International Dot Day

This week, students at Rue celebrated International Dot Day. Over 1 million people in 82 countries participated! The idea was inspired by Peter Reynolds' book The Dot. After reading the book, we viewed many dots created by some of our favorite authors. We noticed that evidence of how they are making their mark was evident in their dots. So, we thought about how we are making our marks and created our own dots.

Our Dots

Each class added their dots to a canvas.

Soon, each canvas will be displayed in our hallway.

Stop by and see them!

Today, we Skyped with Mrs. Kress and her class in Grove City, Ohio. We shared our dots and examples of how were are making our marks on the world. Their class worked with the theme, "Alone we make a mark. Together we make an impact." We can't wait to see their finished project!

Our host did a wonderful job!

  

Mystery Skype with Fort Worth

We Mystery Skyped a different class from Fort Worth,Texas today.They asked really good questions. Their answers really helped us locate them. When they said that they bordered another country (Mexico), we knew it had to be Texas. We knew it could not be North Dakota, because they had told us that they bordered a major body of water (Gulf of Mexico). We learned a lot from them.

Written by Aidan, Sam, and Zachary

Connecting with Skype.

Researching to answer their questions.

Eliminating states based on their answers.

Choose Kind

Grades 3-5 at Rue have been reading the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio. In the book, August (Auggie) has been prevented from going to school because of his "facial anomalies" and the complications that come with the 27 surgeries to correct them. Auggie's first experience at school is 5th grade at Beecher Prep. Being the the new kid is hard enough, but Auggie has to also convince the kids that he is a kid just like them.

Watch the book trailer here:

http://rjpalacio.com/!

The book is filled with many great messages. One of them is, "When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind." I have seen many examples of my students choosing kind. One day when a student's fancy pencil went missing, another student offered to replace it. After school one day, I witnessed a student from another class prepare to make fun of another student and my student gave her "the look" and shook her head "no"(Although it is easy to type now, at the time I had to hold back tears.). I have also seen many examples of inclusion in the classroom when students have ensured that no one is left out of a group and helpfulness towards others. I hope you know what great kids you have! I am very proud of them!

Volume

Students have been learning about volume during Math Workshop. They were not told how to determine the volume of a 3-D object (LxWxH). Instead they had to investigate, build on what they know, create an efficient strategy, and test it.

Students building boxes to test which holds more. 

Testing two boxes to determine which holds more.

Some students filled boxes with cubes and found 

that box b hold more. Others found the area of 

each level and added them together.

Soon students determined that the most efficient 

strategy was to multiply the length, width, and height.

Global Connections = Authentic Learning

Friday the 13th of September was a wonderful day for my students. Our Donors Choose project, "Global Connections = Authentic Learning", was fully funded. Last year, we participated in an activity called "Mystery Skype". Two classrooms, who did not know each other's location, connected using Skype and ask yes/no questions to try to determine the other classroom's location. Although this was fun, the best part came after. Each classroom would share information about their classroom, community, culture, etc. On another date, the classes would reconnect to work on another project together. Partnerships around the world were created.

Although we were as successful as we could be last year, participation was awkward and difficult. We Skyped using our iPad camera, which meant only two students could fit well in the screen. Projects requiring more students to participate required a lot of shuffling about. It also had to be placed on the floor (too low) or held (to wiggly). Our maps and atlases were also outdated, difficult to read, and lacking some of the cities we needed to access.

Last spring, we posted a project on DonorsChoose for a new web cam, maps, and atlases. With the help of KIA, students' families, and anonymous donors, my students will have a more enriched experience connecting with classrooms around the world. Thank you!