Hutchinson: Who are we? Where are we starting?

Welcome to the beginning of our Inquiry Notebooking project.  Since teachers from Van Arsdale and Hutchinson will be working on this project and sharing ideas throughout the year, it makes sense that you should know each other and each other's work.

Hutchinson 3rd grade team
Andrew Weir (left)
Teresa Carlson (right)

Andrew and Teresa have been working together in third grade at Hutchinson for many years.  They do not yet have a lot of experience with using science notebooks, and they are looking forward to learning more.  Andrew and Teresa have different styles but they complement each other well and are a strong team.  

Their schedule at this time:
8:50-9:10 – Morning work, Attendance, Writing Warm-Up

9:10-10:10 – Writer’s Workshop / Words Their Way (WTW) Author’s Share 

10:10-11:40 – Daily 5 Literacy Block (Reading Groups and Choice Writing)

11:40-12:25 – RECESS 11:40-12:05/ LUNCH 12:05-12:25

12:25-1:10 – Art, Music, PE

1:10-1:40 – Finish Literacy Block (Reading/Writing/WTW) 

1:40-2:25 – Science / Social Studies

2:25-3:30 - Math

3:30-3:35 – Clean up and Dismiss

Focus for Inquiry Cycle One

The team is curious about the structure of using a notebook and quality of thinking in the notebook. They are beginning with the idea of how to capture student work and thinking in a notebook.

Van Arsdale: Who are we? Where are we starting?

Welcome to the beginning of our Inquiry Notebooking project.  Since teachers from Van Arsdale and Hutchinson will be working on this project and sharing ideas throughout the year, it makes sense that you should know each other and each other's work.

Van Arsdale 3rd Grade
Karen Cravens
Craig Vander Laan
Annette Nellans

All three 3rd grade teachers have been at Van Arsdale for a number of years and have used science notebooks.  They are excited to focus their notebooks using an inquiry based model.

8:50-9:05- Opening

9:05-10:05- Writing

10:05-10:10- Snack/Brain Break

10:10-11:40- Reading

11:40-12:20- Recess & Lunch

12:20-1:00- Literacy activities continued – Spelling, cursive, grammar, reading

1:00-2:00- Math

2:00-2:40- Science/ Social studies

2:40 -3:25- Specials /Planning

3:25-3:30- Closing 

Focus for Inquiry Cycle One

The team wants to know how to take standards and incorporate them into an inquiry based model. They want to assess how they can enhance their current practices to be more inquiry based.

Chalk Talk: "Why use notebooks?"

As we begin this year's project (Inquiry Notebooking in Science and Social Studies), we're starting to explore the tool that will be used to capture thinking and work of students.  The tool (the notebook) can be used in a variety of ways to support student learning.  Consider taking a look at the charts created during Van Arsdale's chalk talk. It reveals their thinking about the question, "Why use notebooks?"  Feel free to add additional thoughts, now and in the future, in the comment space below this blog post.  Let's see how our understanding and ideas grow throughout the year as we examine the notebook as a tool for learning.