Math

We began the school year by reviewing class procedures and going over the Community Spirit Agreement. We continued with problem solving investigations for each grade, in which students worked in partnerships to build connection between students. Prior to the harvest festival each student picked an apple from around our campus, and then predicted the apple’s weight, circumference, and ounces of juice produced. Students recorded their predictions and then weighed, measured, and juiced their apples and compared their predictions with their actuals. Students will be calculating totals for each category by using calculators.. For Bike to School day, students solved a problem based on how many people had biked to school on that day. They then created their own Bike to School problems. Learning how to ask a question can be just as important as being able to answer one. This exercise promotes students’ creativity and problem solving skills.

The 2/3 class gets to care for the animals every Monday and Wednesday morning. On Mondays, Riley’s mother or father works with a rotating group of four students to care for the Orchard animals. On Wednesdays, Lyra’s parents do the same. In this way, each child cares for the animals once every two weeks and has a deeper and more meaningful experience by getting to work in a smaller group.

I have been having a weekly sharing circle with this class which incorporates elements from Positive Discipline as well as restorative circles practice from Nonviolent Communication. Students are practicing giving and receiving compliments and expressing feelings. It is so sweet to hear a student appreciate another student for being a good friend. Students also created a jobs chart for their class in which each student has a job every week. This week we started a Positive Discipline activity called Separate Realities, which helps students to understand that we all experience different realities and to help deepen their empathy towards others.

I am lucky to have Valerie Phipps, art teacher, as a class aide and co-teacher on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. As much as possible, I split the students into groups and we teach smaller group lessons. I also have Brenda Surrey (Mickey’s grandmother) on Monday mornings and she helps to teach smaller groups when she is with us as well.

Second grade students have continued to work on their number scrolls. They began the school year by solving an investigation called “How Many Tails and Feet?” in which they try to figure out how many tails and feet all of the Orchard animals have altogether. Following our beach cleanup, students weighed our garbage and recycling in gramsIn our Everyday Math curriculum they have played the card game of Addition Top It (war by turning over and adding two cards and seeing whose sum is higher). They have also solved Logic Pattern mental math challenges, reviewed the use of tally marks and coin values and have played several games to reinforce their grasp of coin value (feel free to further this at home by encouraging students to get out your change for you, etc.).

Third grade students have reviewed number grid patterns and solved math problems mentally in order to discover the pattern in Color It On the 100s chart activities. They extended this activity by creating their own 100s chart patterns and are working on making clues to go with them. They have also reviewed arithmetic, coin value, tally marks, etc. by solving Skillboard problems from educator, Marcy Cook. Students have practiced arithmetic facts using wrap ups and flip overs. Third grade students will continue to work with the apple data to determine the maximum, minimum, and range for each category.

Below are a few pictures from this time together so far…