Jocelyn Rondina’s grade 7 Psi Team math students participated in The Baseball Hall of Fame’s Batter Up program. See May 11 posting for more details on program.
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Math: Batter Up
Karen Mena’s grade 7, Team Omega, again participated in The Baseball Hall of Fame’s Math program with two more classes today. See previous posting on May 11.
Bronx Zoo: Moves and Meals
Montebello grade 3 students visited us for ‘Moves and Meals’ presented by Erica Sopha at The Bronx Zoo.
Description: There seems to be no end to the ways in which animals move. Some slither, swim, hop, fly, run, crawl, and swing. In this lesson students explore the many different ways animals move about in order to find their food and to avoid becoming someone else’s food!
http://www.bronxzoo.com/educators/distance-learning.aspx
Math: Batter Up!
Karen Mena’s grade 7, Team Omega, participated in The Baseball Hall of Fame’s Math program. The academic objectives of the class were to:
A. Examine how everyday mathematical concepts, such as addition, subtraction, fractions, decimals, etc., apply to baseball and the real world.
B. Analyze baseball statistics and interpret data in terms of fundamental mathematic operations.
C. Understand the application of baseball statistics and how they are calculated using basic mathematical principles.
http://education.baseballhalloffame.org/experience/thematic_units/math.html
The Baseball Hall of Fame is one of our teacher’s favorite choices for videoconferencing. An excellent program in terms of delivery and content.
Skyping with Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale
Gianna Mazzeo’s talked to the Instituto <http://www.itisbarcellona.it> in Barcellona students this morning. The sound was not cooperating and we had a great deal of difficulty hearing because there was audio distortion on both sides. We checked settings and restarted several times. We adjusted, however, and the connection was sufficient to have a worthwhile exchange. Students spoke in both Italian and English.They asked about the weather, sports, and academics.We have Skyped with the Istituto several times this year.
Bronx Zoo: Size and Shape
Two Montebello Elementary Kindergarten groups visited the Middle School today for a virtual visit to the Bronx Zoo. The lesson tied sizes and shapes to animal types. Bronx Zoo educator, Erica Sopha explained the concepts clearly and introduced the animals in a very friendly manner. We loved Marcio the Armadillo!
Program Description: “Why do giraffes have such long necks? Students consider this and other questions about how an animal’s size and shape are related to its way of life. By observing a variety of animals, students discover some fundamental concepts about how size and shape help an animal survive. Students also draw conclusions about where an animal lives and what it eats.” http://www.bronxzoo.com/educators/distance-learning.aspx
We also met Joey the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. We learned that he hisses to scare away predators and that the male cockroaches have horns.
National Baseball Hall of Fame
Pat Boswell’s grade 7 class participated in a videoconference with the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Math: Batter Up . ”Examine how everyday mathematical concepts, such as addition, subtraction, fractions, decimals, etc., apply to baseball and the real world.” (Website description). Quality of both content and technology was excellent. The students were completely engaged due the privacy and quiet atmosphere of our new videoconference room. Lots of fun and learning!
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Book Discussion with South Orangetown
Jackie Perich’s grade 7 students spent March participating in a series of book discussions about Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner with South Orangetown Middle School (Teacher, Sara Nybro). They began with an introductory and planning session at the beginning of March. This meeting was followed by a series of discussions on literary elements such as plot, character, and setting. They made predictions and connections within the story. The discussions also focused on choices, decision making and the consequences.
A boy hopes to pay the back taxes on his grandfather’s farm with the winnings from a dog sled race. A short book with a lot of potential for classroom discussion.
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AVID Student Conversation
February 24, 2010. Diane Whiting’s grade 8 AVID class Skyped with Heather Robinson’s grade eight AVID elective class of about 30 students from Vivien Field Middle School in Farmer’s Branch, Texas near Dallas. The students compared their experiences as AVID students: what skills they have developed and how these tools have impacted their learning and achievement.
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Adventures in Skyping Italy
February 22, 2010. Gianna Mazzeo planned carefully for our latest Grade 7 Skype with Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale (Liceo Scientifico Tecnologico) in Barcellona. We gathered the students and called our Italian partners, but to no avail; no answer. Finally, our students had to leave for the next period class. I disconnected the cables and was about to close Skype when Barcellona called. Signora Mazzeo rushed after her students and brought them back. The Italian class had been locked out of their videoconferencing room since it was after the school day in Italy and the technician had already gone home. This is an example of the challenges we face in connecting schools in different time zones. The teachers in Italy had to keep their students after school to speak to us; we had to schedule our students as early as possible during the school day. The students had a good conversation with the time available. This was a spontaneous conversation centered on the theme of family. They spoke without notes. Their comfort level is increasing each time they connect. The opportunity for authentic conversation forces both sides to use their skills and vocabulary. Many thanks to Signora Mazzeo for her tenacity and flexibility, two critical traits in connecting across such a distance.
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