Key Concepts in Math

In math, we have been using the key concepts to develop our understanding of mathematical concepts. The Grade 5 learners inquired into "factoring" while the Grade 6 learners investigated "rounding". One goal we are working on as a class is to share the air time!

In the video above, you can see the Grade 6's discussing the function of rounding.

As we had our conversation, we used sentence starters to help us build on each others' ideas to be effective communicators. This is a skill that we have been practicing during our book clubs as a part of reading workshop!

Below is an example of the ideas that we came up with from our discussion. 

This poster below is a representation of what the Grade 5 learners thought they knew when they started to learn about factoring. We will go back to this poster next week and show in a different color how our thinking and knowledge changes!

 

 

The Process of Learning

 

This week, we inquired into the question Claire posted onto our Wonder Wall: 

What is learning?

With this question in mind, we used a visible thinking routine called "chalk talk" to share our thinking when we saw the words asking, thinking, and doing.

We suggested that we use the following sentence starters in our writing to help us develop our ideas through written communication:

• I notice...
• I think...
• In my opinion...
• Adding onto what ____ said...
• I agree/disagree because...
• for example...

Some additional sentence starters introduced by Miss d'Amours were:

• So what you are saying is that... (paraphrasing)
• What do you mean by...? (asking for clarification)
• I share your point of view (agreeing)

We came to the conclusion that this visual is a representation of the process of learning! The blue sticky notes represent our thinking during chalk talk and the pink sticky notes represent examples we came up with. 

We have also been inquiring into how self-assessment and goal-setting can help us develop specific skills. 

Here, Keira is using a continuum to sort the components of research skills into the following categories:

• Shared: Others do, I watch
• Guided: I do, others help
• Independent: I do, others watch
• Leading: I do, others learn

This vital step of self-reflection helps each of us to determine which goals are appropriate to work towards. 

Making Sense of the Central Idea

This week, the central idea of our first unit was revealed: 

Our mindsets and understanding of the process of learning enable us to build skills and habits to reach our goals.  

We looked at different chunks of the central idea and considered what the words meant, made connections, and drew illustrations of our visualizations. 

Once we made sense of the four sections of the central idea, we got together in groups to rewrite it in our own words. Check out what Miles' group came up with! You can see the rewritten central ideas by the other groups on the pink slips on the photo above. 

We also used a visible thinking routine called 3, 2, 1 Bridge to reflect on how our understanding of the word "learning" changed before and after watching the video below. 

Our understanding of learning changed as we found out that our brains are malleable, meaning that they can stretch and grow like muscles! 

This realization led to our research about the concept of a growth mindset using our newly learned skill of sketchnoting. 

This visual note-taking strategy helps us as the dual-coding theory suggests that our brains process information more effectively when both verbal associations and visual imagery are being used.

Take a look at how we processed our learning in different ways by making various connections! 

We watched this video and this video as well as other resources we found through our own investigation.