(This was cross-posted on our shared blog)
Just before Halloween Kate, my mentee, and I connected our classrooms for a cooperative project. Using the online WizIq service, we tried to share a lesson on the four basic math operations between Kate's second-grade class and my fourth-grade class. My class created math problems, in both English and Spanish, and discussed how to teach the math to the younger, but no less eager, students.
Well, the lesson did not go as smoothly as we would have hoped. While we did test run the WizIq service ahead of time, multiple problems still cropped up on the day we tried it. Kate scheduled the lesson, but we were unable to share control at the same time. Her students' work solving the problems never appeared on my Smartboard, so we couldn't quite guide her students through the problem. We also couldn't get me webcam video to appear on her board, no was the sound clear enough to really be helpful. Needless to say, the lesson did quite meet our expectations. Still, our students were very engaged by the experiment, and we look forward to try again sometime this month with another collaborative project. Have any ideas about another service where we could work together online?

Fourth Grade is Underway!

While we are well into the fourth grade year by now, I an excited by many of the successes I have seen so far. We have just about completed a unit on the solar system, and we have learned revealed many mysteries of the cosmos. In writing we are working on factual reports using various science texts. This has been challenging for a lot of the students, as understanding the language and developing our own main ideas is not easy.
We rotate for reading groups and math groups each day. The groups that work in Mr. Robinson's class have ambitious goals; and we are working on standards that exceed grade level expectations. Perhaps the most anticipated part of each week are Friday's Clicker tests. All of fourth grade is working hard, and there is a lot of collaboration between each fourth grade class. I am always looking forward to what we may do tomorrow!

Return to the Blog

I know, I know, I have not updated this blog for quite a bit of time. It is difficult for my students to reach the blog, for the vast majority of my students lack internet access at home. For them to check it in school involves a somewhat time-consuming process of directing to the link on my class web page. Of course, whatever I write for them on the blog I can relate to them in class in less time.
Therefore, I should write this blog with a different audience in mind. Hello Global Learners! I do feel I have been neglecting some aspects of the project. I have been actively using technology in the room. We use the Smartboard daily, with both pre-made lessons and spur-of-the-moment work. We have also done many Clickers assessments and are working on student films. Technology is part of my classroom, though I may not be documenting it too well. I do feel like when CSAP testing winds down we'll have more time to do some technology-related projects. The tests are only a month away!