Franklin 2/4-2/12
- aielloc
- Feb 14, 2020
- 3 min read
On Tuesday 2/4, Team Pursuit continued recording episodes of their Podcast, "Stories from 86th Street". I worked with several students to complete their narratives then practice reading their writing like storytellers. I loved hearing one student ask another, "Would you like a PQP?" This is a method of feedback we use, where students give each other Praise/Questions/Polishes. This was unprompted and incredible to hear students are building the habits of giving and receiving feedback to produce their best work. See below for a news story on Team Pursuit and a link to where you can hear their newest podcast episodes!
In Team Enterprise we explored equivalent fractions using pattern blocks. Using the hexagon as one whole we determined the trapezoids would be 1/2 each, the rhombuses 1/3, and the triangles 1/6. This was a visual hands on way to explore the concept before moving into the algorithm for identifying equivalent fractions.
My reading group in Team Pursuit has been working to create an accurate map of the classroom. We've discussed perspective, scale, and orientation. On Wednesday 2/5 students tested their maps by hiding an object, marking its place on the map then challenging their peers to use the map to locate the object. We reflected on the accuracy of our diagrams by how quickly friends were able to find the object.
This week we are taking our map making skills a step further. Students will be creating a map of Franklin School that will be available in the office to help visitors navigate the building. We started today by thinking about what shape Franklin was. Students guessed rectangle, square and circle, and u shaped. We used Google Earth to determine the shape from birds eye view. Once we had a general idea, we toured the school noting important places and their location within the school. We will create rough drafts of each floor, then develop and produce final drafts to have printed and available in the office.
In Team Enterprise my math group has begun moving beyond fractions and exploring rates, ratios, and proportions. On Wednesday I dumped a huge pile of colored cubes on the table and asked students to identify 3 ratio relationships using the blocks. They naturally sorted the pieces making the identification of ratios simpler. We talked about part to part ratios as well as part to whole.
Some of the students in the group were ready to start solving proportions based on their pre-assessmsent data. On Tuesday I introduced finding an unknown within a proportion by using cross multiplication. Later that day during our reading group was in the library we had a chance to apply that exact skill to a real world situation! Ms. K was 3-D Printing an Octopus. Students observed on her computer that it was 63% of the way done after 129 minutes. They asked how long it would take to print the whole octopus. After discussing possible strategies, we decided to set up a proportion to solve how many minutes it would take to print 100%. See picture below to find out how we figured it out!
3rd Graders from Team Promise are working on business plans for their Literary Entrepreneurs Unit. Today we had a lengthy discussion about pricing and profit. Rosie believes if she prices her Streaming Service (made for Minecraft Zombies) at a significantly lower price than Youtube or Netflix she will attract many more customers and therefore make more money. James debated with her, saying she should price it higher in order to make a more significant profit! It was an authentic and real world conversations that entrepreneurs have to consider in developing their business plans.
Have a great Valentines' Day and a wonderful weekend!
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