Homework...No thank you.

When you hear the word "homework," what are the first things that come to mind? My first thoughts are: an obstacle or chore that's getting in the way of me doing something else. Homework for as long as I can remember was something you just did because it was, well, a part of life. I wonder how many worksheets I did over the course of my schooling. My next thought is, did my level of learning or understanding increase because of those experiences? The only meaningful or memorable homework I did was project based in which my parents helped me. Before homework is assigned, I want teachers to think about why they're giving it. What is your purpose and how is it going to improve learning? This is the first year that I've officially taken a "no homework" policy. The first weeks of school consisted of questions like, "when do we get homework?" "Where are the worksheets?" After an explanation about why I've decided not to give homework, responses were what I expected, excitement and relief. Initially it sounds like a free pass to not have to think about learning after 3:30 pm.  Eventually I was hearing questions like, "Can I bring this home to work on?" I was witnessing students taking things home to practice or read. Are my students learning less because I don't give homework? Are they going to do worse on the state standardized test because they haven't read for 30 minutes and haven't answered 30 division problems each night? I'd like to think not. Some may argue that it teaches responsibility but my response is, is this the most effective way to teach kids how to be responsible? "With power comes responsibility." Give kids an opportunity to make decisions and they will learn how to be decision makers. Ultimately, I want my students to grow to become life long learners. Rich learning happens when you care about something and deep down you want to improve. I am not completely against homework and I know there are times when it can be meaningful when it has a purpose. Homework is not going to disappear. Not every teacher will share the same philosophy as me so when it is assigned to you, don't be afraid to question it's purpose (politely). Think about whether it will be a positive learning experience for you. Do you have the necessary resources or understanding to be able to do it independently? Will you be excited about what it is you're trying to learn? Obviously not everything you do will be thrilling however when given the power of choice, you are able to turn a routine task into something more interesting. Think about the ways in which you learn best and don't ever hesitate to ask questions. Homework...no thank you!

Books!!!

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Yesterday I found myself wandering through Barnes and Noble. I must have done at least three laps around the store. I stopped for a second and thought about how much I enjoyed being there. I then began to reflect about my own reading. What was it that i enjoyed so much about being there? As crazy as it might sound, I didn''t fully appreciate or enjoy reading until after college. I often think, what if I enjoyed reading this much when I was younger? As a youngster, the idea of reading sounded fun to me. My mom would buy books for me that I thought I wanted to read and I always saw my dad reading so I assumed that I would fit the same mold. Unfortunately, I found myself reading five pages and puting the book back on the shelf and not touching it again until it was time for a garage sale.  For me, I find joy in the fact that I can learn and apply things that I read about to my own life. I enjoy talking to others about what I've read. I enjoy hearing about books I haven't read. I enjoy piling new information for myself each time I read. Books and reading will always be timeless. Reading is something that you can't force upon someone. I believe it's something you come to on your own. For some, it happens earlier, with my case it happened later. I hope that my students will be able to recognize the power that comes with reading. Books and knowledge will always be available. It's up to you when you decide to pick it up off the shelf and open up your world.

What do you enjoy about reading? What do you not enjoy about reading? How could reading be more enjoyable for you?

Cactus

I came all the way to Arizona and figured I had to get a picture with a cactus. We spotted these particular cacti on the top of a hill off the highway. Without a path to the top, my brother-in-law Kevin and I would have to hike a little ways. I was wearing flip flops and shorts and all I could think about was trying to avoid stepping on sharp plants or rattlesnakes. Kevin led the way and off we went. Each step I made was careful and calculated. "Don't step near that rock, it looks like a rattlesnake could live under there," I would say to myself. "That bush looks sharp, step over that," I cautioned myself. After about 15 minutes of tip toeing through the desert hill, we finally made it to the top. I handed Kevin my phone and thought of my best pose between two cacti. "It says your phone storage is full, it won't let me take a picture," says Kevin. He hands me the phone back as I quickly delete some photos from my phone while I also check my surroundings for rattlesnakes. I hand the phone back to Kevin and walk step by step to my position between the two spiky, torturous trees. SNAP! The picture is taken and ready to upload to the blog. Now I just need to make it back down the hill avoiding anything that would like to feast on my feet or bare legs so I can write this blog. I'm sure you could figure out what happens with the rest of the story.

What do you know about cacti (cactus)? Have you ever done something that you were fearful of but you did it anyway? What risks have you taken where the outcome was positive?
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Takis

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As I was walking through the grocery store in Arizona, I noticed a display at the end of an aisle. Takis!!! I instantly thought about the students at school and then began to ask myself questions. Week after week, these chips make their way to Horizon Elementary. What is the "Takis craze" all about?

 Why do so many students love to eat these chips? What are your favorite flavors? What do you notice about the bag they come in? If you were going to start your own chip business, what things would you consider if you wanted a profitable business? Why would I want to buy your chips?

http://www.fatsecret.com/Diary.aspx?pa=fjrd&rid=148420

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Consensogram

Courtesy of Langford International, Inc.

This is an example of another improvement tool that we use in class. Sometimes the "consensogram" is used to help us make decisions. It "...is a statistical survey that measures an entire group's perception of effort, committment, understanding, etc." In this case, the students were deciding if they were ready to learn a new lesson in our math curriculum. The students anonymously write on a post-it note, a percentage (10% increments) that reflect their feeling about the question. The post-it notes are then collected and organized by students. The students then discuss the results and make a decision. In this case, the results were fairly divided. Some students felt confident enough to go forward based on their understanding of previous lessons while others weren't quite ready to take on a new math concept. The student "feeling" was to review the previous lessons taught.

It's too often that things are done to students without giving them a chance to voice their own ideas or feelings about their learning. I believe that students and people will care more about their learning when they get to play a part in the process of decision making. 

Think of a time when you got to make your own choice in the classroom or at home. Did it change the way you did something? How? Why is decision making important in your life? What can you learn from decision making?    

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Sidewalk

As I was driving in Queen Anne (Seattle) Sunday morning, I noticed this sidewalk. What do you think happened here? How do you think the cement broke? What observations can you make?

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Erosion and Deposition

Group "WSU" and their attempt to recreate the Colorado Plateau in hopes of finding out how the Grand Canyon was formed. What landforms do you notice?

This video gives you a clear picture of how EROSION works.

"How was the Grand Canyon formed?" Students were recently asked this question as it relates to our focus on Landforms. Here are some of their original predictions:

*Natural disaster   
*Formed by a river
*Meteor                
*Mudslide
*Wind                   
*Sun/Heat/Time
*Earthquakes         
*River/evaporation
*Earth                    
*Tornado

Were any of the predictions correct? How did it actually form? What landforms were created as a result of its formation?

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Adding and Subtracting Whole Numbers and Decimals

Check out this video to gain a better understanding of adding and subtracting whole numbers and decimals. How might you use this skill in your everyday life? Where have you used it or have you seen anyone else use these skills?

Wetlands

Two students working together to bring new life to the wetlands.

With the help of volunteers from Earthcorp, students worked towards preserving the wetlands located in the southwest area of the school. Last year marked the first year of students learning about the history of the wetlands and how they could make a difference.  Earthcorp is an organization that works with young people and teaches restoration of habitats.

Before we grabbed our gloves and shovels, the students used a tool for improvement called "P.O.P.E" (Purpose, Outcomes, Process, Evaluation) Courtesy of Langford International, Inc. I wanted the students to understand why they were working in the wetlands and to be able to identify what they wanted to accomplish and take away from the experience. After working in the wetlands, students evaluated their outcomes and effort. Student statements are in bolded text.

PURPOSE

Why are we out there?

We’re there to help the environment. We want to help the animals get food.  We will provide animals with a better habitat. We want to discover new things in the environment.

OUTCOMES

What results do we want to see at the end of the process?

Space is cleared so we can walk. We will see new plants planted.  The wetlands will be free of garbage.

PROCESS

How will we go about achieving our outcome?

We will pick up garbage when we see it. We will use hard work and teamwork when we are planting. We will shovel out blackberry bushes, carefully place plants in the dirt, and communicate with team members.

EVALUATION

How well did we do?

All students planted different types of plants. We communicated about plants and supplies. We worked together and used self control. We used teamwork and helped each other.

What are some other ideas for future work in the wetlands? How could we use the wetlands as a place to learn more about the environment?

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Success! All 33 Chilean Miners Rescued

At the end of the day, we watched and discussed the recent success story of the 33 Chilean miners who were rescued out of a collapsed mine. After discussing the story, I thought it was interesting to hear some of the questions and thoughts that the 5th graders shared. Here is some of what they shared in their writing:

That's cool how they thought of using the elevator to bring them up. They should've brung like three people up at a time. Why did it take them so long to bring the miners up?
                                                -Dwan
I wonder what they were doing down there?
                                                -Vincent
Did it hurt when they go on the chair to take them up?
                                                -Rut
How did they know how to work together?
                                                -Victor
How many days or hours did it take to get all the 33 people that were in there out?
                                                -Jasmin
How did they protect their selves? What was the temperature?
                                                -Karla
I bet their families, were worried, scared, and sad. How did they know where the miners exactly were?
                                                -Hawa
Why were there only men?
                                                -Miguel
How did they come up with big machines to get people out? How did the people send papers about how they were trapped?
                                                -Mariana
There were more people than our classroom! What was their plan to get them out?
                                                -Yasmin
Connection- There was a dog who got stuck underground and the dog was there for like three days.
                                                -David

Any additional questions or thoughts?

What does teamwork/cooperation look like?

Some days just don't always go according to the plan. This summarized our most recent Friday. The plan was to begin our first science investigation and for whatever reason, things just didn't work out the way I had hoped.
When things aren't going as expected, it's time to go back to the drawing board and think about what we need to do to come together as one.

There were many ways that I could have handled Fridays hiccup. I decided that this was a learning opportunity. What was unique about this day? Why couldn't we accomplish our learning targets for the day?

It's ok...it wasn't our day. Rather than being upset or frustrated, we watched a video about cooperation. In the video, you see people cooperating at a high degree. "What would happen if one of the men turned the opposite direction or drove too slow?" Students soon realized that one person can change the outcome of a simple occurence.

"They probably had to practice a lot so they could get good at what they do," said one student. 5th grader's are starting to realize that if you identify the things that need improvement, after quality practice and effort, things can improve.

Transition Time

"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot."

                                        -Michael Altshuler
Time is unavoidable. It's everywhere. It determines when we wake up, what time we need to be somewhere, when we should move from one thing to the next. Time management is an important part of our lives.

This year, we've placed a large emphasis on efficient transitions. When our transitions are smooth, we create more time for teaching and learning. My hope is that students will become more aware of their own time and understand how they can use that time productivly.The picture above is an example of one way we are tracking two common transitions that have proved to take longer than necessary. For example, when the students come back from recess, they need a drink of water after working hard on the playground. The first time we began tracking our transition for getting water it took the students 13 minutes. The students identified that as being too long and thought they could improve their time. As transitions continued to be recorded, students would discuss trends and reasons for longer or quicker transitions. After multiple attempts, the 5th graders have improved their time to an average around two minutes. In the grand scheme of things, this is a small example however, the students are realizing that every minute counts!




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Code of Cooperation

At the beginning of the year, students created a list of factors necessary for a high degree of cooperation. The initial list was rather long and some of the ideas sounded similar. While all of the ideas shared were important, we wanted to narrow our list down to 4 or 5 main ingredients for cooperation. We did this by using a tool called "Hot Dot." Students were given three different colored dot stickers. Each sticker had a value as you can see at the bottom of the picture. Students had to decide which three ideas were most important to them. The red dot being the "hot dot," was their number one choice. The students decided on the following:
   *Show respect
   *Make good decisions
   *Solve Problems
   *Take turns (communicate)/share
   *Do the best you can
Students have signed the code and understand that we will need a high level of cooperation in order to improve in all that we do. We will continue to refer to the code of cooperation throughout the year to remind eachother about the importance of cooperation.
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Welcome to the blog!

After many efforts to get this blog up and running, I have finally decided to write my first blog. Welcome to Hitchner's Hub! This is my first year at Horizon Elementary and and my third year in the Mukilteo School District. It's hard to believe we are already a month into the school year. The days are flying by but they've been loaded with a plethora of learning opportunities. Students are motivated, making important decisions, laughing, collaborating, reflecting, and taking risks. This class has demonstrated many positive qualities that I believe will lead to success.

I hope that this blog will allow the followers to see some of the exciting happenings in room D-120. Stay tuned for the next post.

Straight from the deck

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