IPS/Butler University Laboratory School

Maxwell creating his strategy poster.

Over the past few weeks we have been talking a lot about using different strategies to solve our math problems.  In Math Workshop, we encourage kids to solve the problems the way that it makes sense to them.  We want them to build their own knowledge and come to an understanding on their own terms.  It is our belief that when kids build their own knowledge they can see not only how numbers work, but WHY they work that way.  Today, at the end of Math Workshop, we talked about the number line as a possible strategy to use to solve a problem.  Maxwell created an example of a number line on a poster that we will hang in the room as a reminder for all of the kids.  As we gain more strategies we will create more posters to help us in the room!

We are very excited in room 107 this week because we are taking care of the…CHICKENS!

We rotate through the classrooms week by week for chicken responsibilities here at the lab school. When it is your week to take care of the chickens, you get to feed them, give them water, collect their eggs, and clean out the coop at the end of the week.

This kids were very excited to get to go out and feed the chickens today. We went out during our free choice time. Since it had been a long weekend, we were able to collect four eggs. Most days we will collect 1-3 eggs. At the end of the week, we will get to decide what we want to do with the eggs: eat them, save them, give them to someone else?

Aaliyah, Jackson, and Geneva hold three of our chickens’ eggs.

The chickens provide a great opportunity to learn about animals, our food supply, responsibility, and the needs of a living thing, just to name a few. I look forward to the days we get to learn from Thelma, Louise, and Dotty this year!