Inquiry

Today in math I learned that it can take a lot of warm up to get back into the groove of things... this does not just for running, but for math thought processes and inquiry.
Of course I always "knew" this, but today I truly felt this. It was the first day back from winter break and my first time trying to complex and layered solve quadratic problems and sequences in ... longer than I can remember.

I am still looking forward to finding out other ways that people think and how some people are so much quicker at recognizing math problems than others. Practice? Maybe.
Using the complex problems like we did today with the Gardens and Snakes, we covered a lot of standards...all seemingly in "one" problem. This was exciting. The many steps of the problem were rewarding at the end. What other ways can we use overlapping problems like this in our younger classrooms? How much stamina will the students have to do this and how far do I push them? Indeed that will be different for each class, but these thoughts are floating around in my mind.

I think it's exciting to use such an overlapping problem or scenario to get all standards connected and used. It makes me and the students see that the requirements we have to learn in math are not random and separate but useful and connected to each other.

It was fun to reflect on my own thinking processes through these math snakes and gardens!

Literacy is all around us...

Our literacy readings from this week have been encouraging us to find literacy in any and every area of life. This of course, is exciting! The point of "it's never too early to start introducing literature" was clearly stamped out of the readings and ingrained into our minds. Too me, this sounds like a lovely idea! The earlier the better! Reading to babies and young children, what relaxing and loving way to help people learn! I have had the urge to read with every child I know since reading the articles and revisiting the idea.

Throughout the week I was trying to notice the small ways literature was a part of our lives. It's a daily occurrence for me because I'm a student. I don't really have a choice in the matter of reading or not...pass or fail....earn your dream or let is slip away. Of course I enjoy reading for class, pleasure, and work, but what is it like for other people who aren't surrounded by textbooks? As I looked for all the other sources of literature, I found it was all over the place. Letters, emails, magazines, news, pleasure books (?!) etc. I felt surrounded in the grocery store when I saw all the magazines! And no I did not give into the urge to read about Jennifer Anniston!! I had textbooks awaiting my precious eyes, I couldn't waste them on that! People are indulged in literature in some way or another. Preferences and styles can sure go a long way. Communication in general. goes much farther than the constant list of "essays" (and now blogs) that I'm to write each week. I've enjoyed looking outside of my books this week.

Throughout the past month, I've been learning a great deal about the importance of writing and literacy curriculum's. Through my student teaching and with my "literacy master" of a master teacher, my mind is just spinning with all the new things thrown at me. Like the articles ring home, literacy is constant and so important throughout everyones' education, even mine still....especially mine still! This week we switched from our comfy places with our master teachers to the new and unfamiliar Dyad placements. Holly-Moley! What a difference! Here I am surrounded by raging middle school kids and in a room that has mostly just dictionaries... As helpful as they are I'm worried about the lack of writing and literacy that I have yet to see. Where is that darling class library with green and yellow reading lamps surrounding it?! Now, I am beginning to wonder, is this something I would have even noticed a month ago before I spent so much time learning from a literacy curriculum master...?? Am I just overreacting because of the combination of my September experience and the emphasis of literacy in the weekly readings? Probably...sometimes I do get a little dramatic and tend overact...just sometimes.