Viewing: March, 2014

Mar 26

March 26, 2014

Fraction Fanatics!

Students in room 209 are quickly becoming fraction EXPERTS! Our first fraction unit focused primarily on understanding and interpreting fractions, finding common denominators, and comparing fractions. After reviewing skills during a fun game of Math Jeopardy, kids were assessed on their skills, and then we began our new fractions unit. This unit focuses more on mixed numbers (and improper fractions) along with performing calculations with fractions. As always, I’ll continue to post support videos when we come to challenging concepts.

Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss

Mar 22

March 22, 2014

One School, One Book

This week, our school is finishing our first (annual, hopefully) One School, One Book activity. For the past few weeks, students throughout PGS have jointly read the first book of the According to Humphrey series. Each week, students read through a few chapters at home with their families, and on Fridays, as a whole school, we continued to read the book together. This particular book has been a great choice because it’s an easy enough book to be appropriate to read with kindergarteners, but it also has terrific opportunities for inferences and connections, making it a good fit for older students. Two weeks ago, PGS students dressed up as their favorite book characters, which was a fun way to celebrate many of our favorite books!

Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss

Mar 19

March 19, 2014

One Problem, Multiple Strategies

Most adults remember learning specific strategies for different mathematical processes. We learned a specific strategy for multiplying numbers, for adding fractions, and for rounding large figures. One of our focuses in math this year is to recognize that there are many strategies that students can use to solve a particular problem. In the fall, as kids learned multiplication skills, I think we covered six or seven different strategies. This might seem like overkill to you, but I should point out that EACH of those strategies resonated with at least one student in class who said that it made particular sense to him or her. We all think about math differently, so it’s reasonable to conclude that some strategies make more sense than others to different learners. Similarly, in this fraction unit, we’ve looked at many different ways in which kids can compare fractions, with each one offering pros and cons for students.

Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss

Mar 17

March 17, 2014

Being Green in Room 209!

Yum!

I always like finding unique ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in class. This year, we had a pickle taste test! It was inspired by an expository writing exercise about pickles when I learned that several students had never tried them! So, on St. Patrick’s Day, I brought in a jar of half sour pickles and gherkin pickles, and we had a pickle tasting! I was impressed by how many kids willingly tried the salty, crunchy treats, and how many enjoyed them! I promised the kids that I’d share what kinds of pickles we tried:

Crunchy dill gherkins
Ba-Tampte Half Sours
Rein’s Deli has the best half sour pickles around, hands-down!

Also, in keeping with the St. Patrick’s “green” theme, our school has launched a new recycling program, and our class is gearing up with our combination recycling and community service program in which we recycle redeemable cans and bottles and donate the proceeds to Gifts of Love.

Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss