Time to Pass It On! Understanding Fact & Opinion {Part 1}

Now that the first week back from a nice long winter break is behind all of us, my students are getting back into the swing of things.

When I taught 4th grade, this was a HUGE part of reading.  Now, it always seems like my students come to 5th grade and regurgitate the definition they learn in 4th grade of both.

"Fact: something that is true and can be proven," AND

"Opinion: something that is false or what some one thinks."

Sigh. Then, I fight them when they try to disprove all facts just because they don't agree with them. If a fact isn't something they believe, it is automatically wrong.  Oy vey.  

I hate it when these things have spelling errors.  :-)  But it's still funny.

Last year and this year, I pushed myself and my students to really get past those definitions and start seeing fact and opinion for what they are.  We rephrased and rethought out what each one truly means.

Something I realized on my own last year through discussions with my kids was, facts can be disproven too. But when you do disprove it, you have stumbled upon a fact.  It took a couple days for my kids to let this seep in since they had been programmed to think only facts can be proven.  I challenge you to add this to your repertoire, facts can't be changed and opinions can change because it is what people feel, think, and believe.  

I literally stumbled upon this thought process last year as I was right in the middle of teaching opinions to my 5th graders.  Don't you love it when that happens?  But they just couldn't fathom opinions could be proven too...until I told them they CAN be, and it is how we KNOW they are opinions...because people can change them, as many times as they want.  My students gave me a run for my money and really made me prove my teaching.  

When this all came up last year, I went home and scoured online to find a fact and opinion lesson that would allow me to get them to practice this whole idea in a more interactive, tricky, and fun way.  So, I bring you this lesson I found here through Beacon Learning Center and Laura Ayers from Bay District Schools.  Don't get put off by the "Day 5" bit though.  I didn't use all parts of this lesson, but you can definitely take a looksy yourself in case you'd like to.

After picking through, I definitely DUG starting with the whole broccoli thing...even though I had full intentions of bringing broccoli, I didn't.  So, I just started with my cheesy acting chops and told them in my most confident voice, "I'm sure all of you like broccoli, because it is so nutritious."  Check out the looks on their faces when you say this!  Just by asking people who made a sourpuss face at me to raise their hand if they disagreed showed my entire class right away that I was completely and utterly wrong!

Then I told them, "Maybe I should have just asked you guys who likes broccoli.  If all of you had raised your hand, then I would have been certain you all like broccoli."

Through this I created quite a stir, so we put together our new fangled definitions to get away from those regurgitated versions!  I got them to brainstorm words that signal opinions as well.  At first, they threw the typical words at me such as favorite, think, etc.

Once we got comfortable with this new idea and the signal words, I got them out of their seats for Kagan's Four Corners.  I threw up the sentence frame, "I believe ________ ice cream is the best because..." and labeled the four corners vanilla, chocolate, cookies and cream, and mint chip.  Through discussion, they shared their opinion and why they felt so strongly about their flavor.  They were definitely getting warmed up to this idea!  Next up, I asked them "I think _______ is the best video game because..." and labeled the corners Candy Crush, Grand Theft Auto, Black Ops, and Tetris.  Once they discussed their strong feelings, we had a nice laugh at how old I am since none of them had ever played Tetris, only heard about it through some form of ancient communication.  Sigh.  

What else did I love about this Four Corners activity?  They could easily see by looking around the room their opinion wasn't a fact for everyone.  Score!  Oh...and I couldn't believe there were only 3 Candy Crush fans.  

To wrap up our fact and opinion filled morning, I pulled up a quick Time For Kids article and asked them to complete an exit ticket slip.  They had to give one fact they located in the text and form an opinion about that fact.  It seemed to be rough going for them when it came to forming an opinion in this way.

See Part 2 of this post HERE

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our fact and opinion lesson...where we watch a super old 1989 animated video and improve opinions with the use of facts after watching a Discovery Education video on tornadoes!

{Saturday Sprinkles #2} A Back-To-School Remix

Welcome to this week's edition of Saturday Sprinkles, where I try to show you how we tried to stay awake and engaged all week.  LOL.  I am fairly certain all teachers who returned to school this week will agree, this was a looooooooong week! Monday was not easy for any of us.  In fact, I had 3 students falling asleep sitting up while I was teaching. Basically, I made sure to to get them up and out of their seats as much as possible, more so than usual in fact. That and I could have sworn I took way more pictures of our week than I actually did.  Perhaps, I was too busy keeping them wrangled in.  Whoops!

Once we got past Monday, I promise you, we actually got quite a bit done and by Friday afternoon, I felt like my students walked away feeling fulfilled and better about their learning.  

Join She and I (yes, we are the only ones enjoying this linky party so far) as we share snippets and quick snapshots of how much fun, engagement, and learning we had in our classrooms. Feel free to join up as well so you can reflect and look back on your week.  You'd be surprised at how it makes you realize you DID get a lot accomplished and your students DID enjoy themselves.  So what are you waiting for?  ;-)  The link-up information is down below.

We worked all week on probability in so many different ways, left and right.  Using the nicely made Probability Practice Packet from TeachersPayTeachers in Kalena Baker's store, I stepped it up a few levels in order to meet my students needs...which would be boredom due to being back after a long break and needing to cover higher-level learning with probability.  The pack from TPT is more for 2nd-4th grades.  One thing we did was use our ActivExpressions to send in class data so we could compare and contrast some of our theoretical and experimental probability with the dice experiment.  I can't believe I didn't take pictures, but we also used the vocabulary posters she includes as our own huge human-sized interactive scale across our back classroom wall.  I used a bag of colored tiles, figuring out the theoretical probability of each color in the bag, and then I asked them the following, "What is the likelihood I pick a __________ from the bag."  From there my students walked to either impossible, unlikely, equally likely, highly likely, and certain.  Not only did this give me a chance to see who was still stuck or confused about the vocabulary, but it also got them out of their seats.  Hallelujah!!

We also carried on with our levers experiments, although we didn't get very far due to an assembly at the end of the day.  My students were none to happy about it either because they had just begun to figure things out before we had to quickly start cleaning up for the end of the day.  

After giving my students room to build some background on levers (see my first blog post here), we began to get some of that juicy scientific vocabulary going in our writing and conversations...and boy is the word "fulcrum" hard to say as a 5th grader...and then it was time to start finally playing!  I gave them a quick 2-minute or so demo on how to use the supplies to build a lever.  We located the fulcrum together (the binder clip) and from there the inquiry-based learning ensued.  

In the very very short 5-8 minutes we had before the bell was going to ring, students' lightbulbs were going off!  I was able to visit with 3 groups who figured out to either move the fulcrum and/or load to level out their lever without any guidance or tips from me. Unfortunately, and any teacher will probably attest to this, we had to cut it short just as everyone was starting to feel like mad scientists.  So, it is another to be continued lesson...again.

If you'd like to link up and share your classroom sprinkles from this week or even last, head over to Sprinkle Teaching Magic and include your blog post link.  See you next Saturday for another sprinkling!  

{Saturday Sprinkles} Of The Science Variety

Well, sadly my winter break is OVER!  Waaaaaaaaaah!  I cannot believe how seemingly fast 2 weeks went by.  But I really needed it and am glad it came when it did.  So, to help me get back into the swing of things, I am linking up with my buddy, my pal, my friendliest friend, She, over at Sprinkle Teaching Magic for this weekly linky party.

While I never really officially blogged about my National Board results, I did mention over on my 13 in 13 blog post here, that I missed it by a teeny tiny 6 points.  Argh!  So, I am retaking my Entry 3 (Science/Math) and 1 or 2 Assessment Center exercises (Science and Fine Arts) this year to make up those 6 points.  

Two weeks before winter break, I introduced our Levers & Pulleys (FOSS) unit to my students through exploration and very little information given by me.  Because I know my students learn best through exploration, I chose to have them jump right into working with levers through exploring with what they already know and understand, which helped them grasp on to the concept more deeply and peeked their curiosity way more than if I had just given them a vocabulary lesson and jumped right into the first experiment of setting up a lever to lift a load.  Do you see how I just threw a National Board explanation format at you?!  It comes at you in your sleep after working on them for 4 entries and assessment exercises for 2 years.  You're welcome.  

Here is a peek into our classroom during this 45 minute chunk of time where I had small groups of students gathered around me to help me open a paint can with their fingers while partner/trios gathered around our computers to explore and attempt a Simple Machines Brainpop game on how to build levers and pulleys to complete tasks (again, remember I did not give them any background information).  

While you can't see their faces, let me just paint the picture (LOL, see how I did that?) for you. They are staring at that paint can for about 5-10 seconds and thinking solo about how they can possibly open it after all trying to do so with just their fingers.  Right after this, we had a seriously insane conversation about what they could use to actually open it.  Many of them mentioned seeing their dads or uncles opening one with a screwdriver before, so I asked them, "Why do you think a screwdriver works instead of your fingers?"  Some of them wanted to try to open it with their pencils because they figured out they needed something similar to a screwdriver, but stronger than their fingers.  Of course, their pencils broke and I asked them to discuss why the pencil broke, etc. Through this, they were heading towards the idea of a fulcrum, but they weren't quite there yet...perfect!  It paved the way in such a beautiful manner for their first experiment.  See below ("I Wonder" in their notebooks) for their next step after what you see in this picture.

They had some fantastic exploration discussion going as they tried to play out ways to move objects and lift loads to win the game.  I definitely recommend giving your students a shot at this free game from Brainpop.  My students absolutely ate it up and wanted to play it again.  It was hard for me to shoot video (via my iPhone) while trying to listen in on their discussions, so I only got this quick 10-second video after I asked this pair of boys why they think their object they chose finally worked to lift the load (for some reason I also couldn't get my YT link from my page to work either, so there's that).

When students were finished with either the paint can or the Simple Machines Brainpop game, they went to their desks and began filling out their "I Wonder" page in their Science Notebooks.  All I asked them to do was write about what the two activities sparked in their minds.  These wonderings will pave the way to their experiments, including their two final inquiry-based experiments in which they design their own exploration and carry-out the building of levers and pulleys to accomplish a task.

There you have it!  This is what Science looks like in my classroom...at least at the beginning stages of a new unit.  I only took these pictures for my National Boards portfolio entry, so they aren't super detailed.  But I loved She's idea of looking back at what the week was made of and considering how successful it was.  Basically, I think this weekly linky party will be a really perfect way for me to reflect back on those bad weeks (really hoping they are fewer and fewer these last 2 quarters).

Thanks for visiting!  Definitely link up with She and other teachers each week.  This is a way for us hard-working teachers to share those successes we have more often than we realize.

Teachers of Instagram

Seeing as how I am an Instagram addict, I really wanted to link up with Kickin' It In Kindergarten to look back at some of my favorite Instagram pictures from 2013.  She asked linker uppers to pick 3, but I have quite a few that really stand out as mementos of an action-packed year.  Or perhaps I'll pick 3 categories and throw in the pics I loved most from those categories?  See?  I told you I am addicted to Instagram!!

Tubac, Arizona Working Retreats

These 6 shots are all from 2 weekends I spent away from home and work to do some hard core work on my National Boards entries and lessons.  Tubac, Arizona is in southern Arizona and is beautiful!  The Tubac Resort was one of those places that scream serenity.  Can you see how awesome my resort room was...and I had it all to myself!  I woke up one morning to rain on the skylights and was able to sit and read my book in front of the fireplace before I had to work for 8.5 hours straight on Boards.  There are so many pictures I took from these 2 weekends that hold all sorts of interesting moments and memories.

National Boards Journey

I documented my entire 2-year journey, so there are a ton of Instagram shots!  Basically, almost half of them have to do with my view...whether it was out a window, across a table, or staring at a computer.  

Friendliest Friend Moments

I love my friends!  I love that we have crazy and random moments together.  Thankfully, they play along with me and I was able to capture much of it on Instagram.  I noticed towards the end of the year, I wasn't capturing as many moments...so that is something I want to make sure doesn't happen.  

Join in on the Instagram linky party with all the other teachers on Instagram and share your favorite 3 pictures (or in my case, 3 categories).  What can I say?...I'm indecisive.

January Currently

Hellooooooo 2014!  I'm in denial that it is already time for another Currently, even though I really enjoy linking up with Farley each month.  But the true reason for this denial?  My winter break is almost over!

Listening

If you were a fan of rock in the 90s, you should most definitely get yourself the Slacker app!  They play songs on this particular station I haven't heard since high school like Korn, Stone Temple Pilots, Rob Zombie, and more.  Talk about walking down memory lane.  We were playing it earlier while we took down Christmas decorations and my hubby was laughing because of a Pantera song playing...he mentioned something about it being an anti-Christmas song to the core.  LOL.

Loving

I feel like I need to do a separate post on all the goodies I grabbed up the couple days after Christmas via all the sales, and well, non sales.  But one of those is a really nice hair dryer I picked up on clearance for $15 at my local Beauty Brands.  It is a $65 hair dryer!  Whoop whoop!!!  The hairdryer I have been using the past 8 years or so worked just fine, but it was time to get something different.  I can't believe how soft and less frizzy my hair has been these last 2 times I have used the new one. Score a point for me and my hair!!

Thinking

This morning I woke up ready to finally sit down and get started with my lesson plans for next week.  For the last several weeks before break, I was in that mindset (happens every year) in which I didn't feel like spending much time on them.  So, they were vague and lacked the details I normally put in them.  Hopefully, I will sit down here in a little while and feel more invigorated.  I also need to work on my next Teachers Pay Teachers extension menu for prefixes and affixes that we used months ago!

Wanting

Last week especially went by in the blink of an eye.  It was a whirlwind of cleaning the house, getting the last of the Christmas presents wrapped, and trying to enjoy my first week.  Before I knew it, Christmas was over.  Thankfully, the week has slowed down, but I can't believe there is only 3 more days left.  Waaaaaaaaah!!  I've had a seriously rough group this year and I don't know if I'm ready to go back to them yet.  Did I mention my stylist found my very first gray hair (she knows my hair after these last 8 years) last month?  She told me it had 3 months of growth...AKA, my seriously trying group. Yep.

Tradition

My mom and I have been going shopping the day after Christmas for many years now.  It is just one of those things we have always done.  We usually stop somewhere to get decorations on sale.  But then the rest of the time is spent spending those gift cards or cash we got for presents at the mall.  I look forward to it every year!  

Gettin' My Fix with Stitch Fix {#2}

Last month, I got my first fix from Stitch Fix and I seriously enjoyed opening up that box and seeing which 5 items the stylist put together for me.  It was something I just thought I would try and hopefully like...but once I got that first box and tried everything on in my awkward party-of-1 fashion show here , I was definitely addicted and HAD to try it again to see if it could get better!  I am happy to say, it did!  This 2nd fix was even better than the first...I had to sadly send back 2 items that I really wanted to keep...but a las, I wanted to use that money to go shopping with my mom (our annual tradition) the day after Christmas.

If you are reading this and wondering what exactly this lady talking about (that's me!), feel free to click your way over to my first review and check out my little run-down on the amazingness of Stitch Fix.


Or check out these quick tidbits...

• Sign up using this referral code and get yourself on the calendar.

• Take a styling quiz so your stylist can see what you like, dislike, your body type, sizing, etc.

• $20 styling fee (you don't pay it till your fix is put together) gets you a personalized box of 5 hand-picked items from tops to bottoms to necklaces to everything else you could imagine

• Sign up for a monthly fix or whenever you'd like as often as you'd like, it isn't a subscription service...which is a PLUS!

• Keep all 5 items and get 25% off your total and also get your $20 taken off the price

• You have 3 days to try everything on and send it back in a pre-paid envelope

• If you don't keep anything, your $20 is well...wasted. But there are ways to ensure your fix is right for you. (see first review or below about my Pinterest tips

• Feel pampered and like a bit of a celebrity as you try on items picked just for you!

First Look

Look at those patterns!  This time I got a dress and a pair of pants instead of all tops. 

When I gave them feedback from my first Stitch Fix, I asked that they send more winter-related items that I could wear to work and out afterwards as well and to keep including unique patterns. While I was hoping to see a sweater in the mix, I was still pretty happy with what came.  I'd say they listened pretty well no?  

{Stitch Fix Tip}

I highly, highly, highly recommend putting together a Pinterest board (title it My Stitch Fix Style or something along those lines).  You'll be set to go!...because your stylist will actually take a look at it, as long as you provide a link to your Pinterest account in the quiz.  Pin fashion icons or people you look to for inspiration (mine being Lauren Conrad). In your pin descriptions, write up a short quick bit on why you like the picture or what it is that you would wear in that pin. 

And here is my fashion show this time around!  It was so much nicer having my hubby take the pictures.

Look #1

41 Hawthorn Dominic Brick Print Shirtdress:

Waaaaaaaah!  This is one of the items I had to send back for cost purposes.  I am super sad because I really did love this on.  I don't really own a shirtdress and I loved the pattern of it as well as the navy color.  The dress had some nice details such as the tabs on the shoulders and the thick band at the hem as well. Sigh. Either I was going to keep the jeans (see below) or this dress.  Since the jeans were something I had been looking for for 2 years, I went with those instead.  I'm secretly hoping my stylist sends this back to me for my 3rd fix that I already scheduled for the end of January.  Let me stop thinking about the painful reminder that this isn't hanging in my closet.  So...I paired this with textured tights and my knee-high black boots as well as my off-white statement necklace.  It could easily be worn in the summer as well because it is lightweight. Darn it! Strangely, both my mom (who came in shortly after my fashion show after driving over from California) and hubby didn't quite like it on me.  They thought it looked big, which I disagree on since it is a shirtdress and is supposed to be a little less fitted.  Oh well.

Status:  Sent Back (against my will) | $78

Look #2

41 Hawthorn Selfridge Cowl Neck Long Sleeve Top:

I was up in the air with this top.  The texture and weight of it is very light yet warm at the same time.  It has a sort of sweater feel to it, yet a really light sort of jersey feel as well.  This top itself can be dressed up (mostly) or down.  When I unfolded this top after opening my box, I immediately thought how opposite of my style it truly is.  What I loved is how flattering it was on my upper body (wink wink).  I chose to style it with my mint jeans because I sadly do not have peach jeans (shorts yes, but not jeans) as you can see in the styling card.  The first set of flats I paired it with didn't look so hot, but I loved it with my nude heels!  My hubby deemed this top his favorite out of everything, but I thought it made me look older in a way.  BUT!  I would have kept this if I could have afforded to keep all 5 items and get my 25% off. Unfortunately, I could only afford to keep 2-3 items from this box.  

Status:  Sent Back | $48

Look #3

41 Hawthorn Filbert Polka Dot Print 3/4 Sleeve Blouse:

Can you see the seriously unique sleeves on this blouse?  At first I thought they were folded up and I'd have to fix them before I put it on.  Those sleeves are the reason why I will keep getting fixes from Stitch Fix!  Plus, I have an addiction to blouses and polka dots (stripes too).  Oh, that and I need more navy in my closet..no really!  There is a ton of black and even brown in my closet.  So...in other words...this was a match made in heaven.  Well done to my stylist Brent!  I fell in love with this blouse as soon as I slipped it over my head, saw the sleeves, and then saw how it flattered me completely.  It has a seam on the bottom that makes it easy to wear untucked but it looks fantastic tucked in as well.  I wore this, tucked in with the nude heels, on Christmas Day at home and my hubby's parents' house and then later on when we went on our traditional movie watching outing, I untucked it and paired it with my black knee-high riding boots (not seen here...I didn't think to take a picture, stupid me!).  I was so comfortable in it all day!  Score a HUGE point for my stylist Brent.  Did I already say that?  Heh heh.

Status:  Kept | $58

Look #3 and #4

(pants)

(top)

Mavi Freida Skinny Jean:

Hello skinny black jeans!  Where have you been these last 2 years?  I have searched high and low for a pair that I like.  I've tried on many pairs, and I even bought several pairs because I was desperate.  The pairs I do own are not comfortable or don't truly fit well.  But THIS, this pair are comfortable (soooooooooo darn soft), look fantastic, and fit perfectly!  The pricetag was really high on them as well, so I knew the quality was going to be superb.  I'm used to buying my jeans at Old Navy or Target.  Thanks again Brent!  

Status:  Kept | $98

41 Hawthorn Corinna Striped Dolman Top:

Sigh.  I had a love hate relationship with this top.  It had that winter feel to it because of the material. This was the other item I sort of wondered about when I unfolded it and noticed the sleeves.  Don't get me wrong, I looooooove the color and the stripes.  But the Dolman sleeves are something I do NOT gravitate towards because they are uncomfortable and not exactly flattering.  You can see in the trio picture it does NOT flatter me when it is untucked.  So, I did my favorite lazy/half tuck and it worked like magic.  I love how this type of tuck can take a top from icky to superb just like that.  Yet, when I raised my arms, you could see that it adds width where I don't want width to be added.  Maybe if I was a little more curvy up top it would have been more flattering.  Along with the gray cowl neck top, if this one had been more versatile (tucked or untucked), I would have kept the entire fix to get that 25% off!  

Status:  Sent Back | $48

For curious minds, this is what you get with your fix along with the styling cards and all the other goodies they pack in.  It seems I might be quite a fan and made well for 41 Hawthorn clothing items.  I think one of my other items in my first fix was a 41 Hawthorn piece.  Either way, I'm hoping to see more in my 3rd fix, which I scheduled for the end of January.  I also hope Brent is my stylist again because he definitely knows my style and wants.  But again, like my first fix, I'd like to see more inexpensive items because I have seen them in my friends' boxes, so I know it is possible.  It would also be great to see a sweater AND that shirt dress in my box in January.  

Are you read to try out Stitch Fix?  You can click on my referral link here and I do get a $25 credit, which is one of the reasons I can keep up with getting fixes...so basically?  I'll love you forever!   But I also really enjoy seeing and hearing from those of you who do click on my referral link so I can see and hear all about your experience.  It's like going to the mall with friends and having a great time in the fitting room.  And please...enjoy it!  

Have you received a fix from Stitch Fix?  What kind of items have you received?  Leave a comment and include a link to your posts so I can partake in your fashion shows too.  It's just as much fun to see others' fixes as it is to play with mine.