​After a beautiful day in Bolivar, Missouri, with 16 of the best-behaved students we have ever had, the awards have been distributed:

• KAIN - seventh place ribbon, fourth grade Target Round.
• LYDIA - ninth place ribbon, fourth grade Sprint Round.
• DANIEL - seventh place ribbon, fourth grade Sprint Round.

This year, the requirements have changed, but as far as I can tell, after all the scores are tallied, the following are qualified to advance to the regional competition:

• For fourth grade, DANIEL and LYDIA
• For fifth grade, CARLOS

Again, our 16 student representatives made us very proud, and as cliché as it may sound, they are all winners in our book!  Mr. Culbertson and I look forward to spending more time with them all before the next contest in February.

Add a little nichrome wire, some clay to hold everything in position, and you've got a nice little filament, glowing with light and heat.  Don't touch it!

At long last, Hoggatteers have gotten their hands into the electric circuit materials.

This week, we discussed electricity in general - what we know about it, who "invented" it, how it works, what it does, etc. - and found that it is unexpectedly a broad topic.

From time to time, I need to welcome people to our website.  Just as I am an eclectic teacher, The Hoggatteer Experience is more than a simple classroom website.  While, yes, I do report our classroom comings and goings here, offer announcements for families, and disseminate information about education, I also intend for this site to be useful for teachers who may be looking for ideas and tools to use in their classrooms.  Our site has many pages of material, but if you are my brother or sister in education, might I suggest that you hover over the Orientation button in the menu bar above, move your cursor down to Families, Teachers, and Alumni and over to select the Teacher Collaboration title.  On that page, you will find ideas galore. Certainly, there is something there for you.

Here are some more derivations of the eight Mathematical Practices.  These, along with a toolbelt full of problem-solving strategies help students understand and implement their mathematical knowledge and abilities.  These are designed to challenge students, while at the same time providing them with guidance and structure within which they attack higher-order and multi-step problems.

The graphic at left is simply a list of the Practices as they are presented, while below are versions that should be easier for children to understand.