5thgradebunch

Early Adopter: Inquiry & Design Challenge
Ridgecrest Critical Thinking/Collaboration

Teaching critical thinking can be done all day long whether you are teaching an academic subject or walking to the cafeteria. We discussed a variety of ways to implement critical thinking at every grade. Students need to be challenged to think continuosly and be given the opportunity to come up with solutions. We researched ideas for writing workstations including using current events to initiate discussion and debate to integrate into their writing. We also learned about a variety of websites that we can start using with our students. Our next step is to have students create short videos introducing the school, administrators and school procedures.

My Destination Postcard If only my students left me in June, knowing that their level of leaning is important and good and smart and that they have the power to expand their own learning and find out what they want to know. Students will use edmodo to communicate what they learned.
 * questioning
 * communication
 * research strategies
 * resources
 * validation
 * project based learning
 * does it make sense to my brain?
 * documentation
 * edmodo
 * blogs
 * peer feedback

__6 Word Memoir__ Exciting, huh?, struggling, hoping, searching, learning.

Name: > http://groups.diigo.com/group/sbisd-early-adopters
 * =====Campus:Ridgecrest =====
 * =====Grade Level(s):5th =====
 * =====<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Discipline:LA & SS =====
 * =====<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Topic: =====
 * =====Focus Question: d//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">raft a focus question and subquestions, that include student learning - please be prepared to revise these throughout the challenge //=====
 * ===== Resources: //s// //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">earch for existing resources (articles, websites, blogs, videos, etc.) - please be sure to add them to our [|Diigo] //=====


 * An Opportunity in Overalls **

How is your journey like that of a storyteller? Of a researcher?

The story is taking on a life of its own as I attend each session. It is growing faster that I can keep up and grow.

What question did you start out to find answer(s) to? What is Early Adopters about.


 * What tweaks, edits, modifications have you made to your focus question? Changed it from students working on a blog to students working on Edmodo.
 * What question(s) remain? Finding enough time to allow students to work on Edmodo while juggling 3 rotations of 90 minute language arts class and a social studies class.
 * What new questions have surfaced as a result of your exploration this far? Am I the slowest learner in the group? How am I going to continue implementing this focus while preparing students for STAAR.

As a researcher:

What are you measuring? Students eagerness to participate.


 * What patterns are surfacing? We start to get into the groove and are interrupted by testing etc.
 * What themes are emerging?
 * What does your data suggest?

As a learner:


 * Where have you allowed yourself to be vulnerable in this process? Letting go of control and acting more as facilitator.
 * How are you allowing yourself, your professional learning to be 'seen'?
 * In what way(s) have you found the courage to be 'imperfect'?
 * What //a-ha!// moments, elements of a 'spiritual awakening'/"breakdown" have you experienced? What might these insights suggested to you?

What story is unfolding from your research? Students gain more understanding from creating and answering questions about on level chapter books read in class.

3 Rules
 * Be willing to step back and let students take control.
 * Ask questions constantly.
 * Understand rigor is not doing more.

Getting Started
 * ===== Activity: =====
 * 1) Individually, design a student resource, activity type, or mini-challenge to try in the classroom over the next month to test. Then, get feedback from partners.
 * 2) Try out resource, activity type, or project during the month(s), documenting plan, process, execution and reflection and collect student work samples.
 * <//please add link to Round 1 activity//>

//Please create a page for your activities that will help others understand the steps you are taking in your inquiry and design process.//

**Creating Your Activity Page [[image:sbisdlearnsymphony/InqDesign.png align="right"]]**

 * 1) Please make a new page:
 * Title: <name, topic, Round 1>
 * Template: activity design
 * Tag : design, campus
 * 1) SAVE your page
 * 2) Check to be sure your page appears at the top of our Activity Share page

//example:// Jennifer F. Round 1st