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Toys in the Classroom

11/30/2014

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This is the season for toys - or so I've been told by commercials and toy stores.  Last week, students were introduced to our K'nex pieces.  In the coming days, they will be charged with the task of creating vehicles for a variety of purposes:  speed, load bearing, distance traveling, and more.

This is part of a physics unit called Motion and Design, and illustrates the concept of engineering and revising designs to reflect new specifications.
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It Makes a Difference.

11/29/2014

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I've written about our Veterans Day.  I've shared the pictures.  I've even told the class that this year's Veterans Day was my favorite day we have shared so far.  Now we have heard from one of the veterans who attended.  This letter came to us through our school board president and principal.
Hello,

I was wondering if I could have a copy of one or two of the pictures that you took at Cecil Floyd school at the wonderful performance that the 3rd grade put on. My father ( A Vietnam Vet) was moved to tears and choked up after shaking hands with so many wonderful young people as they “Thanked him for his service”. Later, when he was able to speak he said that was the best day of his life. And it made him glad that what he did wasn’t for nothing.

I’d like to have a picture for him to keep in his office.

Let me know if this is possible.

Thank you
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Ferguson, Missouri

11/28/2014

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On the other side of our state sits a small suburb named Ferguson.  At little more than six square miles, and at less than half the official population of Joplin, Ferguson may sound like a small town - and indeed it is - but a quick look at a map shows it as a part of the St. Louis metropolitan area.  Ferguson is small in area and population, and it appears somewhat uniform with other suburbs, with similar amenities and cookie-cutter houses and store fronts that could just as easily appear in anytown, USA, but Ferguson does not boast of a small-town atmosphere.

In 1990, more than 70% of the citizens of Ferguson were white, with around 30% black.  Now, 24 years later, those demographics have nearly reversed.  Such a quick transition may be a contributor to the current events where a police officer shot and killed an 18-year-old.  I don't pretend to know everything about the situation, and I don't need to go into details or posit any opinions, but there are some things we can learn.  (Incidentally, one Hoggatteer alumna is reported to currently reside in Ferguson.)

What Do Recent Events In Ferguson Show Us?
  1. The obvious lesson is that there is racism in America.  If we thought we could undo 400 to 600 years of racism in 50 years, we have learned that we were wrong.  From the first hints of racist activity, through the events of slavery, the Civil War, and the Civil Rights Movement, we recognize that the United States has made positive strides in this area, but there remains a divide in the hearts of some.
  2. Hostility is to be expected.  People are people.  People are human.  People have emotions.  Hatred is one of those emotions.  Hatred breeds anger.  Anger can turn violent.  Violence is usually not rational.  If there is anything Ferguson, Missouri, has illustrated, it is that anything can break.  To most of us it does not make sense that when Person One is angry at Person Two, Person One attacks Person Three, but so is the nature of irrational and out-of-control anger.  It is called madness for a reason.
  3. Racism is costly.  Who knows just how much has been spent to combat the beliefs that one man is created "more equal" than another?  Add to that the cost of rebuilding downtrodden areas, areas that have been damaged or destroyed in the "race wars", and monuments to remind us of our historical ugliness, and the figure is unfathomable.  More importantly, the cost hits home for many families as their lives are disrupted, and people are killed.  The cost is not only astronomical, but unnecessary.
  4. Life is not fair.  Sometimes one person benefits while another person declines...but is that always the result of race?  I must not always envy my neighbor or my brother when he receives something I do not have.  The sooner I understand that life is not fair, the sooner I realize that "fair" does not always have to mean we all have the same things or benefit in the same ways.  We all have something our neighbors and brothers do not, but that may not be the correct definition of the word fair...and it absolutely does not excuse me to take, at all costs, something that does not belong to me.
  5. Life can change - or stop - quickly.  When you least expect it, expect it.  Life can be shortened due to a great range of reasons - disease, accident, or deliberate actions taken by someone known, acquainted with, or unknown.  We had best live our lives without regrets, live lives full of service to others, and live lives worth living.  The loss of the young man in Ferguson undoubtedly shocked his family; no parents expect to outlive their child.
  6. Attitudes vary by region.  While life can appear peaceful and tolerant on our side of the state, there are communities where differing races are at odds.  They are taught to hate others because of their appearance.  We may not understand, but the truth is that when we stumble upon such a place by chance, these places can make us feel nervous or scared.  It has happened more than once in my own adult life - once, in fact, in Ferguson itself.
  7. Issues must not be ignored.  When we sweep negativity under the rug and pretend it's not there, we may quickly be caught off guard.  Problems fester like infection, and under the heat of a rug, the same problems may infest entire families, groups, and neighborhoods.  When we ignore racial division, we do not strive for unity or solutions; we only allow the infection to grow.  It may be easier to pretend there is no problem, but taking the more difficult path may make things easier for us in the long run.
  8. We exist as a single race - the human race.  Segregation is not the answer, but neither is forced integration. Perhaps we must get out of our own communities to understand others.  Shouldn't we talk more to each other more and less about each other?  Shouldn't we listen to each other?  Don't pretend it's easy to understand a mindset that has been 500 years in the making, but make the effort to make peace with the people around you.  Reach out:  perhaps you will fail...but perhaps you will get one inch closer to success.
  9. Hope springs eternal!  While the news outlets continue to display the bane of Ferguson, other events have occurred.  Not only have people held prayer vigils, not only have people made themselves available for counseling, but individuals have also taken it upon themselves to start cleaning up the mess in their community.  Ugliness often outshines beauty.  Treasures are often hidden.  We must continue to search for and uncover the glorious riches in the darkness.  We must look under stones, dig into the soil, and brush off any clues we find, but we can and will find that there is always a hope that abides.  Our world is full of it if only we will look for it.  When we see it, I fully believe that we should openly share it to others, as well.
  10. Life goes on.  Whatever happens, until further notice, someone has always survived.  I suppose that will be true until the end of the earth.  If I am that survivor, I must continue to breathe, and walk, and strive to improve myself.
  11. I don't control anyone outside of myself.  In the end, we can only do what we can do.  Sure, I attempt to influence my own children to grow in reverence of my Lord, and I try to influence my class of fourth graders to be respectful, responsible, and safe, but ultimately we must each decide for ourselves who we will be.  Some will always choose unwisely to be menaces to society; they will fill prisons, take from others, and threaten to upset life.  Others will always choose well; they will constantly struggle against the temptations and trials of living in a world inhabited by humans.  I'm not saying it will be easy, but we must not give up the hope of living and advancing life, teaching good citizenry, and the methods of making wise decisions.

There are times when we give up hope.  Those are the times when we want to close ourselves off to anyone who is not like us, anyone who does not share our religion, our sense of humor, or our skin color.  We begin to think we could be better off living alone in the wilderness, off the grid.  Maybe when we see life through the prism of our televisions, we do not see as clearly as when we observe life through our own eyes and even vicariously through the eyes of others (empathy).  We must not assume to know how someone else feels, acts, or reacts, but we must always be prepared to feel, act, and react appropriately for ourselves.  Our classroom is just one place to learn and practice.

May Ferguson, Missouri, serve to remind us, warn us, and educate us about ourselves.

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Teacher Collaboration:  Command Center

11/26/2014

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It dawns on me that my little command center may be something to behold for some people.
It is, after all, ground zero for many ideas, decisions, and edicts.
It is a DJ station, a cockpit, and general headquarters for our Hoggatteer family.
I thought it might be of use to teachers to give a "quick" tour of my "desk", so here goes:
PictureClick picture to enlarge.
TOP SHELF
The top shelf is home to our DVD/VCR.  This is connected to the LCD projector that hangs from our ceiling.  It is also connected to surround sound speakers and to our Wii system.

MAIN SURFACE
On the main surface of the desk, from left to right, are my laptop computer (MacBook Air).  To the right is a desk lamp (for times when the classroom lights are out and I would still like to work), and our new document camera.  I suspect we will attempt to use the camera for sharing student work, as well as for establishing directions for a paper of project.  It may also afford us more opportunities for video chatting.

LEFT SHELF
On the small shelf - not to get too tedious - is a power strip, a little fan (to cool off the teacher when I work up a sweat), a water bottle (for the teacher who tries to stay hydrated), and a 12-ounce can of Diet Dr. Pepper (for the teacher who doesn't drink coffee).

"KEYBOARD" SHELF
Assorted paper, pens and pencils rest on the left side of the keyboard shelf, neighbored by a menagerie of remote controls.  From left to right, there is the world's largest remote which programs the digital sign on the bulletin board that sits off screen from the photo shown and a two-button remote that turns on and off the spotlights on our "stage".  To the right of that is another lighting remote, this one controlling our special effects - blacklights, Christmas "mood" lighting, and our laser show for special occasions.  The final three remotes control the surround sound, the DVD/VCR, and the projector.

LOWER SHELF AND FLOOR
Finally, the most important planning and data binders sit on a little shelf, while on the floor sits the drum that we use for celebrating success, and a trash can that we use to discard our failures.

I feel very fortunate to have a central area in which I can supervise and "command" the class.  If only it was elevated, I would feel even more important like the DJ at a 1980s roller skating rink.

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Infographic:  Hibernation

11/25/2014

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When winter hits, don't you want to scrunch up and stay under the covers until spring?
Sometimes don't you wish you could migrate to warmer climes?
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ARF:  Abandoned Places Explained

11/24/2014

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We use many resources to motivate reading fluency in our classroom, including our collections of Music Appreciation and Not-So-Silent Movie videos.

The video here is one to assist more advanced readers in increasing their own fluency (hence the name:  Advanced Reading Fluency).  Some of the vocabulary in videos such as this is more difficult. Try reading the text aloud as it appears.
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Magic Squares

11/23/2014

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The Magic Squares challenge was issued, and students stepped up to the challenge.  This was a challenge that required skills in mulitplying single- and dual-digit factors to solve a series of ten puzzles.

I have tried to get students who have already mastered these skills to help the students who are still developing in this area.  Of course, teams with pupils who have yet to learn their basic multiplication facts are at the biggest disadvantage in an activity such as this.

Hopefully this type of soft competition is beneficial for all students.
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Speleology:  Tourism

11/22/2014

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Culminating our Hoggatt Cave project, this quarter, students hosted other classes on tours of the cave itself.  When I discovered this cave in 1996, I had to enter through a small entrance.  A year later, the entrance that tourists crawl through was opened using dynamite, and since then Hoggatt Cave has become a part of 2014 history.

We had the largest cave crickets and blind cave trout in the world.  We had the only megachiroptera in the United States.  We had crystals and mineral formations.  We were the only cave that we know of in which a fourth grade class met regularly for studies.  Hoggatt Cave was truly one of a kind.
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The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

11/21/2014

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"Full-time" rehearsal for the Joplin Little Theatre for the December 10-14 production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is in full swing.  I bring this up here, because I am acting in this production.  People say one should avoid working with animals and children, since they will inevitably upstage the adults.  I sincerely hope this is the case with this sweet and ornery play.

My amazing daughter is also in the play, having been assigned the character of Gladys Herdman. 
The Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie, steal, smoke cigars, swear, and bite little kids. So no one is prepared when this outlaw family invades church one Sunday and decides to take over the annual Christmas Pageant.  This, obviously, is the opposite of my daughter's actual demeanor, so she has the opportunity to have some fun with the role.  With Gladys, she has quite the memorable part:  the sniveling, clawing, naughty girl who volunteers to play the angel that announces the birth of Christ to the shepherds...in her own way, beginning her declaration with a hardy "SHAZAM!"

My own role is that of the preacher - not really a stretch for me, as I do some part-time preaching in the area in my real life.  I have a small role - five lines in a single scene - but that's as it should be, since the kids are really the stars in this show.  A number of Cecil Floyd students also appear.

How is this pertinent to our fourth grade class?  I want everyone to understand that there are ways to remained involved in the community, that hard work is rewarding, and that reading - or acting - required enunciation and volume control.  What we learn in the fourth grade transfers into the world around us.  Projects like Hoggatt Cave lend themselves to advancing some of these concepts.

Finally, there is this chance to experience local history and discover treasure in our own backyard.  The Joplin Little Theatre, is located in the Park Playhouse adjacent to Shifferdecker Park on the north.  It is the oldest continuously-operating community theatre west of the Mississippi River, currently celebrating her 75th year.  Tickets for the December performances are available now.

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Owl Pellets:  Engagement

11/20/2014

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This is what full engagement is all about.  Hoggatteers not only had the hands on the owl pellets, last week; they also had minds on and carried on conversations related to the task.  As a follow-up, they completed a vole "stick" sheet, attaching every type of bone to the paper for display.  Then they wrote a preliminary informative writing to outline their owl pellet experiences.  It was also rejuvenating when the assistant principal visited, asked students what they were doing, and they were able to explicitly explain the task.
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Craft Show

11/19/2014

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I try to keep the information on our website limited to our own classroom news, venturing out occasionally to comment about the news or make observations.  The craft show is an event that is happening in our building, this Saturday, November 22.  It is classroom news in the sense that one or more of the 100 vendors will be located inside our classroom.  For that reason, we have put a rush on the Hoggatt Cave project in order to demolish it all to make room for the fund raiser.  Please plan to support the school - and our class - by attending the 24th Annual Cecil Floyd Elementary Craft Show.  I think you will agree:  it is the best event of its type in our area.

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Owl Pellets:  Discovery

11/18/2014

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Real bones.

Real dissection.

Real science.
Hoggatteers spent some time discovering the dismembered skeletons of a number of animals that had fallen prey to owls.  Students used a sorting sheet to identify the bones.
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Averages on the Rise

11/17/2014

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Our average reading fluency rate has increased!  At the beginning of the year, the average for our 25 students sat at 98 words per minute (wpm).  As of last week, our progress monitoring indicated that our average may have increased to 118 wpm.  That's around a 20% increase!  The challenge still exists for this teacher, however, since students range from reading a meager 12 wpm to 200 wpm.

In math, our fluency with basic multiplication has also increased, but not without a lot of work.  The class average finally climbed to 75%, indicating that we still have a lot of work to do.  Parents, I can't stress this enough:  your fourth grader must overlearn his/her multiplication, and s/he absolutely needs to invest time at home to study.

We've come a long way in reading and math, but we have a long and winding road ahead of us.  These are exciting times.
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Owl Pellets:  Exploration

11/16/2014

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Digging into the owl pellets, last week, students were both curious and intrigued.  Soon they were separating fur from bones and identifying the owl's prey.  An owl pellet is the undigested remains of the bird's prey - usually voles (field mouse).  An owl swallows its small prey whole, but the bones, fur, and feathers are stopped in the gizzard and gagged back up in the form of a pellet.  Some groups discovered four or five prey in their pellets.
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Veteran Hand-Shakers

11/15/2014

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School Board President Anne Sharp snapped a few pictures of our encounter with one of our military veterans, last Tuesday, following the third grade's tribute.  Students seemed to really "get" what the occasion meant...and just look at the wonderful eye contact they exhibit.


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