Curiosity is the very basis of education and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only the cat died nobly- Arnold Edinborough

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When was the last time you explored the moving parts hidden inside of your VCR, or marveled at the spools of copper wire tucked neatly into the compartments of your hair dryer? I would like to send a big “thank you!” to everyone who was able to donate their old electronics to our current science unit. For the past two weeks our classroom has been transformed into a place where students are eager to look beyond surface features and explore exactly what makes the electronics in our world tick. Our focus during this unit is NOT on leaving with a perfect understanding of how stereo decks work or why baby monitors are able to transmit sounds. The deconstruction process in our classroom is a way for us to become familiar with the way scientists move through the scientific process.

Beginning with observations and questions we are learning that knowing where to start in the experiment is incredibly important. After our observations and questions have been recorded we have been using diagrams as a way to make predictions and form hypotheses about what we might discover inside of each item. Knowing that buttons need to be able to bounce back into place after being pushed allows us to hypothesize that our VCR must have a few springs inside of it. Knowing that our Rumba has wheels that need to move as it navigates its way around our house makes us believe that there must be a motor hidden somewhere inside as well. In the next few weeks our class will begin to sort the items we have discovered inside of our electronics with the hopes of gathering enough materials to begin building some creations of our own. If you have any electronics with motors inside of them that you are willing to donate, our class will welcome them with open arms.

Thank you again for making all of this possible!

Lauren

“The most interesting information comes from children, for they tell all they know and then stop”-Mark Twain

Classroom Update

Dear Families,

Over the past few months our class has spent time developing non-fiction research skills, experimenting with the fundamentals of electricity and most recently, delving into persuasive writing techniques. Hopefully you will find that this letter increases your understanding of what has been going on in class and adds to the conversations that you have with your students around the dinner table.

 Best,

Lauren

Social Studies

Did you know that Kansas used to be underwater or that the polar bears living in Alaska are no longer having twins due to the melting of the polar ice caps?

After beginning our year by exploring maps and our surrounding neighborhood we quickly turned our attention to the United States during our social studies theme time. Instead of spending our time

memorizing where each of the states is on the map, we have instead been uncovering interesting facts about each state using non-fiction texts. Our goal in this unit is to become comfortable asking questions, and finding answers. Since the start of our unit we have all been researching the same state at the same time. However, in the coming weeks your child will have the opportunity to pick a state that he or she would like to study with a partner and later share with the class. The goal of this research will be to uncover as many interesting facts as possible, in hopes of persuading the class that their state should be everyone’s vacation destination of choice. You can help prepare for this independent study project by gathering non-fiction books at home and helping your child navigate and explore the index, table of contents and the glossary in each book.

Science

Electricity!Zap! What exactly is inside of that battery and how in the world do light switches work? These are the questions that our class has been grappling with over the past few months and with each lesson, a little more of the mystery has been uncovered. We began our unit by brainstorming what we already knew about electricity. We knew, of course, that we needed it to light our streets and homes and that our computers and televisions would be worthless without it however, when it came to what electricity actually was we had a harder time coming up with ideas. Therefore, we decided to begin our science unit by using batteries to create our own demonstrations of electricity in hopes that a great deal of hands on learning could help us understand the concept more fully.

Using copper wires, flashlight bulbs and D-Cell batteries we created simple circuits which allowed the electrons in the batteries to flow freely and light the light bulb in our circuit. After seeing that our copper wire could be used to allow the electrons to flow freely from one side of the battery to the other, we began to question what it was about the copper wire that allowed the electrons to zoom through and create electricity. Soon we began building our own conductivity testers in which we could determine which materials were conductors, allowing electrons to flow freely, and which weren’t. In the final weeks before break we used our knowledge of circuits and conductors to help send Morose code messages across the classroom using telegraph wires and a handy cheat sheet.

As our final weeks of our electricity unit come to a close we will be working to create a small scale neighborhood in which the lights in each house can be controlled by a light switch. If possible,

 

PLEASE HELP US CONTINUE OUR SCIENCE RESEARCH BY DONATING D-CELL BATTERIES AND FLASHLIGHT BULBS TO OUR CLASSROOM!

 

It would be wonderful to finish this unit off with new working materials and donations are greatly appreciated! Thank you! Our next topic of study will magnetism!

Math

This Friday I will be sending home the post-tests for the first round of geometry, fractions, number sense and algebra. The best way for you to help your child prepare for the next round of each math cohort is to go through the different problems and to think through the concepts that were missed on the post-test. Each new round of cohorts builds off of the skills acquired in the previous round, and extra practice at home in a 1:1 setting is a great way to move deeply into any material that still proves to be confusing for your child. If you have any questions in regards to how you can help practice problems and review concepts at home, please e-mail me!

 Writing

For the next few weeks we will be working on developing strong persuasive writing skills. The first few topics will be provided, but as we move forward each child will begin to select topics of their choosing. In class we are currently focusing on integrating transition words into our writing. Words such as: furthermore, also, first, second, in addition to and finally, are great ways to help organize thinking and give a clear structure to persuasive writing. When you child is finished writing, you can begin the editing process by having him/her read the work aloud. Often times kids catch the most mistakes simply by reading their writing aloud. If you take care of the spelling and the missing letters/words, I promise to tackle the tough stuff at school .

Spelling

We will be having spelling tests on Thursday afternoons for the remainder of the year in honor of the national spelling bee. I believe that students do best on tests when they are motivated to take them. It is for this reason that kids can request a spelling test at any time. If they want to spend Monday night studying so that they are fresh for Tuesday morning they simply need to ask for an early test date. As always, we are emphasizing that spelling is NOT as important as the content and ideas in a writing piece and that correct spelling comes last in the writing process. We will be having an OPTIONAL spelling bee at the end of February for students interested in participating.

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. -Confucius

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

So often people ask this question and expect a quick response. When I took a minute to answer this question for myself I promptly answered that I grew up wanting to be a lawyer. A few minutes into writing this post, I realized that there was also a time when I wanted to be an author… and an illustrator…but only until I decided that what I really wanted to do was work in a fancy hotel and chauffeur famous people around in a limousine. As a child you are designed for “mind changing.” You are supposed to obsess over dinosaurs one week and spend all of your time racing your bike the next. You are supposed to pledge your undying devotion to Picasso and later forget where you placed your easel; and you are supposed to explore your options so that one day you might have the good fortune of falling into a job that you love.

Our weekly neighborhood walk has recently sparked classroom discussions about the job opportunities available to future Trillium graduates. The mini-marts, barber shops, newspaper stands, and college students we see on our weekly trek to the library have each gotten us thinking about life after Trillium. Our visit to Lilko, the Hawaiian restaurant owned by two Trillium parents, started the ball rolling, and after meeting two individuals who clearly love what they do, we too have been searching for jobs that make us pulse with joy.

In order to organize our thoughts we have been spending our Tuesday mornings creating a list of all of the jobs that make our neighborhood run. Train conductors, electricians, welders, architects, florists, chefs and engineers have all made our list, and our collection of professions has continued to grow as the weeks have passed.

If there are any parents who would be willing to come in to our classroom and talk to us about their job, the school they are currently attending, or the long list of jobs they had before they finally fell into one they loved, please contact me. If you are unable to come in but are able to write-up a short paragraph or two describing your job and why you love it, I would also appreciate that information.

Here’s hoping that your work week is something that you can’t wait to get back to .

And as always, be well.

Education is all a matter of building bridges. – Ralph Ellison

How would you build if no one ever told you the "right" way?

Every Monday, rain or shine, our class journeys to our neighborhood library. Although the orderly rows of just right books are our final destination, it always seems as though the time we spend walking side by side is the truly valuable part of that hour. In not so orderly paris of twos and threes, we make our way down Killingsworth, taking in the sights and the sounds of our neighborhood. It is on this walk that connections are made, and it takes nothing more than a shared sidewalk and a common destination for a third grader and a fifth grader to strike up a conversation. Observations are shared we move along the streets but in a class full of students it always seems that more than a few need a constructive way to connect with the space around them. Over the next few months we will be working to recreate a small model of our neighborhood, focusing first on the bridge we cross on our walk each Monday and later on the diverse shops that make up Trillium’s home. Junk supplies are always welcome and appreciated.

This week I invite you to spend some time thinking about the buildings that are important in your neighborhood. If you could pick just one to re-create, what would it be?

Until next time, be well.

“An environment-based education movement–at all levels of education–will help students realize that school isn’t supposed to be a polite form of incarceration, but a portal to the wider world.” – Richard Louv

Each year teachers everywhere sit down and brainstorm ways to create strong classroom communities. It is our hope that over the course of a year classrooms of strangers will morph into the closest of families and that names once unknown will find themselves on the envelopes of new birthday invitations. In the past I’ve tackled community building with name-games and cooperative problem solving activities, class potlucks and back to school nights. Yet, it wasn’t until I arrived at Trillium that anyone proposed that I take a group of over 80 students into the woods for three days. Trillium is truly a place full of surprises.

Although the trees and beauty of Oregon have grown on me over the past three years, camping still has not made its way onto my list of preferred activities. When I was told that a 3-4-5 campout was an Intermediate tradition a few specific worries fluttered through my mind: lost children, poison oak, homesickness, and bugs. Many of you by now have heard firsthand about the terrors of the wasps we witnessed on the trip. Many of you may have not heard about our miraculous three days of sunshine or the extreme acts of kindness that ensued as a result of a group of hungry insects.

The closest of friendships are often the result of nothing more than proximity. When you are young, a seat next to someone in a new carpool qualifies you for best friend status and a frantic flight away from a swarm of hungry insects is all it takes for a cabin of strangers to find common ground. On our campout students who had never met before openly invited others to join them inside of their lodges and night time campfires that could have been segregated by class or grade were intermingled, as students sought out new carpool and cabin mates. If ever there were a way to break the barriers of grade and class, camping in the midst of the furry of nature seems to be it.

In the next few weeks thank-you notes and campout reflections will drive the thinking in our classroom and all along the way our group will work to figure out how to capture the sense of community that developed at camp Whispering Winds. Once the excitement of each sting has worn off, I invite you to begin your dinner table conversations with questions about new friends, late night smores, sunny fishing docks, and campfire stories.

We will miss you camp Whispering Winds (not all of you).
As always, be Well.

We cannot create observers by saying “observe…” -Maria Montessori

This gallery contains 2 photos.

Careful observation is something that seems to come naturally to children.  After all, a piece of food carefully tucked in between one’s teeth doesn’t stand a chance in the presence of a five-year old, and children are often the first to recognize when something treasured is missing in even the messiest of bedrooms.  Often we tell each [...]

Welcome Back!

September 1, 2011

WELCOME BACK!

Dear Parents / Guardians,

Welcome back to school!  I hope that your summer was filled with sunshine, good friends, and great thinking.  Joining a new teaching team and school community this past month has been extremely exciting for me and I am anxious to get to know each of your students as we prepare to enter into our first year together.  I am arriving at Trillium with three years of teaching experience, a Masters in Teaching from Marylhurst University and a great passion for digging in and getting dirty!

In these beginning months it is important to me that I take time to learn about my students both inside and outside of the classroom and I believe that the adults in my students’ lives have the insight necessary to start the year off on the right foot. In order to help me get to know your child better, please answer the following questions and return them to school.  Although your student will have a chance to answer these questions independently in class, PLEASE feel free to involve them in the process.  If there is any additional information that you believe will help me understand your student better, please jot down those thoughts as well.

Throughout the year you can contact me at:

e-mail               lauren@trilliumcharterschool.org

phone                          (661) 510-6766

class website  laurenkristensen@wordpress.net

 Best,

Lauren Kristensen

Child’s Name:

Parent or Guardian’s Name(s):

The best way for me to contact you:

My child likes to be called:

My child’s favorite activities are:

My child’s favorite part of school is:

My child enjoys participating  in the following activities/hobbies outside of school:

A way that you would like volunteer or contribute to our class and times when you would be available (this can be anything from sharing your job expertise to reading with small groups of students):

Anything else I should know: