IPS/Butler University Laboratory School

Wow what a great day we had! I wanted to share a little bit about Math Workshop today and how it will work in the future. Today during Math Workshop, we looked at a few addition story problems that I had projected up on the big screen. We read them as a class and talked about what exactly they meant. Friends took turns modeling the stories with three different  manipulatives they were invited to use. After we practiced a few together, I challenged the kids to try it on their own. I read another story to them from the screen and they were invited to find a manipulative that they were comfortable working with. By their own choosing, the kids sat in little groups together around their selected material and many talked through their problems and thinking with one another. It was really neat to watch this happen naturally. Many friends even chose to work with the number set, a higher set of numbers that can be inserted into the problem. Eventually, I will be adding several number sets to choose from and we will discuss what a “Just Right” number set may be for each friend. During Math Workshop, the kids will always be encouraged to share their thinking with one another. It helps them think through their own process and also may help come to an understanding they did not have before. Listening and supporting one another during workshops also help build our classroom community. We plan on problem solving like this for the rest of the week. Gradually, friends will begin to have the problem typed in their math notebook and will be invited to show their thinking in their notebook after using manipulatives (or use the notebook as a manipulative by drawing pictures).

Tags: arithmetic, capable, collaboration

On Wednesday, one of our friends noticed there was a clear plastic jar sitting on top of the block area. They were very intrigued and wanted to know what the objects were inside! We talked about how this jar is the Estimation Jar and it will be used each week to practice our estimation skills. This week, I placed wooden wheels inside the jar. The kids were encouraged not to open the jar and count, rather guess how many are inside. Messi shared with the class a wonderful explanation of estimation:Estimation is figuring out how many without counting. After our discussion and Messi’s explanation, friends were encouraged to write their name and estimation on a card and pin it up to the wall. We have been anxiously watching more and more guesses pop up! Today at the end of the day, we sat down and talked about each estimation. We will practice making reasonable estimations and learning when some are not so reasonable. After we talked, we counted. What did we find? We discovered that there were 45 wheels in the jar- really close to Beatrice’s estimation of 49! Very exciting! The kids are excited to see what inside the jar next week.

The estimation jar. Can you tell how many wheels are inside?

Tags: arithmetic, collaboration, curious

This year, we will add Word Work to our daily schedule. Basically, word work is focusing on the reading, writing, and spelling of words. I like to think of it as differentiated and meaningful spelling. This will also assist in phonics. Many days during Word Work time, we will do sorts. For example, a child may be asked to sort words with ING and ED or words that end with s and words that end with N. Today to practice word sorts, we practiced sorting our names. Some friends spelled their names to match their model and some friends sorted vowels and consonants. Next, we will sort friends’ names to build our community and learn about one another. Within about a  month, the kids will have letters or words that they are responsible for working on for the week. In the meantime, I am working to make sure that all friends will have words that are appropriate for the level they are working at.

Cariah and Addie work hard.

Tags: word work

I wanted to share something new that we have in our classroom this year- The Cool Down Spot. This is a place where friends can go if they are feeling angry or upset and would like some time to calm down. I may ask friends to go there from time to time or they may choose to go there themselves. The Cool Down Spot is a tool we will use in our classroom throughout the year to self regulate our emotions and learn coping skills. This week, we talked about why have a spot like this and what we may need to do when we are there. We made a list of three options for when we are at The Cool Down Spot. 1. Take deep breaths. 2. Shake the ball. 3. Read a book. The kids have enjoyed trying out the options this week (and are doing so when not upset) so they will know what to do should they need it.

 

Messi checks out the cool down spot to see what its all about.

Choices for the cool down spot.

Tags: capable, problem solving, responsible