Oh the weather outside is frightful!
But, my wood stove fire is so delightful! And if you no place to go... Lets, catch up on some school work! (Sorry, that last line didn't rhyme!) This truly IS what teachers do on Snow Days! (Well... that and maybe a teensy weensy bit of favorite TV show catch up with a warm cup of tea). I realized during our Teacher Workshop yesterday that I forgot to post the much anticipated Adobe Spark digital story version our class made of The Gingerbread Man! Sorry about that! So let's rewind: In December, we conducted an extension study of different versions of The Gingerbread Man. (Scroll through the December 2016 posts for more information and pictures!) We integrated our knowledge of the Gingerbread Man story structure with what we knew about story elements (setting, characters, plot) to create our own version! Our class began writing by brainstorm different settings and characters that would match with each setting. Once we decided on our setting and primary characters, we began writing our version using the amazing Adobe Spark program. (Check it out - it is seriously amazing and multi-functional). Ms. Gennett helped to find images to represent our setting and characters and type up our words. And the kids really did the rest! They recorded their voices reading the class story, as well as chose the theme, layout, and music. Most excitingly, we presented our digital story to our Book Buddies during the Holiday Book Exchange celebration! Students were so proud and received MANY compliments from their Book Buddies and teachers. So, without further ado - here is our class' digital version of The Gingerbread Man! https://spark.adobe.com/video/hU8KueIf7eMr9
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The term Growth Mindset is definitely an educational buzz word that everyone should know. The theory of Growth Mindset (developed by psychologist Carol Dweck) is that anyone can learn and grow using hard work and perseverance. If you think you can... you can! If you think you can't... you probably won't. Studies have shown that "students who embrace a growth mindset - the belief that they can learn more or become smarter if they persevere - may actually learn more, learn it more quickly, and view challenges and failures as opportunities to improve their learning and skills" (http://edglossary.org/growth-mindset/). Research shows that when you make a mistake your brain actually has an electrical response by firing a synapse between parts of your brain. Basically, making mistakes results in brain growth! Making a mistake and persevering results in even MORE brain growth! (www.youcubed.org/think-it-up/mistakes-grow-brain/) Ms. Allen designed and taught a series of lessons this past week on Growth Mindset and we saw an immediate positive impact on students' learning and perseverance! This week, students practiced using their mistakes and initial failures as opportunities to "grow their brains!" The class brainstormed positive language that supports a Growth Mindset ("This is too hard." vs. "I will try to solve this a different way." and "I can't do this!" vs. "I can't do it... YET!"). We celebrated any time a classmate struggled or made a mistake and persevered by adding a "neuron" to our class brain. Check out the pictures below! This truly was a powerful unit. The concept of having a Growth Mindset has now been integrated in all aspects of our school day and learning. ALL children took risks and talked openly about things they could improve on, ways they have failed and tried again, and mistakes they have made and how they grew from those mistakes. We have seen children be more open about making a mistake and pushing themselves further and more confidently in tough situations, such as our current challenging math unit introducing regrouping. Way to go, Ms. Allen! Check out the Class Dojo link below to watch the Growth Mindset educational videos Ms. Allen incorporated in her lessons! https://ideas.classdojo.com/ |
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April 2017
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