Case Study: Portico How People Flow

Last Monday, Jan. 23, 2011, the 5/6 started an in depth Case Study with architecture expert Ms. Schillberg. This Case Study, with a focus on mathematics will last approximately 5 weeks and together we should have a very interesting product-- a real portico for the 5/6 classroom.

We started with a week long BBK. One of the most telling ways of seeing academic growth is with the BBK process. BBK is Expeditionary Learning language for “Building Background Knowledge.” The goal of a BBK is to get the kids to have the same working knowledge of some concept before a case study or expedition starts.

The process is fascinating to watch and absolutely thrilling to be part of. 

Here's how this one went:

         Ms. Schillberg showed a slide after she wrote the word “Portico” on the board. The kids talked for a couple of minutes. The kids got into groups of 4 and wrote the word “Portico” in the center of huge piece of chart paper and started writing all the things they thought they knew about that word. Every group is doing the same thing. Most important- with each group, the words the write on the chart are all written in the same color by every member of the group. So imagine a web of words in red around the centerpiece word “Portico”.

The next step was to bring them all together and show a bunch more slides. They noticed lots of features about each. Ms. Schillberg shows about 10 more slides. The kids go back to their group and to the chart paper, and this time, write in a new color-- imagine blue and write new information they are figuring out.

Then the kids read from “Common Text”. They received four articles. We read them together. That's why it is common, they all share it. After reading together and sorting vocabulary, figuring out relevant information, and organizing the new data into a timeline, the murmuring really begins!! The feeling of understanding about “Portico” is being verbalized.

Back to the chart paper for one last time. A final contrasting marker color is chosen by the group. 

They all add the new words that express what “Portico” really is. They return to their tables and Ms. Schillberg shows the first slide from the first day. BIG “OH YEAS”... And she shows lots of porticos. The discussion really begins about “Portico” and the kids have realized that we will be building one.

On Friday, the last day of the BBK, each group presented one summary sentence from their chart to the others about what a “Portico” is. These ideas are collected as notes and written on the overhead for all to see. All 6 groups have summarized their learning and all have the same definition and understanding.

THE BBK IS A TOTAL SUCCESS!!

We finished the BBK with them drawing their dream “Portico” for the 5/6 crew thinking about how it could represent us. They diligently start drawing in their case study notebook using. They needed to have 5 adjectives in their drawing to describe their portico. Colored pencils are on fire!

Next, we start a Writers' Circle for all to share and to begin the process of coming up with a shared vision. 

Haiti Project--Committee Work

 It has taken two full days to go through the process, but the connections of how to divide work to the most suited,  how to speak up for yourself, and then connect to the Design Principles for reflection has been successful. We have three committees--PR/Signs, Quality Control, and Event.  We move ever closer to our goal of 51 scarves and will probably have more--thanks to all who have donated yarn!!

This has been a great service project and totally connects to our Case Study #2, Principles and Posterity.

Check out the pictures of kids in committee today!!

Visit us at the Winter Market from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the 1912 Building in Moscow. We'll be upstairs.

Go to Yarn Undergrounds website and see pictures of Wil, Milo and Forest with Marisa Gibler learning to knit... concentration central!  www.yarnunderground.com

Student Led Conferences

This morning starting at 7:30 parents and kids came in. It's Student Led Conference Day and is a fabulous day here in the 5/6 classroom. Portfolios will be poured through, notebooks reviewed, and writings analyzed while the kids talk to their parents about their learning and the learning process.

The academic work in Expedition (Position, Prosperity, Principles, and Posterity), Math Investigations, Reader's and Writer's Workshop, P.E. and the Haiti Project were the areas that have been chosen by the kids to showcase. Each student chose 3 pieces of work to explain using a reflection template. The process takes the parents through how learning is deep by revealing the layers to how each area is  relevant because the work follows Idaho State Content Standards and a connected skills.

The evaluation process for the kids is hard and fun. Reflection took us a full week. We had to start with everyone understanding the document and the "why" behind doing this kind of thinking/reflecting deliberately. We did peer review and individual sessions with me for oversight.
 It is interesting to watch the parents see all kinds of work that get presented and this is cool because it isn't just "showcase" pieces, but pieces that the kids feel connected to. Today is all about the kids communicating what is happening in their day and how they are progressing through the content using critical thinking skills.

More than anything else, it is so rewarding for the kids to be articulate and feel confident is presenting their learning. There are long conversations about content, questions arise, and discussions erupt because the parents become more and more interested. Every parent wants their child to be doing well, but many get to see another facet of the wonderful offspring. The conferences generally last 50 minutes.

 This year there was 100% connection with the parents in communicating about conferences through the planners--evidence of how good the kids are at talking to the parents about what is going on at school.  The kids are showing responsibility and accountability. I am proud of how well they are thinking and communicating.

Be sure to scroll down the page to see pictures of parents and kids in conference...

Haiti Project-- Winter Market- January 22, 2011 at the 1912 building

The people of Haiti came to the attention of the 5/6 last year after the Jan. 12, 2010 huge earthquake that killed close to 300,000 people. After much talking about what had happened and how the people were living, these kids wanted to "DO" something.  The first thing they did was they bussed tables at the breakfast that was a fund raiser at the 1912 building to help the members of Matenwa go back to Haiti. The members of this organization, lead by Nancy Casey, has been visiting that island community for years to help teach agricultural techniques among other things. Go see the link...http://matenwa.org/CourageousWomen/
(Later in the year after her visit there, Nancy came to visit the kids and talked about what life was like for a 10 year old in Haiti--wrote about that in the 4/5 blog. There is also a great picture of Nancy with the 4/5 crew. Her dialogue,as well as the many pictures she shared really created more empathy.)

 I have been looking for a year long community service project. At first the kids were going to help the senior citizens, but the time to get to the 1912 building just took too much time away from our academics.

The reason I wanted the kids to work on something for a year was for them to experience the ups and downs of service, for us to have discussions around commitment, and for them to think of and begin to see other places they could be of service. So, after watching the people of Haiti continue to suffer and then experience the cholera epidemic in the fall (these people who had left the front page of the papers except when more tragedy struck) seemed like the perfect vehicle for the kids to work on something for the year.

It has been a very good project. Our discussions about how to help humanity have been deep. They have all experienced frustration from wondering what can they really do. Then one day, Simone mentioned face painting and Hannah introduced the idea for making finger scarves and that idea caught on that the 5/6 could sell these and make money for clean water or vaccines. Both ideas generated a lot of excitement. Just today, Aurora remembered that she had wanted to do something for Haiti-- like collect money--right after the earthquake in 2010 and that's how we originally got started.

We asked and (are still asking--acrylic or wool ;)) for donated yarn and the crocheting began. The energy around being able to do something had made them all feel that they can help. We have talked a lot about quality or craftsmanship in the production of their scarves. They have read information from the CDC and seen more information from Time magazine and Boston.com ( a site full of pictures) to keep them up to date on the conditions of the living there. Just yesterday, NPR had an 8 minute piece about life almost 1 year after the earthquake. When the kids heard that about 10% of the population had been killed by the earthquake and all families had experienced some heartache, they were reminded of the need to do something. Another fact that gave a lot of personal connection to was them realizing that whole families of 6 people sleep in a twin sized bed under a tarp roof and bathe in puddles or buckets.

The knitting has taken some of the kids to the next level of scarf making. Thanks to Yarn Underground's owners, Marisa Gibler and Shelly Stone who were very happy to be part of this project when I went to visit them over the  holiday break.

The value of being part of something larger than yourself is inside each kid. Being able to take action helps them feel that value become real or tangible. Seeing them work together for a larger purpose has been a delight and as they talk about issues around the world; they see that their actions connect them to the global community.
Please come visit us at the Winter Market on Jan. 22 from 10-2. Be sure to ask the kids about Haiti!!!

The First Persuasive Essay... It Was A Contest!

Talk about an assignment that got the kids excited! They brought in pictures of themselves aged 5 or younger from family albums. After 'ooohing' and 'aaahing'  over their own picure for days with each speaking quite verbosely about their inherent cuteness, they all finally got down to the hard brainstorming... of finding convincing reasons that they should be picked as the 'Cutest Kid'.

We set up R.A.F.T.S as we do for each writing assignment. This is the 6+1 Writing Traits language that really helps keep the focus of the assignment. R= role. So, their role was to be a contestant. A=audience. That means knowing who you are writing for. These kids were writing to an audience of anonymous adult judges-teachers. F=format.  This format was a letter. T=topic. The topic was "Me"and S=strong verb. The main reason for this assignment-- to learn how to write persuasively.
            In complete seriousness, each worked hard to find 3 persuasive reasons, good solid ones. The ooohing and aaahing became "oh!" and "ahaing!" as they figured out the story to tell about themselves.

It was quite the writing process and it took weeks of revision. We made sure to know what persuasion is and set up the criteria list, as usual.  Writer's Workshops were created around introductions and transitions, closings, and the importance of order or organization of their reasons. They tried out ideas on each other and really grappled with word choice. They ask questions like."Don't you think that sounds too sympathetic?" and "Do you think that complimenting the judges will help?" Lots of thoughts arouse from the power of particular words and realizing that they were only able to create a picture of themselves to three judges they didn't know with words-- only, no pictures-- no names on the work even. Just them telling why they should be chosen as the cutest kid. Whew, it was hard and their effort was palpable.

When the papers were returned with the scored rubrics and copious comments about all the writers, the results were revealed in a way that focused on the writing process because, after all, that was the point.  I  was pleased with how each to worked through the process with an idea and refined that idea. Each student received a round of applause and appreciation for the effort and time. Each, I hope, realized, that the power of communication through writing is a great skill that takes time to learn and much, much practice.