While we've been working hard, it hasn't been all work and no play. I've been getting to know these amazing students through morning meetings, whole group and 1:1 discussions. We've conducted a science experiment to learn first hand the steps of the scientific method (ask your student what they learned!) and as a whole group, solved a real-life (classroom) problem using the 8 Mathematical Practices!
In this problem we had to determine how each student would have an opportunity to use our classroom balance balls equally. We found the number of students, the number of days in the week and the number of balance balls that we had to share. Students came to the same conclusion using different methods of solving the problem. Each ball is a unique color, so each student went to the board, and using the color of the balance ball they wanted, identified the day of the week (on an organized list) they would like to use the specific ball. This was a terrific exercise in having students take ownership of their learning environment and democratically solving a class wide concern.
I have high hopes for these students. My enthusiasm is only increasing as we enter our 8th day!