5th grade - Week of October 17, 2016 The recipient of this week's HAM Award was Brennan. This week, the students learned from Mr. Steven Marcu, from the Alpharetta Charles Schwab office. Based on his presentation, the students changed their investment strategy for the online Stock Market Game (SMG). Now, the teams are heavily invested in mutual funds, with about 60% of their money in the S&P 500 Index (SWPPX). I was so impressed with the insightful questions that the students asked Mr. Marcu. The fifth graders are in the first-stages of research for the InvestWrite competition. Each student will be researching a corporation that started out as an individual proprietorship or a partnership. The top ten research projects from our class will be entered in the national InvestWrite competition. There are HUGE prizes for the winners, including laptops, cameras, and gift cards. I expect to have ten winners. Students learned what "philanthropy" is and explored the philanthropic missions of two candy companies: Hersheys and Mars. Some of the students are now sparking some ideas about philanthropic activities in which they could be involved. Looking ahead: Our next unit will be Epidemic. The students will take on the real-world role of epidemiologists as they attempt to diminish the spread of germs and viruses in our local community. If you would like to contribute to the purchase of materials for this unit (and receive charitable donation credit for this) please visit my Donors Chose Project Site. | 4th grade - Week of October 17, 2016 The recipient of this week's HAM Award was Kelvin. Students completed a decision-making activity in which the question was "What should be the next step in human exploration"? The choices were Mars, the Moon, and Earth's ocean. After learning about exploration in each of those areas, students determined criteria to rank these locations in terms of human exploration. Their answer: Earth's Ocean. Their rationale, based on the criteria they established, was that in exploration of Earth's Ocean 1) one would have access to filtered water from sources other than recycled human urine, 2) one would be able to return home for an important family event if needed, and 3) it would be easy to continually access resources needed for habitat and food. Students submitted their second cloud observation to NASA. Before doing this, however, they analyzed feedback from NASA from their first observation last week. Students sent an e-mail to NASA to clarify exactly where in the sky they should be looking (all around or straight up) and, based on the reply, observed the sky differently than they did in week one. It will be interesting to see if their data aligns more closely with the satellite data based on the observational changes they implemented. It's very exciting to be advancing STEM education by engaging our students in NASA's missions and unique assets. |
In the past, after each unit, TAG teachers sent home a Progress Skills Checklist for TAG. On this "overwhelmingly confusing" document, TAG teachers entered S (satisfactory), N (needs improvement) or NE (not introduced) for TAG standards covered in that unit. It has long been my opinion that this document was of very little value to parents and students.
This summer, I was involved in an exciting project to make the Progress Skills Checklist into a meaningful documentation of student learning in TAG. I am piloting this new format with my 4th and 5th grade students this year. Each week, students are entering their commentary on how they have demonstrated mastery of specific TAG standards that week. At the end of the year, there will be a student reflective record of their understanding of the objectives that have been addressed in TAG this year.
You will not receive anything from me at the end of the unit, but rather you will receive a cumulative document at the end of the year. You will be able to see this when we meet together for spring conferences. Be assured that, if there are any negative issues going on with your child, I will contact you to discuss this. Ask your child about this exciting new approach to students taking ownership of and reflecting on their learning.
For 4th and 5th graders, as you may know, we are implementing a new TAG model this year. While all students continue to be pulled out for the entire day for TAG services, they will not always be with the same TAG teacher. In the past, Ms. Drummer and I have taught the same units at the same time to both sections of TAG classes at a specific grade. This year, we are only doing that for one unit.
For example: While I am teaching the Stock Market to one 5th grade group, Ms. Drummer is teaching the other 5th grade group about Pioneers. During the 2nd unit, we will both teach the Epidemic unit, with students from both classes working together, with both teachers, in flexible grouping, For the final unit, my current students will go to Ms. Drummer for the Pioneers unit, and her current class will come to me for the Stock Market unit. It's the same model for fourth grade, with the TAG Town unit being the joint unit. I personally think this is great because I will be able to work with ALL of the students at those grade levels.
Fifth grade units:
Stock Market
Pioneers
Epidemic
Fourth grade units:
Space
TAG Town
National Parks
The International Space Station will be passing overhead on Tuesday, November 1st in the morning. We will have a viewing event at New Prospect ES, on the back field. The ISS should be visible, weather-permitting, from 7:06 - 7:12 a.m. All are invited.