for sensor" block and the "sound" block. We talked about what happens when we leave out a step in our programming (the robot does not know what to do since it cannot read our minds). The robot is only as smart as the programmer.
Mrs. Levitan then taught the students how to use the light sensor to read the amount of reflected light the light sensor is giving off. The amount of reflected light will tell the robot when to stop the motor when opening the door.
Lots of doors are not built the correct way, which means there is LOTS of problem solving going on, along with a little frustration. Oh, the joys of thinking like an engineer.
More building and programming tomorrow. We are looking forward to it. :)
Continuing to build the whole child.....
We discussed the different commands, or blocks, of the software. Each block tells the computer in the NXT brick to do a certain command. The blocks we concentrated on are the "move" block, the "wait for sensor" block and the "sound" block. We talked about what happens when we leave out a step in our programming (the robot does not know what to do since it cannot read our minds). The robot is only as smart as the programmer.
Mrs. Levitan then taught the students how to use the light sensor to read the amount of reflected light the light sensor is giving off. The amount of reflected light will tell the robot when to stop the motor when opening the door.
Lots of doors are not built the correct way, which means there is LOTS of problem solving going on, along with a little frustration. Oh, the joys of thinking like an engineer.
More building and programming tomorrow. We are looking forward to it. :)
Continuing to build the whole child.....
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Robots and Star Trek Doors
This week I started teaching the LEGO NXT Mindstorm lessons to Mrs. Sorrell's 5th grade class. The class was very excited and enthusiastic to start this new adventure. The first thing we discussed was "What makes a robot a robot?" The students learned that there are three things that make a robot a robot. They are: #1 body, #2 control and #3 behavior. Then, we discussed input, process, output, hardware and software.
The next step was to give the students their assignment. The students are building a "Star Trek" door. The door will be programed to open automatically when a sensor is triggered. Music will play as the door opens. The door will stay open for a specific amount of time and then close automatically. Then, the process will repeat.
Currently, the students are busy building with the hardware, which are the LEGO NXT Mindstorm kits. The room is busy and noisy, but that means there is a lot of teamwork taking place, purposeful communication and problem solving.
Some comments I have heard:
"OK, now you need a 13 module beam and 2 connector pegs..."
"I am confused. What does this mean?"
"We are taking turns. I am reading the directions and she is building."
"We are working on the transmission."
"I connected all the 8 stud beams so I do not lose them."
"We are on the motor part."
"Oh, it is flipped around...I get it now!"
"We are on the third step. We had to start over because we were doing it wrong."
On Thursday, we will start to learn how to program our Star Trek door using the NXT software. The adventure continues.
Continuing to develop the whole child...
The next step was to give the students their assignment. The students are building a "Star Trek" door. The door will be programed to open automatically when a sensor is triggered. Music will play as the door opens. The door will stay open for a specific amount of time and then close automatically. Then, the process will repeat.
Currently, the students are busy building with the hardware, which are the LEGO NXT Mindstorm kits. The room is busy and noisy, but that means there is a lot of teamwork taking place, purposeful communication and problem solving.
Some comments I have heard:
"OK, now you need a 13 module beam and 2 connector pegs..."
"I am confused. What does this mean?"
"We are taking turns. I am reading the directions and she is building."
"We are working on the transmission."
"I connected all the 8 stud beams so I do not lose them."
"We are on the motor part."
"Oh, it is flipped around...I get it now!"
"We are on the third step. We had to start over because we were doing it wrong."
On Thursday, we will start to learn how to program our Star Trek door using the NXT software. The adventure continues.
Continuing to develop the whole child...
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
First Meeting of Our 4th and 5th grade Enrichment Clusters
This past Friday, was the first meeting of our 4th and 5th grade enrichment clusters. This is always a very exciting time when the students find out Friday morning which enrichment cluster they are going to be in for the 8 weeks. The enrichment clusters will meet for one hour every Friday from October 7 through December 2, 2011. The enrichment cluster showcase will be on December 9, 2011.
A lot of work goes into getting the enrichment clusters ready and the students sorted into the 17 different clusters. First of all, the 17 enrichment cluster topics were based on the results of the 4th and 5th grade interest surveys that they completed in class at the beginning of the year. During class time, the 4th and 5th graders ranked their top four enrichment cluster choices. Mrs. Levitan entered their preference data into an Excel spreadsheet, which she sent to Mr. Eric Deal, one of our fantastic Laurel Mountain parents. Mr. Deal has written a computer program that sorts the children into their clusters based on preferences.
The computer program randomly assigns students to clusters, attempting to give every child their first cluster choice. When that’s not possible, the program then moves the student into his or her second choice, then third choice and finally fourth choice. This year, we will able to look at the selection history from last year. We took the time to make sure that the students who got their 3rd or 4th choice last year, received their 1st or 2nd choice this year. Also, with some of our very popular enrichment cluster topics, like sports and clay, we made sure that different students this year are participating in those enrichment clusters. Therefore, more students get a chance to explore a large area of interest.
This year, 197 students were placed in their first cluster choice. 43 students were placed in their second choice. 18 were place in their 3rd choice. Zero students were placed in their 4th choice. We are excited that all of our 4th and 5th grade students are given the chance to explore and learn in their 1st, 2nd or 3rd enrichment cluster choice.
Below, you will find the summaries from the first enrichment cluster meetings.
Fitness Fun The “Fitness Fun” enrichment cluster discussed ways to be healthy and fit. Mr. Hance explained the 10 foundations of fitness, we reviewed basic, functional movements of like squatting, lifting and pressing, and then the students did a baseline workout, which will be measured again at the end of the cluster. Our goal is to learn how to be healthy eaters, improve our overall fitness, and to have fun making it a part of our life.
Landscapes, Portraits, Still Life, Oh My! “Landscapes, Portraits, Still Life, Oh My!” enrichment cluster had a fantastic first meeting. The students created amazing works of art using paintbrushes, sponges, watercolors, and pointillism techniques. Most students designed landscapes, but a few pieces were abstract. Students left the cluster meeting brimming with ideas about their future creations and what types of materials they would like to try. Next week, we will enjoy a presentation from Mrs. Monica Araoz, a LME parent and artist.
Draw Me a Story We had Mrs. Monica Araoz, a LME parent and artist, come in to the “Draw Me a Story” enrichment cluster. She showed the students how to make their drawings look more 3-dimensional. We drew a lizard cake, a treasure box full of mashed potatoes and many other 3D pictures.
Instantaneous Experiments We were scientists today! We did three experiments. We learned that citric acid can produce bubbles and that an entire piece of flash paper will be consumed by fire in a split second. Our favorite part was making and touching the slim we made.
Monsters and Myths During our first meeting of the enrichment cluster Kurt Wheeler (Mrs. Wheeler's husband), a monster/zombie expert, came and gave a presentation on monsters, myths and legends. The children were very engaged. During the presentation, Mr. Wheeler, pretended he was ill, which Mrs. Jackson knew about this ahead of time. At the end of his presentation, he left unexpectedly to return in a werewolf mask and gloves. The kids were laughing and had a great time. The children have mixed interests with some loving monsters and some wanting to study mythology. We will see what the next step is in the enrichment cluster this week.
LME Crisis Response Team We started our cluster by discussing the definition of a crisis and brainstorming types/examples of crises. We then simulated a crisis in our community--we used props and costumes to dress as fire, police, medical, school, and media responders. Mrs. Justice read the scenario to the students for them to act out how they would respond to this situation. We even had changing circumstances as the simulation continued! Afterwards, we were able to discuss our experience of the simulation. We felt energized about our topic at the end of our first meeting, and are looking forward to learning more about crisis response in the upcoming seven meetings!
Claymation The "Claymation" enrichment cluster rolled off to a great start. We watched examples of claymation films. Some were created by professionals, like Wallace & Gromit and others were examples of student created stop-motion films. We discussed the characteristics of a claymation type film and the steps needed to complete the process. They discovered that these films are collections of multiple frames, or snapshots, combined by software to create movement. Then they used post-it notes to create flip books. They took a simple sequence and broke it down into individual scenes with movement portrayed by slightly adjusting the repetitive scenes. Some examples included: a person jumping on a trampoline, eating an apple, and throwing a ball.
Lights…Camera…Action! It’s Movie Time! Today was our first meeting and we began by seeing a few movies that former students and Mrs. Castro had made. Next, we got out the laptops and went straight to work. What’s the best way to learn how to make movies on Movie Maker? By jumping in and exploring the program. Mrs. Castro reviewed the program and showed us what we needed to do. Then we took pictures of our friends, downloaded the pictures and got right to work. Before we knew it, we were creating our own movies. We are very excited about learning to make movies on Movie Maker. Cut…that’s a rap!
Is There A Doctor in the House? Today in the "Is There A Doctor in the House?" enrichment cluster, the students learned about simple first aid procedures. Each medic in training cared for a wounded patient - an apple or a tomato. They examined puncture wounds, splinters, blisters, cuts and abrasions. Then they administered fruity first aid by cleaning the wound and applying bandages, gauze or moleskin. These enthusiastic students are looking forward to learning about the medical profession and acquiring age appropriate life saving skills.
SEW? You Want to Change the World? We met in the music room and played “Recycle Jeopardy” and learned that people use way too many plastic bags. We also learned that only 5% of the bags get recycled and 95% go into the landfill, so just recycling will not solve the problem. We would like to explore making cloth bags and getting the message out to our audience that they can make their own bags very easily. We are considering email surveys, classroom presentations and advertisements on KPAW! We had a lot of ideas for 8 meetings.
Power Point Productions In the “PowerPoint Productions” enrichment cluster students viewed some power point stop-motion videos to get an idea of what is possible in this medium. We discussed our purpose and who might be the audience for our creations. Then, we got to work brainstorming ideas and putting together a story boards to guide our projects.
LME Photographer's Society The first meeting of the “LME Photographer's Society” was a big success! Everyone introduced themselves and each child shared why they were interested in photography. Using the projector and document camera, we had a brief lesson on the basics of digital photography. Mrs. Kelley, the assistant principal, asked students to begin thinking of products and services we could generate with our photos. Mrs. York, our ITS, shared some technical details of how cameras work. Then, we broke up into small groups and started taking pictures! Finally, we connected the cameras to the computers and unloaded our photos to our personal folders. It was a busy hour!
Exploring the Rocks Beneath Our Feet We have decided to create a rock, mineral and fossil display in the outdoor display cases in the preserve. Our service will come from the research we do on the pieces that are in the display cases. The information will be researched and we will share information for others to learn. The second product will be for the enrichment cluster showcase. We will create a large box display of fluorescent rocks. The students will research each of the pieces in the display and provide information for each rock.
Cartoons and Comic Strips In our enrichment cluster we had fun, fun, and . . . oh, yeah, fun! We learned that you don’t have to be much of an artist to be able to create a cartoon or comic strip. Whew! We looked at a bunch of cartoons and comic strips using the projector and we discussed our favorite ones. We analyzed what made them “work” and what the point was. We even created a cartoon character of our own. And, the highlight?—we started creating a comic strip!
You've Got Me in Stitches! The girls in the “You've Got Me in Stitches!” enrichment cluster enjoyed looking at some completed cross-stitch samples and then choosing some projects to begin working on. After brainstorming some ideas for possible service projects, the members learned how to place the hoop on the cross stitch fabric and also how to thread a needle before starting to stitch. We are all looking forward to becoming cross stitch masters!
Lionhearts Peer Mediation The Lionhearts Peer Mediation enrichment cluster is off to a great start. After playing the game "Who's Your Neighbor?" to help students get better acquainted and feel comfortable taking risks, students engaged in a lively discussion about conflict from a 4th and 5th grade perspective. This led us to the conclusion that the best solutions are "win-win", which is what the Peer Mediation process is all about. We ended our first session by watching a brief video of a role play of a Peer Mediation session and students sharing their observations, ideas and feelings about what they had been able to learn about the process so far. There was much enthusiasm about being able to get the LME Peer Mediation program off the ground. One student commented that we were going to be like the "Dr. Phil Show".
Clay, Clay, Clay Today we learned the basics of clay creations. We found out that there are different types of clay, there are many places where clay is obtained and there are some wonderful ceramic artists all over the world. We were taught how to make a clay creation that will stick together. We learned how to score and slip to make our creation stick together. Our first creation is based around a pinch pot base. It is amazing to see all the imaginative variations our cluster created. We also started our potter’s wheel rotation. Each student will get a turn to learn the potter’s wheel and to create their very own pot. We had a squishy fun time!
Cooking with Zeek “Cooking with Zeek” got off to a great start with our guest chef, Mrs. Christine Jovanovic, a LME parent. Mrs. Jovanovic’s main focus was teaching the students about flavors and how they complement each other. She had a wide variety of foods for the kids to taste and enjoy. The students helped Mrs. Jovanovic prepare the many samples she brought along. Who would have thought mango and hot chili pepper would taste so great together?
A lot of work goes into getting the enrichment clusters ready and the students sorted into the 17 different clusters. First of all, the 17 enrichment cluster topics were based on the results of the 4th and 5th grade interest surveys that they completed in class at the beginning of the year. During class time, the 4th and 5th graders ranked their top four enrichment cluster choices. Mrs. Levitan entered their preference data into an Excel spreadsheet, which she sent to Mr. Eric Deal, one of our fantastic Laurel Mountain parents. Mr. Deal has written a computer program that sorts the children into their clusters based on preferences.
The computer program randomly assigns students to clusters, attempting to give every child their first cluster choice. When that’s not possible, the program then moves the student into his or her second choice, then third choice and finally fourth choice. This year, we will able to look at the selection history from last year. We took the time to make sure that the students who got their 3rd or 4th choice last year, received their 1st or 2nd choice this year. Also, with some of our very popular enrichment cluster topics, like sports and clay, we made sure that different students this year are participating in those enrichment clusters. Therefore, more students get a chance to explore a large area of interest.
This year, 197 students were placed in their first cluster choice. 43 students were placed in their second choice. 18 were place in their 3rd choice. Zero students were placed in their 4th choice. We are excited that all of our 4th and 5th grade students are given the chance to explore and learn in their 1st, 2nd or 3rd enrichment cluster choice.
Below, you will find the summaries from the first enrichment cluster meetings.
Fitness Fun The “Fitness Fun” enrichment cluster discussed ways to be healthy and fit. Mr. Hance explained the 10 foundations of fitness, we reviewed basic, functional movements of like squatting, lifting and pressing, and then the students did a baseline workout, which will be measured again at the end of the cluster. Our goal is to learn how to be healthy eaters, improve our overall fitness, and to have fun making it a part of our life.
Landscapes, Portraits, Still Life, Oh My! “Landscapes, Portraits, Still Life, Oh My!” enrichment cluster had a fantastic first meeting. The students created amazing works of art using paintbrushes, sponges, watercolors, and pointillism techniques. Most students designed landscapes, but a few pieces were abstract. Students left the cluster meeting brimming with ideas about their future creations and what types of materials they would like to try. Next week, we will enjoy a presentation from Mrs. Monica Araoz, a LME parent and artist.
Draw Me a Story We had Mrs. Monica Araoz, a LME parent and artist, come in to the “Draw Me a Story” enrichment cluster. She showed the students how to make their drawings look more 3-dimensional. We drew a lizard cake, a treasure box full of mashed potatoes and many other 3D pictures.
Instantaneous Experiments We were scientists today! We did three experiments. We learned that citric acid can produce bubbles and that an entire piece of flash paper will be consumed by fire in a split second. Our favorite part was making and touching the slim we made.
Monsters and Myths During our first meeting of the enrichment cluster Kurt Wheeler (Mrs. Wheeler's husband), a monster/zombie expert, came and gave a presentation on monsters, myths and legends. The children were very engaged. During the presentation, Mr. Wheeler, pretended he was ill, which Mrs. Jackson knew about this ahead of time. At the end of his presentation, he left unexpectedly to return in a werewolf mask and gloves. The kids were laughing and had a great time. The children have mixed interests with some loving monsters and some wanting to study mythology. We will see what the next step is in the enrichment cluster this week.
LME Crisis Response Team We started our cluster by discussing the definition of a crisis and brainstorming types/examples of crises. We then simulated a crisis in our community--we used props and costumes to dress as fire, police, medical, school, and media responders. Mrs. Justice read the scenario to the students for them to act out how they would respond to this situation. We even had changing circumstances as the simulation continued! Afterwards, we were able to discuss our experience of the simulation. We felt energized about our topic at the end of our first meeting, and are looking forward to learning more about crisis response in the upcoming seven meetings!
Claymation The "Claymation" enrichment cluster rolled off to a great start. We watched examples of claymation films. Some were created by professionals, like Wallace & Gromit and others were examples of student created stop-motion films. We discussed the characteristics of a claymation type film and the steps needed to complete the process. They discovered that these films are collections of multiple frames, or snapshots, combined by software to create movement. Then they used post-it notes to create flip books. They took a simple sequence and broke it down into individual scenes with movement portrayed by slightly adjusting the repetitive scenes. Some examples included: a person jumping on a trampoline, eating an apple, and throwing a ball.
Lights…Camera…Action! It’s Movie Time! Today was our first meeting and we began by seeing a few movies that former students and Mrs. Castro had made. Next, we got out the laptops and went straight to work. What’s the best way to learn how to make movies on Movie Maker? By jumping in and exploring the program. Mrs. Castro reviewed the program and showed us what we needed to do. Then we took pictures of our friends, downloaded the pictures and got right to work. Before we knew it, we were creating our own movies. We are very excited about learning to make movies on Movie Maker. Cut…that’s a rap!
Is There A Doctor in the House? Today in the "Is There A Doctor in the House?" enrichment cluster, the students learned about simple first aid procedures. Each medic in training cared for a wounded patient - an apple or a tomato. They examined puncture wounds, splinters, blisters, cuts and abrasions. Then they administered fruity first aid by cleaning the wound and applying bandages, gauze or moleskin. These enthusiastic students are looking forward to learning about the medical profession and acquiring age appropriate life saving skills.
SEW? You Want to Change the World? We met in the music room and played “Recycle Jeopardy” and learned that people use way too many plastic bags. We also learned that only 5% of the bags get recycled and 95% go into the landfill, so just recycling will not solve the problem. We would like to explore making cloth bags and getting the message out to our audience that they can make their own bags very easily. We are considering email surveys, classroom presentations and advertisements on KPAW! We had a lot of ideas for 8 meetings.
Power Point Productions In the “PowerPoint Productions” enrichment cluster students viewed some power point stop-motion videos to get an idea of what is possible in this medium. We discussed our purpose and who might be the audience for our creations. Then, we got to work brainstorming ideas and putting together a story boards to guide our projects.
LME Photographer's Society The first meeting of the “LME Photographer's Society” was a big success! Everyone introduced themselves and each child shared why they were interested in photography. Using the projector and document camera, we had a brief lesson on the basics of digital photography. Mrs. Kelley, the assistant principal, asked students to begin thinking of products and services we could generate with our photos. Mrs. York, our ITS, shared some technical details of how cameras work. Then, we broke up into small groups and started taking pictures! Finally, we connected the cameras to the computers and unloaded our photos to our personal folders. It was a busy hour!
Exploring the Rocks Beneath Our Feet We have decided to create a rock, mineral and fossil display in the outdoor display cases in the preserve. Our service will come from the research we do on the pieces that are in the display cases. The information will be researched and we will share information for others to learn. The second product will be for the enrichment cluster showcase. We will create a large box display of fluorescent rocks. The students will research each of the pieces in the display and provide information for each rock.
Cartoons and Comic Strips In our enrichment cluster we had fun, fun, and . . . oh, yeah, fun! We learned that you don’t have to be much of an artist to be able to create a cartoon or comic strip. Whew! We looked at a bunch of cartoons and comic strips using the projector and we discussed our favorite ones. We analyzed what made them “work” and what the point was. We even created a cartoon character of our own. And, the highlight?—we started creating a comic strip!
You've Got Me in Stitches! The girls in the “You've Got Me in Stitches!” enrichment cluster enjoyed looking at some completed cross-stitch samples and then choosing some projects to begin working on. After brainstorming some ideas for possible service projects, the members learned how to place the hoop on the cross stitch fabric and also how to thread a needle before starting to stitch. We are all looking forward to becoming cross stitch masters!
Lionhearts Peer Mediation The Lionhearts Peer Mediation enrichment cluster is off to a great start. After playing the game "Who's Your Neighbor?" to help students get better acquainted and feel comfortable taking risks, students engaged in a lively discussion about conflict from a 4th and 5th grade perspective. This led us to the conclusion that the best solutions are "win-win", which is what the Peer Mediation process is all about. We ended our first session by watching a brief video of a role play of a Peer Mediation session and students sharing their observations, ideas and feelings about what they had been able to learn about the process so far. There was much enthusiasm about being able to get the LME Peer Mediation program off the ground. One student commented that we were going to be like the "Dr. Phil Show".
Clay, Clay, Clay Today we learned the basics of clay creations. We found out that there are different types of clay, there are many places where clay is obtained and there are some wonderful ceramic artists all over the world. We were taught how to make a clay creation that will stick together. We learned how to score and slip to make our creation stick together. Our first creation is based around a pinch pot base. It is amazing to see all the imaginative variations our cluster created. We also started our potter’s wheel rotation. Each student will get a turn to learn the potter’s wheel and to create their very own pot. We had a squishy fun time!
Cooking with Zeek “Cooking with Zeek” got off to a great start with our guest chef, Mrs. Christine Jovanovic, a LME parent. Mrs. Jovanovic’s main focus was teaching the students about flavors and how they complement each other. She had a wide variety of foods for the kids to taste and enjoy. The students helped Mrs. Jovanovic prepare the many samples she brought along. Who would have thought mango and hot chili pepper would taste so great together?
Continuing to develop the whole child....
Monday, October 10, 2011
Primary Enrichment
The 4th and 5th grade enrichment clusters started this past Friday, on October 7, 2011 (more on that later). Here are some updates on the enrichment happening in some first grade classrooms and kindergarten during our E-slot time last Friday.
Mrs. Hall’s 1st grade class: This year, several Hoppers expressed interest in airplanes on their interest survey. Today we learned all about how planes fly, different types and parts of planes and how to make our own. We tried out several styles of planes, the "Loop" and the "Tube", and compared their flight. We also tried making an airplane move using the force of the air leaving a balloon. It was amazing to watch it push through the air. One of the Hoppers brought a book about how to make paper airplanes. We experimented with different folds and practiced different throwing techniques. After many trials and errors, we lined the hallway for the first annual Hopper Air Show. Hoppers stood on the line and threw their airplanes. We measured with a tape measure and took pictures. The longest flight was 17 feet, 9 inches. Our excitement soared as we learned about airplanes!
Mrs. Clements 1st grade class: The Clements Cubs turned ordinary paper into extraordinary art during our origami E-slot on Friday! A fun "Reading Rainbow" taught us about Japanese culture and the origin of origami. We even got to see special paper made out of blue jeans! We used books and a great website http://www.en.origami-club.com/ to show us how to make origami art. The room was busy as students made giraffes, ninjas, flowers, swans, trees, frogs, and sailboats, just to name a few. We had origami experts and students who developed a new love. We can't wait to keep exploring our interest next week!
Kindergarten: In Kindergarten, we're interested in learning more about Community Helpers. Mrs. Fox invited Fireman Herman to come visit all six Kindergarten classes. He is a community helper and a LME dad! Below is a photograph of him demonstrating how he can get completely ready in his fire fighter gear in less than 90 seconds! Mrs. Donna Lee timed him. He did it in 85 seconds! Way to go Fireman Herman! We had really good questions for him: "Why do fire fighters use dogs to help them?" "How does the helmet protect you?" "On average, how many fire trucks do you have at each station?" "When did you know you wanted to be a fire fighter?" Kindergartners are full of questions! E-slot gives us a chance to explore our interests. Thanks Fireman Herman!
Mrs. Hall’s 1st grade class: This year, several Hoppers expressed interest in airplanes on their interest survey. Today we learned all about how planes fly, different types and parts of planes and how to make our own. We tried out several styles of planes, the "Loop" and the "Tube", and compared their flight. We also tried making an airplane move using the force of the air leaving a balloon. It was amazing to watch it push through the air. One of the Hoppers brought a book about how to make paper airplanes. We experimented with different folds and practiced different throwing techniques. After many trials and errors, we lined the hallway for the first annual Hopper Air Show. Hoppers stood on the line and threw their airplanes. We measured with a tape measure and took pictures. The longest flight was 17 feet, 9 inches. Our excitement soared as we learned about airplanes!
Mrs. Clements 1st grade class: The Clements Cubs turned ordinary paper into extraordinary art during our origami E-slot on Friday! A fun "Reading Rainbow" taught us about Japanese culture and the origin of origami. We even got to see special paper made out of blue jeans! We used books and a great website http://www.en.origami-club.com/ to show us how to make origami art. The room was busy as students made giraffes, ninjas, flowers, swans, trees, frogs, and sailboats, just to name a few. We had origami experts and students who developed a new love. We can't wait to keep exploring our interest next week!
Kindergarten: In Kindergarten, we're interested in learning more about Community Helpers. Mrs. Fox invited Fireman Herman to come visit all six Kindergarten classes. He is a community helper and a LME dad! Below is a photograph of him demonstrating how he can get completely ready in his fire fighter gear in less than 90 seconds! Mrs. Donna Lee timed him. He did it in 85 seconds! Way to go Fireman Herman! We had really good questions for him: "Why do fire fighters use dogs to help them?" "How does the helmet protect you?" "On average, how many fire trucks do you have at each station?" "When did you know you wanted to be a fire fighter?" Kindergartners are full of questions! E-slot gives us a chance to explore our interests. Thanks Fireman Herman!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Botanical Bats
Check this out!
Ms. Rumpf's Respectful Bats have been researching bats. As a class, they have taken note facts on a book and video source. They organized their note facts. They have spent a couple of weeks working on products. The Bats made a variety of products: play, puppet show, game, poster, cross word puzzle and quiz. As a class they made a brochure with the bat facts. Their products will be displayed at Zilker Botanical Gardens this weekend. Please come and visit to learn more about bats on October 8 and October 9 from 1 - 4 pm.
Ms. Rumpf's Respectful Bats have been researching bats. As a class, they have taken note facts on a book and video source. They organized their note facts. They have spent a couple of weeks working on products. The Bats made a variety of products: play, puppet show, game, poster, cross word puzzle and quiz. As a class they made a brochure with the bat facts. Their products will be displayed at Zilker Botanical Gardens this weekend. Please come and visit to learn more about bats on October 8 and October 9 from 1 - 4 pm.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
New PETS Lessons
This week in 1st and 2nd grade, I started a new Primary Education Thinking Skills (PETS) lesson. In both grade levels we reviewed Dudley the Detective, who uses deductive thinking. The students remembered that when we use deductive thinking we look for clues, think about those clues for a long time, NEVER jump to conclusions and find one right answer.
In 1st grade, the students practice their deductive thinking by working on some practice sheets, "Who is Mary?" and "Which Dog Belongs to Mary?" 1st grade parents, be on the look out for these completed sheets in your child's Monday or Daily folder over the next two weeks. Then, we worked some more our detective, or deductive, skills. The students were shown a scene from a party. Looking for clues in the picture, the students had to answer different questions, like "What type of party is it?" and "Who is the party for?" The first graders had to remember to look for clues and that we cannot jump to conclusions. It was a little bit of a challenge, but fun.
In 2nd grade, we used logic elimination grids to practice our deductive thinking. The students learned that a logic elimination grid is a system that we can use to organize and eliminate clues. Did you know that you can use "X" and "O" for more than just tic-tac-toe? We talked about the process of elimination and how we use it to help us find one right answer. We practiced solving mysteries together as a class using the logic elimination grids. I left some practice sheets with the 2nd grade teachers so the students can practice their deductive thinking using elimination over the next couple of weeks.
We love Crystal Pond Woods. Continuing to develop the whole child.....
In 1st grade, the students practice their deductive thinking by working on some practice sheets, "Who is Mary?" and "Which Dog Belongs to Mary?" 1st grade parents, be on the look out for these completed sheets in your child's Monday or Daily folder over the next two weeks. Then, we worked some more our detective, or deductive, skills. The students were shown a scene from a party. Looking for clues in the picture, the students had to answer different questions, like "What type of party is it?" and "Who is the party for?" The first graders had to remember to look for clues and that we cannot jump to conclusions. It was a little bit of a challenge, but fun.
In 2nd grade, we used logic elimination grids to practice our deductive thinking. The students learned that a logic elimination grid is a system that we can use to organize and eliminate clues. Did you know that you can use "X" and "O" for more than just tic-tac-toe? We talked about the process of elimination and how we use it to help us find one right answer. We practiced solving mysteries together as a class using the logic elimination grids. I left some practice sheets with the 2nd grade teachers so the students can practice their deductive thinking using elimination over the next couple of weeks.
We love Crystal Pond Woods. Continuing to develop the whole child.....
Enrichment
Here is another sampling of the wonderful enrichment activities that take place in the classroom and during our Friday E-slot at LME.
Mrs. Rung’s 2nd grade class: Today, students explored the school grounds and found a just right magic wand. We decorated our wands and made them magical! Next, we learned a magic floating cup trick. The children are quite impressive. They are so excited about the tricks they have learned so far and the wands they made that one student suggested making a magic box to store all of their tools of their new trade. That will be next week’s project!
Mrs. Wheeler’s 4th grade class: Over the course of the last four weeks, Wheeler's Wranglers have researched a famous American of his/her choice using the Independent Investigation Model. A variety of products have been created: posters, dioramas, models, power points, paintings, and figurines. Students will share their products and what they have discovered about their person with the class next week.
Mrs. Myrick’s 5th grade class: The Myrick Mustangs listened to Latin music and learned a little about Mexico. They were then given 3 ingredients: flour tortillas, salsa, and cream cheese. Each group was responsible for making their own recipe! The Mustangs created many different dishes using only 3 ingredients!
Mrs. Rung’s 2nd grade class: Today, students explored the school grounds and found a just right magic wand. We decorated our wands and made them magical! Next, we learned a magic floating cup trick. The children are quite impressive. They are so excited about the tricks they have learned so far and the wands they made that one student suggested making a magic box to store all of their tools of their new trade. That will be next week’s project!
Mrs. Wheeler’s 4th grade class: Over the course of the last four weeks, Wheeler's Wranglers have researched a famous American of his/her choice using the Independent Investigation Model. A variety of products have been created: posters, dioramas, models, power points, paintings, and figurines. Students will share their products and what they have discovered about their person with the class next week.
Mrs. Myrick’s 5th grade class: The Myrick Mustangs listened to Latin music and learned a little about Mexico. They were then given 3 ingredients: flour tortillas, salsa, and cream cheese. Each group was responsible for making their own recipe! The Mustangs created many different dishes using only 3 ingredients!
Monday, September 26, 2011
More E-slot Happenings
Here is a riddle for you: What do guinea pigs, magic and the ocean have in common? They were all themes for E-slots last Friday. Read below to find out more.
Mrs. Hall's 1st grade class: This year the Hoppers are interested in pets. Their favorite pet is our class pet guinea pig, Sebastian. A line forms around his cage throughout the day as Hoppers watch his every move, “ooh” and “ah” over him and ask to pet him. During our e-slot this week this students begged to learn more about our beloved Sebastian.
Did you know that guinea pigs are not pigs at all but rodents? Their teeth never stop growing. When they are born they have a full set of teeth, hair and are ready to run from danger. There were many other interesting facts that we learned about guinea pigs along with how to take care of them as pets.
After laughing as we learned about these silly little companions, we made our own guinea pig habitats, complete with a pom-pom guinea pig of our very own. The students enjoyed using all kinds of materials to create their habitat. While we were constructing the star of the show was Sebastian himself. We feed him carrots, brushed his fur and made a fuss over his cute squatty little body. When it was time to clean up, conversations echoed in the room, "This was the best e-slot ever!"
Ms. Lofaro's 2nd grade class: Today for E-slot, Miss Lofaro's Leapfrogs searched outside for just the right wand. Once each of the Leapfrog Magicians found their wands, they came in to decorate them and make them magical. Next week, they will be making a cape if they would like one for their show and practicing their magic tricks for their Magic Show.
Mrs. Sen's 1st grade class: Our ocean mural is really coming along. We have combined our top interests in science and arts and crafts to make sea creatures of different sizes. This morning we went on an information hunt to find out if our animals live toward the coast or in deep water, if they can be found in the coral reef, and who their predators and prey are. We then used this information to figure out where the animals should go on our mural. We are using glitter for the plankton. As one kid said, "Our mural is great!"
Friday, September 23, 2011
Into the Classrooms I go....
This week, I began to go into the classrooms to teach different lessons. I always love doing this for several reasons. First, I really enjoy working with a classroom (since I do not have my own classroom as the enrichment coordinator). I love getting to know the students and I love that they get to know me. Pretty soon I start to hear, "Hi, Mrs. Levitan!" as I walk down the halls. This always makes me smile.
Secondly, I really enjoy teaching different enrichment lessons to classes. Whether it is math, IIM or thinking lessons, I like the opportunity to share different types of lessons with the students of LME.
So, I went into the first and second grade classrooms this week to teach the PETS (or Primary Education Thinking Skills) lessons. These lessons focus on teaching the students about the different types of thinking we use to solve problems in our lives. Throughout the year, the students will learn more about convergent, divergent, visual/spatial and evaluative thinking. We learn using different characters who live in Crystal Pond Woods that use these types of thinking. These lessons are always so fun and engaging for the students. Our kids love Crystal Pond Woods. Just ask them about Dudley the Detective. :) I will visit every first and second grade classroom every other week to work on PETS lessons.
This week in first grade, we reviewed Dudley the Detective or deductive thinking, which is a type of convergent thinking. We discussed what we remember about Dudley from last year and reviewed the four parts of deductive thinking (look for clues, think about the clues, NEVER jump to conclusions and find one right answer). We practiced our deductive thinking by working on an activity called "Mystery Creatures". The students had to listen to the clues and using their deductive thinking, see if they could figure out which animals I was describing in my riddles.
In second grade, we reviewed all of the friends and types of thinking from last year. We reviewed Dudley the Detective and Sybil the Scientist, who both use convergent thinking, Isabel the Inventor and Yolanda the Yarnspinner, who both use divergent thinking, Max the Magician, who uses visual/spatial thinking and Jordan the Judge, who uses evaluative thinking. We did an activity where the students had to match the type of thinking with the Crystal Pond Woods character.
This week in second grade, I started to work with students in math. In class, the students take pre-assessments with each math unit. If a child shows mastery in a certain math concept, the teacher and I differentiate the instruction. The purpose is so the child is not sitting in class learning what he/she already understands. In education, we call this called curriculum compacting.
Twice a week, I take the second grade students who compact out of different math units. On the other days, the classroom teacher is differentiating the lessons being taught in the classroom. These groups change each time the math concepts change. This ensures that the group is comprised of students who show mastery of the specific math concepts from the pre-assessment. This week and next, I will work with students on number sense and addition/subtraction strategies.
This morning, I went into Ms. Gordon's 4th grade class and did an overview of IIM (Independent Investigative Method). I modeled how to find a topic to research. I modeled how to use a concept map to think about what you know and want to know about the topic you will research. In class, the students will be doing a "mini-IIM" on biographies of famous Americans. The students completed their own concept map on the famous American they will be researching in class. The next step is for the students to form their research questions.
And of course, I am getting things organized and ready for our 4th and 5th grade enrichment clusters to start on October 7. This week, the enrichment cluster descriptions went home with the students. This gives our parents a chance to read over the descriptions with their children and discuss what the children would like to do. In class, the students are ranking their top four choices. I am taking that information and entering it into an Excel spreadsheet, which I will send off this week to Eric Deal. Mr. Deal has created a computer program that randomly assigns the students to an enrichment cluster, based on the student's rankings and number of interested students.
It has been a busy and productive week. Continuing to develop the whole child...
Secondly, I really enjoy teaching different enrichment lessons to classes. Whether it is math, IIM or thinking lessons, I like the opportunity to share different types of lessons with the students of LME.
So, I went into the first and second grade classrooms this week to teach the PETS (or Primary Education Thinking Skills) lessons. These lessons focus on teaching the students about the different types of thinking we use to solve problems in our lives. Throughout the year, the students will learn more about convergent, divergent, visual/spatial and evaluative thinking. We learn using different characters who live in Crystal Pond Woods that use these types of thinking. These lessons are always so fun and engaging for the students. Our kids love Crystal Pond Woods. Just ask them about Dudley the Detective. :) I will visit every first and second grade classroom every other week to work on PETS lessons.
This week in first grade, we reviewed Dudley the Detective or deductive thinking, which is a type of convergent thinking. We discussed what we remember about Dudley from last year and reviewed the four parts of deductive thinking (look for clues, think about the clues, NEVER jump to conclusions and find one right answer). We practiced our deductive thinking by working on an activity called "Mystery Creatures". The students had to listen to the clues and using their deductive thinking, see if they could figure out which animals I was describing in my riddles.
In second grade, we reviewed all of the friends and types of thinking from last year. We reviewed Dudley the Detective and Sybil the Scientist, who both use convergent thinking, Isabel the Inventor and Yolanda the Yarnspinner, who both use divergent thinking, Max the Magician, who uses visual/spatial thinking and Jordan the Judge, who uses evaluative thinking. We did an activity where the students had to match the type of thinking with the Crystal Pond Woods character.
This week in second grade, I started to work with students in math. In class, the students take pre-assessments with each math unit. If a child shows mastery in a certain math concept, the teacher and I differentiate the instruction. The purpose is so the child is not sitting in class learning what he/she already understands. In education, we call this called curriculum compacting.
Twice a week, I take the second grade students who compact out of different math units. On the other days, the classroom teacher is differentiating the lessons being taught in the classroom. These groups change each time the math concepts change. This ensures that the group is comprised of students who show mastery of the specific math concepts from the pre-assessment. This week and next, I will work with students on number sense and addition/subtraction strategies.
This morning, I went into Ms. Gordon's 4th grade class and did an overview of IIM (Independent Investigative Method). I modeled how to find a topic to research. I modeled how to use a concept map to think about what you know and want to know about the topic you will research. In class, the students will be doing a "mini-IIM" on biographies of famous Americans. The students completed their own concept map on the famous American they will be researching in class. The next step is for the students to form their research questions.
And of course, I am getting things organized and ready for our 4th and 5th grade enrichment clusters to start on October 7. This week, the enrichment cluster descriptions went home with the students. This gives our parents a chance to read over the descriptions with their children and discuss what the children would like to do. In class, the students are ranking their top four choices. I am taking that information and entering it into an Excel spreadsheet, which I will send off this week to Eric Deal. Mr. Deal has created a computer program that randomly assigns the students to an enrichment cluster, based on the student's rankings and number of interested students.
It has been a busy and productive week. Continuing to develop the whole child...
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Kindergarten Top Interests
The entire school has now completed their grade level specific interest surveys. Here are the results for kindergarten (along with the other grade levels as well). It is interesting to look at the similarities and differences between the different grade levels. The classroom teachers use this information to help them plan enrichment activities to enhance the curriculum and plan enrichment activities for E-slot. These interests are also what drive the enrichment cluster topics for the grade level.
Kindergarten (Most interest areas are “Science” related)
1) Pets with 46
2) Dinosaurs with 38
3) Outer Space with 38
4) LEGOs with 37
5) Sports with 35
6) Wild Animals with 31
1st Grade (Most interest areas are “Science” related)
1) Pets with 65
2) Arts and Crafts with 63
3) Cooking with 48
4) Computers with 43
5)Outer Space with 40
6) Wild Animals with 40
2nd Grade (Most interest areas are “Arts” and “Science” related)
1) Magic with 80
2) Clay with 56
3) Animals with 53
4) Cooking with 51
5) Dinosaurs and fossils with 48
6) Reptiles with 43
7) Volcanoes and Earthquakes with 42
8) Arts and Crafts with 40
9) Life in the Ocean with 39
10) Sports, Learning New Games with 37
11) Drawing with 37
3rd Grade (Most interest areas are “Science” and “Arts” related)
1) Animals with 85
2) Clay with 63
3) Magic with 63
4) Cooking with 62
5) Life in the Ocean with 55
6) Volcanoes and Earthquakes with 55
7) Computers and Technology with 49
8) Arts and Crafts with 49
9) Rocks and Minerals with 49
10) Drawing with 46
11) Monsters and Mysteries with 45
4th Grade (Most interest areas in “Arts” section)
1) Clay with 56
2) Cartoons with 45
3) Magic with 35
4) Drawing with 35
5) Technology with 34
6) Chemistry and Experiments with 33
7) The Future with 33
8) Painting with 33
9) Movies with 31
10) Dinosaurs and Fossils with 31
11) Monsters and Mysteries with 30
5th Grade (Most interest areas in the “Arts” and the “Science” sections)
1) Clay with 60
2) Magic with 37
3) Monsters and Mysteries with 36
4) Sports with 36
5) Technology with 35
6) Drawing with 35
7) Photography with 34
8) Reptiles with 33
9) Chemistry and Experiments with 32
10) The Future with 31
11) Cartoons with 31
Continuing to develop the whole child....
Kindergarten (Most interest areas are “Science” related)
1) Pets with 46
2) Dinosaurs with 38
3) Outer Space with 38
4) LEGOs with 37
5) Sports with 35
6) Wild Animals with 31
1st Grade (Most interest areas are “Science” related)
1) Pets with 65
2) Arts and Crafts with 63
3) Cooking with 48
4) Computers with 43
5)Outer Space with 40
6) Wild Animals with 40
2nd Grade (Most interest areas are “Arts” and “Science” related)
1) Magic with 80
2) Clay with 56
3) Animals with 53
4) Cooking with 51
5) Dinosaurs and fossils with 48
6) Reptiles with 43
7) Volcanoes and Earthquakes with 42
8) Arts and Crafts with 40
9) Life in the Ocean with 39
10) Sports, Learning New Games with 37
11) Drawing with 37
3rd Grade (Most interest areas are “Science” and “Arts” related)
1) Animals with 85
2) Clay with 63
3) Magic with 63
4) Cooking with 62
5) Life in the Ocean with 55
6) Volcanoes and Earthquakes with 55
7) Computers and Technology with 49
8) Arts and Crafts with 49
9) Rocks and Minerals with 49
10) Drawing with 46
11) Monsters and Mysteries with 45
4th Grade (Most interest areas in “Arts” section)
1) Clay with 56
2) Cartoons with 45
3) Magic with 35
4) Drawing with 35
5) Technology with 34
6) Chemistry and Experiments with 33
7) The Future with 33
8) Painting with 33
9) Movies with 31
10) Dinosaurs and Fossils with 31
11) Monsters and Mysteries with 30
5th Grade (Most interest areas in the “Arts” and the “Science” sections)
1) Clay with 60
2) Magic with 37
3) Monsters and Mysteries with 36
4) Sports with 36
5) Technology with 35
6) Drawing with 35
7) Photography with 34
8) Reptiles with 33
9) Chemistry and Experiments with 32
10) The Future with 31
11) Cartoons with 31
Continuing to develop the whole child....
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