Out of This World!

Take a peek at this set of astronauts!

To infinity & beyond! My astronauts traveled all the way to see our solar system! #hiawathapride pic.twitter.com/ITrvNaQl4E

— Kayla Kaczmarek (@Kaczmarek_D100) January 8, 2016

At Hiawatha, we believe in balanced literacy.  We believe that teaching reading, writing and content areas (and, if we can, math) all fit together.   We believe in promoting literacy through units that have essential questions and provide experiences for our students.  We believe is starting from the standards and backwards mapping, planning with the end in mind.

This year, we are exploring a new format to plan our essential understandings for our units.  Below is what our talented first grade (+Amelia Sheers, +Vianney Sanchez +Kayla Kaczmarek +Shianne Gillespie +Melissa Alper) team created for their Space Systems unit.

After they created their essential understandings and unpacked the essential CCSS and NGSS standards into single point rubrics, THEN they began planning the activities for their unit.  It is so much more targeted to plan for great activities when you have the end in mind, rather than just finding lessons about space and hoping they hit the target.

But, what about the beginning of the unit?

 

So often, we launch into units, but don't take time to invest our children in the content.  When we have an emotional or physical connection to something, it makes our learning experiences much deeper.  So, our first grade team planned to send their students into space!  They turned our 100+ year old gym stage into the universe, and their 70 or so students into astronauts, and blasted off!

Do you want a little glimpse of what it would be like to be a space explorer?  If so, it's your lucky day!

They then went back to class.  But, they didn't just take out their math books and move on.  Oh no!  They used the excitement that they had gathered and started sharing what they already know for their space unit!  They started a Padlet wall and reported all that they already know about the sun, moon, earth, and outer space.  

I can't wait to watch this set of astronauts as they continue on their journey through space.  After all, this was only the BEGINNING of their unit.  With teachers as out of this world as theirs, they can go anywhere.  To infinity, and beyond!

And the LEGO Oscars go to...

     Those of you who know me know that I love LEGOs.  I have been patiently waiting for a cinematic masterpiece to be created since the Oscars this January, because of the LEGO Oscar that was given out that night.  The movie has arrived!  

It is LEGO Oscar time.

 

The Oscar for Best Music Video about the Revolutionary War Goes To:

Hiawatha 4th grade students!!!

Watch it here:
https://drive.google.com/a/bsd100.org/file/d/0B20M4GdXLw9xb1NBckJSdE80enM/view

The Oscar for Best Team Collaboration Within a Revolutionary War Thematic Unit Goes To:

+Lori Horne +Christina Betz +Virginia Burdett +Joan Bludeau +Diann Milford +Lucy Carrera 

Our fantastic 4th grade teachers, and our ESL teacher too!

The Oscar for Best Original Lyrics Goes To:
Lori Horne!

She used the song Royals, by Lorde, but re-wrote the lyrics to include major events leading up to the Revolutionary War.  I will never be able to sing the original song again.  Those fourth grade voices will always be loud and clear.

 

The Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role Goes To:

+Bill Davini 

King George has never been played by a better Husky.  

The Oscar for Best Props Goes To:

The visual images used in the backdrops of the scenes, thanks to green screen technology!

     In all seriousness, I love this project for so many reasons.  We have been working on building up our thematic units this year so that they are more balanced literacy units that just straight social studies or science units.  We want the students to be creators of knowledge, not just simply receivers of knowledge.  Hiawatha teachers want joyful learning that lasts a lifetime.

     At first glance, it looks like a fun music video that was created by teachers.  The song was written by teachers, the video was ultimately produced by teachers.  The kids sang the song, and acted it out, but the script and lyrics were not theirs.  So, was this really creation of knowledge, or receiving knowledge?

     It depends on what part of the unit this is.  

     The fourth grade is currently front loading information about the Revolutionary War.  They have been close reading images, building vocabulary, learning about major events, and doing some hands on experiences like a Boston Massacre simulation in 4HO.  

     I have a video of some students talking about the cause of the Boston Massacre after looking at some sources like a detective to see who was really responsible for this event.  They were listening to each other, having conversations about points found in the different artifacts, and built on each others ideas.  Ultimately, a little boy came to this conclusion. 

     "So I am going for both sides.  There is no equal.  There is no unfair.  Wait..."

     "They both just want to get equal in their own way, " another student continued for him.

     I think these students are starting to really explore the answers to their Essential Question with the lens of the Boston Massacre.

     There was even an all girls book club, led by our ESL teacher Lucy Carrera, about a 10 year old girl who disguised herself as a boy to fight in the war.  They call them themselves the Revolutionary Ladies.  What a meaningful way to connect to the time period.

     This unit has weaved visual literacy, different perspectives, note taking using text evidence, conversations around the events, acting, singing, close reading song lyrics, and big ideas around the essential question, "Why did the colonists go to war?"  But, this is just the beginning of the unit.  They are doing this now to front load their next unit in Writing Workshop.  The Revolutionary War will be the topic of Bringing History to Life: Information Writing.  To be honest, conversations like those also are building their book clubs without even planning it.  Accountable talk in action.  

     If our students have any chance of writing about a historical topic, they almost have to live it first. I think our fourth grade teachers may have figured that out.