Word of the Week -1/10/2011

The word of the week this week is:

Wait for it......

Can you guess?

Are you on the edge of your seat?

 anticipate !

Anticipate means to give advance thought to, await, hope or watch for.

I think this might be a great word to use during reading....what things can students anticipate before reading the whole story?  Are there things they look forward to in their own lives?  What happens when we anticipate something and it does not turn out the way we had expected?   

Dr X. Perry Ment

Dr.X Perry Ment was visiting the 4th grade classrooms and 3/4 classrooms yesterday to share her scientific problem. Although she had been hired by Boeing to design some new wings for the latest airplane, she just didn't seem to have a method to answer their questions.


 Students listened to her scattered ideas, and then brainstormed ways to design an experiment that was more appropriate.  Students encouraged Dr.X Perry Ment to do a number of important things that she had missed:  understand and define the problem, make a plan, design an experiment that was fair, repeatable and had controlled variables (no windstorm testing for her planes!). They told her to make sure to use a science journal, to write down her plans, and to record her observations and results. All of this with minimal prompting!


Dr.X Perry Ment might make another visit to learn more about this process of designing experiments as these groups work on their matter unit in science over the next few weeks.


---


I enjoyed a chance to be DRAMATIC in a mini-lesson on the scientific method and experimentation. I also found that students were not only highly engaged, but by proposing the opposite of the scientific method as a dishevelled and unorganized scientist, students displayed strong critical thinking skills in determining the correct method to attack the shared science problem.  And as I walked down the hall in the upper grade wing on Friday, I got the feeling that I will be known as Dr X to students for a while!!

Enrichment for All Session 2

I am VERY excited about the second session of Enrichment for All this year.  We have gotten a large number of teachers in a variety of subjects---something for EVERYONE! So if you always do after school enrichment, or are considering it for the first time.....this session is a GREAT one!

Check out these topics!!!!
Yoga
Drama
Celtic Dance
Jump Rope
Beading
Model Building
French Culture
Knitting
Science and Chemistry Using Everyday Materials
The World of Panda Bears
Creating Greeting Cards
Cooking

Enrollment forms will be sent home on Monday January 3rd (our first day back) and the deadline for enrollment will be January 6th....but placement is done on a first come first serve basis---so get those forms back ASAP!

Science Fair COMING SOON!

Start planning your science fair projects! The RES fair is set for Tuesday February 16th!  The fair is a non-judged family event that encourages everyone to explore their innate curiosity!  Have fun and do a science fair project!  Entry Forms will be sent home next week and students will have until February 1st to submit their projects---but don't delay--start your project now!

Word of the Week - 1/3/2011

Happy NEW YEAR!

The word of the week for our first week back is 
RESOLUTION

Resolution means determining a path or course of action, OR a firmness of purpose OR the settling of a problem.

I wonder if any students or families at RES have a New Year's resolution?

This would be a great word to think about ways we can set goals in the new year! 
Do we have some academic goals? Will anyone resolve to do an enrichment challenge once a week?  How about create a science fair project for the February fair??? I hope so!

Word of the Week - 12/20/2010

A short week next week!  The word for next week is:
FESTIVE

Festive means joyous or merry, or characteristic of a holiday.

Did you see all the festive teacher sweaters at the RES sing along on Friday?
What festive things will you do over the vacation break?

Celtic Rhythms- After School Enrichment

I had an opportunity to observe the Celtic Rhythms after school enrichment class, run by Heather Morris this week.  I love the idea that this class is just not a dance class, but incorporates musical instruments (mainly drumming) AND dance.  It was also great to see a mix of male and female students participating from a variety of grades!

Enrollment spots for this class were limited....but look out for a similar offering during the after school enrichment program in the Spring!

A few picture hi-lights from Celtic Rhythms:

Science Fair Exploration a Success!

We have had a great time exploring science and topics for possible science fair projects during a new after school event called 'Science Fair Exploration'.  This free program, offered school wide, attracted approximately 25 students to study science for an hour, once a week for three weeks.  Parent, teacher, and community volunteers allowed for a great experience in which students worked in small groups on topics that were of interest to them.  RES librarian Beth Redford provided books and resources and supported students in the library in order to investigate topics in more depth.  Volunteers brought knowledge and enthusiasm for science which has been contagious!

We have been exploring electricity, magnetism, airplane flight, volcanoes, crystals, water, animals, and whatever science concepts that students express an interest in learning about!

I hope that students will walk away with an excitement and enthusiasm for science (they have certainly displayed it during the program!) and lots of potential ideas to bring to the RES Family Science Fair!

Here are a few picture hi-lights of our activities last week:

Kindergartners learn about and create crystals!

Students work together with a parent volunteer to think about how to build a waterway experiment.

Electronic Snap Kits provided by a community member and IBM employee create intense concentration and exploration!

Volcanoes ERUPT!

After School Enrichment for All Sessions Scheduled in 2011!

We have two more after school enrichment sessions planned for the new year.  The teachers and class specifics are still in the works.....but we plan to offer another great variety of classes!

Please put these dates on your calendar if your student is interested in attending after school enrichment during either session!

Enrichment for All Session 2:  Wednesdays, January 12^th  – February 16^th 2011

Enrichment for All Session 3:  Wednesdays, March 9^th- April 13^th 2011

All sessions are once a week on Wednesdays from 2:30 to 3:30pm, unless otherwise noted on the sign up sheets.

Word of the Week - 12/13/10

The word of the week is
 courteous  


Each month we are trying to select a variety of words, but ensure that one of the words each month is a 'social responsibility' word. 

Courteous means polite and considerate in manner. The courteous students held the door for each other as they entered RES!

I hope you will enjoy talking about courtesy next week...and noting all the different ways we can be courteous towards our classmates, teachers and families!
You might look for a book where characters exhibit courteous behavior, or keep a tally of courteous behavior you witness throughout the week!

Word of the Week - 12/6/2010

The word of the week this week is 


CAJOLE


Cajole means to convince or persuade with flattery or repeated appeals, to coax.

Some fourth graders picked this word because they thought they might try to cajole their teachers into not giving them homework.  

It might be interesting to think about times when students have used this technique....or have them try to cajole the class into believing something....what does acting like this look like?

Word of the Week - 11/29/2010

The word of the week is: 

citizenship

 

Citizenship means the character of an individual viewed as a member of a society.  A citizen is an inhabitant of a place, and citizenship is displaying the characteristics of that place.

 

We all have citizenship in our Richmond Elementary School community.

 

Things to discuss might include:

What are we a citizen of? (country, community, school...)

What characteristics do citizens have?

What is the value of citizenship in our school, community, country?

How do we exhibit strong citizenship?

Word of the Week - 11/15/2010

Looking forward to Thanksgiving break, the word of the week for the week is ABUNDANT.
Abundant means marked by great plenty or supply.  There was an abundant amount of delicious food at the Thanksgiving Lunch last Thursday!

Students might use this word to describe the crops that were picked at the picking parties, or the Thanksgiving lunch this week! Did the first settlers have an abundant supply of food and crops might be a great discussion? There are also lots of great synonyms and antonyms for these words:
Synonyms:
plentiful, ample, aplenty, bounteous, bountiful, comfortable, cornucopian, galore, generous, liberal, plenteous, plenty
Antonyms:
bare, minimal, scant, spare

Have fun!

PTO Enrichment Presentation

Here is the summary of my presentation from the PTO meeting. I have also placed this in a word document on the RES Enrichment class page.
 

PTO Enrichment Discussion 11/9/2010

Enrichment Philosophy

The Enrichment Program at Richmond Elementary School (RES) creates meaningful experiences that enhance all students time at school.  The Enrichment Program provides activities throughout the year for all students, works with teachers to enhance the regular classroom curriculum, and strives to provide academic challenges for all students. The Enrichment Program relies on the teamwork of classroom teachers, school administration, parents and caregivers, and community members to provide outstanding opportunities for our students.

RES Tenets of Enrichment

Enrichment is defined as “the act of improving something”.  This is a broad term that can encompass a wide array of areas. At RES we have tried to define those areas in which we feel enrichment improves  our students' experience by enhancing the enjoyment of learning, and preparing our students for continued success as a community learners and individuals. The Enrichment Program will strive to focus on these skills:

ü  Creativity and Innovation

ü  Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

ü  Communication and Collaboration

ü  Information Media and Technology Skills

ü  Social and Emotional Life Skills

School Wide Enrichment Activities

Word of the Week

ü  Introduces interesting vocabulary to all students

ü  Provides a topic of discussion across grades, within classrooms, and at home

What the research says:

ü  Enriched vocabulary is linked to improved reading comprehension and more interesting and advanced writing

What can parents do to expand on the word of the week and vocabulary?

ü  Make an effort to use new vocabulary 

ü  Have a word of the day/week at your house

ü  Talk about the word of the week, look for it in books you are reading, the context of your daily lives, and expand the idea through discussing synonyms and antonyms

ü  Repeat what students say, using a more advanced vocabulary

Enrichment Challenge

ü  Provides an opportunity for learning to be expanded into areas of student interest at home

ü  Extends learning beyond the classroom in multiple areas of talent

What the research says:

ü  Student talent is diverse and interest and engagement lead to learning!

What can parents do at home?

ü  Work on your enrichment challenge booklet! Pick an activity each week, or encourage students to look at the book when they are “bored”.

ü  Encourage students to try activities that are their strengths, and areas that they may not have developed skills in yet.

Flynn Theater Trips

ü  Provides access for all students to the performing fine arts and encourages the appreciation of arts in our school community

ü  Provides connections to classroom curriculum

What can parents do at home?

ü  Discuss the Flynn theater trip with students

ü  Find other performing art opportunities within our community and share them with your child

After School Program

ü  Provides out of school opportunities for students AND teachers to explore topics that interest them

ü  Provides students with an opportunity to connect with volunteers and community members who are willing to share their time and talent

What can parents do to support this program?

ü  Consider volunteering to teach a program

ü  Discuss what students are doing and learning during their time at afterschool enrichment

ü  Thank community member teachers for sharing their gifts with our school when you pick students up, or see them around town

ü  Fill out the after school enrichment survey, coming soon, to provide feedback on your ideas about this program

Science Fair

ü  Encourages independent and family exploration of science topics

What can parents do to support this program?

ü  Work on a science fair project with your child!

Other Ideas I am considering:

Enrichment Take Home Bags

Enrichment Monthly Contests

Enrichment At School

This is a daily, cooperative venture between the enrichment teacher and classroom teachers and staff. Therefore, by grade level and class the daily activities of enrichment are varied!

My goals for the year include:

ü  Becoming an engaged member of each of the classrooms

ü  Supporting teachers and students in enriching learning in the classroom environment

ü  Clear communication of my work with students

ü  Providing exciting learning experiences for students in areas that interest them

ü  Looking at ways to create a long term approach to enrichment that meets the philosophy and tenets that we have established

I welcome any and all feedback on enrichment.

Contact me at darcierankin@cesu.k12.vt.us or 434-2461.

PTO Meeting/Enrichment Discussion

I will be discussing enrichment at RES at the PTO meeting on Tuesday Nov 9th at 6:30pm. Hope to see you there!

Word of the Week-11/8/2010

The word of the week is vigorous.


Vigorous means characterized by an energetic manner, displaying vitality, or robust.  The fourth graders noticed that the principal was walking to his office in a vigorous manner.

Word of the Week - 11/1/2010

November has arrived--and with this seasonal 'in between' month, we may have some dreary weather!

The word of the week is:
dreary

Dreary means a miserable or unhappy state.
Can you think of some antonyms for this word that are more positive??

Word of the Week- 10/25/2010

In honor of the haunted gym, the word of the week is:

 eerie 

Eerie means creepy or causing fear.  The house on the top of the hill was eerie in the moonlight.

Word of the Week 10/18-10/20

The word of the week is:

MASSIVE


Massive means very large or enormous. 
The high ceiling was held up by massive pillars.


Have fun using this word throughout the week!

The Enrichment Challenge

Today an enrichment challenge was sent home to students in each classroom.  Each student received their own personal scorecard, which will be used for tracking their completion of enrichment activities. The enrichment challenge is a year long, individual challenge!

The enrichment challenge is intended to provide activities in a variety of intellectually stimulating areas.  Students will have the opportunity to perform tasks in areas of strength and interest, and also try NEW things!

I would like to encourage everyone to look over the challenge scorecard, and TAKE THE ENRICHMENT CHALLENGE!

I would love to hear about progress towards completion of these enriching activities!
Have FUN!