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Tuesday, 17 May 2011

May 17th Update

This week we are in crunch time with Exhibition.  I am giving you an update on all that has been done and all that needs to be done!

Ronald McDonald House

We are so pleased that the St. George School, also applying for IB Candidacy has pitched in to help bring in needed supplies for the Ronald McDonald House.  We will be touring the facility at 11:00 located at 1907 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030-4123, (713) 795-3500 on Saturday, May 21st.   Mrs. Shannon Hayes needs a headcount as soon as possible.  Thus far, I have a couple of kids/parents who have expressed interest.  Some parents are allowed to attend, but space is limited.  Please do not forget to have your child bring in items to donate. 

Children with Disabilities:
I had the pleasure of company on Sunday's Challenger League Game.  The 4 games that were going on simultaneously were met with cheers from Tommy Hayes, Sophie Dunn, Caroline O'Connor, Katherine Powers (or the OM Team), Nate Quan who also brought a friend to help him cheer and  Katy Byrd (who initially spoke up to this cause).  Thank you to the parents who dropped their kids off as well as those who stayed!  Many parents and athletes were very appreciative of the cheers and support!

Tomorrow, we are making ocean themed crafts/activities for the children in the PPCD class at Mark Twain.  The children have researched on Autism and Down Syndrome in preparation for our visit.  So far this is all they  hope to accomplish:
o       Read, Rainbow Fish and help them create rainbow fish
o       paint and make crabs with them
o       teach them shark finger play songs
o       perform a play that they created puppets for
o       have them dress up with turtle and shark costumes
o       take photos of kids in front of a mural for the play
o       place photos in shell frames they created

Talent Show to Benefit OM
Wow!  What a turn out with over 50 contestants all vying for the top slots for Friday’s Talent Show.  The kids who stayed and judged were very professional in their judging and interaction with the participants.  Thanks to Katherine Powers, Nate Quan, Kelly Mejia, Jasmine Guevara, Mosaab Alchalwi, Lamax Mclean, Jake Schachter, and Caroline O’Connor for helping to judge.  Many thanks as well to Lylah Rogers, Taylor Nelson, Reagan Bronnon, Katy Byrd, Samerial Willis, Faith Rodriguez, Ben Lux, Nicolas Romero for helping with crowd control.  Kudos to parents who helped support and all those in my class who were risk-takers and  auditioned.  On Friday, we have 8 children from my class who will be performing ☺ on the Talent Show Stage.  Please do not forget to bring in voluntary donations for the talent show on Friday.

Time Mgmt./Improving Sleep

The kids created a book on tips on how to improve these habits with their own personal reflections and knowledge.  We will be looking for an avenue in which to publish. 

H.E.L.P
With approval from Mr. Baker, the organization has been approved. A T-Shirt is in the works for us to wear on Exhibition Day. Essays from 4th graders have been submitted to be part of the organization. The kids have also created a booklet to serve as information for parents, students, and teachers. 

Being Fit
The kids took pictures of one another being fit to include as a slideshow for how our class encourages being fit.

ADD/ADHD/Dyslexia Play
We will be writing a play later this week to help better understand about these learning disabilities.

Exhibition Support
Thank you to all who have helped us to support the other classes with their journey of Exhibition.  My class has been so great in providing socks, plastic bags, school supplies, pet supplies, money for bake sale.  Many families also ate dinner at Skeeters to help support Ms. Gilboa's class on the Education Budget Cuts.  Thank you for showing your generosity and support to others ☺ On Thursday the kids are asked to wear pink to support Breast Cancer Awareness!

Wednesday, 11 May 2011

What the kids have decided!

After spending so much time learning about the theme, the children have decided that their classroom community is one that believes in working together to help each other and others. They have all decided to pledge their support to each other to help all of the following topics:

OM: With thousands of dollars to raise, everyone is pitching in to help.  The class will be hosting auditions for kids 3-5th on Monday, May 16th after school from 3-4.  The Talent Show will be held on Friday, May 20th from 1:50-2:50 p.m.  Voluntary donations are tickets in and the kids hope to help our their OM friends closer to their monetary goal for World Finals.

Bullying: Many were passionate about the topic of bullying, so they have decided to leave a legacy behind in the form of a club to help prevent, educate, and advocate.  They have given it a name: H. E. L. P. or (Heroes Encouraging Learner Profile).  They are in the works of researching bullying and hope to create a handbook for their club and guidelines on how to choose the future heroes. 

Disabled: Several children expressed an interest in helping the disabled.  The children have been asked to cheer on the players at the Challenger League Game on Sunday, May 15th.  The last game for this league that consists of children with disabilities will be held at 2:00 p.,m.  More information on how your child can help is forthcoming.  The children are also going to collaborate with Ms. Gunter, the teacher of the PPCD classroom at Mark Twain Elementary, and volunteer in her class. 

Ronald McDonald House: Houston's Ronald McDonald House is an organization where families can find support and share experiences with others while on their journey to overcome a critical childhood illness.  The children will be collecting items to donate as well as touring the facility on Saturday, May 21st. 

ADD/ADHD/Dyslexia: The children have decided to write a play to inform others about what it is and how important it is to be empathetic to children with ADD. In our class this hits home so the kids want to give others a glimpse into their world.

Time Management: The children have decided to create at kids guide to helping others be a bit more prepared for dealing with this issue.  We have both parties; those that have mastered this and those that are seeking help.  

Being Fit- Being Active: The kids would like to dedicate one day afterschool where kids get unplugged and get outside to enjoy being physically active in the conforts of their own home and with their families.  They are hoping to get proof of this in the way of pictures. They are hoping to create a slideshow of the event to share with how the Mark Twain Community enjoys being active!


Thursday, 5 May 2011

Who We Are

This year I have had the pleasure of teaching kids who are:
  • talented
  • creative
  • cooperative
  • compassionate
  • and most of empathetic
We have spent over one month dissecting the theme and I think it was a wonderful learning experience, not only for the kids, but for myself. 


As we narrowed down issues, I began to think that these little people really know who they are.  In fact, many are so comfortable with who they are that they are willing to help others find their voice or be part of who their friends are or want to become.  In this, I do not mean followers, but being part of the community that we have worked so hard to create.  Help ourselves, no I think not! Our Exhibition will be about helping each other because that is who my class is and has become.  Stay tuned....


Today as we delve deeper in what we can do; I have no

Wednesday, 4 May 2011

Questions for Research

Now that each table has expressed their thought and opinions about issues that a fifth grader can work on for Exhibition, now the other tables have questions for them.  These will serve as research for each group.  

Phase 3: Discussing issues with groups

Now that we have talked about what a fifth grader can do something about, talk with your table about your ideas and opinions.


Table 1:
Main personal issues that we can help with or know something about are:
time mgmt; homework; neatness; kids needing sleep
These issues are all connected- and they all affect one another.
We cannot really do much about these issues, but we can inform them about it.  
We did talk about being fit, but not everybody wants to be fit.
We also talked about kids needing to go to bed early.


Table 2:
For Exhibition to mean something to us, we have to choose topics that are meaningful to us and that we can relate to.  Miyanna talked about a different approach to ADD and letting others know about what it is so that they can know something about this learning disability.


Having a disability of any kind makes you unique.
We also talked about raising money for Odyssey of mind, which is all about promoting fun, being creative.  The OM group, 4 of the 6 which are in our class need to raise about $7,000.  Our fundraisers at school have only gotten us a few hundred dollars and we have been working and asking for donations, but we need more help and more ideas.


We also talked about the issues of teaching  people to think creatively- not say first thing comes to mind.


Table 3:
We also talked about helping OM raising money.  We have some ideas such as a Jump Rope for Heart Thing.  We also talked about giving prizes such as plushy toys with added bonuses for different money denominations.


Table 4:
We talked about helping disabled kids, like maybe starting  a camp or club for disabled kids where we can work to get them active.  We want them to feel independent and experience other things, like being active. It is important to have fun and letting kids have activities that never done before or could do.


Table 5:
We talked about fitness and were trying to figure out what we could do help as fifth graders.


Table 6:
We are not really sure, but we talked about some things.  The issue of not getting enough time to sleep also entered our minds.  We talked about helping the Ronald McDonald House.  Tommy's grandmother helped found it in Houston and knows that we can volunteer to give food to people who have cancer.


We also brainstormed activites that help promote exercise.   We even joked about bringing back nap time- for more sleep.



What can a Fifth Grader Do? Narrowing issues

Phase 2: Now that we have talked about issues, circle those that a 5th grader, in your opinion, can do something about.


Mosaab-
not doing homework, OM


Lamax:
be fit, our education


Nate:
time mgmt, neatness


Jake:
discrimination, obesity


Zion:
education, bullying


Tommy:
sleep, neatness


Caeden:
neatness, homework


Eduardo:
bullying, time mgmt. issues


Taylor:
not doing homework, obesity


Lylah:
homework, being fit


Reagan:
cancer, bullying


Samerial:
hunger, obesity,


Faith:
sleep, hunger


Katy:
sleep, disabled


Kelly:
hunger, OM


Shnutez:
neatness, time mgmt. 


Ben:
homework, time mgmt, kids needing more sleep


Nicolas:
being fit, hunger


Rachael:
time mgmt., kids need more sleep


Miyanna:
ADD/ADHD, time mgmt.


Jamsine:
hunger, OM


Caroline:
not doing homework, being creative


Sophie:
?


Kat:
OM, optimism

Class Issues, Our Issues: Our Passions

Exhibition Issues new to Mark Twain Community are highlighted in yellow.




Mosaab-
bullying, pet abuse, child abuse, underage drinking, underage driving


Lamax-
our education, bullying, child abuse


Zion:
child labor, slavery, discrimination


Nate:
bullying, animal cruelty, not doing homework


Jake:
down syndrome, soldiers


Tommy:
cancer, natural disaster relief, education


Caeden:
time management issues, bullying, neatness


Eduardo:
bullying, cancer, time management


Taylor:
child abuse, obesity, cancer


Lylah:
helping less fortunate, animal abuse, bullying


Reagan:
bullying, animal abuse, child abuse


Samerial:
domestic violence


Faith:
bullying, helping disabled kids be active,


Katy:
helping disabled children, obesity, animal abuse


Kelly:
animal abuse, child abuse,


Shnutez:
helping any kids get medical care, chld abuse,


Ben:
video game violence, having fun being fit, kids needing more sleep


Nicolas:
cancer, bullying, child abuse


Rachael:
addiction, kids needed more sleep, preventing deafness


Miyanna:
helping disabled, ADD/ADHD, orphans


Jasmine:
stop hunger, epilepsy, bullying


Caroline:
being unique, being yourself,  bullying


Sophie:
OM- raising money, having fun, thinking on bright side (optimism)


Kat:
OM- Raising money, helping others learn, trying new things

Monday, 2 May 2011

What kinds of articles did we choose to discuss in class? Is there a common thread?


  • People want to make a difference.
  • People want to help others
  • People want to work together to help other people.
  • People want to teach others and help others discover

Sunday, 1 May 2011

What we Have Been Working on for Exhibition: A Recap

Before we begin finding issues we want to research, breaking into groups, then choosing an action....we have done all of this preparation for Exhibition:


It began with a discussion of What is Exhibition?


Then we talked about the theme of who we are and began to dissect it or take it apart.  We do this as a means to make sure that the topics/issues we choose to do independently, in pairs, in groups, or as a class fit the theme of who we are. 


Here is a list of all the learning experiences for dissecting the theme, which are also all posted on the blog in more detail :)


An inquiry into: 


the nature of the self: 
We held a class discussion that had children bringing in music that expressed being true to yourself.  We then listened to music and reflected on if it actually fit the theme or not and why! 


beliefs and values
Using the resource, of This I Believe, a NPR program and the title of subsequent books, the children defined beliefs and values in groups, wrote an essay about their top values, the class voted on top values, then reflected about them in videos.


personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health
The children created concept maps about each of them in groups, then we discussed as class, and brainstormed issues related to the topic of health.


human relations including families, friends, communities
The children created products about friends, famlies, communities: blogs, glogs, powerpoint slideshows, videos (skits, games, talk-shows), scrapbooks, picture slideshows


cultures
We reflected on our artifact bags we created that dealt with cultures and traditions.  We did this for our Where We Are in Time and Place Unit of Inquiry. 


rights and responsibilities
The chidren created a T-Chart; we then created a class T-Chart


What it means to be human
we brainstormed a list, then found articles on TweenTribune (online articles for kids), Time for Kids, Time Magazine, and the newspaper that showed evidence of what it means to be human.

What it Means to Be Human...in the News

Now that we have a better idea of what it means to be human, we are looking for evidence in currents events of past and present.


What will the kids find? What a great introduction for the last unit of inquiry for fifth grade, "How we Express Ourselves, "where we will delve into media as a form of communication. 

Lamax: The Revolution of Middle East
Humans have the right to voice opinions.

Zion: Saving the Nation's Bats
People want to save the world's animals

Jake: Autumn Prom
One person can make a difference in helping others feels good about themselves (prom for down-sydrome)

Tommy: Serenghetti National Park
People can come together to take action- habitat loss

Caeden- "Under the Sea"
Scientists finding new life- Humans want to discover

Eduardo- "New Chapter"
People trying to find technology for the future-  better our world

Lylah-"A Book About Bullies"
People all have emotions and reason for what they do

Taylor- "An American Family"
Every family goes through ups and downs

Samerial- "Creating for New Dreams for South Africans"
Some people want to make a difference for those that do not have as many opportunities (school in Africa)

Shnutez- "Meals on Wheels"
Make a Difference- Organizations come together for different causes

Ben- "Learning Chinese"
People can make an impact by teaching others and that impact can lead to new discoveries

Nicolas- "Listen Up"
People want to spread information that can help others

Rachael- "Found- 6 lost frogs"
Humans want to discover

Miyanna-"All About the Brain"
People want to learn and people want to teach others what they have learned

Jasmine- "More Time for School"
Kids want to learn and have fun

Caroline- "Can you Hear Me Now"
Humans want to stay healthy and safe

Sophie- "Women with No Arms Gets Blackbelt"
Some humans don't let obstacles get in their way to achieve their goals.

Katherine- "Meals on Wheels"
People want to help educate and make kids better learners

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