Division 7 has been learning speed stacking for the past month or so. Speed Stacking is a relatively new sport that is based on… that’s right… stacking cups!
Sport stacking, also known as cup stacking or speed stacking, is an individual and team sport that involves stacking 9 or 12 (usually 12) specially designed cups in pre-determined sequences as fast as possible. The cups are specially designed to allow for speedier times (the sport doesn’t work so well with regular cups.) People of all ages and from all over the world compete in sport stacking.
Just as with any sport, there are particular rules that guide speed stacking. Division 7 has been developing some basic skills around how we handle the cups, and some of the stacking fundamentals needed to be successful with this sport.
Developing muscle memory is a big part of learning any new physical skill, and we are learning that we must start slow in order to achieve this. One of the rules of cup stacking is that the player must use alternating hands in order to set up each cycle of cups–this action of alternating hands actually strengthen the right and left brain connection. (There are also competition events such as partner stacking where each person performs the actions of either the right or the left hand!) Learning a new skill such as speed stacking is a good way to practice making mistakes. It helps develop perseverance and grit as we learn. Finally, speed stacking helps teach about how important it is to start with the fundamentals of a sport before adding in speed and power.
If you want to learn more, check out these official speed stacking YouTube videos.
On November 16-20, Division 7 will be participating in the Stack Up! annual event. This event aims to set the world record for the most stackers at the same time in different parts of the world. The goal this year is 800 000!
Families have the opportunity to buy their own set of stacks from Speed Stacks Canada. Just click on the “Group Order” image to go to the ordering site. Purchasing a set through this link helps us get more speed stacking supplies for our school. (Please note that buying a set of cups is optional.)
Ordering closes on November 6.
Happy stacking!
Working in groups is a significant part of learning and decision making, in school and many career fields. This requires us to be active listeners and contributors in order to build understanding and work towards a common goal. Recently, it was time for a desk change. We’ve tried various arrangements throughout the year so far, but this time the students decided on how the desks should be organized.
As a group, we brainstormed the various arrangements experienced in the past, and discussed the possible design constraints (shape and size of the room, number of desks, etc). Then students broke into small groups, where each group used tiles to design a possible layout. They had to discuss and negotiate different possibilities before having to reach a consensus on which design they thought best suited our classroom. They recorded their designs on large paper and outlined pros and cons for their design, considering issues around use of space, mobility, and “chatter.” Groups presented their ideas to the whole class, and then students voted.
In the end, groups had varying degrees of success in terms of their ability to reach consensus and to express their ideas clearly. The layout that received the most votes was pods of 5 or 6. We agreed that we liked the table-type set-up as it was good for working in groups and for creating space to move throughout the room, but we also recognized that having a pod arrangement could contribute to more off-task talking. We also talked about the importance of self-regulation and making productive choices for ourselves and our learning, as well as our accountability to our classroom community.
This term, Division 5 learned about the history of the Métis sash, or ceinture fléchée. We tried our hand (or rather our fingers) at a textile technique called “finger weaving,” used by Indigenous peoples all over North America. Here is a video about some of the history of the Métis sash.
Students worked in pairs to help each other learn the process. One student held the yarn while the other did the weaving. Weaving was like learning some new dance steps, but once we understood the pattern we were flying!
Students practiced their paragraph writing to accompany their weaving, to be displayed at the Student-Led Conferences. Their writing should give some information about who the Métis people are, and students’ experience with the process of learning and doing finger weaving.
As students progress in their school experience, they are challenged to take on greater responsibility in a variety of areas: with their academics, their work-habits and responsibilities, and with their social-emotional regulation. As we build community in our classroom, it’s important that students are a part of deciding the tone and expectations of our shared learning space. Some of the questions we’ve explored in the first month of school have been: