We are SO proud of our 3/4s for these final detailed and colorful posters tracing the journey of where our waste goes. The posters were a collaborative effort where each student was able to add their specific style to the overall product. These will hang in the atrium above our waste bins for students and the SK community to learn more about what happens when they toss their items "away".
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Checking for and collecting eggs from our small flock has become an exciting routine for the class. Students love when they walk to the gate and the hens greet them in anticipation, waiting to be cared for by the children. Once we enter the courtyard, you can feel the sense of calm that settles over us, the students, and the chickens. They are so loving and gentle with the hens, careful not to scare them or break their eggs. Today, as we checked for eggs, one student even said a quiet mantra to the hen laying: "Thank you so much hen, for providing us with tasty and nutritious food to eat!" This has become like a second "calm cove" for us--a place students can retreat to with one of us when they are needing to reset or take a break from being in a large group.
This math activity was based on this Atlantic article which discusses the correlation between high maths achievement and the area of our brain that "sees" a representation of our fingers as we solve problems. The stronger this area of our brain is--the more we know how to move and manipulate our fingers--the stronger our number sense becomes.
In this activity, students assigned each finger a different number. When they rolled that number with their dice, they had to use that finger to move their game pieces that many spaces forward. After playing a couple of rounds, as a class we discussed what was challenging about this. "It was weird to use my ring finger, I feel like I never do!" or "It was hard using the hand that I don't write with" were common struggles for the group. This YouCubed video helped remind us that when we are in these challenging moments, we are on the edges of our learning, and our brain is getting stronger! Students were also given an example of a game board that was mid-way through a game. As a group, we discussed the possible sequence of rolls could someone have to get their board to this point as well as the rolls it would take for them to win the game. As our project comes to a close, students learned about the process of peer review. Specifically, how to give helpful feedback and integrate that feedback into their products. Posters for each group were hung around the room and students did a "gallery walk", leaving comments under two sections: works/work on.
For this project, students were divided into three groups, based on interest: How Trash Affects our Waterways, The Story of Recycling, and The Story of Waste/Landfills.
After each student created an individual draft of their project topic, it was time to come together with their group and begin thinking of ways to incorporate aspects of each draft into one cohesive poster. These photos show some of the individual student drafts as well as groups working together to make group drafts. This week we welcomed a new feature to the outside of the room--The Calm Cove! While we strive to make our room, inside and out, calm, cozy, and inviting, we had the idea to create a space where students could go and be alone when they were feeling overwhelmed. This could be after a conflict, when struggling on an assignment, or any other situation where students need to take some time to clear their mind and reset. There are various "tools" in the space that can aid students in calming the mind: essential oil blends, plants, GROK cards/Feelings cards, a book of yoga postures/stretches, mandala coloring sheets, and various books regarding big emotions. The photos above capture students exploring and enjoying the new space together.
As our "Where is 'Away'?" Project progresses, we have begun visualizing our research by creating a "detective wall" to help us piece together the story of waste in Ann Arbor. With the information before us, it's clear that there's a lot more to uncover, specifically regarding landfills/trash. We have not been able to find much information online about the landfills our trash goes to, or what happens at the mysterious sites.
On an unsuspecting Wednesday afternoon recess, however, some students halted their play as they noticed a large Waste Management truck pull into SK. "We have to ask them where they're taking our stuff!" Iris shouted to me. As we ran to meet the truck, he began to leave SK. I stopped, sighed, and assumed we had lost him. "We have to chase him down on Platt Road!" Iris continued. We ran to Platt, and waved the truck down. He pulled over. More students from the playground noticed and ran over. An older gentleman got out from the truck, and the students excitedly threw their questions at him: "Where are you taking our trash? What landfills do you go too? How often do you come here?" The man, named Allen, was excited to share and grateful that the students were so interested in his work. After recess, we were able to add the information he gave us to our detective board, adding on to our understanding of what "away" really means. |
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