Becker Intermediate School

Leveraging resources to support self-directed learning to communicate, create, collaborate, and think critically.

As students move to the Intermediate School, we see a bit of change in the learning focus. While the center of attention at the Primary School was mainly learning to read, we now begin to see a growing move towards reading to learn. Building a strong base of foundational skills is still a priority, but students now have a growing opportunity to put those skills to use as they begin to build their critical thinking skills. Examples include student research, evaluation of ideas, building more complex projects, etc...

At Becker Intermediate School, teachers continue to work to carefully integrate technology where it can best support both complex thinking and the foundational skills need to continue to grow and learn.

Below are examples one may find in classrooms on a typical day at Becker Intermediate School.

Reading and Math Curriculum

Journeys is our K-5 curriculum that supports a strong foundation for reading. Students have access to a large repository of guided reading resources. According to their website, Journeys "is a research-based, comprehensive English Language Arts program designed to provide solid instruction that is clear and focused with realistic pacing and manageable resources." Pacing is designed to align with and build upon the needs of the students.

Likewise, Everyday Math describes itself as "a comprehensive Pre-K through Grade 6 mathematics program engineered for the Common Core State Standards." Students are encouraged to interact with the learning activities with some available in a digital format and others in a more hands-on environment. Everyday Math is also paced in a way that encourages a spiral format where students are introduced to a topic and return to it often throughout the year.

Sharing Ideas - Connect, Visualize, and Predict

5th grade students were challenged to actively listen to various stories, focusing on connections they can make with other themes and readings, visualize the setting and characters, and predict what would happen next. These are valuable strategies to improve reading. Students shared their ideas with Padlet, similar to a virtual bulletin board and notes. This allows all students the opportunity to communicate their thoughts and ideas in safe environment while learning from others.

Exploring Critical Thinking Skills with Coding

Students in grades 3-5 have had an opportunity to explore early computer coding skills, both in the classroom and as an after-school enrichment opportunity. Coding gives students the opportunity to work at their own pace while practicing both critical thinking skills and character qualities such as curiosity, initiative, persistence, and adaptability. We encourage you to join your child at https://studio.code.org/ to try it out.

Digital Libraries - Reading Anytime, Anywhere

Many students at Becker Intermediate School have had an opportunity to access books on their iPads with Epic, allowing them to choose from a large number of topics and interests with the simple tap of a finger. This is not meant to replace the incredible media center that all students have access to check out paper books. Instead, this allows our youngest learners the chance to pick a book that includes a number of digital tools and recordings for the child to read along with. Students can identify what areas of interest they have and select from a number of books in any given category.

History of Inventors - Movie Projects

IMG_0620.MOV

IMG_0618.MOV

4th grade students challenged to select an inventor and explore the history and impact of what was created. Students used their iPads for research as well as creating multimedia story outlining their accomplishment. Students used iMovie to create the movie and provide information with voiceover recordings. Digital story telling incorporates a number of important skills that involved historical understanding, summary skills, and digital media standards.

Sharing Learning with Seesaw

Students at the Intermediate School are using tools like Seesaw to not only share what they are learning with their teacher, but to share their learning with their parents as well. Students can not only add text and drawings to exiting resources, but also record their voice as they explain their understanding of a topic. Seesaw is being used in a number of classes including art and music.

Student Discussions - Padlet

Students are using tools such as Padlet to help organize and share their ideas in the classroom. By using tools such as Padlet, all student ideas can be easily expressed, regardless of how outgoing a student may be. A popular phrase used to describe Padlet in the classroom is "It puts all students in the front row." This means that even those students who may be too shy to raise their hand in class have the opportunity to give their views in a safe environment. This allows the teacher to reference a number of perspectives for discussions.

Mission Monday - Awesome!

IMG_0150.MOV

Tracking the Iditirod - 3rd Grade

IMG_4205.MOV

IMG_4206.MOV

Ms. Spindler's students are taking a different approach to learning as her students have been tracking the various participants in the Iditarod - a grueling dog sled race in Alaska. Her class is following the race online and on the free iPad app - checking in on the various mushers who are there. When they are talking math - they use information from the Iditarod race to talk addition and subtraction. While students have been tracking the mushers, they have also been exploring the various check points along the trail of the race. To document what they have learned, Ms. Spindler started a shared Google Presentation that allows student to collaboratively build a resource that shows each checkpoint. Students are able to access and edit simultaneously the same resource. They can also see each other's work as they build the presentation. What a GREAT example of the 4Cs in the classroom (Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Creativity).

Iditarod 2015

Stone Fox - 3rd Grade Storytelling

IMG_0254.MOV

Ms. Yager's 3rd grade students recently read the story Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner. The students were then given the opportunity to retell and summarize the story using a creative app on the iPad called 30Hands. This app allows the students to not only import images, but they can write and talk their way through the story as well. Students focused on such important features as plot, setting, and characters.

Video Feb 19, 1 32 57 PM.mp4

Video Feb 19, 1 26 44 PM.mp4

Student-Centered Projects - 4th Grade

IMG_0242.MOV

As 4th Grade teacher, Hillary Biegler was exploring the Holocaust with her students, she realized they had more questions and wanted to give them a chance to explore the topic in a more self-directed way. Instead of assigning every student a project type (eg. everyone does a presentation), Hillary gave the students choice for their final product. Most students picked either Keynote or Book Creator.

This also moved to students exploring their weather and climate topic so students could choose between further studying the Holocaust or a topic related to weather. Students also acted as their own support system - moving around the room as they found solutions to questions surrounding the application. Students collaborated, they created, they engaged in a deeper level of critical thinking, as they prepared to communicate their research to the class as a whole.

IMG_0241.MOV

IMG_0240.MOV

Early American Explorers - 5th Grade

Students in Jon Tweten's 5th grade class were recently looking at Early American Explorers and creating expository projects to show what they know. Mr. Tweten decided to take different approach, giving students the choice to create a Prezi in order to demonstrate their understanding of their explorer. Students spent time researching their topic and coming up with information that could be used to "paint" a better picture of who he was and what he did regarding exploration.

Students worked collaboratively in small groups to both research their topic as well as create the product showing what they have learned. Students were encouraged to go beyond providing only facts and information, but instead use Prezi as a way to creatively show connections of topics with information.

Students used both the Prezi app for the iPad as well as the online version of Prezi in the computer lab.

IMG_3937.MOV

IMG_3987.MOV

Report abuse