14 October 2008
Dear parents,
Many thanks to the anonymous giver of flowers that appeared on my desk. It was a touching reminder of the community of parents here at Mark Twain. Please know that your children represent you very well.
I want to thank Anne Chandler for volunteering to teach my Thursday and Friday classes while I am away on IB business - training teachers and conducting an authorization visit. While it takes away from my time with the kids, I do learn things that go directly back into all the classrooms at Mark Twain.
News from the 5th grade front: The fifth graders have taken on the Houston garbage issue with a vengeance. They have volunteered to handle all recycling at Spooky Spaghetti. They are brimming with ideas, suggestions, solutions, and practical applications. We have conferred with the PTO, Coach Jody and Mr. Quinto. We are doing are best to make sure that Spooky Spaghetti, a great community event, is GREEN!
Check your child's binder to see what we are doing mathwise and ask them questions. The Line of Inquiry is that numbers have meaning in relation to other numbers. To understand this in context, we have looked at Houston trash data, and Hybrid and SUV mileage data.
Taking to heart that children care deeply about big ideas, part of classtime is devoted to exploring their thoughts. Lately, a Dr. Suess book, Horton Haches the Egg, provided the impetus and opportunity for the kids to reflect on and articulate about the big idea of friendship and responsibility. I was impressed by how much the story grabbed them as I read aloud. I took note of their facial expressions of sadness, empathy, happiness, and concern. Dr. Suess is a genius.
Our Mark Twain (alias Sam Clemens) research is a work in progress. Hurricane Ike has played havoc with the timeline regarding the appropriate research time needed by Twain's birthday on Nov 30th! Everyone will be doing something to commemorate our namesake.
On the 4th grade front: The fourth graders are wildly interested in all things Greek. They are voracious in their reading of Greek mythology. Harry Potter and The Lightening Thief series have definitely impacted their world view. Besides learning about the many different myths, my purpose is to challenge their thinking. For example, why should Prometheus be punished so severely by Zeus for saving mankind? Ask them their opinion, they offer quite a variety.
In math, we continue to explore factors and unique conditions of numbers, like prime, composite, square, triangular and cube numbers. How does this help us understand math? The Line of Inquiry is numbers work together in specific ways. If children understand how numbers work together, they can improve their mathematical prowess. It also makes math immeasurably more fun.
FYI for all - I'm not posting the homework because it changes with the needs of every class. Again, I am asking the children to work no more than 30 minutes on math and 30 minutes on humanities for the entire week. Even this may be too much, they need to play!
all the best, Ms. Blakeslee
5 September 2008
Hello parents - It was wonderful to see the 5th graders again and meet the 4th graders this week. There is a PARENT MEETING on Tuesday, September 9, half an hour before your grade's Open House.
4th grade parent meeting at 5:30 pm on Tuesday Sept 9 in my classroom C112
5th grade parent meeting at 6:30 pm on Tuesday Sept 9 in my classroom C112
Homework for this week:
5th grade: 1. agreement signed by parent and student, 2. meeting notice to parents, 3. create at least one graph from data in the NYTimes article about Houston recycling, 4. formulate a question about garbage that you would like to pursue, 5. on your GT day - don't leave home without your class binder!
4th grade: 1. agreement signed by parent and student, 2. meeting notice to parents, 3. find 10 - 20 more whole numbers for category A, 4. read the 12 labors of Herakles and begin your visual re-creation of them. The format is your choice. This is due in 2 weeks - Sept 18 or 19th - depending on your GT day, 5. remember to always bring your class binder to class!
looking forward to seeing y'all next week,
Ms. Blakeslee
26 August 2008
Dear Parents and GT students,
Welcome back! I can’t wait to start working with y’all. Some things will be the same and other things will be a little different - all to provide a better experience.
The weekly pull-out schedule is the same as last year. Fourth graders attend Thursday or Friday and fifth graders attend Monday or Tuesday. Check the schedule on the back to see your class’ specific day and time. We’ll start the second week of school on Tuesday Sept 2nd.
The goal of the GT class is to challenge the students in a safe and caring environment. I hope to help them channel their curiosity and provide many opportunities to practice formulating and pursuing questions. Assessment is ongoing, although it’s a non-graded class.
In the two and half hours that we spend together, we work in the four core areas, integrating math, social studies, science, and language arts. I use a Central Idea and Lines of Inquiry to organize our investigations, just like the classroom teachers. This year, we are being more deliberate with the PYP essential elements – knowledge, skills, concepts, attitudes and actions – through guided inquiry. We will also develop each students’ understanding of their own growth of the IB Learner Profile.
Communicating with parents is a priority at Mark Twain. A G/T parent meeting will be scheduled early this semester for more in-depth explanation of the program and student expectations. If you want a conference, it is best to contact me beforehand to make sure I’m available. My email is kblakesl@houstonisd.org and my cell phone is 713.907.8485.
The other hat I wear at Mark Twain is the IB Primary Years Program coordinator. I’m an IB trainer, authorization team member and a school consultant, which takes me away from campus visiting other IB schools. I try to limit these trips to 3 a semester.
This is my 15th year teaching and my 12th at Mark Twain. I’ve been in my present position since 2002. I received my B.A. from State University of New York and my M.A. from Columbia University. I was awarded a Fulbright-Hayes teaching scholarship in 2004 visiting Turkey and Cypress. In 2007, I taught teachers in Sri Lanka through IB Projects in coordination with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Child Development. This past year, I’ve trained IB teachers in several states and attended the IB Regional conference in San Francisco.
I hope to learn a lot this year from everyone – students, teachers, and parents.
All the best,
Kathleen Blakeslee
2008-09 CLASS SCHEDULE
5th grade: Mitchell's class Monday 11:30 - 3:00, Zamarippa-Hicks and Hernandez's classes Tuesday 8:15 - 10:50, Gilboa and Zarn's classes Tuesday 11:30 - 3:00
4th grade: Rawson and Nieto's classes Thursday 8:15 - 12 noon, Marroquin and Carter's classes Thursday afternoon 12:30 - 3:00, Kasner and Zirzcy's classes Friday morning 8:15 - 12 noon
CURRICULUM MAPS - This is how I see our year developing. In a pullout class where I only see the students once a week, I need the big picture mapped out to tie the course together. If this is confusing, come to the parent meeting where I'll be explaining it.
| INQUIRY: form, function, change, causation, connection, perspective, responsibility, reflection | HUMANITIES | MATH |
5th grade |
Little Big Minds by Marietta McCarty Ch. 1 Philosophy
Ch. 2 Friendship
Ch 3. Responsibility
| Central Idea: History transcends dates and facts when explored in context. Lines of inquiry:
Mark Twain, his life/ times Huckleberry Finn Pre-Civil War America Issues: coming of age life journeys racism historical perspective
| Central Idea: Mathematics describes the physical world. Lines of inquiry: - Quantitative relationships - Number sense - Symbols
Data analysis and representation of whatever pertains to classroom
Real World Investigations & Real World Algebra by Edward Zaccaro
The Story of 1 by
6th grade Everyday Math |
PYP transdisciplinary skills Social: accepting responsibility, respecting others, cooperating, resolving conflict, group decision making, adopting a variety of roles Research: formulating questions, observing, planning, collecting data, recording & organizing data, presenting research findings Thinking: acquisition of knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, dialectical thought, meta-cognition Communication: listening, speaking, reading, writing, non-verbal communication Self-management: motor skills, spatial awareness, organization, time management, safety, lifestyle, codes of behavior, informed choices | Stand Alone Resources: The Private Eye Logic Puzzles NNAT prep Cuisenaire Rods Math Tiles |
The Big6 Research Process 1. Task Definition 2. Information Seeking Strategies 3. Location & Access 4. Use of Information 5. Synthesis 6. Evaluation |
s e l f – a s s e s s m e n t & r e f l e c t i o n |
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| INQUIRY: form, function, change, causation, connection, perspective, responsibility, reflection | HUMANITIES | MATH |
4th grade | My Question – what happens to Houston’s garbage? (tied to 4th grade Matter planner) City of Houston Solid Waste Waste Management Bill Nye Garbage Land by Elizabeth Royte Student questions | Central Idea: Myths are a culture’s attempts create stories of meaning, morality and motivation. Lines of inquiry: - Moral Dilemmas - Geography and Plate Tectonics - Language Roots
Greek Mythology
D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths
The Odyssey, a retelling
Issues: right & wrong justice multiple perspectives ancient timeline 21st c. assumptions | Central Idea: Mathematics describes the physical world. Lines of inquiry: - Quantitative relationships - Number Sense - Symbols
Factors
Special Numbers
Data analysis of anything relevant |
PYP transdisciplinary skills Social: accepting responsibility, respecting others, cooperating, resolving conflict, group decision making, adopting a variety of roles Research: formulating questions, observing, planning, collecting data, recording & organizing data, presenting research findings Thinking: acquisition of knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, dialectical thought, meta-cognition Communication: listening, speaking, reading, writing, non-verbal communication Self-management: motor skills, spatial awareness, organization, time management, safety, lifestyle, codes of behavior, informed choices | Stand Alone Resources: The Private Eye Logic Puzzles NNAT prep Cuisenaire Rods Math Tiles |
The Big6 Research Process 1. Task Definition 2. Information Seeking Strategies 3. Location & Access 4. Use of Information 5. Synthesis 6. Evaluation |
s e l f – a s s e s s m e n t & r e f l e c t i o n |
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