3rd Grade - Mr. Hudson: February 2016

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Newsletter for February 26, 2015

What We Learned

Author Visit
Windermere parent, author, toy company owner, and all around renaissance woman, Mrs. Love, visited our room this week to share the craft of writing. We are hoping to have her back to work with us on creative writing.

Her first picture book, Princess Kitty Butterfly, offers a positive message of inner strength and self belief. We did a follow up activity with her book where we all shared what we aspire to be without fear. One common fear students have is "not knowing" and asking for help or clarification. We talked about the importance of overcoming this fear to reach our full potential.

No fear of not knowing!

Black History Month Research

In early January, our class attempted to create a list of famous African Americans that have helped to shape our country. Unfortunately, we were only able to come up with five Africa Americans that shaped our country: President Barack Obama, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, and George Washington Carver. We agreed we should learn more.

We now understand there are countless African Americans that have (and continue to) made our world a better place. We simply need to educate ourselves about them. These are just a handful that we have learned about. Below you can hear our legacy statements by clicking on the videos, which we made with YakIt.

Our focus was on legacy, what our research subjects contributed to our country, our culture and our individual lives.

The next time you visit Windermere, I hope you will take the time to read and learn about these amazing people.

Booker T. Washington

by Abbey

Jackie Robinson

by Anthony

Louis Armstrong

by Joey

Maritcha Lyons

by Lauren L.

Bessie Coleman

by Wes

Harriet Tubman

by Bethany

Virginia Hamilton

by Elise

Bass Reeves

by Drew

Alice Couchman

by Ella

Satchel Paige

by Zach

Elizabeth Cotten

by Josephine

Langston Hughes

by Jack

Guion Bluford

by Meredith

Mae Jemison

by Caroline

Tiger Woods

by Maddy

Medgar Evers

by Macie

Barack Obama

by Blake

Sojourner Truth

by Lauren C.

Marian Anderson

by Christopher

Wilma Rudolph

by Cal

Ms. Antwi

We were also visited by Ms. Nadlin Antwi from Life Care Alliance. She talked to students about Black History Month, African American culture, the slave trade, the Civil Rights Movement, her family's heritage and the power of language.

Guidance

Ms. O'Keefe visited to review the Zones of Regulation. She is building a common language for students to share feelings.

Important Dates and Reminders

I will highlight new and changed dates on subsequent posts in red.

March 2 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
March 4 - Invention Convention display boards due. See previous post.
March 11 - Invention Convention prototypes due. See previous post.
March 17 - 3rd Grade Musical Performance directed by Mrs. Delcamp 7:00-7:30
Please see the attachment below from Mrs. Delcamp for more details. I sent home a flyer today, which I realize is not very green:(

Click to enlarge.

Students are supposed to make instruments from recycled materials for the musical and they are due on March 14th. Here are two links to some great instruments. I hope you may find some inspiration in them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=8Nmnckhhs-I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWXrN3nIZyI

March 18 - Invention Convention in the Multipurpose Room 10:00-10:45
March 18 - End of Third Quarter
March 21 through 25 - No School Spring Break
March 28 - No School Teacher Grading Day

April 5 - Progress Reports sent home
April 6 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
April 12 and 13 - Ohio English Language Arts Assessment
April 20 and 21 - Ohio Mathematics Assessment
April 29 - Kid Fest 5 to 8pm

May 27 - Last Day of School for Students

Friday, February 19, 2016

Invention Convention

INVENTION CONVENTION TIME

All 3rd grade students will be participating in Windermere's Invention Convention.

This project will require some homework. I have attempted to detail all important steps and deadlines.

February 15-19 (at home) Identify three common, everyday problems. This homework sheet was sent home this week. Students viewed a slide show of common problems and inventively simple solutions to get them thinking. I am looking for problems third graders can solve, not robots or time machines;) They will inevitably think of solutions without focusing on the problems first. A good rule of thumb is if they anticipate needing to use electricity, focus on simpler problems. Although, I did have a student use MIT's app builder for children to design a phone application that turns off your cellphone as you approach an intersection. Each student is a different learner and I expect to see a wide range of projects.

Mrs. Leahy's students' problems are due Wednesday, February 24th.
Mr. Kerstetter's students' problems are due Thursday, February 25th.
Mr. Hudson's students' problems are due Friday, February 26th.

February 22-26 (at school and home) With guidance, students will select one of their problems and develop at least one solution. They will complete their Invention Convention packet, which walks them through all of the steps of their invention. Some students may need to finish this at home if they do not finish it at school. However, most will finish at school. The purpose of the journal is to generate ideas and organize them. I am not concerned with spelling or other forms of convention, just ideas and creativity.

February 29-March 4 (at home) Students use their Invention Convention packet, to design and construct their display board. The display board is intended as an aid for presenting. Three sided display boards are commonly available at office and teacher supply stores. Please do not use poster board as it is hard for the students to talk, hold their student journals, and model their solution with their prototype.

(click to enlarge)

Please write your student's name and their teacher name on the back of their display board so it is easily visible.

Here are several display board examples. While these don't follow all of the requirements for the board above, they will give you and your student some ideas. I have shared many different examples with your student so they should be familiar with this step. Anything on their board should be securely attached so it won't fall off. Text should be large and easily visible.. Encourage your student to be creative and have fun! The more of their personality that comes through, the better!

Students can use a computer or markers. Photos of their process are also encouraged, especially if they are able to try their prototype.

March 7-11 (at home) Students will build a representative (does not have to be a fully operational) prototype. If the technology already exists, they can simply mock it up (e.g., a garage door opener can be replicated from cardboard). Prototypes must be no larger than a paper box (approximately 20" x 12" x 12") and may not use electricity (except for batteries).

March 14-18 (at school) Students will practice presenting with an emphasis on presentation skills and responding to questions.

March 18 (at school) Students will present their inventions to families in the Windermere Multi-Purpose Room/Cafeteria from 10:00 till 10:45. Families are encouraged to help us celebrate student inventions and interview students on their invention process. In the past, many families have opted to take their student (and their materials) to lunch after the presentations. This is a great way to celebrate and to make sure display boards and prototypes go home before spring break.

The most common question I receive is, "How much should parents help?" It is important to note that while we may have some inspiring outliers, these should be student directed problems and solutions. As much as we want to help them (and you can), the ideas and solutions should be theirs. You can ask questions and let them arrive at their own conclusions. The Invention Convention is all about the process, rather than the end product.

This is NOT parent work. You may help your student by encouraging them to think about their invention. You can even help them assemble their boards and prototypes, but students must be able to explain their work and demonstrate understanding of every step of the process. We are not looking for robots or technologically bound solutions, but simple and achievable solutions to problems that impact many people. The real benefit of this project is the student learning. We want our future leaders to see they can identify and solve others' problems.

You can probably help most by having them plan and do a little work daily so they don't have to cram the night before their materials are due.

Friday, February 12, 2016

Newsletter for February 12, 2016

What We Learned This Week

Students finished taking notes for their research subjects. Many finished their biographies today. The rest will finish on Tuesday.

We took our end of unit fractions assessment. I will send these home next week.

The Ohio Wildlife Center visited today for a science and Valentine's Day connection. Thank you for the generous donations! Here are a few photos.

Woodland Box Turtle

Kestrel

Groundhog

Screech Owl

Red Fox Snake