Week: 24 - the end of the year
Due to the unforeseen circumstances of the Coronavirus pandemic, we had to suddenly switch to remote teaching. Unfortunately, this meant abandoning our gold rush project and working on tasks more suited to learning from home. This was a sad and difficult way to close out the school year. We missed out on a lot of end-of-year fun and traditions but most importantly we missed out on finishing and exhibiting what would have been a truly wonderful project.
Instead, we chose to create time capsules to remember this wild time, and write adapted fairy tales to honor essential workers as the heroes of some of our favorite stories.
I am so proud of my students and their families for their resiliency, flexibility, and most importantly their continued support through such a difficult transition. I am reminded more than ever how lucky I am to have the best job there is, and to work in a community brimming with hope. Here's to better days ahead.
Instead, we chose to create time capsules to remember this wild time, and write adapted fairy tales to honor essential workers as the heroes of some of our favorite stories.
I am so proud of my students and their families for their resiliency, flexibility, and most importantly their continued support through such a difficult transition. I am reminded more than ever how lucky I am to have the best job there is, and to work in a community brimming with hope. Here's to better days ahead.
Week 23: Alice in Wonderland
Our class had their performance of Alice in Wonderland this week, which was a highly anticipated event by parents and students alike. This performance was the product of weeks of rehearsal, line-memorizing and being brave. We took some class time to do some final practicing before the big event, and I was so impressed to see how well all of the kids worked together to support each other with their cues and lines. Some of my fondest memories were the plays I did in elementary school and it was fun to see my class creating similar memories for themselves.
Week 22: Stop and Smell the Roses
While in the midst of our heavy project work, we took some time this week to slow down and enjoy some special moments. We got to see our Kindergarten buddies rehearse their play and support them in their acting. We also spent an afternoon walking around NTC Park, playing on the playground and exploring the bay. And of course we had some time with our bunny Galileo. He loves to hop around the carpet and check out all the kids!
Week 21: Gold Dust and Baby Bunny
This week we finished up our gold rush simulation game with the winning team crowned as champions and the recipients of some delicious chocolate gold nuggets! The team decided to share their grubstake with the whole class in a touching act of kindness and generosity. This simulation gave us a wealth of background knowledge on the discovery of gold in California in 1848. Teams competed to gain information and earned "gold" for correctly answered trivia questions. Fate cards added an element of surprise to each round of the game, and teams had to make decisions together to determine the best course of action. We will soon start a multicultural version of this game to give kids an idea of how the gold rush was experienced differently by different groups of people.
Another exciting part of our week was introducing our baby bunny Galileo to our classroom. His permanent home is in Ms. Allie Wong's office, but he comes to visit and hop around on our carpet quite often. We love watching him explore his new home!
Another exciting part of our week was introducing our baby bunny Galileo to our classroom. His permanent home is in Ms. Allie Wong's office, but he comes to visit and hop around on our carpet quite often. We love watching him explore his new home!
Week 20: Research Rules!
We spent the majority of our project time this week learning how to be good note takers while we conduct our research for this project. We have been following Lucy Calkins' "Reading History" unit in order to gain background information on the California Gold Rush from the perspective of white, male miners. Soon we will begin studying minority perspectives, and will need to take copious notes for our final products. The kids have been practicing identifying the main idea and supporting details in a non-fiction text, and are becoming skilled note takers!
Week 19: Field Trip to Riley's Farm
The highlight of this week was our field trip to Riley's Farm for a real-life gold rush experience! Students had free-reign in a mining town to earn as much money as they could in an hour. Some children chose to mine for gold in the mine shaft, some chose to pan in the sluice boxes, and others chose to take a job at the boarding house. We had a blast getting a glimpse into the lives of miners during the 1850's in California, and it was a great kick-off to our history project.
Weeks 17 & 18: Let the Gold Rush Begin!
In these few weeks after returning from winter break, we have launched our spring project on the California Gold Rush! Students will be learning the history of this event, and its significance on California's development as a state. After learning the initial background information of the Gold Rush, students will then be examining this historic event from the perspectives of minority groups at this time including Native Americans, women, Chinese Immigrants and Mexican miners. Students will produce a letter from the perspective of someone in one of these groups, detailing their experiences during the Gold Rush. In addition to the letter, students will also critically examine curriculum from the school district related to California history and adapt or modify a two-page spread from a text book or workbook to incorporate a multicultural perspective or experience.
We launched our project a couple weeks ago and students have been working on gathering background information about this time in history through independent and guided research.
We launched our project a couple weeks ago and students have been working on gathering background information about this time in history through independent and guided research.
Week 14: Photo Studio 101
We set up a photo studio in our classroom a few weeks ago, and students had their first try at taking pictures using an actual camera instead of an iPad. This week, we were able to take a look at those pictures and give our friends some feedback so that they can take the best possible portrait of their partner for exhibition next week. Students commented on such things as lighting, expression, and gesture, using what they've learned during our project to provide kind, helpful and specific feedback.
Week 13: Engineering Exhibition
The students proudly exhibited their final engineering projects this week. They spent time taking apart and repurposing mechanical toys in order to learn about motors and circuits. I am so proud of the teamwork that went into a project such as this. Building skills of cooperation and compromise are crucial for effective group work, and I was so glad to see how these skills developed through this project.
Week 12: Classroom Portrait Studio
This week we moved away from taking pictures using iPads and started practicing with a DSLR camera instead. Students learned how to set up and use the camera in order to take beautiful portraits of their classmates. We are excited to keep practicing in order to fine tune our photography skills. We also spent some more time getting to know our partners outside the classroom. We took turns observing each other on the playground and identifying some character traits that our parters embody.
Week 11: Bathroom Darkroom
This was a monumental week for project work! We learned the chemistry behind how a darkroom works, and actually created our own darkroom at school. Students worked together to make solutions for developing and fixing the images on the photo paper taken by the pinhole cameras they made the week before. Having never done this project, I was a little dubious about whether or not any of the pictures would turn out. But sure enough, we had some marginally successful photos! As good scientists, we will make some adjustments to our cameras and try again for better shots next week!
Week 10: Halloween and Camera Making!
Halloween Week is always a bit chaotic as the excitement of the holiday is in the air. We had such a fun time dressing up and celebrating the day with Halloween themed reading and math. We even made some monster bookmarks during project time. This week we also worked on building pinhole cameras. This is the method through which we are learning about the science of how a camera works and how images are captured. We are excited to see how and if they work when we try them out next week!
Week 9: MOPA
We spent the day on Tuesday at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park learning more about different elements of photography, admiring the art displays, and trying our hands at taking some dream-inspired photos. Fieldwork is one of my favorite aspects of PBL because students get to see how the work they are doing in school mirrors work being done by professionals in the "real world." It is important for students to see that their work matters beyond the walls of our classroom or school building. It gives authentic purpose to the work and inspires high-quality products.
Weeks 7 & 8: Photos and Physics
This past week we were invited to a mini exhibition for the 8th graders at HTMMA. They have been studying different laws of physics, and put together a physics carnival with games that demonstrated these different laws. We had such a great time learning a little bit about science but mostly having fun playing games with friends!
We also continued our study of photography by practicing taking portraits and playing around with double exposure with OTL on Friday. Soon we will be transitioning into the writing component of this project!
We also continued our study of photography by practicing taking portraits and playing around with double exposure with OTL on Friday. Soon we will be transitioning into the writing component of this project!
Week 6: Community Meeting
We had our first community meeting this week! We were able to come together as a whole school to talk about our new nutritious snack policy and our upcoming Jog-A-Thon. I was so proud that Aiden in our class won the Jog-A-Thon t-shirt design contest! He worked hard to create a design that represented the spirit of our school and definitely deserved to be selected.
We continued our study of photography this week and the kids practiced their portrait taking skills with Outside the Lens. I'm looking forward to setting up a miniature photo studio in our room so that they can continue to practice taking portraits for their final products.
We continued our study of photography this week and the kids practiced their portrait taking skills with Outside the Lens. I'm looking forward to setting up a miniature photo studio in our room so that they can continue to practice taking portraits for their final products.
Week 5: We Become Photographers!
Photography is one of my favorite art forms, and something that I've practiced a lot throughout my life. I was a photographer for my college newspaper (the UCSD Guardian) and I've also done wedding and family photography. I even got to practice my nature photography while on safari in Tanzania with my dad! I am so excited to share my love for photography with my students through this project. We had our first photography lesson with Outside the Lens this Friday. The kids learned about the 6 different vantage points, and the importance of looking at things (both in photography and in our world) from multiple perspectives. They then got to practice taking pictures on iPads using their new vantage point knowledge.
Week 4: Playground Fun
I've been thoroughly enjoying my recess duties since the school year started because it gives me a chance to interact with my students outside of the classroom. It's so fun (and interesting) to see which friends they choose to play with, and the activities they participate in. They've even convinced me to play Gaga a few times! During both of my recess duties this week I've had a solid group of kids requesting that I time how long it takes for them to climb up the ladder and go down the slide, each try attempting to be faster than the last. Who knew you could have so much fun with your teacher and a stop watch?! There is also a strong contingency of students in my classroom who are perfecting some Olympic-worthy movies on the monkey bars.
Week 3: "Through My Lens" Project Launch!
We launched our first big project of the year this week! We will be using photography to help build community within our classroom, as well as linking our study of our peers to character studies in literature. The reading lessons we do in class will teach a skill that will transfer to photography such as "looking deeply" or "characters can be complex." We will also be teaching social skills so that students have all the tools necessary to interact with and get to know another student deeply. Our project will culminate in the students producing a written narrative and portrait of their partner to present on Exhibition Night.
After our project launch, we did a reading lesson on the difference between big moments and small details in a story. The kids transferred this concept to their own lives by creating a life map depicting the "big moments" they have experienced in their lives thus far. Eventually, students will choose some of these moments to share with their project partner.
After our project launch, we did a reading lesson on the difference between big moments and small details in a story. The kids transferred this concept to their own lives by creating a life map depicting the "big moments" they have experienced in their lives thus far. Eventually, students will choose some of these moments to share with their project partner.
Week 2: Critique and Review
This week we spent the bulk of our project time learning about the process of critique and revision in order to produce beautiful work. Students have been working on a piece of radial symmetry, and on Thursday they were able to get some feedback from the students in Ms. Ally's class who are working on this project as well. We watched Austin's Butterfly to remind ourselves how important it is to do multiple drafts of our work, and what kind, helpful, specific feedback sounds like. The results are beautiful, and we can't wait to hang them up on our classroom wall this week!
First Week Fun
Welcome to a brand new school year!
During this first week, we took time to get to know each other and our new classroom. There are many big changes from 3rd grade to 4th grade, including a new schedule and more independence. This week we did a lot of team building activities, created a class contract, met our Kindergarten buddies, and began our first mini project! We will be spending the next couple weeks talking about the importance of critique and revision in our work, and will be creating a piece of radial symmetry using our names to display on the walls of our classroom for the year.
At the end of this week, we got to know our Kindergarten buddies through chalk art in the parking lot, and spent some much needed time out in the sunshine at the park.
During this first week, we took time to get to know each other and our new classroom. There are many big changes from 3rd grade to 4th grade, including a new schedule and more independence. This week we did a lot of team building activities, created a class contract, met our Kindergarten buddies, and began our first mini project! We will be spending the next couple weeks talking about the importance of critique and revision in our work, and will be creating a piece of radial symmetry using our names to display on the walls of our classroom for the year.
At the end of this week, we got to know our Kindergarten buddies through chalk art in the parking lot, and spent some much needed time out in the sunshine at the park.