Hey, y’all,
It’s been a while! There’s so much I’ve been wanting to share with you. The kids and I have had some amazing moments together these past few weeks and I’m so proud to share some of that work with you in this post.
EllRay Jakes is Not a Chicken
We’ve recently started a new whole-class book study. EllRay Jakes is Not a Chicken by Sally Warner has made us laugh, reflect, wonder, and think deeply about how we navigate our relationships with one another at school and how we can honor our differences while being proud of who we are individually. Here’s a little more about the book from the publisher:
“EllRay Jakes is tired of being bullied by fellow classmate Jared Matthews. But when EllRay tries to defend himself, he winds up in trouble. Then his dad offers him a deal: If he stays out of trouble for one week, they’ll go to Disneyland! EllRay says he can do it. But saying it and doing it are two very different things.”
-Penguin Random House Publishers
You can find the rest of the EllRay Jakes series on Amazon or on the Penguin Random House website (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/DN6/ellray-jakes ).
Equity thru Education Collaborative
I found this book, and several others that we’ve read in class, on the Equity thru Education Collaborative (EtEC) website. EtEC was founded by our very own Dr. Chris Hass in collaboration with many others, including some CFI parents.
You can access the EtEC website by clicking here: https://www.equitythrued.com/
Service Learning and Taking Action
Throughout the year several students have noticed that our playground and recess field have been littered with trash. The kids and I have tried to pick it up little by little, but it seems to be an ongoing problem. We decided that we couldn’t stand by and not do anything, so it was time to take action. We started by making signs to hang up in the hallway like the ones seen here:
But when we still found trash on the ground at recess we knew it was time to roll up our sleeves. We asked for extra trash bags, split up into groups and decided that we were going to pick up as much trash as we could one afternoon.
I wish I could show you the look on the kids’ faces that day and how proud they were to have been a part of a solution to a problem that affected our community. It was thrilling to see a group of children take action to protect their environment, and truly find joy in making their school a more beautiful place to live and learn.
Inquiry into Forces of Motion
As scientists, we’ve been studying forces of motion. Once we established a common understanding of gravity and friction,
we split up into teams to design and construct marble run challenge courses. Not only has this been one of the most “fun” things we’ve done together this year, but it’s also an amazing opportunity for the students to work collaboratively to design, problem solve, construct, and apply what they have learned about gravity and friction in a way that is engaging and meaningful.
Here are some pictures of a few groups’ design plans:
And here is one of the (almost) finished products:
We will finish up construction on Monday. On Tuesday, we will find out if our theories about gravity and friction hold up as we watch the marbles race through our creations.
That’s all for now. Thank you for reading and, as always, for your endless support. After almost a full year of teaching your children, I am still fully aware of the great privilege that I have by being a member of the CFI family. It continues to be a dream come true.
With appreciation,
Rutland
Martin's Classroom Blog 