Snowflakes with No Snow

This week we welcomed our second grade buddies to our classroom.  We used our time together to learn about snowflakes and the life of Wilson Bentley, a.k.a. "Snowflake Bentley", and our buddies worked together to make 3D snowflakes.  As we read the picture book Snowflake Bentley aloud, students had a chance to hold and page through Bentley's book of snowflake photographs Snow Crystals.

We learned that Bentley fell in love with snowflakes at a very young age.  The buddies each had a chance to share something they love to do more than anything else in the world. We learned that Bentley struggled greatly to make his dream of sharing the beauty of snowflakes come true.  Each buddy had a chance to share a time they had to struggle to make something really important happen in their lives.  We learned that Bentley had to beg his parents for the camera that would allow him to realize his dream.  Oh boy, did all of them have stories to share about asking their parents for something!

After we learned about Snowflake Bentley and shared our own stories, buddies worked together to make amazing 3D snowflakes.  These were very challenging!  Buddies had to struggle just like Snowflake Bentley to create their projects.  As they struggled, they worked together and shared more stories.  They encouraged one another and created awesome snowflakes to take home and decorate our room!  We hope these snowflakes remind them of Snowflake Bentley, the beauty in small things and how our hard work can help us accomplish anything.

Efficient Internet Searching: A Lesson from Mr. Weir

Students have been researching animals in preparation for their zoo projects for a couple weeks now. Before I would allow them to switch from book research to internet research, we had a great tutorial from Mr. Weir (my old partner and one of our Makers' Lab specialists).  Mr. Weir gave us some great tips for searching the internet in an efficient way.  As he shared each tip, the kids got a chance to practice on the spot.  They were as impressed as I was with all the time these tips saved and how they really streamlined the search!  The students have a copy of these tips, but I'm including it here as well so you can make your searching more efficient and effective.  Enjoy!

Self Advocacy and Time Management: Skills we're growing from now until June

Many students found themselves "stressed out" this week.  Their notes were due for their animal projects, they had Wordly Wise homework, current events homework and a book club book to read. Students found themselves crunched for time like never before.  And it led to great learning experiences.  Here are the lessons we're hoping the kids took away from their struggles this week:

1. Stay on top of your work.  The work you decide not to do today gets compounded by the work you're going to be assigned tomorrow.
2. It's okay to be confused; it's not okay not to ask for help.  We all need help sometimes.  We're here for students in the morning, at lunch and during skills period.
3. Use the organizational tools we provide.  Kim, John and I all write the homework on the board each day.  I break down their current events work so they are only doing a little bit each day.  

We had a great discussion about how the students have the power to impact their own learning and their own organization.  They've got the power to do the work when it's assigned.  They have the power to come in early, stop by at lunch or seek us out during skills period.  They have the power to take a picture of our homework board or write down the assignments each day.  We encouraged them to use these powers to avoid the stressful feelings they had this week.  We want students to feel empowered to make the decisions that will help them be good students.  These skills of self-advocacy and time management are skills we will continue to work on throughout the rest of sixth grade.

Book Recommendation: Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith

This is a great historical fiction book about a young girl who dreams to fly.  She joins the WASP during WWII, but there's a problem: she's African American.  Her skin is light enough to "pass", but will she be able to hold onto her secret?  Is her dream of flying more important than her own heritage?  She has to become a completely different person and leave her family behind to pursue her dream.  It's a wonderful, intense read about an important time in our history.  Definitely a "girl power" type of book!

Light Circuits: Connecting More than the Current

This week I gave the kids a challenge: Use a light circuit to enhance your map project.  The idea was born from a CAMPUs (Creating A More Powerful Us) Monday meeting we had at Skokie during the first month of school.  During that event, our Maker's Space teacher, Kathy McDonough, allowed us to experiment with the light circuits in the Maker's Space that the kids can use before school and during lunch period.  After a half hour of tinkering, failing and trying again, I successfully created this:

My little guy, Noah, holding the light circuit!

When it finally worked, I was so proud!  The final activity Kathy asked us to complete was a reflection, and on that reflection was this question: How could you use this in your classroom?  From that, the map project idea was born.  When I originally planned it, I thought the light circuits would make for a really sharp looking map, but this week showed me how much more this challenge could really be for the kids.

The majority of the team had no experience with light circuits or circuits at all.  Though there were some who were hesitant because of this, most of the kids' faces lit up (pun totally intended!) at the idea of trying something new.  And as more and more kids struggled, failed and finally found success, those who were hesitant at first grew wings and soared with the challenge!  The most amazing piece of the challenge, however, came in the relationships that were formed.  Students worked together in ways I'd never before witnessed.  They came together over successes and assisted each other through hurdles with empathy and compassion!  I'm proud to report that over 90% of the team successfully used a light circuit to enhance their map projects.  Each student has a picture of the project on his/her iPad that I'm sure they'd be happy to share with you!  The batteries may die in these circuits, but the bonds that were made between the students will be long lasting.

Please Join Us Friday, January 27th

On Friday, January 27th we'd love to have you join us for our Current Events seminar.  Students will be leading the discussion based on the most recent issue of our Junior Scholastic magazine.  The issue includes an atlas of demographic information about each region and country of the world. Students will be studying the information and preparing their ideas over the next three weeks.  We'd be really honored if you'd join us for this seminar.

If you can join us from 10:40-11:40 for the Warner Advisory or from 1:05-2:05 for the Barbaro Advisory, please add your name to this Google Doc.  If you'd like a copy of the magazine the kids will be using for this seminar, please email me at meghanwarner@winnetka36.org.  I will send a copy home with your son/daughter.

Coat Drive

Students on the Williams/Skydell 5th grade team are running a coat drive to collect coats for the homeless in Chicago.  They are accepting used coats of all shapes and sizes.  There are students on the team that are even willing to sew up any patches that may be needed, so please don't hesitate to send in a coat or two that needs a little TLC.  Skokie students were really supportive of our efforts to collect food for the New Trier Food Pantry, and this is a great way for us to show our support in return.

Welcome Dave Zalesky: Student Teacher Extraordinaire!

We are very fortunate to welcome Dave Zalesky as our student teacher this year.  Dave has been with us since the beginning of the school year, and he will be taking over teaching responsibilities for the Warner advisory now that we're back from winter break.  A letter from Dave and from Northwestern University was sent home with Warner advisory students last week.  In these letters you can learn about Dave and some of the requirements he must meet in his student teaching experience.  Please sign the permission form on the last page of this packet and send it back to school with your student as soon as possible.  Dave will primarily be working with the Warner advisory, and he will join us for the upcoming conferences in February.  He has already been a great addition to our team, and we warmly welcome him in this more prominent role!

Book Recommendation: The Animal Healer Series by Lauren St. John

Martine isn't just your average tween; she's got the power to communicate with animals.  Her parents tried to shield her from this reality because they were warned that it could bring danger to her.  Now that her parents are gone (all the good YA books kill off the parents!), Martine has moved onto an African animal sanctuary with her grandmother.  Each book in the series highlights a different species of animal that Martine must interact with.  I've read the first three (The White Giraffe, Dolphin Song and The Last Leopard), and I have not been disappointed yet.  The best part for me is that the author lived in Africa, so her detailed descriptions of the setting are amazing.  She also thoroughly researches the animals, so there are many facts you learn along the way.  It's a great realistic fiction series with a fun fantasy twist that many readers will enjoy.