Jigsaw Learning - Putting the Pieces Together

There are many times when the things that must be taught and learned are best taught and learned together.  This week, students in the Glass Class were directed into groups of three or four.  Each group chose different non-fiction books about things in our Solar System.  They read their books many times in order to become experts on the materials.

They evaluated the main ideas of their books and wrote down details to support those ideas.  To illustrate what they had read and learned, the students began creating lesson plans.  Their job is now to teach the other groups what they have learned.  They will teach each other through the use of displays, oral presentations, drama, and more.  They will also evaluate themselves and each other.  This will be an exciting week in the Glass Class.

Moon Party!

One way to celebrate what students have learned in their science lessons about outer space is to throw a Moon Party.  The second grade students of Harrison Elementary School did just that.  Mrs. McClintock, Mrs. Wiley, Mrs. Brail and Mr. Glass did just that.  Mr. Glass is also a member of the Warsaw Astronomical Society.  Mr. Jarrett, a fifth grade teacher at Harrison, is also a member.  The two of them invited other members of the group to join them in setting up the party for the students and their families.  Two of the astronomers who came were Mr. Dan Lippencott and Mr. Kurt Eberhardt.  Mr. Eberhardt teaches Astronomy at Warsaw High School and is President of the Astronomical Society.

Dozens and dozens of students and their families came to the party which was held in the front circle of Harrison Elementary.  Guided by their teachers, the students were able to view the Moon and the planets Venus and Saturn.  Three large telescopes and binoculars were made available to the students.  Mr. Jarrett brought a large Dobsonian telescope that was painted like a giant candy cane.  He spent much of the time introducing the students to Saturn and Venus.  Mr. Lippencott and Mr. Glass gave students the opportunity to view the moon up close and personal.  Mr. Glass connected his telescope to a computer so many people could view the moon at one time.

The teachers and the astronomers wish to thank the parents for giving their children the opportunity to celebrate the things they have been learning in their classrooms.  They also appreciated the great questions asked by parents and students alike.  This event will be long-remembered by all who attended.

A student takes over the controls of the 8" LX200 telescope.

This photo was taken by a second grade student.  The student quickly learned how to use the telescope, camera, and computer software necessary for the photo.

Party-goers pose with one of the telescopes.

Mr. Lippencott dials in a view of the Moon for the students.

Another view of the Moon captured by a second grade student.

Students try out a pair of binoculars.

A family views the Moon through a Nikon camera with a 500mm lens.

Students loved taking photographs of the Moon.

Mr. Glass showed students how to use a computer to see through a telescope.

A student took this photo of Saturn using the Nikon camera and a 500mm lens.

A Class Act

I am straying a bit from the normal fare of our classroom blog to share what I think is an important story.

This past Monday, the soccer teams of Harrison and Jefferson elementary schools in Warsaw faced off in their season-opening match.  The referee, Mr. Ron Burns, inspected the players' gear and met with the team captains.

Then, for the first time in my many years as a player and coach, Mr. Burns did something that literally gave me goosebumps.

He call all of the starting players together and had them line up along the sideline.  He told them that this was their first game of the season and they should make an Olympic-style entrance.  The players walked single file toward each other, turning at the midfield stripe as seen in the photo.

Near the middle of the pitch, Mr. Burns stopped and had the players turn back to there respective sides. The teams were now perfectly aligned, facing their parents and fans.  Then, they waved and took their places on the field.  It was a Class Act.  Mr. Burns was not required to do that, but in so doing, he created a memory that will outlive the final score.

Thank you, Mr. Burns.

What Have I Done?

When my second graders come in from their lunch recess, I enjoy reading to them for a few minutes before we dive into Math.  This year, I started with the book shown here, Miss Daisy is Crazy.

If you haven't read it, it is about a second grader named A. J.   He hates school.  Miss Daisy says she hates school, too.  A. J. doesn't like Reading or Math.  Neither does Miss Daisy.  The kids realize they are going to have to teach their teacher the things she needs to know to keep her job.

Miss Daisy's class decides they want to buy the school so they can turn it into a video arcade.  They ask Principal Klutz if that will be okay.  He said he could not do that but he would rent it to them for an evening if they read a million pages of books.

Today, my Principal, Mr. Snider, walked through our room with our district's Chief Academic Officer.  I was conferencing with a student while our guests chatted with the rest of the class.  I never dreamed it would happen, but my kids asked asked Principal Snider if they could buy the school and turn it into a video arcade.  I'll keep you posted.

The Face Says it All - Sometimes

This is a really happy photo.  I'll bet you smiled when you looked at this happy student, working and sharing with a partner.  Teachers and parents smile when they see things like this happen at school.  Unfortunately, not all kids smile.

I used to want kids to smile because I believed it validated my teaching.  It doesn't.  Student learning validates my teaching.  Not all happy students are good learners and not all unsmiling students are poor learners.

Today was a really special day.  I was able to connect with one of those unsmiling students.  I'm not sure if the student knew it.  All of the signs said he was not learning, but he has been.  I saw it.  I won't miss it again.  I am not sure if he is happy about it.  He still hasn't smiled.  I'm good with that.

Dreams Came True for this Pilot

After flying over Harrison Elementary with Captain Alan Hoover, Mrs. Heather Lackey returned to the school with Captain Patrick McAlee.  Captain McAlee met with the second graders and explain how he dreamed of being a pilot when he was their age.  He became a licensed pilot at age 16 and now pilots large commercial aircraft as well as his Pitts Super-modified S1-SS stunt plane.  He will be performing at the Warsaw Air Show tomorrow at the Warsaw Airport.

Captain Patrick McAlee autographs photos for the Harrison second graders.
photo by Rick Glass

Patrick McAlee in his super-modified Blue Demon Pitts S1-SS. 

Eyes to the Skies

A few dreams came true for Harrison Elementary second graders as Captain Alan Hoover flew his Stearman 450 biplane over the playground during their lunch recess today.  The students excitedly returned his wave as he circled the school.

Mrs. Heather Lackey, former Harrison parent arranged the visit with Mr. Snider, Principal, and Mr. Glass, second grade teacher.  The event was designed in conjunction with the Warsaw Air Show being held on August 17 at the Warsaw Airport.  Many acrobatic and vintage airplanes are slated to appear along with many other surprises for attendees.  Rumors persist that one of the planes will be racing a professional driver from NASCAR.

Captain Alan Hoover waves at the Harrison Second Graders as he circles their school.
photo by Rick Glass

Mrs. Heather Lackey photographs the students as Captain Hoover maneuvers his Stearman Biplane.
photo by Rick Glass

Captain Alan Hoover and his Stearman 450.
photo by Rick Glass

Captain Hoover banks his plane toward Harrison Elementary School
photo by Heather Lackey

Much of the forty-acre Harrison Campus is captured in this photograph.
photo by Heather Lackey

The camera captures the waving students on the Primary Playground.
photo by Heather Lackey

Mr. Glass takes photos of the Captain Hoover and Mrs. Lackey as they
 fly above the Harrison playground.  Do you see him?
photo by Heather Lackey

When I Grow Up

Pilot Alan Hoover and his Stearman biplane
Photo by Rick Glass

Our second graders have begun talking about what they want to be when they grow up.  I was fortunate to be able to arrange a visit with some special friends.

The day after that visit will feature a special event for Warsaw area, an air show featuring antique and acrobatic airplanes.  The Warsaw Airport is only a few miles from Harrison Elementary.

Alan Hoover, the pilot of this Stearman biplane, will be circling the playgrounds of our school on Friday when the students are at their lunch recess.  The plan is for the students to watch him and other pilots do some rolls and dives.  The students will return to class and, shortly afterwards, Mr. Hoover and his friends will drive to our school to meet with them.  He will tell them of his career as a pilot for the United States Air Force and his love for flying.  He will also share photos of them at recess, taken by Mrs. Heather Lackey who will be in the plane with him.  Mrs. Lackey is the parent of a former Harrison student and fellow photographer.   I will share photos that I will take during the flyover.

This event will be a great community connection for our students and perhaps inspire them to dream a bit about their futures.  For more information about the Warsaw Air Show, please follow the link.

What stuck with you today?

If you are a parent, how many times have you asked your child what he or she learned in school?  How many times has the answer been, "Nuthin'" or, "I don't know," if you got an answer at all.  If you are a student, how many times have you dreaded that question.

Thanks to a suggestion on Pinterest, I am able to give kids answers to that question.  At the end of each day, I ask my second graders to get a Stickie and write something special they remember about the day.  They post them on the wall as shown in the photo.

They now have a connection with a special memory that they can share with their parents and I get to peek into their minds and see the kinds of things that stick in their heads.  Here are a few of their somewhat memorable memories of today.  Spelling and grammar have not been repaired.


"I had to wate on the bus for breakfast."

"We got homework."

"We got to now the planets."

"We learned about the Planat Murkre."

"My techer is a majeshun."

"I learnd what the clostess moon is to the sun."

"We did do math."

"I learnd a lot of thengs."

I can say that by doing this everyday, I am learning a lot of "Thengs," too.

Our First Day of School

Kids are like crayons.  I am sure glad they aren't all alike.

It was a wonderful day!  Twenty of my twenty-two students tiptoed into my classroom with no idea of what to expect.  I helped them store their supplies as they began looking around the classroom.

We only had ten minutes for introductions as we headed off to explore the Library.   After listening to a story from our Librarian, the students worked on choosing Just Right Books from the shelves.  We took a tour of the school on the way back to our room.  Once there, I shared one of my favorite picture books, Chrysanthemum.  Chrysanthemum is the story of a mouse attending school for the first time.  She is teased mercilessly by some of the girls in her class.  The book was a good foundation for treating each other fairly and with respect.

The book was also a great transition into a whole-class discussion about rules for our classroom.  The students wrote two to three rules that they thought would be important.  They shared their ideas with each other and then each student selected a favorite and shared it with the entire class.  They wrote them on stickies and posted them on the wall.

I led the students in discovering that all of their ideas could be sorted into three groups.  The groups were; respect for your right to learn, respect for the right of others to learn, and respect for the teacher's right to teach.  We made an anchor chart, signed it and hung it on the wall.  Next, I had to separate two boys for not keeping their hands to themselves.  Sigh.  It just shows that when we hear it, say it, and do it, we don't always learn it.  That's okay.  I'm going back tomorrow.

Getting Ready for School

All over Warsaw and the surrounding area, kids are getting ready for school to start tomorrow morning.  This second grader is no exception.  She is my granddaughter.  She is in my class.  She has been practicing putting curlers in her hair so she will look nice for the first day of school.  I think she looks just fine.

About half of my students came to our Meet the Teacher event at school this afternoon.  They failed to scare me away.  I am still very excited about transferring from fourth to second grade.

Watching them walk into the room and look around was so funny.  Some were full of themselves, trying to show off.  Others were quiet and reserved.  All were wide-eyed, taking in every detail of the room.  They found their desks, their closets, the libraries, the pencil sharpener, and my stuffed animals.  I am certain they saw more, but they were uncertain about asking questions of the big bald teacher with the whiskers.

They left the class full of excitement and chatting incessantly with their parents.  The excitement in their voices was unmistakeable.  I reminded them to get a good night's sleep and to bring their brains.  I think that is good advice for me, too.

Goodnight,

Mr. Glass

New Year, New Beginnings

Welcome to our new classroom!  I am excited to be teaching second grade here at Harrison Elementary.  This blog will be one of many ways we will communicate with students, parents, and our larger community.

We have a lot to learn this year and I cannot wait to begin.  Come ready to learn everyday.  Remember to bring your brains.  You are going to need them.