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9/26/2019

Week 3: DCIs!

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​​Here's how this week's lessons can help you address DCIs.

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​​If you want to expose students to specific Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), pick and choose areas of greatest student need and frame classroom conversations accordingly.  Click on any of the colored NGSS codes below to go to the NGSS website for a deeper look at each standard.  This week's lessons can help you address the following topics. ​

Day 5: What's Eating You?  This game-based lesson provides a great opportunity to address the following kindergarten and second grade standards.  Take time to discuss the relationships during and after game play.  The game is essentially creating a simplified, but dynamic model.
  • K-LS1-1. "Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.  Examples of patterns could include that animals need to take in food but plants do not; the different kinds of food needed by different types of animals; the requirement of plants to have light; and, that all living things need water."
  • K-ESS3-1. Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live. Examples of relationships could include that deer eat buds and leaves, therefore, they usually live in forested areas; and, grasses need sunlight so they often grow in meadows. Plants, animals, and their surroundings make up a system.
  • 2-LS4-1. Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. Emphasis is on the diversity of living things in each of a variety of different habitats.
Day 6: Tiger Tracks Depending on the variations you choose and the way you frame discussion, this lesson provides a pathway to exploring either of these second grade DCIs.
  • 2-PS1-4. Construct an argument with evidence that some changes caused by heating or cooling can be reversed and some cannot. Examples of reversible changes could include materials such as water and butter at different temperatures. Examples of irreversible changes could include cooking an egg, freezing a plant leaf, and heating paper.
  • 2-LS4-1. Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. Emphasis is on the diversity of living things in each of a variety of different habitats.

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9/25/2019

Week 3: Comic Tips

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Literacy tips for this week's comic!

This week Data Dog uses his Photon Collar to make a hard light copy and brings something amazing back to the house!  What would your students bring to class if they had a Photon Collar?  I wish I could hear THAT discussion!
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PreK: Focus on feelings!
  • Read my face!  PreK children are often learning to read non-verbal communication including facial cues!  Try this game with your students.  Hide your face behind a scarf, large book, or other barrier.  Make an expression (happy sad, surprised, angry, etc.) then reveal your face to the class.  Can they describe your face?  How do people usually feel when they make a face like you did?  Now try it with the comic.  Find the faces, then discuss how the character probably feels.
  • Inferring Feelings Take the activity to the next level and ask students to share their thinking about WHY each character might have that expression.  Why do students think the characters feel a certain way?  Relate this back to their own experience.  Ask them to look at your face again.  Can they tell how you are probably feeling?  Why do they think you feel that way?

Kindergarten: Focus on medial sounds.
  • Oh My!  Vowels can be tricky!!!  While most kindergarten students are focusing on learning short vowel sounds, they are likely already noticing that vowels do not always make the same sounds.  Take the letter "o" in panel 2, for example.  We have the sound effects woof, zop, and cooo.  The "o" is doing something different in each word.  Cooo has a long oo sound like zoom and boosh!  Woof has a short oo sound as in book.  Zop is a short o word like dog.  Challenge students to make up a fun name for the two double o sounds (such as "spooky oo" and "cookie oo") then challenge them to find all the double o words and sort them!
  • Middle Sound Mix Up  This week we have the sounds effects zop and zup.  Create a short vowel die using a foam or wooden cube or design one on tinker cad!  Roll the die and practice saying the short vowel sound revealed.  Then try substituting the vowel in zop to create new sound effects!  You can do this for many beginning and ending consonants.  My favorite team is /b/ _ /g/ as it makes a real word you can show or act out each time.  Word of warning test out new teams first so you don't end up with something you'd rather your students NOT say.
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Grades 1 and 2: Focus on multiple modalities.
  • Partner Reading  Since the comics have multiple reading levels in a single document they are an ideal text for cross level or even cross grade reading buddies.  We often pair students of a similar ability for partner reading but try pairing students with vastly different reading levels on occasion too.  
  • Choral Reading  Having larger groups read simultaneously helps all readers but especially struggling readers and ELL students.  You can create a group reader's theater situation so that part of the class reads a specific character.  The key is to keep it fun and mix it up.
  • Re-Reading  Finally, give students the opportunity to interact with the same text multiple ways over the course of the week: in a guided reading group, with a partner of a similar and different ability, as part of a choral reading activity, and independently.  This is known as Fluency Oriented Reading Instruction (FORI) and can yield some great results!

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9/25/2019

3D Printing: Tracks!

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Low Tech meets High Tech!

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We were thrilled that we were able to 3D scan a tiger track and a banteng track!  They are super easy to print, but we'd wished he had a larger pinter!  For each track we selected the scale tool and went for the maximum size.  The actual tiger track was eight snap cubes across and a banteng track measures about four adult fingers across, so the maximum size both prints are a bit smaller than life size!
I love, love, LOVE using play dough in combination with 3D printing.  Both reinforce learning in three dimensions but in such different ways!
In this case, play dough can act as a medium for making footprints.  It is great for young children to explore the relationships between positive and negative space.  You might want to print the banteng and tiger footprints in a few sizes to see if students can match them.  You can also order the 3D tracks or play dough impressions by size, and important early math skill!

Looking for more ways to combine play dough and 3D models?  Print a skull or bone from another mission and challenge students to flesh it out with play dough.  Alternatively use your 3D printer to create cookie cutters (see below) and add those to a play dough station.  While there are loads of play dough recopies out there, I always end up returning to my mom's recipe.   What's your favorite?  Let me know in the comments!
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9/25/2019

Play, play, play!

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The importance of games and dramatic play!

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Nearly 100 years ago, Lev Vygotsky wrote about the importance of play.  We've long known that play is an essential component in healthy child development.  Yet, too often, I hear about schools that are eliminating recess or removing dramatic play props from kindergarten rooms.  In 2015 my edu-pal, Scott Bedley, helped launch Global School Play Day to shine a light on the importance of play..  That year over 65,000 students participated.  Last year, that number had grown to over a half million and this year, they hope to have a million kids participating on February 5th 2020!  Check out their website for more info and to get involved!

However, you don't have to wait until February to harness the power of play in your classrooms!  Our PreK lessons are already jam packed with play opportunities! 

​If you teach K, we urge you to check out those PreK lessons too as there may be elements you wish to incorporate into your dramatic play centers.  If you don't have a dramatic play center perhaps our lessons can help you justify the need! 
"...we pretended to go looking for evidence and the kids were so creative. We talked about what to look for (scratch marks, spray, tracks, and poop). They all found something in the classroom that they could "identify" as evidence (without help)...old paint spots on the carpet that they identified as spray and poop...old white boards with scratch marks, and they identified those as evidence. I was so surprised but pleased!"  
​-Karen Cheseborough, PreK teacher
We also include games as part of each mission.  Curtis LOVES to make up games of all sorts.  Not only are games a fun way to increase student engagement they are a great way to build critical social emotional learning skills! Next week we've got an original card game for you!  It's called "What's Eating You?" 

​I realize color printing can be limited in schools, but color printing these game cards might be worth it.  Several classrooms reported that one of our card games last year became a class favorite that students returned to for months.
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9/25/2019

Week 3: Vote!

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What should we do?

We have the opportunity to go visit an elephant sanctuary!  We've listed some basic pros and cons on a T chart to discuss with your students, but thought you might like a bit more background information.  Elephants were once widely used for farming and forestry work in Thailand, but increasingly people are using mechanized means (tractors) to do this work.  This means domestic elephants are not needed. ​
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Click here to download the T Chart
These elephants can not be released successful into the wild and if released in populated areas, they  often come into conflict with human activities which can end very badly for the elephants.  One alternative is to place these elephants in sanctuaries.   

Not all elephant "sanctuaries" are great for elephants, however, t
he one we are interested in is generally well regarded and does a lot to care for elephants that end up in less hospitable situations. It is the only government run sanctuary in Thailand, but even this one is not without controversy.  Each elephant is paired with a mahout or handler that bonds with the elephant for life and typically they form a close and positive bond.  Elephants in this sanctuary are well cared for and given tasks that keep their bodies and minds active. 

​One activity that sparks some criticism is the elephant show.  While it is a bit circus like, it also provides revenue that helps care for the elephants at the sanctuary and elephant hospital.  There are no perfect answers for these elephants. 

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9/18/2019

What do you think?

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Vote: Should we look for tigers at night?

We've got another decision to make this week and we are counting on students to give it some careful thought before directing what we do! 

​We are providing another T chart to help scaffold classroom discussion.  We suspect some students might have strong feelings or want to know more before they vote.  Feel free to ask those questions during a livestream and share their thoughts on the Publish It! page.   We want to support students in making an informed decision!
Download this T chart!
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9/18/2019

New 3D Files!

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Banteng and elephant, and water buffalo!  Oh my!

We've added a few new files to the 3D printed wonders collection for Mission: Tigers!  We found a cool collection of realistic,  life-size animal sculptures and Curtis was able to scan them.  Just like the tiger we shared last week, these files seem to print best with linear supports.  We recommend using a raft when printing the banteng. The models look a bit angular in our slicer, but printed smoothly.
Download Triple Venn Diagram
So you've decided to print these models.  Now what?  How about a triple Venn diagram?!?  Challenge students to draw or recreate features from the models with play dough.  Then use their representations to populate a triple Venn diagram.  The critical thinking needed to identify similarities and differences in models can help build essential 21st Century skills!

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9/18/2019

Week 2: DCIs

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​Here's how this week's lessons can help you address DCIs.

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​​If you want to expose students to specific Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), pick and choose areas of greatest student need and frame classroom conversations accordingly.  Click on any of the colored NGSS codes below to go to the NGSS website for a deeper look at each standard.  This week's lessons can help you address the following topics.  

Day 3: Camera Trap 
If your first grade students need an opportunity to explore how an animal's external body parts capture and convey information, this lesson is a great way to begin that investigation!
  • 1-LS1-1. Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs. 
You can expand this lesson to create a design challenge to meet any of these K-2 standards.  We do have several other lessons in this mission that also address engineering practices so this lesson might be a good mini introduction.
  • K-2-ETS1-1. Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
  • K-2-ETS1-2. Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
  • K-2-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.
​Day 4: Recycling Truck
Learning how to reduce human impact on the environment is important far beyond meeting a kindergarten standard.  This lesson is a great way to start or continue those important conversations.
  • K-ESS3-3. Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment. Examples of human impact on the land could include cutting trees to produce paper and using resources to produce bottles. Examples of solutions could include reusing paper and recycling cans and bottles.
This lesson is also a great way to investigate properties of matter to address these second grade standards!
  • 2-PS1-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties. Observations could include color, texture, hardness, and flexibility. Patterns could include the similar properties that different materials share.
  • 2-PS1-2. Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose. Examples of properties could include, strength, flexibility, hardness, texture, and absorbency.
  • 2-PS1-3.  Make observations to construct an evidence-based account of how an object made of a small set of pieces can be disassembled and made into a new object. Examples of pieces could include blocks, building bricks, or other assorted small objects.

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9/18/2019

Week 2: Tigers! Comic Tips

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More literacy tips!

Things get pretty exciting in the comic this week!  Here are some ways you can use this high-interest text to support literacy instruction!
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PreK: Focus on directionality.
  • Where Next?  Look at the 9 panel comic with your students.  If possible project it so the whole group has a great view!  Call on a volunteer to point the first panel in the comic, then read it as the volunteer points to it.  Repeat for each panel with a new volunteer.  What do students notice?  How did they know which box would be next?
  • Which Way Words!  Build on directionality within each panel, text box, speech bubble or sound effect.  Can a volunteer show where to start reading in a panel?  Does anyone notice that we always read in the same direction?  I love thinking aloud as a way to model talking about observations!  Such as, "Wow!  Did anyone notice that we started here and read like this in this speech bubble?  That reminds me of how we decided which panel came next!  Cool!"  

Kindergarten:  Focus on distinct vowel pairs.
  • Oo!  Look at that!  Challenge your students to find all the words with /oo/ in them.  If you are working on a large or projected page you can even have your students turn these repeating letters into eyes by adding a dot to the center of each o!  Encourage them to make the /oo/ as in boo sound each time they find and label "oo."  
  • Does it rhyme?  Write each of the /oo/ words students find on a separate card.  Boosh, woosh, voom, roo, roop, zoop, and zoom.  Talk about how words that rhyme sound the same at the end.  Can they name any rhyming words?  Next turn all seven cards face down for a quick memory matching game.  Turn over two cards.  Do the words rhyme?  If so, remove them from the play space.  If not, place them face down again.  After you find all the matches ask students if they can name the one word (still facedown) that remains.  Roo!  How do they think the baby Gigantopithecus would have made that sound?
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Grade 1: Focus on thinking vs saying.
  • Code it!  Before you begin reading encourage students to use a highlighter to color in the thought bubbles.  They can use a different color for each character's thoughts.  For example, each time Curiosity cat thinks they could code it yellow.
  • Props for Reading  When students read the comic this week, invite them to use props to read the thought bubbles.  If you have whisper phones, use them each time you encounter one of those coded thought bubbles.  No whisper phones?  No problem!  Have students read the though bubbles with a paper cup over their mouths to make a far away sound! 
Grade 2: Focus on facts.
  • Science AND Fiction After reading, discuss this week's comic.  Did they know Curtis researches and writes all the comics?  They are FULL of facts!  Which elements of the story do they think are facts and which are fiction.  Ask them to support their claims with evidence!
  • Text Panel Facts  This week's text panels are full of details based on the most current scientific research.  Curtis LOVES to read about science!   Challenge students to find some of the facts Curtis included about ancient animals.

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9/18/2019

Evidence!

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Evaluating, tracking, and organizing!

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We'll be searching for many types of evidence on Mission: Tigers!  This field research adventure will require students to think not only about the quantity of evidence but also the quality.  Unlike calculating a relative abundance ratio as we did with kangaroos in Australia or carnivores and herbivores in Namibia, this hypothesis leaves a bit more room for interpretation.  The answer may not be clear cut and we think that's AWESOME!

This mission will push students to talk to each other and explain their reasoning.  What evidence supports their position?  Why might they consider some evidence more significant?  Students can record individual thoughts and observations in their journals through writing, drawing and dictation.  They might make short videos on classroom tablets.  Ultimately, however, the group will need to come to a consensus.  

One student might be convinced that seeing scratch marks in one place means tigers are making HKK their home.  A classmate might point out that one set of scratch marks could be made by a tiger passing though, but if there are scratch marks AND spray it could be stronger evidence.  Conversations like these are essential to the process of science!  Your students will essentially be engaged in peer review.


​Bonus Materials!

You may find it helpful to maintain a class chart documenting the evidence.  We've created one you can use any number of ways.  Students could keep their own copies and/or you could maintain a group chart.  Once the group agrees that something is evidence, mark it on the corresponding space on the chart.  Using tally marks can help you track when there are multiple instances of a type of evidence in one day.  Towards the end of the mission, you might highlight the evidence the class thinks is most important.  I'm sure there will be many conversations along the way!  

Happy tracking!
Download Evidence Chart
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    Meet Beth and Curtis!

    Presidential Award-Winning teacher and hula hoop fanatic, Beth loves bringing real world science to kids! Beth is fascinated by engineering challenges, technology, and outdoor learning spaces. After 25 years teaching kindergarten, she’s excited to share her passion and experience on-line with classrooms from around the world!

    Curtis is a lot of things: a scientist, lawyer, explorer, drummer and Ironman. His brain is always churning. His paleontological finds are in museums across the country and he even has an extinct sea turtle named after him. He loves traveling the world and immersing himself in new environments and cultures. Curtis finds joy in sparking the imagination of young learners and making them think in new ways.

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