Coupla Things v13 (11/13/2010)

Post date: Nov 14, 2010 7:33:39 AM

Hello Again.

The best thing to assure that I miss a deadline (especially one that is self-imposed) is to give me more than enough time to complete the task -- like a day off! That explains why this email is going out today instead of Friday. It is a beautiful Saturday night and we're headed out for a walk in the hills soon, so this email is going to be (comparatively) short.

Recap of the week:

    1. Force vs. Friction Experiments: In order to get some hands-on experience with the interplay of inertia, friction, and forces I borrowed some good spring scales from a former colleague and then had the kids experiment with various factors by measuring the number of Newtons needed to pull objects along different surfaces. They collected and organized data, summarized their findings, and drew conclusions regarding force and friction (static and kinetic). The students individual websites should contain/explain their experiments -- take a look..

    2. Facebook Profile Page Mock-up for a Hunger Games Character: The students seemed to embrace this assignment with enthusiasm. Using a medium that is familiar to most, the students were able to show their understanding of the characters, plot, symbolism, and real-world connection of the book. Their pages are due on Monday, and from what I've seen so far, they will be great.

    3. Classroom Performance System: Twice in two weeks I have been able to come up with an excuse to use a (borrowed) set of student response pads for in-class "quizzes" using wireless remotes for each student. The advantage to the system is that we can get real-time data regarding students understanding of the content in a non-threatening everyone-participates environment. As you know, I've been scouring eBay for a good priced set of our and I'll keep you posted on that front. It would be a major purchase ($500) so I want to be sure that the instructional value and frequency of (schoolwide) use will match the percentage of the classroom budget that it would use. Sounds like time for a bit of grantwriting, eh?

Preview of Next Week:

    1. New Books and Groups: Tuesday will be the final day that book groups will discus The Hunger Games, which means that starting Wednesday the students will begin choosing their next books for book clubs. Mrs. Leftwich has recommended a few good historical fiction books and to that I'll add a few recommendations of my own and that of the group facilitators, and then open it up to student suggestions as well. If possible, I'd like to have the final five books that we choose have some common connection, but the number one priority is that the students and group facilitator have an interest in the book.

    2. Conclusion of the Q1 experiments: Although the pacing of the students experiments has been extremely varied, it is time to come to pull them back together and finalize their data display, conclusions, and then final publishing. The experiences that the students had have been great, and I've been impressed by their autonomy. Next up... the "How It Works" project.

    3. Students: I just got an email saying that our class is going to be covering the recycling station at lunch, so we'll need 3 volunteers for each lunch shift. I'll be one of them on Monday so I can see what we're in for. Turning intent into action is tough, but always a good thing.

Sometime Soon:

    1. Building the Bridge. Thanks to the Varga family and their truck, we're one step closer to building our short-but-symbolic bridge (connection to Bridge to Terabithia). A pair of beams, a pile of redwood 2x6's, and four concrete piers are at DCS now and all that we still need five pounds of screws (the kind we need are almost $50 so I'll be writing a donation request letter to Home Depot) and a half-day work crew (3 or 4 kids and/or parents) to build this thing.

    2. The "How it Works" project: Students will choose a mechanical and/or electrical object or system, investigate it, do some experiments, relate it to our topics in physical science, and then create a web page that summarizes their findings.

Again, I intended a short note and ended up with a lengthy bit of self-indulgence.

Thanks for reading.

Chris Heumann