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Tessellating with Thomas Jefferson

1/31/2022

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Tessellation:   to cover (a plane surface) by repeated use of a single shape, without gaps or overlapping.
We did our tessellation activity after realizing that the parquet floors in Thomas Jefferson's Monticello are a repeating pattern of shapes.

​To make your own tessellations at home (or wherever you might have the supplies), begin with a small square. We used a three-inch by three-inch square (which happens to have an area of nine square inches and a perimeter of twelve linear inches).  The square, of course, has four sides which we called the left, the right, the top, and the bottom.

With scissors, cut a non-straight line from the bottom to the top without cutting any pieces off.  You will be left with two pieces that fit together like a puzzle.

Now, keeping the pieces oriented as they are when the puzzle fits together (In other words, do not flip or rotate them.), slide the right piece over the left, so that the straight sides are touching.  Tape the straight sides together.
Beginning in the upper left corner of a full sheet of construction paper, line up the straight top of the taped shape with the top of the paper.  Trace the shape.  Sliding it to the right so that the left side of the shape fits within the right side of the tracing, keep tracing the shape.  When you have made it across the page, slide it down to make a second row.  Do the same until the larger paper is covered with the tessellated shape.  Trace over the pencil outline with a black marker.
Finally, alternating colors, use your crayons to neatly decorate the tessellated masterpiece.  Display it with pride; you have just tessellated!
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History on the Road

1/30/2022

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This young lady was recently visiting relatives in Hamilton, Ohio, where she had her parents snap a photo of her with a that fiery orator, Alexander Hamilton.  A teacher has to appreciate the drive of a student who takes her passion for learning history!  I can also appreciate that I've never seen this statue for myself, and this student is experiencing her own adventures and discovering treasures for herself.

In the words of Alexander Hamilton (in the musical that bears his name), "Don't throw away your shot!"
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Retirement:  Quiet Impact (School Culture)

1/29/2022

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When I started teaching at Cecil Floyd in 1995,
​things looked a lot different in my classroom -
and in our school.
Here is the next item on a short list that comes to mind.
Picture
School Culture
About ten years ago, I had an epiphany.  I have to admit, I hadn't given much thought to school culture back then, but I had understood that my own classroom culture could stand above the norm.  I brought the expectation of greeting others into my classroom, and it changed just about everything.

I hadn't learned how to do this in my own education.  I am still awkward with it myself, but if I can do something to help my students be more "employable" and more respectable, it's worth it.  Enter:  the handshake.  We started learning to shake hands, with full-on eye contact and a solid grasp, and it made all the difference for the whole day. Hoggatteers started greeting the principals and other teachers, but that was just the beginning.  They also greeted the painters of our hallway mural.  They met the visiting musicians of classical quartets and quintets who performed in our school.  And perhaps the most meaningful experience was when they greeting military veterans who came to our building for tributes.  I will never forget the time when a student returned to me and told me, "I just made a grown man cry."  All he had done was thank the vet for his service.

Greetings like that were the talk on the radio and among school board members and administrators, but they also became (somewhat) a norm in our building.  Others latched on to the idea of greeting others, and suddenly the whole school's culture was transformed.  Many wouldn't recognize it for what it was, but visit another school and you'll notice the more "family" nature of Cecil Floyd.

Our interim superintendent, Dr. Norm Ridder, agreed with the greeting concept, and a new set of icons were developed for our entire district, with one representing Greeting Others.  It's supposed to be a standard for all of our schools, but it has never taken off with reasonable fidelity like it has at Cecil Floyd.​
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Music Appreciation:  All of You

1/28/2022

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Students are often called upon
to read "chorally".
That is, they read together
simultaneously 
as a group.
 
Repeating this practice assists young readers with reading fluency -
​the speed, accuracy,
​and inflection of  oral reading.


Why not, since it's called "choral" reading anyway, actually read the chorus of a song? ​​
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Retirement:  Quiet Impact (Tables)

1/27/2022

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When I started teaching at Cecil Floyd in 1995,
​things looked a lot different in my classroom -
and in our school.
Here is the next item on a short list that comes to mind.
Picture
Tables
At some point, I asked for the individual student desks to be completely removed from my classroom.  In '95, all students had bulky desks with shelves on the sides.  The height was adjustable according to the needs of the students, but that made them look terrible when grouping them together for cooperative learning.  It was sometimes difficult to get them to matching heights, and fingers were easily smashed between the desks when moving them. Besides that, they were heavy.  We still have some of those desks floating around, and I'm not sure why the school district doesn't sell them off.

It took a few years, but I finally asked for simple tables to replace the desks.  Unfortunately, we're still dealing with the heavy chairs (which are also rusted from water damage during the 2011 tornado that damaged our building) whose "feet" easily break off, but uniform tables help us with our groupings and make for a much easier-to-manage setting.  They are easily moved for special events and can be pushed aside to make more open space in the classroom.  Since I didn't use textbooks, students didn't need a shelf for them, and the desks just provided a place for kids to stash their garbage instead of taking the grueling trip across the room to throw it away.

I hadn't intended for the whole school to follow suit, but it wasn't long after until that's what happened.  Now you'll find tables in every classroom.
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More Dressing Up

1/26/2022

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The dressing up continued for a second day, with ten more students getting into the act.  Even Assistant Principal Garrett and I donned a Virginia Regiment coat to get a feel for the weight of it.
The outfits vary because the dress of regiments varied.

Other students are still awaiting their turn; we'll try to get them all in before shipping the trunks out of here soon.
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Dressing Up

1/25/2022

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We have the rare opportunity to get into costume for the Revolution.  Clothing and props from the American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati in Washington, DC, were delivered to our school, last week. Students were intrigued by the locked trunks, but even more so when we opened them to reveal clothing from. a variety of Revolutionary regiments.
A few had a meaningful experience trying on the outfits which, unfortunately, are not one-size-fits-all.
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Quote:  Education

1/24/2022

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"The mind that is not baffled is not employed.  The impeded stream is the one that sings."
(Wendell Berry)
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Music Appreciation:  Surface Pressure

1/23/2022

0 Comments

 
Students are often called upon
to read "chorally".
That is, they read together
simultaneously 
as a group.

Repeating this practice assists young readers with reading fluency -
the speed, accuracy,
and inflection of  oral reading.


Why not, since it's called "choral" reading anyway, actually read
​the chorus of a song? 
​​
0 Comments

Continental Army Trunks:  Anticipation

1/22/2022

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These mysterious black trunks have arrived in the classroom from the American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati in Washington, DC.  If only we could figure out the lock combination to open them...

We will dig into these treasure troves of materials in the coming week, touch things for ourselves, and learn a bit about the lifestyles of Continental soldiers, leaders, and camp followers. Look for some great photo opportunities to appear here on the website soon.
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Quote:  Education

1/21/2022

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If A is a success in life,
then A equals x plus y plus z.
Work is x; y is play;
and z is keeping your mouth shut.

(Albert Einstein)
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Music Appreciation:  We Don't Talk About Bruno

1/20/2022

0 Comments

 
Students are often called upon
to read "chorally".
That is, they read together
simultaneously 
as a group.

Repeating this practice assists young readers with reading fluency -
​the speed, accuracy,
​and inflection of  oral reading.


Why not, since it's called "choral" reading anyway, actually read the chorus of a song? ​​
0 Comments

Bulletin Board:  Whites of their Eyes

1/19/2022

0 Comments

 
Our display of the recent art project showcases student work
​on a lesson that combines history, art, and winter scenes.
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The Whites of their Eyes

1/18/2022

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When the order was issued at the Battle of Bunker Hill to "Don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes," it was because the Continental soldiers were extremely short on ammunition and gunpowder.  Still, they aptly defended the hill.  Though they did not win, the British didn't exactly feel victorious either.

In our art activity, students chose winter scenes to recreate inside a giant eyeball on paper - a little less violent than that most famous battle of 1775.
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Retirement:  Quiet Impact (Halloween)

1/17/2022

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When I started teaching at Cecil Floyd in 1995,
​things looked a lot different in my classroom -
and in our school.
Here is the next item on a short list that comes to mind.
Picture
Halloween
Oops.  I may have perpetuated my least favorite holiday of all time by inviting my "college roommate" to substitute for me.  The most any teacher at Cecil Floyd teacher dressed up in the nineties was to don a Cat-in-the-Hat hat.  Eddie Gweedle seems to have set a new standard in costuming at our school.

Unfortunately.

However, there is still a huge difference in Mr. Gweedle and the costumes of other teachers.  Mr. Gweedle is more than a chance to dress up for Halloween.  In fact, he has often shown up on different, off-holiday occasions.  And he is truly a character.  He has his own voice, his own mannerisms, and his own backstory.  He interacts with students and adults alike, and he is quite the opposite of me.

Once, he even showed up at McDonald's on McTeacher night.  He greeted strangers when they came into the restaurant, and like most, they didn't quite know how to take him.

At any rate, not that teachers wouldn't have ultimately gotten the idea to dress up, I was the first to go all-in.  If I wasn't, I certainly was the first that I noticed.  It was a lot more fun when I was in the minority.
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