This week we have been fine-tuning our science and math brains by paying attention to things all around us. This has had us zooming out and paying attention to our surroundings (the museum and the arboretum), as well as zooming in and noticing things by looking closely. Today, we were surprised by the arrival of …
During Reader’s Workshop we are slowing down to think about our thinking, an important habit of mind known as metacognition. We are asking the children to notice what their brain is doing when we are reading and listening to stories. A particularly favorite story in our classroom, Will You Be My Friend, has given us …
In the last post I have tried to paint a picture of how we encourage students to use what they already know about numbers and about the world to invent mathematical strategies that make sense to them. While this allows for each individual student to make sense of numbers and operations in their own way, …
Yesterday as we were transitioning from Explore Time to Outdoor Break, we read the book, “One”, by Kathryn Otoshi. The story begins with Blue, who is a quiet color. Hot-headed Red likes to pick on Blue. The other colors see what is happening, but are afraid of Red, afraid to do anything, until “One” comes …
One way that we support children to learn to “think like a scientist” at Opal School is by using a structure we call “science talks.” During science talks children engage openly in dialogue around a specific question. We encourage them to pay attention to their wonderings, listen carefully to their peers, and make connections they couldn’t …
The beginning of school is always a time for us to spend a good deal of time working on growing our community. We do this many ways – through discussions, materials, writing and large motor work. Amy, our PE teacher is giving the class challenges daily to create situations where they have to work out …
We have enjoyed our time together these first three days of school. It is amazing how quickly we are making connections with friends both old and new, learning new things about one another, and beginning to build a community. Our attention to building a safe and comforting learning community assures us that lots of rigorous …
Earlier this week, NPR did a story that centered on the work of Laura Kastner and her book, Getting to Calm: Cool-Headed Strategies for Parenting Tweens and Teens. You can read or listen to the story here. I happened to be driving around as it came on the radio and it really caught my attention …