The Gift of Knowledge

A book wrapped in colorful paper and tied with a polka-dot bow made a nice visual for the message I delivered to the boys and girls about nonfiction reading this week: Every new book is a gift of knowledge. There is always something inside to learn. The very best of these gifts are the ones that surprise us, because when we are surprised by a book, it's usually a sign that we are learning a lot. We're outgrowing old ideas and gaining new information and new ways of thinking. So be glad for surprises!

Among our surprises in books this week:

• Dolphins give birth to live babies - tail first!
• The path to becoming a knight began when a boy was just seven years old.
• About 3 out of 10 immigrants died on their way to America in the late 1800s, but still thousands came.
• The Titanic might not have sunk if the captain had paid attention to the warnings he was sent.
• An orphaned rhino can survive, but it needs a surrogate mom and about 5 gallons of milk a day!

Ironically, as reading lessons focused on surprises, one of this week's key writing lessons was about knowing what's expected. The boys and girls received their checklists for informational writing. The checklist outlines what student writing is expected to include - from an introduction that grabs readers' interest, to a body filled details, descriptions, topic-specific words, and expert tips, to a satisfying conclusion. Sharing these expectations early in a unit helps children take measure of where they're at in their writing and how far they have to go. Checklists help them set specific goals (Yes! We're still setting goals!) and identify the steps they need to reach them.

In math, our focus has been on double-digit addition. At first, we conceptualized this with drawings of sticks (for tens) and circles (for ones) as shown on the workbook page at left above. But now, the boys and girls are moving away from drawings to numeric representations as shown on the right page. They are learning strategies like "show all totals" whereby they total all the tens, then all the ones, and then combine. Another strategy is the more traditional method of "showing a new group below" (or above), which is what you may know as "carrying a ten." The purpose of teaching multiple strategies is to instill in students the notion that there is more than one way to find a solution. They are encouraged to find the approach that works best for them.

Finally, several parents asked this week whether there had been a lot of classroom talk about the presidential election results. Certainly, it was a topic that came up, though we did not formally discuss it. When asked about our new president, I didn't share my politics, but I did share my philosophy. I told the boys and girls that the president is an important person, but that each of us is important, too. We have laws to obey, rights to respect, ideals to uphold. We have jobs to do to make our country strong - even 7- and 8-years olds. We are the people and the people make the country.

Mark Your Calendars:

Mon., Nov. 14 - Stormonth's annual food drive continues. Please be generous!

Fri., Nov. 18 - Food drive ends; total collected announced at an all-school assembly

Tues., Nov. 22 - Stormonth concerts, 10 AM and 2 PM

Wed., Nov. 23 - Early release day for students

Thurs., Nov. 24, and Fri., Nov. 25 - Happy Thanksgiving!