Building a Sturdy Foundation with STEM Infusion:
Deliberately connecting topics across the curriculum in tangible, meaningful ways results in genuine learning and highly engaged students. Kindergarten students are experiencing STEM-infusion with multiple connections across ELA, mathematics, science, and social studies. Here's an overview of what we did this week. In parenthesis are the subject areas these bullet points addressed.
*We explored a variety of fictional stories and determined characters, setting, and plot. Stories dealing with problems, solutions, creativity, and perseverance were our primary themes across each day. (ELA--Reading Literature; Social Studies)
*We read notes from our leprechaun, Cone (phonetic spelling for Connie), who is a character in fictional stories she bought and mailed to us this week! (How to Trap a Leprechaun and How to Catch a Leprechaun were two of our favorites) (ELA--Reading Literature; ELA--Phonics and Phonemic Awareness; ELA--Foundational Skills)
*We wrote notes to Cone, asking her questions and asking her to please stop messing up our classroom. (Social Studies; ELA--Phonics; ELA--Phonemic Awareness; ELA--Writing; ELA--Reading Literature)
*We used clues Cone provided to make predictions and inferences. This directly transferred to our shared and independent reading work all week. (ELA--Reading Literature; Speaking and Listening)
*We practiced all 100 of our Fry’s 1st Sight Words for Kindergarten in Cone’s daily notes. All 100 were used, read, and reused all week! (ELA—Phonics; Foundational)
*Cone's notes made hints to different types of homes her people live in. We explored 3D shapes of homes, different building materials and strength tests, diverse homes across cultures, and compared/contrasted two types of igloos--one in the Arctic region and another (glass igloo) found in Finland! (Social Studies; Technology; Mathematics--Geometry; Measurement; ELA--Research; Listening; Foundational Skills; Reading Literature)
*We researched the Northern Lights phenomenon (named rainbow, dancing lights by several students). The glass igloos of far northern Finland were created in order that people could view the Northern Lights 200 nights a year! (ELA--Research; Listening; Social Studies; Science; Mathematics--Geometry; Measurement)
*We moved back and forth within the scientific process to construct a sturdy 3D home for Cone that was symmetrical and dome-shaped (which we discovered is half a sphere or a semi-sphere), like those we researched. However, we had to use creativity, collaboration, perseverance, and communication to experience success. It was definitely a team effort and took nearly all week to complete. (Social Studies; Engineering; ELA—Research; Mathematics—Geometry; Measurement; Technology; Writing)
*Cone wrote about her favorite healthy foods, shaped in her favorite sphere shape. We used context clues and prior knowledge to discover her need, looked up our recipe for PB Bites, read and followed the recipe, divided the completed treat evenly between classmates and Cone, and wrote a note for her to eat them that night. (Reading—Foundational; Phonics; Phonemic Awareness; Writing; Speaking; Mathematics—Operations; Geometry)
*We followed Cone’s clues and direction to make homemade pizza “pi” for Pi Day! (Reading—Foundational; Phonics; Phonemic Awareness; Mathematics; Science)
*We learned about the essential “ingredients” needed to produce rainbows, prior knowledge of rainbows, and the arch shapes rainbows make. (ELA—Reading Informational Text; Compare/Contrast; Phonics; Science; Mathematics)
We are excited to continue our “work in progress” with STEM-Infusion. Our discoveries and level of engagement within multiple, intricately-connected subject areas is evidence of genuine learning.
The high school calculus class had fun working together to create a class unit circle.
Floodwood School District invites all to a Community Informational Meeting on Tuesday, March 19th at 6PM in the media center regarding the April 9th Operating Referendum Special Election
The High School students got to enjoy some Pi Day FUN!!!
The Time and Money Management class enjoyed a visit from Northview Bank's Floodwood Branch Manager, Nancy Clark. She discussed the bank's products and services and explained financial choices that can help or hurt a person's financial future.
5th graders designing a machine to move a bag with weight.
Kindergarten Roundup is Friday, April 12th from 9:30-11:30 am. Please contact Mrs. Bartsch at jbartsch@isd698.org for more details. We look forward to welcoming your child to Floodwood!
Mark your calendar for March 28th. A performance by the African Drum and Dance Troupe will be at 1:30 p.m. in the large gym. Everyone is invited. Bring a friend!
Spotlight Student and Teacher
Mr. Tollefson - 5th grade teacher
Kaitlyn Runquist - 11th grade
Joey Bennett - Kindergarten
Online Safety Course registration is open - please see the flyer for details
Check out the flyer for the next essential oils class - Total Home Upgrade
In honor of Dr. Seuss, the kindergarten class celebrated creativity through a variety of STEM-infused studies. Creativity is an essential characteristic of a 21st-century learner who thinks outside the box to solve real-world problems. One picture book that helped us understand creativity this week was Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty. Rosie uses her imagination to create amazing creations out of recycled junk and eventually discovers she can do her best work after experiencing defeat. She was our inspiration for using our creativity, persevering, and using mistakes as opportunities to learn.
Over the course of the last three weeks, we have been learning about the basic needs of all living things. This week, we designed a product that represents some of our learning. With adult support, students read about an animal of choice and identified its basic needs. Afterward, students wrote and drew about the needs of the animal in their STEM journals. We reread our inspirational text of the week, Rosie Revere, Engineer, and discussed how Rosie designed a unique hat for her Zookeeper uncle. We decided to demonstrate our learning about animals by constructing creative hats depicting their individual needs.
Students wrote a list of needs, drew a blueprint for their designs, gathered recyclables, and created, experimented, and revised plans when things didn’t go quite right. Just like Rosie, kindergarten students persevered and experienced deeper understanding of the content within a highly creative product.
This entire process was extremely rigorous and integrated multiple reading, writing, social studies, science, and math standards as students worked within the parameters of the highest level of learning--knowledge utilization--to use what they've learned and applied in a new, creative, authentic manner to solve a problem.
We're expanding our brainpower and using it in new and creative ways everyday in K!
Showing Polar Pride with the new sweatshirts from the senior fundraiser!
5th Grade March Madness Book Bracket
Pilates Class to begin; morning and afternoon classes to fit your schedule. Check it out!
Tonight's boys basketball Section 7A playoffs at Cook County at 6PM will be streamed online on www.wtip.org. Go Polar Bears!!
7-9 graders Talent Search trip to St. Scholastica and Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College yesterday. Making plans for the future
Get ready to be entertained at JAM'D
I can wonder. This short statement written phonetically by a kindergarten student this week reflects the attitude and confidence of a learner. We pause to consider things we don't understand yet and then take the next step to research, hypothesize, and believe our ideas have merit.
I can wonder. A simple statement. A huge impact.
Boys Basketball Playoffs! Good Luck Polar Bears in their Section 7A playoffs tomorrow (3/6/19) at Cook County at 6:00PM!
