Footprint Follow-up and DNA!

As the last class before break, we spent some time reflecting and goal setting for the new year.  I am proud of all this class has accomplished.  I can already see a lot of growth and love watching them apply the language and skills of our Habits of Mind!  

We also did some field study follow up looking at a crime scene as a system and sharing about our highlights and takeaways of the trip.  We mixed in some math by looking at our footprints and using them to predict our height.  Students checked their measurements to see the correlation.

Labeling the parts of the crime scene system.

Measuring our shoe print.

Checking our predictions

Finally we practiced our close reading skills to understand DNA and its use as evidence in court. Students summarized their findings and challenged each other with comprehension questions they had created.

Close reading

CSI Field Study with the Richland County Sheriff's Department

We had a fantastic trip today!  Thank you to the sheriff's department and our wonderful chaperons! (Photo Credits to Mr. Shealy)

Getting ready to load the bus!

Students viewed a presentation by Investigator Bouknight about all things crime scene related and then rotated through three crime solving stations...

Investigator Bouknight speaks to students about crime scene investigation.

Footprints- Detective Carrie assisted each student in making a footwear print. Students made observations and learned about footprints as forensic evidence.  They learned several techniques for finding and lifting prints including using a gel lifter, electricity paired with mylar film, and dental stone for casting.  They also learned about using oblique lighting to find tracks and photographing prints as the most important form of documentation.

Fingerprints- Students heard investigators talk about the three types of fingerprints and how even seemingly similar prints can reveal unique differences.  Students got to be fingerprinted themselves and examined their own print pattern.

Mock Crime Scene- Students documented the scene by sketching the site and evidence.  They also learned to use magnetic powder to dust for prints.

The Parts of Thinking

      Today we continued on with several of the activities from last week.  Students were able to take a closer look at their heart rate data and describe the data set using the measures of central tendency they have learned.  They also finished up part 2 of our Children's Guide to Critical Thinking which focused on the parts of thinking: Purpose, Question, Information, Concept, Assumption, Inference, Point of View, Implications and Conclusions.

     We did our daily brain workout with our morphic thinking.  The kids really enjoyed this song that was our lead in to our boundary breaker sharing.  We also looked at a different type of grid reasoning puzzle and used out Habit of Mind, Persisting, to try out some of those.  We also created some similes as our spontaneous problem.  Students made comparisons of themselves when managing and not managing their impulsivity.  They came up with some cute ones!

• When I manage my impulsivity I am like a graceful gazelle.
• When I don't manage my impulsvity I am like a kitty pouncing on a mouse.
• When I manage my impulsivity I am like a cool steady river.
• When I don't manage my impulsvity I am like a nonstop talking parrot.

     Our CSI focus today was on the close reading of an articles about fingerprints.  Here is what we discovered... 65% of people have a loop fingerprint, 30% have a whorl, and only 5% have a arch.

     Finally, we checked out our new Renzulli replacement.  The company has revamped and renamed the program.  We will now be differentiating with online enrichment using GoQuest.  See everyone next week on our CSI field study!

It Beats Me: Heart Rate Data Project

     We were back to our data investigations this week.  Students are completing a real world project to show what they know about creating line plots and describing a data set in terms of median, mode, and range.  Students are working in partners to use the results to answer our question, "How fast does the heart of a third grader beat after exercise?"  Today we collected data by measuring our heart rates after two minutes of jumping jacks.  

Line Plot Rough Drafts

     Our Habit of Mind focus for today was Gathering Data through all Senses.  Students connected this to crime scene investigation by making observations of evidence.  They learned the terms quaLitative (describe with Language) and quaNtitative (measure with Numbers). They also watched this video and learned the definition of inference and how inferences help explain the observations that we make. 

Inference- an explanation of an observation based on prior knowledge.

An Explanation of an

Observation based on

Prior

Knowledge

      We wrapped up our day with part 2 of our Critical Thinking video series.  We looked at the 5 standards of critical thinking (clear, accurate, fair, relevant, logical) and questions we can ask ourselves to make sure we are meeting each one.  We also did some brain stretching plexers.  Try these for yourself!

Interrupting Chicken

     This week we spent our time together taking a closer look at several Habits of Mind.  First we read the book Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein and discussed it as a non-example of managing impulsivity, thinking before acting, and using your brain to manage your body.  Students then created their our Interrupting ___________ stories and presented them to the class.  I'll tell you, we have quite the creative crew!

     Our second Habit of Mind focus was on Metacognition.  We used the metaphor of the students having the power to "drive their brains"- put on the brakes to rethink and reflect, put on the gas to be proactive and take initiative in their learning, and in this reflection, make choices that put them on the road to success!  For more on metacognition for children, check out this article.

Metagognition Article

     We also did some brain stretching using deductive reasoning puzzles-my favorite!  Try your hand at these!

Sports Logic Puzzle

Pet Mix-Up Puzzle

Line Plots and Forensic Science

     We packed it in today!  In math we worked on creating line plots with data and using the graph to find the median, mode, and range of the set.  The students are impressing me with their ability to explain their thinking through writing!  We also learned the basics of forensic science and the order of events when a crime scene is processed.  Students learned about Locard's Principal that criminals always take a trace of something with them and leave a trace of something behind at a crime scene. They also learned about collecting that evidence and how it gets from the crime scene to the court room.

Plotting Data

Forensic Science Research

An Eye for Details

     Our time was short today, but we made the most of it!  Students witnessed a theft in our own classroom and used what we learned about composite sketches to make a drawing of the perpetrator. We then looked at some online activities testing their powers of observation and helping them match the suspect with the crime.  Try them for yourself!

Art of Crime Detection

Perp Walk

Face Memory

The Thief

     We also go the treat of listening to author Kevin Kurtz speak to students about salt marsh ecology and how to become a published writer!

Rate, Eye Witness Accounts, and the Case of the Sugar Shaker

This week we were able to finish our Digging for Data math lesson on rate. Each student completed three trails counting the number leaps they could do in one minute. We used this data to understand the concept of the median in a group of numbers and how it can be used when looking for a "typical" result from the set.

     We spent some time talking about interrogation and students were tested on their questioning skills as well as their powers of observation.  Through our various activities they came to realize that eye witness accounts aren't always accurate and our memory can be altered.

We also took a pre-assessment on forensic science and learned some at-home techniques for dusting for fingerprints. We checked those prints with our suspect samples to determine the culprit in The Case of the Sugar Shaker!

Systems Kick-off!

Our favorite activity of the day was kicking off our year-long theme of Systems. Students interpreted the definition of a system and worked in teams to brainstorm examples. They came up with some great ones! We also named the different features of systems, (boundary, input, output, elements, & interactions) drew and labeled the parts of a system, created a list of generalizations about systems, and competed in a friendly Kahoot quiz to show off what we had learned.

Generalization for Systems:

• Systems have parts that work together to create a whole.
• Systems interact.
• Parts of systems are interdependent upon one another.
• A system may be influenced by another system.

The nervous system with features labeled.

A pond ecosystem with features labeled.

We had our commencing Digging for Data math lesson and students looked at both their rights and obligations as we embark. This math curriculum focuses heavily on discussion, defense of one's thinking, and writing about concepts. Today, we started an activity and conversation about rate that we will continue next week. We also looked for relationships as we solved word and figural analogies.

The Brain and Mindset

This week we focused on meta-cognition.  (Thinking about our thinking!)

     We kicked off our Morphic Thinking morning routine where students warm-up with a spontaneous problem and boundary breaker.  We will be including these weekly.

Spontaneous Problem: A spontaneous problem is a brainstorming type problem to be solved in a specific amount of time and scored according to the number and creativity of responses generated. The point is to challenge students to be flexible thinkers, to elaborate on original ideas and to think fluently and creatively about a specific topic.

Today's Spontaneous Problem: Name things in the ALERT room.

Boundary Breaker:  A boundary breaker is a group experience which works toward creating a sense of community. Students gain an awareness of and respect for the opinion of others by the use of questions that go beyond superficial depth and have no right/wrong answers. Boundary Breakers also provoke a higher level of thought that merges cognitive and affective thinking.

Today's Boundary Breaker: What is thinking? Why is thinking important?

Carrying on with the same theme, students learned about the connections they make in their brain when they learn and how to strengthen these pathways. They were able to draw their conception of their brain, feel a brain, and use various resources to discover the parts of the brain and how they work together for your body to function. This year we want to be very intentional about building a growth mindset in students. It will be our goal to emphasize the part of effort and perseverance in learning and intelligence as something that can be grown or grow stagnant. To evaluate our current perspective on intelligence, we took the mindset quiz at this link. Feel free to take it yourself! We want to turn "I can't do it!" into "I can't do it yet!"  

Brain Pre-Assessment

 Touching a "brain".

The real brain: a soft cheese mold

We also took a pre-assessment for our upcoming math unit and looked at critical thinking and different types of thinkers. Ask you child about Naive Nancy, Selfish Sam, and Fair-minded Fran. Students should recognize quality thinking as accurate, fair, clear, relevant, and logical.

NERDS!

     It's great to be back for our second week!  This week we explored our creative side by discussing and demonstrating the four keys to creative thinking.  We began by taking a simple figure, looking at it from various perspectives (flexible thinking), brainstorming what it could become (fluency of ideas), choosing the idea like no one else's (originality), and filling in the details of our picture (elaboration)! Our lesson was themed around our mascots of creativity the NERDS candies which the students got to enjoy while they worked. These creative pieces became the covers of our ALERT binders reminding us to "think outside the box"!

 

     Our other main focus for the day was looking into Art Costa's Habits of Mind.  We discussed these strategies of successful people and discussed ways we do and will use them this year inside and outside our classroom.  Student team completed in a pre and post lesson matching game where every pair came out on top improving their understanding of the ideas.

  Other happenings were the creating of a class fingerprint archive just in case we need it for future suspects in future tomfoolery, putting the finishing touches on our writer's notebooks, playing the part of graphologists as we analyzed handwriting samples, and getting started on our learner profiles at RenzulliLearning.com.

     I hope your student enjoyed today.  I did!

Game On!

     We had a wonderful first day!  We began by getting acclimated to the classroom and some of our ALERT procedures and resources.  Students got to know one another and myself with a mingling "Who Fits?"  grid activity and we were able to compare some likes and interests.

     Knowing yourself is important as a learner, so we spent some time talking about what it means to be gifted and some of the rights and responsibilities that brings.  Students should understand that gifted doesn't mean being great at everything or making straight A's.  We want them to recognize their potential and develop perseverance and flexibility when approaching tasks.  We looked at some famous individuals known for their giftedness and reflected on the impact we can have on the world when we reach our potential!

     Finally, the highlight of our day was being introduced to our first focus area of the year: CSI.  We did some crime scene investigating by studying classroom evidence for clues and found that by looking at past impressions, a ransom note can be more than meets the eye. Check out more CSI activities at this link!

     I am already looking forward to next week and I hope you are too!

Getting ready to give our brains a workout!

Getting to know you!

Examining the evidence.