The Rookery

Ways of Doing Science

Yesterday the Herons received a yeast pet (well, many billion yeast pets) and were given a chance to choose the temperature of their water as well as what food to give them.  We observed what our yeast were doing and heated up their water or added different food -- trial and error attempts to make our yeast happy and well fed. Chance and observation were the foundation of early science.  Humans were able to use a lot of things they didn't totally understand because they were able to observe and experiment.

Today we talked about how, over time, those humans began to experiment by isolating variables so that causes could be identified more efficiently.  Yesterday, we couldn't be sure if our yeast was happy because of its temperature or because of its food.  Today, we honed our understanding by changing one thing at a time.  Students set up experiments to test the ideal temperature (20g sugar in each bottle, 70, 110, and 140 degree water).  We also tested three different foods - granulated sugar, banana, and flour.

It's crucial for students to know that science is a process in which our understanding is constantly being honed.  We make observations that raise questions that we then can test.  Sometimes, we have to develop technology to run better experiments and get a better understanding.  The process never ends.  There are always more questions; explanations are always becoming more focussed.  Observation and pure wonder are still a crucial part of science -- and the scientific process is one tool we have to develop our understanding.

Today's experiment indicated that yeast really like 110 degree water.  140 degrees seems to kill a lot (but not all) of the yeast.  80 degree water also works, just more slowly.  Oh, and yeast really like banana.

I shared the chemical reaction (C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2 C₂H₅OH + 2 CO) that the yeast's enzyme triggers and the Herons were excited to see how all of the atoms are accounted for.  It will be years before they need to fully unpack what a chemical reaction is but today's lesson gave them a sneak peak at the wonder of our chemical building blocks.

Left to right: 140 degrees, 110 degrees, 80 degrees (slow but steady), flour/116 degrees, banana/116 degrees and sugar/116 degrees.

If you're not able to get outside because of a thunderstorm, this was a pretty great way to spend the morning.

When History Resonates

Yesterday I shared in our morning message that Sudan was on it's fourth "president" in a week.  Sudan had had caught the students' attention during our geography work because of the newness of South Sudan as a country - a country younger than they were!  Here was another expectation shattered - how could it be that a country could have four leaders in a week.

Today, when the Internet went out just before we were supposed to take the MCAs, I knew just what to do with that hour.  I had printed out the Sudanese Declaration of Freedom and Change that had been written on January 1 of this year.  It was a unifying document for the non-violent protesters who had propelled al-Bashir out of office.  And it was still the driving force for the protesters who had refused to accept the subsequent military strongmen who filled Bashir's place.

We broke into pairs to parse the challenging language and ideas.  Within moments students called out "It starts with 'We the people' just like the preamble."  They then sang the entire pre-amble (thank you School House Rock!)  As they continued reading they found more and more connections with the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the constitution.

As more and more connections emerged (the numbers at left refer to the 9 goals of the transitional government.)  The Herons were interested in what would have prompted number 8 - "Empower Sudanese women and strive to end all forms of discrimination and oppressive practices against them."  Women's rights were decidedly not mentioned in the U.S. Declaration of Independence (much to Angelica Schuyler's chargrine)

They were also interested in why there wasn't much mention of establishing a common defense.  We did note that they write a lot about the Civil War and its "root causes."  Luckily, Simon was walking by and he was able to share what he knows about the conflict.  His son, Matt, came to the United States at ten as refugee from the Sudanese civil war.

We ended by noting one of the biggest difference between today's Sudanese protesters (many of whom are a part of a group called the Sudanese Professionals Association) and the Sons of Liberty.  The Sudanese protesters have pledged to "continue taking to the streets and leading the nonviolent struggle, until our demands are met."  The Sons of Liberty responded to repression with violence (at least eventually.)

The Herons were full of more questions - what happens when a country doesn't have a leader?  Why don't they just hold elections?  What makes an election fair?  How do you organize elections?  How long does it take to organize elections (how do you make sure they're fair?) . Who decides what goes into a constitution if the Constitution tells you how to elect people and you don't have a constitution?

Some excellent questions, indeed.

 

The Many Ways to Show What you Know

The irony of our project presentations directly preceding MCA season is not lost on us.  However, in my more generous moods, I can see them as related.  Both are ways of showing others what you know.  Granted, I think that a project presentation is a more authentic demonstration of a child's ability to question, discover and teach.  But I think it's important for students to demonstrate their knowledge in a variety of ways and, in our world, tests are one of those ways.

To that end, we work to make sure that students feel comfortable sharing what they know on the MCA.  For the past week, we've been reviewing some key concepts.  This year, I've been talking a lot to the students about the neuroscience of learning.  We've worked to build strong synapse connections among concepts and vocabulary and we've talked about the work and process of building understanding.  When we've returned to review ideas, I've challenged students to "re-find" the synapse connection.  The pathway is still there but it might have become a little overgrown - some weeding might be in order!

Along with reviewing vocabulary and formulas, we've also been talking about how to successfully show what you know on a test:

1) Know what to expect - we have reviewed the content and looked at sample questions.  In addition, all students have had an opportunity to try out the on-line tools such as text to speech, answer elimination, bookmarking and highlighting.  We've also talked about how to use the calculator effectively.

2) Have Fun - Attitude means a lot.  Students look to us to see how they are supposed to feel.  I encourage students to smile (we even practice fake smiling) in order to release chemicals that help us relax.  We also do some invigorating (and silly) power stances.  Being relaxed gives students a sense of control and they are much better able to access what they know.

3) View tests as a puzzle.  Be interested in what you're doing - Fourth and fifth graders are still pretty concrete.  They can look at a test item and quickly give up because they think they don't know it.  Instead, we encourage them to think of each question as a puzzle.  Often, there are clues to what's being asked in the answers provided.  Maybe there was a similar problem earlier that holds a clue.  What is familiar?  How could they use what they know to figure out what they don't know.  Thinking of the test as a puzzle to solve also makes it more interesting and the more engaged one's brain is, the more likely one is to be able to show what you know.  (Insert joke about zombies not being very good test takers here.)

4) Check your work three times.  Use scrap paper a lot!  We teach students to re-read each question and re-think each problem.  The MCA is not timed so there is no reason not to re-do one's work when checking.  We also teach students to use their scrap paper to jot down numbers and calculations.  We also show them how to keep the scrap paper organized so they can come back to their thinking easily when they are checking their work.  I shared with students that this year when I went through the fourth grade item sampler, I missed three questions.  Now, this was not because I don't know fourth grade math - it was because I went quickly and missed words like "less than" or "how many more."  It was a good reminder for students that everyone needs to check their work.

Please don't think that this post is a celebration of the MCA.  It's not.  At all.  Really.  But it is a way to approach the tests we have to take positively so that, as (very) imperfect as the tests are, students are able to crack the test code and show what they know.

So Many New Worlds to Explore

Personal project presentations take a long time.  We devote three full mornings and an afternoon to watching student work.  That could seem like a lot of instructional time - until you realize how much learning is going on in the audience.  In the past week, the Herons have gotten a chance to learn about: bioluminescence, the history of U.S. money, rope, Krampus, glaciers in Minnesota, synesthesia, wolves, the future of space transportation, northern Minnesota, megalodons, human ectoparasites, women's rights, Anne Frank, Henry Ford, aurora borealis, Soviet propaganda, LGBTQ+ issues, water clocks, nuclear energy and the history of sports trading cards.  (And those are just the topics the Herons covered -- we also got to learn from the Robins and Kestrels!)

The students are engaged and curious.  They ask great questions and they get excited about what they're learning.  I know that I learn something new at every presentation and some of the students are learning about the very existence of some of these topics.  What an amazing world we live in that has so many things to learn about.  The project process gives students agency to pursue their own interests.  The presentations cement students' sense of themselves as teachers as well as learners.  The audience has an opportunity to wonder and imagine, too.  I know that the seeds of future projects and themes are being planted.  

In a school that doesn't use extrinsic rewards or grades, curiosity propels learning.  The honors presentations and fourth grade presentations are catalysts for that curiosity -- not just for our grades but for the whole school all of whom come to some of the presentations.  It is, indeed, time well spent.

(not every Heron is pictured...some of the pictures taken by others are in a format that doesn't work on our blog...I'm working on it!)

 

When the Rubber Meets the Road

The master chart we use to keep track of our work.

Today (Monday) was a great day - three Herons rocked their honors project presentations and the four fourth grade presenters more had such a good time presenting that one student told me, "I'm so sad that I'm finished!"  But as fun as this day was and as neat as it is to see these students shine, I think that last week might actually be my favorite week of the entire project process.

Last week was a week of transformation.  The majority of students started the week without a finished poster and fourth graders had not yet begun to plan their presentations.  Four days later - everyone was finished with (almost) everything.  We had hung a bell by our project planner checklist and every time a child completed a step, they'd ring the bell and we'd all clap.  On Friday, it seemed the bell was ringing almost constantly.  Students were bustling back and forth, everyone was on a mission.

When our work rises to this level, my importance actually recedes.  I fetch things, I act as an audience...but students sense that their success is up to them.  They don't have time to wait in line to get an answer about whether they should do option "a" or option "b"...so they have to choose themselves.  Those who have finished act as "super helpers" for those still working; they share their (recently earned) expertise and often will sit down to glue pictures onto construction paper so another student can get to work on harder things.

We all get across the finish line because we're all working together (and that includes parents and mentors, too.)  Simon was leading a tour for a potential new family through the busy-ess on Friday afternoon and I took the opportunity to see the scene through new eyes.  Students were offering each other suggestions on oral presentations.  Others were quizzing each other, trying to anticipate questions.  Another set of students were laying out pictures on a poster, determining the best order.  Others were trying out their "doing" projects, making sure they had thought out the logistics.  It was impressive.  Everyone was on task.  Everyone was engaged in high order work.  Everyone saw themselves as a teacher and not "just" a student.

It was an honor to be a part of it.

If At First You Don't Succeed...Look Again...and Again

As part of our microbes theme, we just finished All in a Drop, How Antony Van Leeuwenhoek Discovered an Invisible World.  Big shout out thanks to Lori Alexander, the author, who sent us an advanced copy (the book won't be published until August.) of All in A Drop

Van Leeuwenhoek (van-lay-vin-hook) was the first person to see microbes (he called them "animamcules.")  He was a cloth merchant whose hobby was making tiny lenses.  Some of the lenses he made had 275-500 times magnification.  He mounted the lenses on boards and then mounted specimens on to a tiny pin the exact distance from the lens to hold it in focus.  These kinds of microscopes are called "single lens" because they rely on, well, a single lens (compared to the compound lens microscopes you might have used in school.) . The tinier the lens, the greater the multiplication.

Using one of his microscopes was difficult.  In fact, many people reported they couldn't see anything at all when they looked through them and concluded that Van Leeuwenhoek was making everything up.

The Herons have made their own single lens microscopes -- Foldscopes.  These use the same technology as Leeuwenhoek but, instead of mounting the lens on a board, the inventors crafted magnets that hold the lens and specimen in place.  We folded the scopes together a few weeks ago (thanks Katie and Lisa for lending a hand).  It wasn't easy and after an hour, the Herons had scopes but hadn't used them.

We got our chance last week - and it was hard.  Really hard.  At first all most of us saw was darkness.  Then light.  Then, perhaps, out of focus color.  Then, suddenly, "WOAH!  I SEE IT!"  We were using prepared slides and students who hadn't seen anything would often ask to borrow the slide of someone who had seen something.  But then, often, they couldn't see anything in that slide either.

It exactly paralleled the experience of Van Leeuwenhoek.  In fact, he often wouldn't show people his most powerful microscopes because they would dismiss them as not working (when, in fact, they just hadn't practiced enough.)

By the end of an hour, all of the Herons had managed to magnify a slide through their Foldscope.  We still have more practice to do before we'll be ready to try to see any live microbes.  After all, the things we've been able to focus on so far aren't moving!

I was proud of the Herons for sticking with it.  I was glad we had had the opportunity to read about Van Leeuwenhoek and know that we weren't alone in our struggles.  I was also amazed that Van Leeuwenhoek kept looking - even when he didn't know anything was there.  Wonder and awe, indeed.

Conversation Starters - Continuing Puberty Education at Home

Index card questions from this year's puberty education lessons.

When we first began teaching puberty education to our fourth and fifth graders - we were nervous.  We were designing the curriculum based on best practices and after consulting with the community at the time but it felt like a big leap.  We needn't have worried.  Every year, the "conversations" we have are rich and remind us, once again, of how curious and interested students are -- in everything, but, perhaps especially this topic that affects them so personally.

I wrote "conversations" in quotation marks because we ask that students share their comments and questions with us on index cards instead of raising their hands.  This allows students anonymity and also enables us to curate the discussion - putting aside questions that we will answer later in the presentation or those that are, as we tell the kids, "in another chapter."  We let the students know that if we don't answer their question it's because it is about something that isn't a part of the curriculum we've agreed to teach.  It's not that something is inappropriate - just that it's a question that deals with concepts that not all kids are thinking about yet.  We encourage them to ask those questions of their trusted adults...of course, that's easiest to do if a trusted adult has started the conversation.

Every year, we are amazed by the richness of the questions.  They are so genuine and interesting.  The students feel a deep need to know.

Some ask for information that we've already gone over - a reminder that kids need to hear things repeatedly as they are trying to build an understanding.  Having book about bodies and puberty available around the house is a great way to help kids take in information a little bit at a time (see resource list below):

• How long does puberty last?
• What happens if you get your period at school?
• Does it hurt to have your period?
• What are hormones?
• Do you get annoyed at siblings more easily?
• Why do your friends sometimes change?
• Can you have your period while you're sleeping?
• What should you do if you're in a situation you're not comfortable in?
• What's the best thing to do when you get bullied?
• Can you still do a water sport if you are having your period?
• Should a doctor ask permission before examining your private parts?
• Why does your voice change?
• What's a cervix?
• Do other things happen when you get your period?
• Why do people make fun of people for having a crush on someone?
• Why do you have a crush on someone and then the next year you don't?
• Is acne the same as getting pimples?
• Does going through puberty cause depression sometimes?

Some ask intriguing questions that, while within the purview of our curriculum, we haven't gone over:

• Where does the word "puberty" come from?
• Why do people grow hair?  What's its purpose?
• Are steroids and hormones the same thing?
• What's a prostate gland?
• How do you tell a very close friend that they're making you feel bad if they don't know they're making you feel bad?
• Do cats have puberty?
• Why are penises so sensitive?
• I've been noticing my leg has been falling asleep a lot...is that a part of puberty?
• Does doing active sports slow down puberty?
• Is it sexual abuse to kiss someone without their permission?
• Why do people laugh about private parts?
• Why do males have breasts?
• How did we find out what was on the inside of bodies?

And some questions we don't address as a group - but instead encourage students to ask their trusted adult.  We don't read these questions out loud; we just let kids know if we don't read their question they can ask their adult:

• How do babies start to be made?
• How does sperm get transferred to the egg?
• Are hormones different for gay people?
• How do you tell if someone is gay?
• Why do people freeze their eggs?
• Do teens have sex?
• What are condoms?
• What's rape?
• What happens during sex?

Whew!  The next step is yours.  Don't save everything for "THE TALK."  Instead, learning about growing up should be a series of frequent conversations.  Share a few of your own stories about growing up and then see what your child wants to talk about.  Have your own way to collect questions (a note book or index cards).  Pick a book below as a bedtime read aloud.  Trust us - it gets easier every conversation you have and it can help your child see you as a resource and support.

Different kids are at different points in their exploration of these topics.  Not all of these books are the right fit for every kid or every family right now.  We recommend previewing these books at the library or on-line before you use them with your child.

 

The Basics:

It's So Amazing - simple language, straight forward explanations

The Boy's Body Book - meant for boys to use as a resource as they have questions about growing up.  Straight forward.  Focus on body changes, friends, and family more than sexuality.

The Care and Keeping of You (American Girl Series) - The girl equivalent of the above book.  It has a second volume for girls ten and up with more specific questions about relationships.

Changing You! A Guide to Body Changes and Sexuality - Straight forward information with a scientific rather than cutesy approach.  Looks at both boys and girls.

 

More Details:

It's Perfectly Normal - clear language, more detailed explanations, explores more coming of age issues around relationships and sexuality

Asking About Sex - Question and answer format is very approachable for kids.  Not all kids will have all of these questions yet.

 

For Parents:

Talk to Me First - Long term approach to being a "trusted adult" for your child.

The Right Kind of Tech

Today my exploration math class did something unusual - we spent almost all of class on the computers.  In this time of screen ubiquity, Prairie Creek has been careful about how it uses technology.  There's a lot of junk out there.  A screen can't substitute for the rich experiences of a classroom.  But sometimes, there is a resource that warrants class time.  Solveme Mobiles is that kind of experience.  Why?

First of all, students didn't work in an isolated bubble.  Before we went on the site, we re-visited our math conversation stems.  These sentence starters were developed by Prairie Creekers to help them explore math ideas together.  It's in the explaining that we solidify ideas enough to generalize them to new situations.  Sometimes, until we have to tell someone else what we did -- we aren't really sure ourselves.  Additionally, students are always encouraged to seek out the "Oh!" moments that grow their brains.  This is how I often talk about the growth mindset - we celebrate the opportunities to have those epiphanies when a misconception clears and we figure something new out.

When I asked students about working with a partner versus working alone on the puzzles they shared things like, "I liked working with someone else because with two brains, we didn't stay stuck."  "I could ask my partner when something didn't make sense."  "We could help each other understand."

Secondly, we choose our technology carefully.  Solveme is an exceptionally well crafted math experience.  The puzzles are structured so that they reveal the underlying mathematics.  The numbers they've chosen lead to a deeper understanding (and also encourage fact fluency).  One of the most valuable aspects of a computer is that it can provide immediate feedback.  In the case of Solveme, they've gone a step further.  The feedback becomes self-correction because students can see when they have created an imbalanced system before they even click "submit."  They can know immediately what part of their thinking isn't working yet.  Maria Montessori constructed all of her learning materials to provide immediate self-correction but surprisingly few apps use it.

The algebra in Solveme is presented as a puzzle.  Students are given some information and challenged to figure out the rest.  In the process, they intuit a lot of the skills that will make it easier to solve abstract equations.  I purposefully did not provide any instruction before they began.  I didn't even explain how to interpret the problems.  Children are natural puzzlers and they figured it out.  In the process, their trial and error gave them a much richer context than my direct instruction would have.  (Another "puzzle it out" algebra app that I recommend is Dragonbox 5+)

Finally, students were able to pace themselves.  They all started in a comfortable place and built incrementally on to what they understood.  No one went beyond their zone of proximal development (which isn't to say they weren't challenged...they were challenged in that Goldilocks "just right" zone.)Tomorrow we'll do some pencil and paper work that reinforces the concepts (and helps to connect them to some bigger ideas in algebra.)  They'll have the confidence to tackle these new ideas because they were successful today.

Growing a Project

Two students organizing the branches of their tree.  Fourth and fifth graders often take the tree analogy quite literally.

We are at a new stage in our personal projects.  Initial research is wrapping up and students are organizing their notes to write.  But how do you know when you have enough note cards?  Students often want a number of note cards...but everyone takes notes differently and every topic is different.  Instead, I share an analogy that seems to work for most students:  the tree.

When I think I've gotten a good number of notes, I create a tree diagram - the trunk is my main topic and each branch is a sub-topic.  I lay the note cards out for each branch.  Is one a little puny?  Do I need more details (leaves/twigs)? These branches are where I can focus some more intense research - perhaps by running a very specific internet search.  

Do I have a branch that is a lot bigger than the others?  Could I split that into two branches instead?  Maybe I need to prune one of the branches that didn't go anywhere.  Sometimes research is like that - a question you initially thought would be interesting proves to not have a lot of information.  Another area is richer and begins to grow disproportionately.

How do I know when a branch has grown enough?  I look back at my initial questions.  Can I answer them now?  Can I teach about them?  We can't just answer the question, we have to have information to connect the dots for our readers.  We have to have a lot of information around our initial questions . That's one of the big differences between personal projects in the younger years and fourth/fifth grade.  Students have to broaden their research so that they can teach effectively.

When a student thinks that their research is ready, they take a branch and organize the information in the order it needs to be taught.  Then they find a willing partner and they share all of the information orally, focussing on making sense to the listener.  The act of "talking" research helps a student find the words to write.  It also helps identify where a little more background information is needed.  There should be connections among all the information in a paragraph and words do the connecting.

Students follow this writing process for each branch and then we are ready for revision.  Very frequently, students have some information that is in the wrong paragraph.  The idea of a single topic for each paragraph can be challenging.  They've taken notes by color...so they often just want to write down all of the information from one color.  But sometimes information was on the wrong colored note card; sometimes a topic shifted some so that the note cards no longer all belong together.  The first step to revision is to identify the topic of a paragraph and make sure that every single piece of information belongs in that paragraph.  If it doesn't, we just cut and paste it to where it should go now.

Having a good topic sentence can help students focus a paragraph effectively.  Each sentence is checked against the topic sentence and if it doesn't fit, it gets moved.  Connecting words and sentences help the ideas flow together.  I encourage students to hear a "nature documentary" voice in their heads to help their words flow more naturally.  Emulating is a great way to get the rhythm of a new type of writing.

We don't add our introduction or conclusion until all of our subtopics are finished.  This way, we know what we need to prepare our reader for and how we might best wrap things up.

Wolf Ridge - the Learning Adventure

I think I've been to Wolf Ridge with our fifth graders fifteen times now.  One would think that it would be old hat, routine.  But it's not.  Every class is based on discovery and on finding things to wonder about.  That's what makes the learning so powerful and so authentic for the students.  We might find a cavity under a spruce tree to explore or we might get to feed a raven or we might catch a perch or we might find a rare lichen or we might visit a boulder cave or we might have a chickadee land on our head.  The outlines of the course are there but the naturalists are always up for a detour or a discovery.  Our classes always run long - our students always have a lot of questions and we rarely stay on the trail.

It's a week full of first times and never befores.  It's a week full of friends and memories.  It's a week that is always surprising and always wonder-full.