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Mathstakes:  Ma and Pa Kettle

5/31/2016

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Mathstakes - or Math Mistakes - are an attempt to encourage students to find and correct mistakes.  Most are introduced with a visual prompt, but there is no other word prompt outside of the visual.  In addressing the visual, learners must first find, or construct, what they believe the problem.  They must then figure out what was done in the visual to solve the given problem.  The problem and solution are always provided in the visual.

After this, learners are charged with the task of determining whether the solution is appropriate.  If so, they must defend it; if not, they must explain - or teach - a better process.

Use the worksheet (right)
to report your reasoning
​for the picture provided:

  • Write the problem as you understand it.
  • What solution is given in the video?
  • Decide whether the solution is (yes) or is not (no) appropriate.
  • In the box you chose, explain why you think it is correct or incorrect.  If "no", fix it.
Picture
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Memorial Day

5/30/2016

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Your parents and grandparents may remember a time when they wore poppies at school.  In our elementary school, in the 1970s, they sold us poppies to benefit Memorial Day activities.  At the time, I did not understand it; I just wanted to have one of those poppies pinned on my shirt when I walked home.

As I understand it now, poppies flourish in disturbed soil.  They grow quite well amongst the barbed wire, exploded shells, and the bodies of the soldiers who fell in battle.  They are described as giving hope where hope is gone. John McCrae's poem, In Flanders Field, gives an account:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the            sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset            glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we      lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies      grow
In Flanders fields.
Memorial Day is a holiday designated to remember those in the United States military who died in the service - people like my wife's cousin Dustin, who lost his life in Iraq.  Dustin is buried in Arlington Cemetery near the graves of some very prestigious Americans, including presidents and generals.  If one understands this holiday, s/he does not celebrate it.  A person may gladly celebrate being off of work or getting the family together, but may pause (if so inclined) the celebration to remember those who gave their all.

The ones we honor are not here to be honored.  We can't shake their hands to thank them for their service.  We can only remember them and thank their families for their sacrifice.

If you're interested in reading more about Memorial, please go to the Memorial Day website and read for yourself.
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M4+H LE46UE:  Fourth Grader Qualifies for State Contest

5/29/2016

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Congratulations to spectacular Hoggatteer, DANIEL.
He competed, May 21, in the state Math League competition in Columbia, Missouri.
DANIEL qualified and will compete nationally in Houston, Texas, in a couple of weeks!

Our outgoing principal, Ms. Hennessey, and our incoming principal, Mr. Bozarth,
have each expressed their congratulations, as well.
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Book:  Loot

5/28/2016

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This year's (2017) Mark Twain Award nominee list seems to be better than those of previous years.  That said, Jude Watson's Loot fails to live up to the quality of the others I have read so far.  There is potential here, and it might come down to my personal preferences:  I take issue with book outside of Watson's writing ability.

My main reason for disliking this one is not that the characters are thieves, that they lie and cheat, sneak around, trespass and break into places; my reason for disliking it is that the characters remain thieves, etc.  They don't make the changes necessary to comply with society, morality, or basic human decency.  In fact, they are rewarded for their deceptions and illegal activity.  Watson ends the book by having his characters plot revenge against other people who made their own quests difficult.
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From the author's website:
The idea for LOOT came from a simple question: what if you were the son or daughter of the greatest jewel thief in the world? When I asked myself that, a story started to spark in my mind. There was only one thing I knew before I started: I wanted to write a book where kids use mad skills to do bad things for good reasons… and get away with it!

Twelve-year-old March has bounced from one heist to another with his dad Alfie McQuin—from Paris to Hong Kong to London, and everywhere in between. Until one night when Alfie takes a fatal tumble off a roof in Amsterdam.

But before he falls, Alfie tosses March a glittering stone that just might make his fortune… if he can find his long-lost sister, assemble a gang, and reunite seven moonstones that just might be magic.
​

It’s a big job, but luckily, March has the greatest formerly living jewel thief living in his head.
Watson claims to have "wanted to write a book where kids use made skills to do bad things for good reasons...and get away with it."  The "good reasons" here are to save themselves from a superstitious curse, and the rest of Watson's statement is just not something I want to encourage.  Personally speaking, I still believe the ends do not justify the means; I only wish that were the end result of Loot​.
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Joplin Schools Core Behaviors

5/27/2016

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It's interesting that the Readiness Indicators for Joplin Schools (our new document that explains what is expected from each student to enter the next grade level) include an important behavioral component.  It seems that someone has been paying attention to core behaviors, including the following for greeting others appropriately:
  • Look directly at the person
  • Use a pleasant voice
  • Say "hi" of "hello"
  • Stand up if sitting down
  • Extend a hand
  • Interact with others
  • Recognize when a peer is being left out and invite him/her to join the group
  • Make sound judgments and decisions
  • Articulate point of view
  • Differentiate greeting approach for different settings
  • Demonstrate awareness of hierarchy and use proper names
  • Know personal information and use it as a conversation starter
  • Use context of environment to start "small talk"
  • Move from small talk to appropriate talk
This list in interesting, because Hoggatteers have been developing them for the last five years.  As far as I know, we are the premier group in the area for this type of behavior.  I've seen these simple actions cause a decrease in less desirable behaviors.  I've watched students who were unable to feel necessary or vital begin to hold up their heads and present themselves to others with confidence.  They're more apt to smile, to speak, and even to approach problems that appear unsolvable.  They make mistakes without counting themselves out.

I've come to understand that mastering the greeting is something that every student can do successfully, and that gets my foot in the door to foster a more meaningful teacher/student relationship.  Others notice, as well, and suddenly these kids are more personable, more respectful, more enjoyable to be around, and in the long run, more employable.

It's exciting to see that our school district is adopting this as an expectation.  Soon, if teachers teach it and expect it, our community will notice a transformation.  Community leaders will recognize the change, the respectful culture that all started in Room 404 (OK, I probably shouldn't take credit for inventing the handshake, but I can truthfully say that Hoggatteers are a step up on the rest.).
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Infographic:  Thomas Jefferson

5/26/2016

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He lived during turbulent times.  In fact, he had a huge part in stirring the waters.
​Thomas Jefferson played a significant role in establishing U.S. independence and expansion. 
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"Summertime..."

5/25/2016

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​"...and the livin' is easy..."

I do enjoy a summer break.  Most would think I get to lie beside the pool, travel to exotic locations, frolic through field of colorful wildflowers, and stay up late in the evenings and sleep late in the mornings.

​Much of this is not true.
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In fact, if you look at the list I've already accomplished, you might think I've kept myself pretty busy:  I've already attended my daughter's two concerts for band and chorus, celebrated my son's sixth birthday, attended a talent show and a looong awards assembly, written three sermons to preach for churches in Nevada, Missouri, and Columbus, Kansas, planned our family excursion, led singing at church, cleaned the house (a little), cleaned out the car, mowed the grass, attended a meeting, and even explored the district's new grade-specific Readiness Indicators and Missouri's new Learning Standards.

The kids have only been out of school for a few days, and they're already whining that they are bored. 
They've played with all their toys, mastered countless levels of video games, and watched DVDs involving Disney villains and a goofy dog trying to learn how to ski.  They already lost Nerf darts in the trees, chalked up the driveway, and each has been at the other's throat for his/her annoying habits.

So now there is nothing else to do.

And that's the thing about this extended break that I enjoy the most.  It is the thing that gets us ready to begin a new year of school.  It's what keeps my job fresh.  You see, at the end of the school year, this teacher is done.  Exhausted.  Kaput.  He's tired of the routine, tired of the content, tired of getting up so early in the morning, tired of assessing student work, tired of entertaining the masses, tired of tiresome meetings, and yes, there are times he's even tired of 10-year-olds he's not allowed to paddle.  Summer is the time he uses to discover his creative spirit once again.  It's the time he's able to step back and spend some time looking forward to new ideas that he just knows will solve all the problems he's faced in the previous 26 years of teaching.

And by the time the end of summer (the break, not the season) gets here, he'll be chomping at the bit to get away from the exotic vacations and the field frolicking.  He'll be ready to face a new crop of youngsters in order to mold their minds and teach them manners to get them through life.

Will this year be the one where he meets a future president, a future inventor, or a future medical innovator?  Who knows?  Right now, I'm busy trying to find a comfortable position on the couch while at the same time thumbing through the channels on the satellite to locate one more program that I'm really not interested in at all.

​Anticipation...

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Music Appreciation:  One Jump Ahead

5/24/2016

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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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Congratulations

5/23/2016

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You made it.  Now go...make a positive difference in our world.
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Reflection:  May 22, 2011

5/22/2016

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On November 5, 2011, I wrote the following:
I’ve seen people, at their lowest times in life, pealing their miserable skeletons from the ground, putting their skin back on, and starting over at nothing. In their times of need, they did not moan and complain. They never publicly asked, “Why me?” They do not blamed others for their own plight. Though none asked for the storm, they stood in its path. Though no one invited an EF-5 into their living rooms, they accepted the visitor and are still cleaning up after it. They are too proud to accept pity, too humble to take credit, and too strong to give excuses.
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Following the tornado that swept through our fair city, after working all summer, clearing debris, distributing supplies, gift cards, and foodstuffs to storm victims, unloading truckloads of donated disaster relief supplies, sending work crews into the community to find work, and teaching summer school to traumatized students, it was time to reflect.  I did my share of reflecting, even using my pen to write a fictionalized version of our first days of response, culminating in my youth fiction book, Out of the Wind.

The tornado, five years ago, changed the way the world looks at Joplin, Missouri, but we probably should look at ourselves through the prism of time and space.  In many ways, in the months after the tornado, our nation's eyes were turned toward Joplin.  It was necessary, at the time, and resulted in much-needed help and contributions being sent to help us.

We must not, however, seek the world's attention again today; we don't need it.  Five years later, reaching out for that attention would not be for help in our time of need, but could result in a sort of bragging.  We are proud of our own response to the storm.  That pride should be evident in my Facebook post (above); it might also be seen in another post I made on the following day:

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​I've witnessed weak people who made strong by adversity, broken people made beautiful through tribulation, and defeated people made victorious in disaster. They remove themselves from the ruins, cast off the cocoon of catastrophe, and walk willingly through the debris with their heads held high. Defeat is not an option.
It might seem strange that we feel pride during such a time, but we do.  The danger comes when we allow that pride to become self-serving or when we brag about ourselves to others
There have been and currently are others in need, today.  Disaster relief agencies are on the job in other locations around the world.  Though we pause, today, to reflect on our own anniversary and recovery, let us take the pride we have for our response and allow it to drive us forward.  Can we not continue to show our spirit by reaching out to them?  We know how to do it, and dare I say, we know how great it feels to be a vital part of recovery, so why would we not apply that knowledge to the benefit of others?

The media may refocus some of its attention on Joplin, today, but for the most part they have moved to new subjects in different locations.  Much has happened in the world in the last five years.  Let us not be so self-centered that we demand cameras to pan in our direction.  Let us humbly accept that we did not do the things we did for the attention and limelight of cameras, microphones, and printing presses; instead, we did what we needed to do, because our neighbors needed us to.
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​Whisper, even when you have run out of breath. Pray, even when you have no words. Rejoice, even when you have been knocked off your feet. Hope, even when you have lost all you own. Reach, even when your arms are heavy. Serve, even in your own time of need.
When you are knocked down, climb. When you are over your head, swim. When you are beaten, fight. When you are silenced, speak. When you are crippled, fly!
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Mathstakes:  Abbott and Costello

5/21/2016

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Mathstakes - or Math Mistakes - are an attempt to encourage students to find and correct mistakes.  Most are introduced with a visual prompt, but there is no other word prompt outside of the visual.  In addressing the visual, learners must first find, or construct, what they believe the problem.  They must then figure out what was done in the visual to solve the given problem.  The problem and solution are always provided in the visual.

After this, learners are charged with the task of determining whether the solution is appropriate.  If so, they must defend it; if not, they must explain - or teach - a better process.

Use the worksheet (right)
to report your reasoning
​for the video provided:

  • Write the problem as you understand it.
  • What solution is given in the picture?
  • Decide whether the solution is (yes) or is not (no) appropriate.
  • In the box you chose, explain why you think it is correct or incorrect.  If "no", fix it.
Picture
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Another Change is in the Cards

5/20/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Report cards, that is.

When students return in August, our grading system, for the fourth year in a row, will be different.  In recent years, our district has toyed/experimented with the trendy, popular standards-based grading.  Teachers were to maintain evidence of mastery for each student, which meant parents were often left in the dark throughout the year as to their children's standings in the class.  Additionally, there were so many standards constantly being assessed that it became difficult for a teacher to maintain all of the paperwork.

To be honest, a complicated system like this (made even more complicated by a gradebook program that did not perform as it should) encourages teachers to "game" the system in order to keep up.  Enter the parents, who could never be sure what the report card was trying to communicate.  When the grades are Mastery, Approaching Mastery, Progressing, and Insufficient Evidence, every score seems to be pretty positive, and it was hard to tell when a student was performing poorly.

At this point, I must apologize that my suggestion for grading by using emojis failed to pass committee approval.  Couldn't you imagine...?

I'm a parent (for 12 years) as well as a teacher (for 26 years), and in a former life I was a student (from kindergarten to three degrees in college), so I feel like I can look at this from a variety of perspectives (while I must acknowledge that I am of a single mind).  I am a firm believer that each of the stakeholders in our system - the student, the teacher, and the parent - would more greatly appreciate a simple system.  We've been known to refer to the KISS model where KISS refers to Keep It Simple, Stupid (That's what it meant when I was in high school; today we might prefer Keep It Super Simple.).  The point is that any reporting system is more effective when it is kept out of the weeds, out of the mud, and out of the clouds.  Too complicated, it becomes cumbersome, too heavy to lift, and therefore an unnecessary burden.

When students return for the 2016/7 school year, Joplin Schools, at the request of parents and teachers, will return to traditional letter grades.  Some of the more "progressive" educators might be mocking our "regression" to a traditional system, but this is certainly for the best and will benefit all involved.  Parents will understand the new, grades (an averaged grade for each subject), while teachers will be able to better communicate by passing back the papers instead of keeping them as "evidence" (Am I using too many quotation marks here?).

As a parent, I want to know where my child stands in the classroom.  I want to know how she is performing compared to others in her level.  If I want to know more about a particular grade, I know I can ask the child and the teacher for clarification.

As a teacher, I want to be able to subject the standards to a more objective number.  I want to be able to put all the math scores together, rather than pull them apart into dozens of sub-categories.  I want to make assignments that cover multiple skills and practices, and be able to provide multiple grades for each assignment.  The truth is, I could do that in either system, but now it's less subjective.

As a student, I may not even understand the standards as they are reported, and I want to be able to go to grandpa with my report card and have him pay me cash money for every A and B on a sliding scale.  Perhaps we can even bring back the Honor Roll for more encouragement and a source of pride.

​This change, though welcome, does not take away the responsibilities and accountability of a teacher.  In fact, while it may add to the time that it takes to grade assignments, it will simplify the process on so many levels.

Of course, we have yet to see the final product along these lines, but we remain hopeful that where ever we land, it will increase our ability to effectively assess, communicate with, and do the things we need to do to help our students and our community.

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Book:  A Million Ways Home

5/19/2016

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Here's another surprise hit from this year's Mark Twain nominee list.  Once again, I did not foresee this book performing as well as it does.  A Million Ways Home was full of intrigue and suspense while at the same time displaying heart and humanity.

One of my favorite things about this one is that it is predictable.  That might not always be a plus, but author Dianna Dorist Winget allows the predictability of her story to play out in such a way that the reader will cheer when everything works out the way it was expected.  Finally.
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From the author's website:
Poppy's life has been turned upside down after her grandma (and guardian) had a stroke and ended up in the hospital. But Poppy is working on a plan to help Grandma Beth so their life together can go back to normal. But when she witnesses an armed robbery, "back to normal" slips even further out of her reach. To keep Poppy safe, the budget-strapped police devise an unusual "witness protection program," wherein Poppy will stay with Detective Brannigan's mother. Soon Poppy is feeling almost at home, even making sort-of friends with a girl named Lizzie and definitely friending Gunner, a beautiful dog with an uncertain fate. But it's still not home. So while she and Lizzie navigate a rocky friendship and plot to save Gunner's life, Poppy also tries to figure out a new plan to save Grandma Beth and their home, all while avoiding a dangerous robber who might be searching for her. But what if Grandma Beth can never come home and the robber is put behind bars? What will happen to Poppy then?
0 Comments

End of Year Report:  100% Homework

5/18/2016

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In 2014, our class had nine students who ended the year with 100% of their homework turned in.  Last year, there were 12 students who achieved the same feat.  This year, the following students turned in all of their homework for the school year and are to be commended:
BROOKLYN
CHASE
CONNOR
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JEREMY
KAIDA
KRISTA
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PAYTON
TARYN
​TRYNADI

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Music Appreciation:  A Whole New World

5/17/2016

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
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