Learning Never Stops

"True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing. I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing. I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think." -Socrates The students in grade 6 are developing their understanding of the world around them by reading news articles from the website  newsela . What I like about this website is that it allows you to make the article accessible to students of different reading levels. It was not the perfect lesson. Students were not following the rules of our socratic seminar. In the beginning, the first group of inner circle students felt nervous and kept repeating key points, without giving evidence from the text.  A bit of background about the content? They read the following article: (chosen by a  few students) Candidate dismisses criticism of his plan to keep Muslims out of U.S. link Activity: Socratic Seminar. What I liked ab...

"No two persons ever read the same book." –Edmund Wilson  Our students are learning to read with expression. After visiting the website  http://www.storylineonline.net/  they got to hear what a good reader does as she reads a story aloud. They speak clearly.  They modulate their voice depending on the character's feelings and situation, and when different characters are introduced at various points in the story.  They pause for effect. They cackle, and sob, and rasp away... Skill Factor  The students practiced reading to a buddy; and then they read aloud at home. Will Factor Most students took on the challenge of reading out aloud to an audience. In class, we have often spoken about moving out of our comfort zone in order to learn. This learning engagement provided the perfect opportunity for them to do so. Thrill Factor Listening to the final product, and realizing that they have met their success criteria gives the studen...

“So few people are really aware of their thoughts. Their minds run all over the place without their permission, and they go along for the ride unknowingly and without making a choice.”  ―  Thomas M. Sterner ,  The Practicing Mind: Developing Focus and Discipline in Your Life The grade 6s have been inquiring into Mean Median Mode and Range. This lesson required the students to collaborate and discuss various strategies as they used their knowledge of the topic to solve a problem. We used Jo Morgan's website  Resourceaholic  to access this activity. This website is a highly recommended one! The students had to match the graph with the data. One of the data had been erased, making the activity a little more challenging than the day before. They had to organize and show case their group effort. After the activity, we had a plenary session where the students discussed different strategies they used. These were the guiding questions...