Chugga Chugga Choo Choo… My Journey with Project Based Learning

My wonderful sister-in-law bought tickets for my family to ride the 1880 Holiday Express. Throughout the entire experience, I could not help but relate it to my journey on the iron horse with project based learning.

The anticipation and excitement as we stand in line to get our tickets- this is going to be a great experience. The thrill when I first start discussing ideas for the school year with a colleague- this is going to be a great experience. We do some initial planning and create a roadmap.  We look around the gift shop and admire the many beautiful things on sale. Oh, the possibilities. Things were going well, just waiting in line inside the train station. The school year starts well. Things are moving along in first grade. We have a vision and numerous lofty goals. The line progresses forward and then we hit the frigid Dakota temperatures as the line moves outside. I think, ok- I can handle this. Wait- there’s not even a train in sight. I wonder what I got myself into.  As we are in the midst of what could appear from time to time as chaos to others, I ask what I have gotten myself into. I glance around and see my three children, and I worry about them being as cold as I am. However, at closer look, I see that they were enjoying themselves, all bundled in their snowsuits and just taking it all in. I initially wonder what I brought my students into and then at additional examination I realize how much they are learning from the process. We finally board the train and things seem to be rolling along.  Things in first grade are moving along smoothly. Our projects are connected. We are hitting the standards. Our students are making growth. The cars are heated and everything is feeling fine. We are enjoying sipping on hot chocolate and eating sugar cookies. Christmas music softly plays in the background while the train whizzes along. Eventually, my toes start to lose feeling and I notice that the heater has stopped. Once again I question why am I on this ride. Wouldn’t it be easier to follow the basic curriculum, without adding all of this extra “stuff”. I could be warm and cozy at home right now. I’m cold. I’m uncomfortable. I don’t have to be spending extra time and energy stepping out of my comfort zone. The train starts to slow down and suddenly lurches to a stop. It isn’t an easy ride. There are jolts and bumps along the way. Looking outside, in between sparkling lights of houses zipping by are moments of pitch darkness where I cannot see where we were going.

Our journey in the classroom isn’t always clear or easy. The journey may appear uncomfortable at times, but we keep chugging along. Amidst the twinkling lights we see Santa Claus. He boards the train and passes out a shiny bell to each child. I watch as my children admire their shiny new bell and suck on their candy canes. The sparkle in their eyes lets me know this is a moment that will forever be etched in their memory. I notice that students are motivated and passionate about learning. Yes, students are able to write a complete sentence with a capital letter and a period, but there is a bigger purpose at work here. Their experiences will last with them far beyond their first grade year. They are learning to explore their world, question things around them, and problem solve. They are developing into lifelong learners who want to make a difference.  It was all worth it. It is well worth it.

The development of the railroad in the history of the American frontier was extremely influential. Students’ experiences with project based learning in the elementary years will impact them in numerous unimaginable ways. What is your experience with project based learning and how has it impacted your students?

Reading Council and Local Children's Author Claudia Little

Halloween may be over, but I am being haunted by voices… My blog has been talking to me. It’s saying “It’s been over a month since you last spoke to me.” Scary, isn’t it? Is it because I have had nothing to blog about? Quite the contrary! Plenty of things have happened since my last entry-  from wonderful happenings in the classroom to awesome professional development experiences. If I have time, I will catch up on all these experiences.

However, for today, I would like to share about the local Reading Council meeting I attended tonight.  Local children’s author, Claudia Little, spoke to us about making connections with our students and helping students improve their writing. Claudia is a retired teacher and lives in Spearfish, South Dakota. Claudia is the author of two books, Patches, My Mustang and Mudpies. Patches began as a story growing up on a ranch. Claudia's fourth and fifth grade students became her editors. Mudpies is a beautiful rhyming book about the simple pleasures in life. Both books are illustrated by Sharon Grey, who was a former student of Claudia’s back in the third grade.  The illustrations in Patches are charcoal. The illustrations in Mudpies are gorgeous watercolor paintings with real children used as models. Check out the following website for more information on Claudia: http://www.photographs.galeymiller.org/History/Spearfish-Area-Historical/4458366_emTYG/4 Claudia also gives presentations to classrooms. Her contact information is: 605-642-4227 or clittle@spe.midco.net.

Claudia was available to sign copies of her books. I picked up copies for several of my colleagues. Don’t books make the greatest gifts? And I couldn’t resist adding Patches and Mudpies  to my own library. One can never have too many books. Just don’t ask my husband!  We were also treated to some delicious goodies. To make a good evening better, I won the door prize- a $10.00 gift card to Borders!  Did I say one can never have too many books?

Student Intern

Knollwood is a Professional Development School and is in a partnership with Black Hills State University. The mission of the College of Education is to prepare competent, confident, and caring professionals. In an effort to reach that goal, BHSU has prescribed to a new model which imitates the medical model. Elementary Candidates are placed with the same teacher for both the Student Teaching Practicum and the Student Teaching Internship. This year long residency involves two professionals (mentor and intern) sharing the classroom. This is my second year as a mentor in the program and I am extremely pleased with the process.  Last year was a positive experience for everyone involved- the students, my intern, and me. This year promises to be the same.

My intern this year is Ms. Kolbach. She has a true passion for teaching and a genuine love for kids.  I am proud to mentor her in this learning journey. I know the students and I are going to learn as much from her as she will from us. Ms. Kolbach has already shown great desire and commitment to gain as much from this experience as possible.  In fact, we even got together before school year officially started.



Ms. Kolbach and Mrs. Roller at Alternative Fuel this summer.





Mentors, Mrs. Roller and Mrs. Tautkus, with their interns, Ms. Kolbach and Ms. Hoscheid.



Book Recommendation- Pete the Cat

Looking for a new book to use in the classroom or even at home with your own kids? I have a great recommendation for you... Pete the Cat written by Eric Litwin and illustrated by James Dean. Pete the Cat is a fantastic children's book that works for both adults and kids alike. My students love the repetitive text and the catchy tune of the song. I guarantee that you will find yourself singing and grooving to it when you least expect it. It’s a great text for beginning readers; however, I have noticed that readers of all levels love it.

The message is a positive take on those unexpected speed bumps we all encounter. In a very simple fashion, Pete teaches us that even though we all “step in it” from time to time, the goal is to “keep walking along, singing our song.” One of my students proudly proclaimed, “Don’t let the bad things get you down”. Well said Morgan!

Check out the following videos. Yes, they are all of the same book, but each is worth viewing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUubMSfIs-U (author and illustrator performing the book)

www.harpercollins.com/petethecat (story and song download)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNAeRy6jS7c (preschooler reading the book with a toddler listening in)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRALCpZP9ro&feature=related (another precious video of a little girl reading the book)

Purchase it now at Amazon.

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin and James Dean (Hardcover - Mar 2, 2010)

Buy new: $16.99 $11.55

Who can pass this adorable cat up?

Pete the Cat Doll by Eric Litwin and James Dean (Hardcover - Sep 15, 2010)

Buy new: $15.00 $10.12

Teacher Open House at The Journey Museum

I attended the Teacher’s Open House at The Journey Museum with Mrs. Tautkus this evening. We were treated to hors d'eouvres and a gift bag which included a jump drive (can always use another one of those- woo hoo). We also got to check out the new portable planetarium and explore the museum exhibits. We both agreed that we need to get a Teacher Subscription and discussed taking our students to The Journey Museum for a field trip. There is so much to see and do. For more information, check out their website at: http://www.journeymuseum.org/.

An unexpected plus of tonight was running into old acquaintances. One such person was Dr. Alsup, a former professor of mine from Black Hills State University. I have to admit that I never cared much for mathematics… that was until class with Dr. Alsup. He helped me understand the importance, the beauty, and the intrigue of the subject matter. I felt valued as a student and left his class more prepared, energized, and enthused to teach math to others. Thank you Dr. Alsup!

First Three Weeks

The first three weeks of school have flown by. How can that be? It feels like just yesterday I was walking the aisles of Walmart in awe of the brightly colored school supplies. Folders, notebooks, and highlighters, oh my… sticky notes, paper clips, and erasers, oh my…

September is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the excitement of back-to-school. It’s a fresh start, a new beginning, an adventure just waiting to embark on… I have 25 energetic and enthusiastic learners this year.  We have spent our first weeks together learning each other’s names and getting to know one another, setting up our class agreement, and creating our class mission statement. We have also been busy establishing routines and expectations.  We are off to an awesome start. We have also:

·         learned what real reading is

·         built up our stamina for Read to Self and Read to Someone during Reader’s Workshop

·         Started small, individual Guided Reading groups

·         Begun taking home “Just Right” books to read to our family members

·         Settled into our Writer’s Workshop routine

·         Explored counting strategies

·         Developed and shared different strategies for solving story problems

·         So much more…

Welcome Back Bus

Several of the awesome Knollwood staff members ready to go. (Photo taken by the fabulous Mr. Yellow Robe)

Mrs. Roller, Ms. Kolbach, Ms. Hoscheid,
and Mrs Tautkus sporting their cool new gear.

Cortney, a second grade student at Knollwood Elementary proudly shows off her new shirt.

Things are in full swing. Today marked my first official school event for the 2010-2011 school year. I hopped aboard the big yellow bus this evening to deliver school supplies and pass out Knollwood t-shirts to our students. This is our second year for the Welcome Back Bus. Both years we have passed out school supplies and terrific looking tees.

First Grade Team Field Trip to Crazy Horse

Speaking of teams, I work with a variety of teams at Knollwood. One of those teams is the core first grade team. There are four sections of first grade at my school so I am blessed to work with three other amazing individuals who each bring their own strengths and perspectives to our team.

I already introduced you to Mrs. Tautkus yesterday. My other two first grade teammates are Ms. Holsather and Mrs. Erickson. Ms. Holsather has been teaching for eight years. This will be her third year at Knollwood. She is extremely organized and beautifully integrates music into all aspects of her day. You can often hear her singing with her students. Mrs. Erickson has 27 years of teaching experience and this will be her 22nd year at Knollwood. Now that’s dedication to a school! Mrs. Erickson is quite an artist and has a knack for design. Both ladies truly care about kids and helping them be the best they can be.

Ms. Holsather and I taught the June session of Camp Adventure this summer. On one of the days, we went to Crazy Horse with our students. Both Ms. Holsather and I felt that we needed more time at Crazy Horse to enjoy the atmosphere and browse the museum. Plus, we were dying to spend money in the gift shop. Did anybody say “BOOKS”? We decided to take a “team field trip” to Crazy Horse and had a blast. Of course, we talked about school a little bit, but “school talk” did not monopolize our rich conversations. It was a quality team building time. Who knows…maybe we will make team field trips a tradition and go somewhere together every couple of months.

“If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.” — George Bernard Shaw. All three of these women are great people to exchange ideas with. Here’s to you, hoping you have a solid team and wonderful people with whom you can exchange ideas…

Check out the following website if you are interested in learning about about Crazy Horse. http://www.crazyhorsememorial.org/

Teammates

Continued to work on room arrangement today. The physical design of a classroom is critical for positive academic and social learning. Great care and thought go into my room set up every year. It is always a process. My room is a canvas and the painting is slowly unfolding before my eyes. Of course, it will not be complete until my 25 little artists add their unique talents and perspectives to the picture. My goal is to create a safe and welcoming environment where students want to be and are motivated to learn. I have always been and continue to be a curious and enthusiastic person. My hope is that my students catch that same passion for learning.

Mrs. Tautkus presenting at her Master's symposium, April 2010.       
Her work was on word sorts.

One of my wonderful teammates, Mrs. Tautkus, was also at school today. There can be no greater gift than having remarkable people to work with. Mrs. Tautkus is one of those people. Mrs. Tautkus is in her fifth year of teaching and is a huge asset to our team. She recently earned her Master’s Degree in Reading Leadership. She is innovative, creative, and hard working. I am blessed to work at a school that greatly values teamwork and collaboration. I leave you with this quote from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: "One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.” More on teams to come.

Room Set Up

I'll be "officially" back at school next week at this time. I have had a busy summer planning and preparing for the upcoming year. Yesterday I spent the day working on room set up. It's amazing the time and energy it takes to set up a room. Before leaving for the summer, we dismantle our classrooms and pack everything up. During the summer, our wonderful custodians take EVERYTHING out of our rooms and do a thorough cleaning. This includes waxing the floors. Then they put everything back in and it is ready for us to start unpacking and getting things ready for the new year. This is how the classroom started out...

New to Blogging

It's almost time for the start of the 2010-2011 school year. I am both excited and nervous about the new year ahead. I have a feeling that this is going to be a year full of "firsts" so I am taking a step out of my comfort zone and have entered into the world of blogging. Thanks for coming along with me on this adventure into the fascinating world of first graders.