lately

Guys, The Lego Movie is pretty awesome. Great message and a great way to show Lego's evolution!

It's weird having nothing to do while on maternity leave. Nurse, change diaper, nap, repeat. Need some hobbies. (Really, need to start writing end of year reports.)

Oh, and whoever said to never wake a sleeping baby hasn't met Mara's pediatrician. I have to wake our baby every two hours to feed her - it's a chore. So I guess I don't have nothing to do while on maternity leave.

Looking so forward to my parents flying here in June to meet our little bundle of amazing!

Cranberry Almond Granola Bites should be in my life. It worries me that I'd probably eat the whole batch in a day, though. It's how licorice goes down in this house.

Here's something I've been enjoying on toast for breakfasts lately. If you're a fan of tahini and honey (and cinnamon like me), it's pretty great. I cheat and add a little more honey than called for.

I recently emailed this photo to my husband at work:

To which he replied, "F***ing beautiful" but without so many asterisks. Our child is at major risk of developing potty mouth. I could only respond with "It's insane." Because it's truly insane just how beautiful this little girl is to us.

Many things baby today! (Forever now on?)

in a nutshell + welcome baby!

My pregnancy in a nutshell...

First trimester Nausea: It was not great.
Second trimester: Exercise + so much dairy.
Third trimester: Dropping everything + "Give me all the chocolate and ice cream" + shorter than scheduled.

And now, I'm thrilled to introduce this little lady, Mara (like Sarah):

It's amazing how quickly one can fall in love.

And even though we were not prepared - she was six weeks early and I had an emergency c-section (not the plan!) - baby Mara is strong and healthy and doing juuuuust fine! 
Even if her mommy forgets to wipe her face before taking cute-baby pictures.

lately

This is old news, but did anyone else not love American Hustle? Jeff and I were bored - at one point we were both on our computers while it played in the background.

I have been seriously craving warm, creamy coffee in this third trimester. Coffee. Not a nice glass of wine or a cool and refreshing beer, coffee. And I didn't even drink coffee before the pregnancy! I've mostly been keeping it under wraps with caffeine-free chai with some coconut milk.

Speaking of warm up there, it is so ridiculously hot here right now. Yes, hot like when we lived in the desert, but I'm not regulating my body temperature well at the moment. Air conditioner wars every day... I win.

After this awesome version of Happy, a colleague and I started our own end of year project with our whole grade level. I get to be all techy and put the video clips together so that should be a fun treat for the kids as we send them off for the summer! Let's hope I'm savvier than I think I am.

This is a sexy cover. Beyonce is sexy enough as it is, yes, and I mean, Jay-Z, but this one is just such a good change of pace.

We have a crib! And it didn't cost us an arm and a leg (as most baby things here)! And my hunky husband already set it up!

This video, aptly re-titled, Have You Ever Wanted to Punch a Child?, was two minutes of serious eye-brow raising. Please, baby girl, no.

And Babies Make the Worst Roommates. Things to look forward to!

communication: a listening exercise + visible thinking (10x2)

We're just beginning our new Unit of Inquiry, Communication Systems.
As a grade level team, we've decided to put a big emphasis on the five semiotic systems - linguistic, auditory, visual, spatial, and gestural - along with a look at cultural expression.
Rather than explicitly teaching each one, I'm going to be introducing my students to each system by immersing them in it to help them better understand what these big ideas mean.

First up, the auditory system, all about music and sound effects.
A great streaming website for this activity is The Silk Road Project:

If you click Music & Artists, then Listen to Music, you can access a variety of interesting music from around the world.

As a class we listened to one song. 

I stopped the playback to ask a few questions:

1. How does the piece make you feel?
2. What images come to mind?
3. Where in the world might this music be from? What makes you say that?

Then we listened again with the questions in mind and discussed afterward.

For the visible thinking routine, I passed out our Inquiry books and had the kids write the title 10x2.

I put on a new song and again, we just listened.

Before we listened a second time, I explained the 10x2 routine: basically the kids try to write down ten words or phrases that come to mind while listening. (This is then repeated after another listen; the x2.)

We had such rich discussion afterward.

When I asked them what they thought the communication system might be all about, they were pretty much bang on: music, singing, cultural songs to communicate, expressing something without words, listening, tune.

The kids really enjoyed this listening exercise!

lately

This week I made more of this. Love me some matcha.

Still slogging through this Harvard course. It's okay. I think I'd rather just read the book (I've read most of it anyway) and incorporate what I want into my class - but then I couldn't say I've been edumacated by Harvard.

Awhile ago I started the lemon-water in the morning thing and I thought I'd love it more.

I also started the natural hair care thing - I'm liking it and the transition hasn't been toooo terrible for me.

Seriously, this show. Only three episodes left - we breezed through it - and I'm so sad.

We have a baby name :). One morning I woke up with the decision made - Jeff's choice from the beginning of our (my) indecision.

And speaking of baby...
Thinking about starting this project to cut back on delivery and take-out this summer.

I'm reading this baby book and finding it very interesting. Not that we're going to be super-parents (or remember what's in the book when this stuff actually comes up), but it feels good to feel like I'm getting ready. Because who am I kidding? I know nothing about babies.

I think I've had this bit of chocolatey-goodness open in a tab for about two months. Looks delicious, pretty "healthy"....I get stuck in my old ways.

Also, found her cookbook on sale and thinking of shelling out.

And finally, a granola recipe that worked out really well for me! We have a very finicky oven, so it's taken me awhile to get used to it. Yes, I think I'm getting you now, oven.

into this: Basecamp + Brooklyn Nine-Nine

So, um, Ace of Base? Yes.

Basecamp - ATSW

Basecamp - Emmanuel

Debut EP here.

Also, while we're on spring break (and had to cancel travel plans while I was on bed rest to keep baby growing strong) we've been watching this totally goofy but damn funny show:

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Every episode gets us laughing!

off the bookshelf: R.J. Palacio's Wonder

A little late to the show on this one, as I tend to shy away from too much critical acclaim (see here), but this is one I'm glad I finally picked up.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Wonder was a quick read, and one I really enjoyed. I picked it up from our school library to read to my class after just finishing Hachiko Waits. This is a read-aloud I really want to end the year off with! It's such a great statement about kindness, friendship,acceptance, and individuality.

It is the story of August Pullman, a boy with a serious facial deformity, who is entering mainstream schooling for the first time as a fifth grader. He wants nothing more than to be considered normal, as normal is how he considers himself, but knows he's up for a challenge. He makes some strong friends but faces his share of difficulty as he navigates the new social waters. The story is told from various perspectives - his sister, friends, and classmates - and I really like the freshness their viewpoints add to the book. (Plus, great practical teaching point!)

Looking forward to introducing this in the classroom as it's sure to generate some deep conversation.

into this: Kawehi covers + Sufjan Stevens/Son Lux/Serengeti's Sisyphus + Lucius

I'm apparently into a lot of things lately. 
First, some serious talent:

Kawehi - Heart-Shaped Box {Nirvana cover}

Kawehi - Closer {NIN cover}

And of course, worth a couple of repeat plays, Kawehi - The Way You Make Me Feel {MJ cover}

Then, the March release, Sisyphus:

Sufjan Stevens, Son Lux, Serengeti - Rhythm of Devotion

Sufjan Stevens, Son Lux, Serengeti - Take Me

And Lucius (Wildewoman here):

Recently on Conan, Lucius - Turn It Around

Lucius - Go Home

Enjoy the musical delights!

into this: MØ

 MØ has been so re-energizing this long week. It's hard work building a baby!

MØ - Waste of Time

MØ - XXX 88 {ft. Diplo}

into this: Vice

Really enjoying the topics discussed on Vice.

See more here.

inspiring inquiry classrooms

Every Wednesday morning we have a late start at school - the kids come in at 8:30 instead of 7:45 and our ES faculty meets together for some PD. It's pretty great and keeps everyone involved in the learning process. A few weeks ago, one part of our PD was to take a walk around the school and note examples of inquiry in other classrooms. 

How often do you think to just walk through another teacher's classroom? Just to see what's up, what's been happening? Do you feel comfortable doing so? With seven grade three classrooms, I'm lucky because I get to see quite a lot just bouncing around in the grade level. It was such a great experience to open up all the doors so we could browse around all classes from Pre-K to grade 4. Walk-throughs are something that our elementary school is trying to implement as an open form of communication, investigation, and professional inquiry, and I LOVE it! Here are just a few of the inspiring ideas I saw around:

This display uses cover images of picture books the class used to explore Measurement, with a list of student-written measurement tools below.

A simple but inquiry-focused graphic organizer - for anything! Nothing says inquiry like question starts.

One of our Transdisciplinary Skills displayed with the ActivBoard web from class discussion. You can't really see it, but the kids all added an index-card reflecting on a time when they successfully used Connection and Collaboration in their own lives.

Totally want to make this for my room. Reflection is such a difficult skill, but is so important, and this is a great way to help students frame their thinking.

Mathematical Practices posted with student-generated definitions/understanding below.

Project to show personal inquiry into How-To/Sequence writing. This is a great way for students to really separate the steps of the process visually.

Love the idea of taking big questions the kids have asked ("When did you start to think?" "What is the difference between the truth and a lie?" "What is imagination?") that maybe don't fit in nicely with any of your curriculum content and making them meaningful.

Students address one of this unit's Essential Questions.

Using a See Think Wonder routine to help students inquire into a graph they find personally interesting.

Again - great reflection tool. I'm thinking I should make goal-setting/reflection my professional goal for next school year!

Wondering Wall

Grand finale - one more tool for reflection!

technology + visible thinking

Today we got to see some of the amazing work completed by our High School Robotics classes. There were so many cool things to see - from a hover craft to a fire-throwing robot! Our school has amazing educational opportunities and nurtures some true talent.

Before we headed down, I asked the class to work on a Thinking Routine to inquire more deeply into the topic of Robots. This time we used a digital Think Puzzle Explore routine. The first part, Think, is just that - students thought about what they already know about robots and typed it into a Google Drawing I had shared. In the Puzzle section, they wrote down any puzzles or questions they had about robots. After they got a few questions typed up, I emailed them the link to visit the school's Robolucion blog (full of videos, pictures, and write-ups about the various robotic inventions we would see). From there, they formulated more puzzles - questions they could ask the inventors directly! We then went to the exhibit, Explored, and the class typed up what they found interesting about the display. The whole process led to some great discussion.

Here's just a quick look at some work they shared back with me:

As an "exit slip," they had to write one of their reflections on the board to really make this routine visible in the classroom:

This is a really simple but powerfully thought-provoking routine that can work with any "topic" you choose. The kids were totally engaged... and I was not expecting that on this Friday morning after our long week! And at that, Happy Friday, all! Well-deserved, I'm sure.

PS - True fact: Manila is the selfie capital of the world. (I should be adding a selfie here, but...)

inquiring into...cockroaches?

Yep, it’s true. After finding a cockroach in our classroom yesterday, students were having all kinds of interesting conversations (and reactions!) about our gross little friend. After some observation, the poor guy was eventually killed. I was really tuned into their conversations - comments ranged from "It's so gross!" to "Why did we have to kill such an innocent creature?" to "Ew ew ew ew ew. Ew!" (Alright, so that last one might have been me...) 

Well, thanks to Wonderopolis and their timely daily wondering (sent straight to my inbox), it turns out that if you find one in your “house,” it really is best to get rid of it! (Not that that necessarily means killing it, but no one was exactly brave enough to pick it up and carry it out…)

So today, we inquired into cockroaches. Two words: totally engaged. We started a Harvard Visible Thinking routine called“Connect-Extend-Challenge” to track our thoughts. The students first shared and then wrote about or diagrammed their connections – prior knowledge, stories, experience, feelings, and reactions to cockroaches. [For the parent blog we keep, I took videos of some kids sharing their thoughts at each stage of the Connect-Extend-Challenge, which was the perfect way to really make thinking visible!]

Afterward, we watched a video

and then used some information from Wonderopolis to learn more about the pesky little cockroach. This article was great because it also loosely connected with our inquiry into energy, as it’s titled “Could a Cockroach Survive A Nuclear War?” We read it together and students wrote some ways their thinking had been extended by the new information: What have you learned? What is really interesting to you? How has your thinking changed or been extended?

We then discussed some of the crazy info: “They’ll eat anything! Even soap…”; “They can hold their breath underwater for thirty minutes!”; “They can live for up to six weeks without a meal!” [What?! I can hardly go an hour these days!] After, students wrote down questions that were still challenging their thinking or understanding about cockroaches: What new wonderings came up? How can you learn more about cockroaches? I was quite surprised to hear students who thought cockroaches were simply disgusting in the beginning, really marveling over just how amazing these resilient little creatures are!

So there you have it – our inquiry into, that’s right, cockroaches! The class did a pretty great job making connections, extending their thinking, and then challenging their understanding of this all-too-familiar Manila staple. [They still freak me out.]