Bully Machine Video

Popplet

  Popper? People? Poople? No... Popplet.

    You might be asking yourself if I've lost it? No, quite the opposite in fact. Today was a fantastic day!  Today, I felt like I was a 21st century teacher. I felt empowered and excited as I watched the students accessing online tools to enhance their learning. I must admit that I've been feeling a little stilted in that area, not because I didn't have great ideas, but because the technology was limited.  But we are finally up and running. 

    Today the students were introduced to Popplet.  This is a fantastic site that allows students to design colorful graphic organizers. Above is the start of a Popple that students did as a class as a test run. This site offers students the chance to create linking thoughts. They can add photos, make drawings, and even comment on each others' Popples. They can color code their thinking as well. 

    The image above shows a Popple based on the character Palmer from the novel Wringer by Jerry Spinelli. Students started with the character in the center. They then chose adjectives that described Palmer. Those descriptions are in the blue.  Then their job was to prove it. We've been working tirelessly on using the clues in our reading to support our thinking.  So around each of the adjectives are situations from the book that support the characteristic!

    Needless to say, the students had a blast! They quickly learned how to manipulate the popples, change color, add text, draw, and arrange their thinking in an orderly fashion.  All the while, they were learning and being asked to do some deeper learning. They didn't complain once. In fact, a number of students commented how much fun they were having.  

    We will head back to the work tomorrow to finish up our Popples.  Ask your child to see theirs. Go to www.popplet.com and log in to their account. Just use your child's school email address and they should know their password. 

The Bully Machine

    The fourth graders have been really busy this week.  They are preparing for their big "performance" of the Bully Machine at Friday's assembly.  This 6 minute performance has been a lot of fun for the students and the adults.  We have laughed as students snap their heads, limbs and bodies to attention. We've giggled at their hoe-down moves. We've smiled at their touching last poses.
    I have been incredibly impressed with the fourth graders' professionalism, dedication, and drive to pull off the best "show" that they can.  Each student is taking part, and all are adding their own flair to the performance.  You would think that managing 43 kids all doing their own unique moves might be difficult or challenging. Instead, I've found it invigorating.  I love the look on their faces when they accomplish their goal. I love to hear them cheer for one another. I love the feeling of true success when they nail the whole thing for the first time.  Their enthusiasm is so contagious. These are the experiences that I truly love as a teacher, and I think it is fairly safe to say, that these are the moments students love too.  How many of you remember you elementary school plays, concerts, skits? Isn't it funny that we can recall them like they were only yesterday?  I hope that this will be a memory for my students, I know it will be something that I will not soon forget.

Puzzles

  At the end of the day on Friday I pulled out two Vermont 1000 piece puzzles.  I split the class in half and had them go at it. What I didn't realize was just how much fun the kids would have!  They were focused, cooperative, and 100 percent engaged in the activity. So much so, that they begged to leave the puzzles out in the room (my plan the whole time, but they didn't need to know that.)
  Today the students piled into the room begging to do the puzzles.  They finished their morning work, "Mrs. West can I work on the puzzle?" They finished their math work, "Mrs. West can I work on the puzzle?"  They had a few minutes before lunch, "Mrs. West can we work on the puzzle?" It was time for dismissal and we had to wait for the buses, "PLEASE Mrs. West, can we work on the puzzles?"  Who would have guessed that I created such monsters!
  The things is, the puzzles are giant maps of Vermont.  Each includes important attractions, land formations, rivers and borders.  Each puzzle is an interactive lesson for the kids. They are quickly learning that when they put together Lake Champlain  it is in the north western part of the state.  They are pouring over our state's features without even realizing they are doing it. I hear them talking about the Quechee Gorge, the Connecticut River, Ben and Jerry's, Stowe, etc.  All the while, they are having a blast!  Shh, don't tell... 

Private or Personal?

  Every student's hand was raised in the air. Some were waving, others were hopping in their seats. You could feel the excitement in the room.  We were talking about their world. This wasn't stuff found in old textbooks. This was their life, their understanding, their experiences, and boy was it obvious.  What caused such a zap of energy into my small class? A lesson on private and personal information on the web.
  We began by discussing websites that they knew required information in order to use them.  It was amazing the list they came up with.  It was very apparent that most students had access to the internet at home, and have spent enough time online to know all too well that almost every site you now visit asks you to register.
  We took out the ipads and opened up www.bookadventure.com. This is a simple site geared towards kids all about about reading.  We began to take a close look at the type of information these sites ask for. I asked the students to pay close attention to what information was required and what information was optional. Then a heated discussion started about why each was marked accordingly.  The ideas were flowing, and I was greatly impressed by the way the students built on each other's thoughts.
  I then passed out a list of information that students might offer up. This list ranged from their favorite band to their social security number.  I gave them a few minutes to mark each item as private information, details that you shouldn't ever reveal online, or personal information, details about you that are okay to share with people you know.  We then dug in and began to share our thoughts and reasons for why each was marked the way it was.  We discussed in great detail what it meant for someone to steal your identity or to know too much about you.
  The kids were impassioned, engaged, and on the edge of their seat.  But above all else, I think that they really learned something. I could hear them as we lined up for lunch discussing how they were never going to give out their last name again.  Lesson successful!

Where in the World is Vermont?

     Today we switched from our animal science unit to the geography of Vermont.  We began by looking at the globe on Google Earth.  We were able to then zoom in to North America. Most students were quickly able to identify that Canada was to our north and Mexico to our south.  We zoomed in further to the United States.  When asked where Vermont was on the map, some students struggled. Many new that it was somewhere in the east, but the actual location was a little daunting for some. We colored the state green and then colored and labeled Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island yellow. I was pleasantly surprised to see how many students recognized that these states were part of New England.  We colored the rest of the United States red, and students were asked to fill in any states that they may recognize and know. The focus of this unit is not to learn all the fifty states, but I thought it important to give the kids a chance to share what they know about the geography of the United States of America. 
    Tomorrow we will be zooming into New England and looking at Vermont's placement more carefully. We will then zoom in one more time onto the state itself.  In the coming weeks, students will be learning the counties and geographical regions of our state. Eventually everyone will be working with partners to create a Glogster! This is a very cool online poster that is made of video, audio, and visual representations. I can't wait to get started on this project.
    At home, be sure to talk to your students about the geography of Vermont. You might start pointing out the mountains or some of the rivers as you drive.  You may mention when you cross over into New Hampshire and how you knew you were no longer in Vermont.  Mention the borders of the state or even the borders of the counties.  I always encourage talking to your kids about what we are doing in class as it only enhances their learning process and encourages them to be active learners in and out of class.

Entering the 21st Century!

    Today, the fourth graders entered the 21st century, and boy were they excited.  As some of you may know, the fourth and fifth graders at DBS are piloting new technology.  We have brand new ipads and net-books for the students to use in class. We have been patiently waiting for the wifi in the school to be up and running so that we could use these devices to their full potential.  The students have been impatiently asking, "When, Mrs. West?"  Well, today I could finally answer, "Today!"
     As you can see on their faces, this experience was thrilling. We began the lesson reviewing the dos and don'ts of using technology.  This was just a quick reminder from a previous lesson that they had this year from Ms. Paquette, our Tech Integrationist.  I was proud of how much they remembered, and how eager they were to follow the rules.
     Our first lesson involved a wonderful educational app called Brainpop.  The spokesboy, Tim, and his robot, Moby, have educational videos on just about every subject under the sun. Today we spent a little time learning how the presidential election actually works.  As one student commented, "This is really interesting."  (Out of the mouths of babes). I enjoyed watching the students interacting with the technology. In pairs, they were able to rewind parts of the video, pause, fast forward, and replay over and over at their own pace to get the information that they needed.  They had so much fun "playing" with the ipads, that they really didn't realize they were learning as well. Isn't that the best kind?
     We are so blessed to have these devices this year, and I am excited to see all the possibilities that we can do with them.  Ask your child what they thought?  You'll be sure to hear about them a lot this school year.