Dispatches From Thirdgradia, teacher edition.

September 26, 2016 by Naomi Stein

Welcome to Thirdgradia!

This is a taste of the Morning Message that Thirdgradian’s respond to every day. This way they start their day building community, expressing themselves, and thinking about sweets!

Morning Message is usually followed by snack, then math. In math we have been exploring place value, and building towers with base ten blocks (but not before counting each block!)

After that, Thirdgradians have ELA, where they are being read books about civilization building (Roxaboxen by Barbara Cooney, Weslandia by Paul Fleischman) and doing the impossible (Emmanuel’s Dream by Laurie Thompson, and Rain School by James Rumford). They have been reading, writing, and discussing at a high level. They have especially enjoyed the spelling activities. They were able to draw comics, write stories, or make mini dictionaries as long as they used ALL their target spelling words.

Thirdgradians have also spent a lot of time brainstorming about what our civilization should look like. We have come together and agreed on our civilization’s name, style, and core values. Every Friday, kids get a full period of Project Time to take part in building their classroom. Now that our first priority, The Thirdgradian Armory of Mythical Weapons, is completed, there are a slew of projects that need our attention.

First among these upcoming projects is assisting our classroom bloggers in taking ownership of this space. Tomorrow I will upload the children’s dispatch, and from here on this space will feature their thoughts, their pictures, and their perspective. I will continue to add additional context and photos as needed. Stay tuned!

What does it mean to Love Your Neighbor as Yourself?

September 26, 2016 by Naomi Stein

This year, JCDSRI is weaving a values curriculum into all areas of the curriculum. This month’s Jewish value comes from Leviticus 19:18, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The fifth graders are using other Jewish texts, especially from Pirkei Avot (a section within the Rabbinic collection known as the Mishna), the Ethics of the Fathers, to help them unpack the meaning and application of this verse. Some of the questions that have been raised by them: What does it mean to be a neighbor – does that mean only people within your community? (They rejected that understanding). What happens if you don’t like yourself – how does that help you know how to treat somebody else? (This question is still being explored). What are the behaviors connected to this concept that will help to show that we love our neighbors? (Treating someone with respect, being helpful, reaching out to them, using kind words, etc). Using the teaching from Pirkei Avot which states, “I am only for myself, what am I; if I am not for myself, who will be; and if not now, when?,” we have explored the idea of maintaining a balance. While we need to be there to help others, we also have the obligation to take care of ourselves, These are important concepts to be considered at any time but are even more significant at this time of the year as we enter into the spiritual tasks of the HIgh Holy Day season. May all of you have a good year, one filled with blessings and health, and may you have more laughter than tears in the year to come.

What makes a community a community?

September 22, 2016 by Naomi Stein

In first grade, we have spent the first weeks of school building a learning community. One activity included reading Swimmy by Leo Lionni. From the book we learned that a community is made stronger when it sticks together. Swimmy emphasized the meaning of community and how people, even fish, could collaborate to solve problems. After our reading, we worked together to design a class poster. Each student created a unique fish, and then we made one picture together. We reflected on community and how we could collaborate. The conversation started when a child said, “I will help others with their work.” One child added, “I will be a good friend.” Another noted, “I will be kind.” Others said, “We will help by sharing.” We are learning about friendship and common interests, and growing as a first grade community.

Global Cardboard Challenge Was a Hit!

November 3, 2016September 22, 2016 by Naomi Stein

Just build it! That was the theme of the day for dozens of children and parents who dropped in for some creative building at the JCDSRI Global Cardboard Challenge. Inspired by Caine’s Arcade, this fun annual event encourages children to design and build with cardboard and recycled material. It’s a community play-date that unleashes your child’s imagination! In case you missed it, here’s what it looked like in under 1 minute:

JCDS Cardboard Challenge 2016 from Jewish Community Day School RI on Vimeo.

Why We Need Design Lab

June 2, 2016 by Naomi Stein

Here’s a challenge for you: quickly sketch a scientist. Easy, right? You might be thinking lab coat, eyeglasses, crazy hair, test tubes everywhere, computers, and oh… male.

While I may be making an assumption here, research has proven that this is how many people envision scientists. Here is an article explaining these findings.

In design lab this week, students in preK, kindergarten and first grade were given the same challenge I gave to you: draw a scientist. Some drawings were consistent with what researchers have found.

Others were not so consistent.

The article above suggests that “students who visit real scientists or engage in hands-on inquiry activities tend to draw less stereotypical images of scientists.” This is why all schools need programs like our Design Lab and design thinking curriculum; so that we can change our stereotypes and create a brighter future. At each grade level, students are engaged in projects that involve hands-on inquiry inside and outside of Design Lab time. Students at JCDSRI aim to solve real world problems while learning that we can all make a difference in the world, whether you’re a girl, a boy, have crazy hair, wear a lab coat, or none of the above.

Boating in First Grade

May 26, 2016 by Naomi Stein

What makes a boat float? First graders learned that the amount of weight a boat can hold is dependent on the shape of its bottom. They created boats out of tin foil, cardboard, duct tape and some other interesting materials. They are really good at utilizing the materials in the design lab!

Many people created flat-bottom boats and some created V-bottom boats. For example, Gev created a flat-bottom boat out of a cylinder and lots of duct tape. The next step was to add some weight to the boat, so we added pennies! One by one, we counted each penny that was put into the boat together. Can you guess how much money Gev’s boat held?

It held $1.02!

Sink or Float

May 19, 2016 by Naomi Stein

As we get closer and closer to the end of the school year, we can’t help but be excited about warm weather activities. One of our favorites is swimming! It got us thinking about pool and water safety. In PreK, kindergarten and first grade, we learned that designers often create prototypes in the name of safety. “I learned to swim with floaties,” mentioned Asher in PreK.

First, we looked at some action figures in the water and realized that they probably don’t know how to swim, because they sank to the bottom of the “pool.” To help them, we created prototypes of life vests for them. The goal of the design challenge was to keep the action figure’s head above water, because we don’t breathe through our toes, we breathe through our noses.

Second Grade Toy Store

May 19, 2016 by Naomi Stein

Congratulations to the children and families of our second graders. They’ve been hired! They received this notification from the Design Lab today:

Congratulations! You have been hired to design and build a new toy! Your product will be marketed and sold across the nation (after many ITERATIONS, of course).

Step 1: Frame the problem

“How might we design a game, toy, or activity so that children will enjoy it, learn from it, and learn how to cooperate with others?”

Step 2: Empathize/Immerse

We learn about the user of the toy we are designing and conduct focus group interviews.

Step 3: Ideate & Prototype!

Build it!

Step 4: Test

Try to sell your product. You will need an advertisement! Think about commercials, magazine & newspaper ads….

JCDSRI Partnership Featured by RI Foundation

May 19, 2016 by Naomi Stein

We are delighted that our partnership with the Islamic School of RI (ISRI) was featured on the Rhode Island Foundation’s blog. Funded with the support of the RI Foundation’s Bliss, Gross, Horowitz Fund, the project brought together fifth graders from both JCDSRI and ISRI for a theater collaboration at the Center for Dynamic Learning (CDL). Please click below to read more and watch a short video!

What life choice would you make?

May 6, 2016 by Naomi Stein

Your village is caught in a pogrom. Should you stay and try to rebuild your village, move to Israel, or move to the United States, the land that you have heard is full of opportunity? As an intellectual, you are swayed by the writings of Trotsky and you want to help bring about change for all of Russia; but as a Jew, you face major discrimination. Do you stay or leave?

These are the types of choices the 5th graders considered as they began the study of Jewish immigration this week. Each student was given the opening story of a character and then were given two choices. The choice they made determined how the narrative continued and then, once again, they were given the choice of two paths. The students chose their own adventures, moving from location to location in the school as they made their choices and discovered how those choices affected their lives. It was an exciting and fun way to begin the unit and start their exploration of the issues and themes of immigration.

The unit will culminate in a class journey to the Lower East Side of New York, to see the institutions and streets that were home to the millions of Jews, including many of their own grandparents and great-grandparents, who immigrated to the United States between the years of 1880 and 1920.