Social Science Experiment

Today, the entire 5th grade participated in a social science experiment. The classes were evenly divided into two "teams"--a green team and a yellow team. It was decided that the green team would be the privileged group and the yellow team would be those who were less fortunate. Students were randomly placed. For example, in my class, I chose the even numbered students to wear the green badges and the odd numbered students to wear the yellow. I made a few changes to separate best friends to better faciltate the experiment.

The privileged group was allowed just that. They went to lunch and specials first. They were given priority seating choices. The less fortunate group would have to wait. They also had to share books for class activities. I did make sure that no one's learning was impeded during the course of the day. Everyone received the same instruction and participated in class discussions.

The experiment was designed so that students would understand what discrimination looks like and how it affects people. The other teachers and I tried to help the students understand that it was not just about race, but also about abilities/disabilities and economic advantages/disadvantages. For example, in our class, one less fortunate student won the lottery while a privileged student had a car accident and had too many medical bills to stay privileged. This was not done to reward or punish anyone. It was done to demonstrate that your situation may change at any time.

The students were good sports throughout the day. Some of the privileged students felt sorry for their classmates. Some of the less fortunate students made protest signs, though a few "went to jail" for "stealing" tape. Again, the point was not to punish any one student or any group of students, but to demonstrate that people are not always nice and rules are not always fair. Last week, we talked about how Rosa Parks and Dr. King stood up for what they believed was right by using non-violent means. I was proud to see that some of the students were "protesting" and upset by how they or others were being treated. It shows that they have a lot of compassion!

Upcoming Trip

Everyone should have received a permission slip today for a field trip to the Dunes on January 23. Please return them right away since the trip is already next week. Please make sure that the children are dressed warmly since we are outdoors and right on the lake. If there is snow, we will cross country ski. If not, we'll hike around the trails and observe the winter wildlife. It is a very interesting trip. Last year, we saw a beaver dam and found a deer bone that was left from a coyote. I'm excited to see what we discover this time around. I'm also hoping to ski since we weren't able to last year.

Good to be back!

Well, I thought the first day back went very well. Everyone settled back into our routine nicely, and we had a very productive day. We officially started geometry; we learned how a story is like a dinner menu; and we chose our book club groups. Tomorrow is a big day since we are going to be starting the book club groups. Essentially, the students are in four different groups, and each group is reading a different book. They'll not only read their book, but share with members from other groups, too. Each student looked over the four choices and then wrote down her/his top three choices. Everyone was then placed in one of those groups. I'm really looking forward to this new adventure in reading.

The January monthly calendar has not been sent home yet, but look for it sometime this week. As always, if you need to contact me, you may do so through the blog, e-mail, or telephone. Hope you're year is off to a fantastic start!

Here's to a great 2008!

I hope that you all had a nice new year. I can hardly believe that 2007 is over, but I guess I think that every year. We accomplished some important things in '07. We read 4 novels as a class. Most of you read many more when you think about what you finished doing Just Read and SSR. We improved our multiplication and division skills. And, we became a community and a team. I'm really looking forward to continuing to achieve great things in '08. We're going to take those multiplication and division skills and continue to apply them to geometry and fractions. I have picked out some great books to read for both guided reading and read-aloud. I'm looking forward to sharing one of my favorites, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, when we return from vacation. We're also going to publish some free writes and continue to improve our writing skills.

I'd also like to make a few resolutions. My first is to keep my desk more organized. My second is to keep learning fun and meaningful. I'd love to hear if you have any resolutions for the upcoming year. These are tasks that you want to accomplish to help you feel better. I'm very excited about getting back to school and starting a new calendar year! See you soon!