Week of August 29

Thursday Thoughts August 29

 

As I write my blog this week I am reflecting on the 50 year anniversary of the March on Washington.  I am so excited about the diversity of our student body and the global perspective that our students are exposed to on a daily basis.  We have students whose families are from all over the world.  Our school is a true representation of the 21st Century world and workforce in which our students will be immersed.  Thank you for your commitment to making Medlock Bridge a place that is welcoming and inviting to all who walk through our doors.   

Staff Spotlight:

Please take a moment to check out Madison Farish's bulletin board in her classroom.  She has taken the ever popular Beanie Babies and tied them into specific reading strategies for her students.  When her students take a particular "beanie" off of the board, there is a reading strategy that it represents and it identifies what the child should focus on as they read.  A creative way to help students make connections.


4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills

Please check out an excerpt from this blog :

Creativity is the Secret Sauce in STEM by Ainissa Ramirez

Humans have a few basic needs: air, food, water, clothing, shelter, belonging, intimacy and Wi-Fi. (OK, the last one is not really on the list.) Regardless of my attempt to be funny, what is no laughing matter is that we have primary needs. What might surprise you is that another primary need is the need to be creative. We are creative creatures and have been since we first existed, as evidenced by the first cave paintings formed over 40,000 years ago. But somehow in this modern day, we've forgotten that being creative is part of the human experience.

There is plenty of talk in the news about making our children more creative to prepare for the jobs for the 21st century. The word "creativity" is used a lot, but no one is taking the time to define it. Plato used to think frequently about creativity and would describe it as being a channel for a muse. OK, where can you get a muse these days? eBay? As you can see, this intangible and hard-to-describe resource makes it very hard to identify, never mind nurture and teach. However, we know creativity when we see it. And, despite all this confusion, we also know that everyone is creative (to varying degrees).

Creativity is the secret sauce to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). It is a STEM virtue. While most scientists and engineers might be reluctant to admit that, and to accept the concept of STEAM (where A is for Art), I’ve witnessed that the best of the best are the most creative.

So how do we make our children more creative?

Researchers have found that play is important for productive thought. Playing with ideas also increases learning. We must encourage playing with concepts to nurture creativity in students.¹ Can you show the material you are discussing in far-out ways? Can it be compared to a sport, an event or a celebrity? Try it. Playing with concepts provides multiple entry points and multiple ways of engagement.

 

Technology Tidbits:

Check out the following websites:

http://www.transum.org/software/SW/index.asp
A collection of Math teaching resources designed to be projected on to a white board.


http://www.transum.org/Software/SW/Starter_of_the_day/index.htm
Start your Maths lesson with this Starter Of The Day. Click on the date in the calendar below for the Starter Of The Day.

http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/games_activities/index.cfm
Site for science activities/games.  Please play around on the site as it links you to numerous science websites covering a variety of topics.

News and Notes:

We have been cleared to open the 1st grade class but no word yet on possbile changes with itinerants.  I will keep you posted.

Make sure you have completed your orientation and TKES self assessment by end of day tomorrow.  Email me (some of you alredy have) if you are not able to access the portal so I can compile a list.

On 9/10 we will meet with each grade level during common planning time for the TKES pre conference. If you do not have a common planning time then see me so we can schedule a time to meet for your pre-conference after 9/10. 

Have a great Labor Day Weekend!!!!!