NEW ISSUE OF 102KNOW IS OUT.
Maintenance Issues
-MOSL: Test scores were going to factor into teacher rating, then they weren’t. Two months before the state exam, we are told MOSL (measures of student learning) will be used to calculate teacher ratings again. Ms. Mulé will be providing everyone with some information regarding MOSL selection, and we will convene a MOSL committee to participate in the process.
-Per-Session: Curriculum planning and development is now open to teachers of 1st year programs such as TC and STE(A)M. Please ask Jeanene for an application form and submit it to me by Friday this week.
Mid-Winter Intensive: Monday will be the last day for you to apply to teach 2 days during February break for MWI. We currently have 10 teachers, and we confirm with them we’ll create the programs and then offer permission slips to PID students. More info will be provided about the process by the end of the week.
TG HIGHLIGHTS by Mr, Borelli
TG: How does a species continue to exist on Earth when individuals of that species die? If every butterfly dies, how will there still be butterflies living 10 years from now?
This 4th Grade TG from Ms. Merino at first glance can be answered simply by answering “they reproduce.” The thinking, when focusing on a butterfly is this: does a butterfly have the choice to not reproduce? Is the sole reason of a butterfly’s existence is too make more butterflies? The Monarch Butterfly, at best, can live up to 6 months and they generally live 2 to 4 weeks in the wild. How does this insect, with such a brief existence, continue to thrive on Earth?
TG: The three little pigs built three houses out of these three different materials: straw, sticks, and bricks. Explain how these materials affected the outcome of the story.
This 3rd Grade Engineering is Elementary TG from Mrs. O’Connor highlights that materials matter, but maybe not always for the most obvious reasons. From first glance, who wouldn’t think that a brick house is the best choice? Most of the apartment buildings we see around the neighborhood have brick facades. When we move to the stick house, the thinking can veer towards, “Well what types of sticks were used?” “Is there a difference between using dry, broken sticks from an oak tree or when bamboo sticks are used?” Could that 2nd pig have chosen better sticks? What was inherently flawed in the first pig’s and second pig’s respective designs? Was it strictly the material chosen or was it a combination of the material and how they used it? This type of thinking is what engineers do when they create any building to see how it fares against wind and the dangers of the environment. It’s the Scientific Method on display.
mrkobot.com 