Category: Articles and Unit Connections

Eight Kinds of Smart!

Today we discussed the eight kinds of smart as a reflection exercise. It is designed to help students see that the class has many different kinds of smart, and that everyone’s strengths can be different. We are a very diverse group of students, which makes our learning more dynamic. We are all building awareness of how these varied strengths can be an advantage for our learning community.

I invite parents to do this activity at home or to discuss it with their children. There is no “one answer” to this activity and there is a myriad of research out there talking about other ways to look at our strengths and personalities. It is only one way of reflecting and thinking about our strengths, but I think it is important as the students build awareness of themselves and come to value one another.

Check out the handout Eight Kinds of Smart!

Goal Setting, Learner Profile, and the Brain!

This morning, we talked about note taking and how to do it effectively. This is a skill students need to do their independent research. We practiced this skill by taking notes during student presentations about the systems articles we read yesterday. As each group presented about the article they read, other students who had not read the article took notes on important ideas and vocabulary. Words students should be able to explain to you include: diagnosis, symptoms, injuries, infections, and conditions.

As one of the systems was the nervous system, students practiced being neurologists by doing diagnostic tests on a partner. This included tests of reflexes, balance and overall mental awareness. We did a brainstorm of the types of diseases these tests might help a neurologist diagnose. For homework they were asked to read the article Brain Parts and then to look for games or puzzles designed to test brain function.

This was our first day for Library Book Exchange. The librarian, Ms. Ho, explained the rules of the library and gave us a tour of the book collection. Students are allowed to check out 4 books. Each week they need to bring these books back with them to the library. If they want to renew them, they can do so, but she asks that they come back each week to renew in person. Everyone left with a variety of new reading material, whether chapter books, graphic novels, magazines, or non-fiction resources. There is an open book exchange after lunch each day from 1-1:20 PM in addition to our regular time on Tuesday from 10:05-10:25.

I also asked the students to make some S.M.A.R.T. goals for the coming year. I will be having one on one conferences with them about their goals, and I also look forward to meeting parents in person to discuss. They have brought home their goals sheet to be signed by you tonight. Smart goals are simple and specific, manageable, attainable, realistic and reasonable, and timely. Making goals is an area of learning, and we will work together on these as the year progresses. They also had to identify what part of the Learner Profile they would like to work on. To be an effective learner, one needs to be an inquirer, thinker, risk-taker, and communicator, and he or she also needs to be knowledgeable, balanced, principled, caring, and reflective. We defined each of these and they chose one to focus on for now.

Please remember Scholastic Orders due Friday and Terry Fox Money is being collected this week. Continue to work on Reading Around the World and finish the Body Systems packet by Friday. Have a good evening!

Beginning our first unit!

Today, we began our first unit of inquiry, and Ms. DeTerra introduced the focus statement to students:

Our personal choices play a role in the interconnected system of the human body.                            

For the next six weeks, we will go in depth into this unit, combining activities across the disciplines. This will be an inquiry into:

  • The systems of the body and how they work together
  • Diseases and how they impact our community
  • How the body defends itself against disease
  • The factors and strategies that contribute to healthy immunity and well-being

Our first activity today was a pre-assessment of students’ prior knowledge on human anatomy. Working in groups of three, one student lay down on a large sheet of paper while the other students traced him or her. Then, the students worked together, without looking in books, to draw everything they would be able to see in an x-ray of the body, labelling the parts along the way. Students had fun drawing together, and it was an excellent opportunity for Ms. D to see their group work skills and knowledge of our body’s inner workings!

In art today, we focused on the use of LINE, as we will be spending some time going through the elements and principles of art. Using LINES, students created zentangles on bookmarks to help with our book loan system in class. Also, they created 3D drawings of their forearm and hand. We will be doing other art related to both elements and principles, as well as the human anatomy and drawing during this unit.

For homework, students were asked to check out the blog. Ms. D encourages all parents and students to begin looking for books or articles online, in the newspaper, and in magazines, related to our unit. Please bring these things in! Students can share anything they find with the class briefly, and Ms. D will post printed articles in the classroom for sharing with everyone. You can also send Ms. DeTerra links to articles by replying to this blog post, and I will add them to the section Articles of Interest under Body Works, our first unit web list.

Essential Agreements

During the last week, MACC 4/5 students discussed the difference between rules and agreements.

Rules are things that are hard line statements designed to ensure our health and safety, and they are usually set before we even arrive at a place. For example, Suncrest has some rules designed to make things run smoothly such as walk on the right side of the hallway, don’t talk while making transitions between classes and stay within the boundaries during recess time. In our classroom, we have a few rules set by Ms. DeTerra such as no hats, gum, toys, and food during classtime, and raising your hand to speak during discussions.

Agreements are different, because with those, we all have some input and come to consensus about what the behaviour in a great learning environment should be. Through discussion and input, students are agreeing to a set of behaviours they know will help us have a positive year. Students brainstormed in small groups ideas for agreements and then shared them with another small group. One person was then nominated between the two small groups to share the best agreements from the list with the whole class. We now have a draft set of essential agreements on our whiteboard, and we hope to revisit and reword as needed during the coming week.

Ask your child about our agreements and how we use them in class!

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