What a week we had this week. Our week centered around our video game debate, and it was a lot of fun. During class on the days leading up to Thursday's debate, we learned about debate fallacies (debate don'ts) and debate strategies (debate dos). We continued gathering research and elaborating on that research, and we went over our debate protocol and rules. This all led us to Thursday, when Judge Hanly (aka my favorite human ever: my dad) made an appearance in room 210. Each side had time that morning to prepare for the different stages of the date, which consisted of their opening statements, main arguments, rebuttals, and closing remarks. Students were given sentence starters for each stage, and had their research in front of them throughout the main event. In the past, I've been more loose with the how debate itself is run. In past years, we did it in a circle on the rug, more so of a text-based discussion than a two-sided debate. Yet it was often tough hearing from everyone, and students were so focused on getting their chance to talk that they weren't always actively listening to the arguments presented by their own teammates and their classmates on the other side of the issue. So this year, I developed a protocol in hopes that the structure would allow for both sides to feel equally heard. I think it definitely helped, but the formality was understandably a bit nerve wracking for some kids. As the debate went on, I feel like everyone became a bit more comfortable, and if we have time, we may try to squeeze one more in before the end of the year--especially since we now have all sorts of debate handcrafted supplies...

In terms of who "won", I was very torn about whether or not to even have "winners". But the aspect of competition was motivating for some kids, and when it comes down to it, being able to humbly win and gracefully lose is a reality that is good to get used to. My dad and I decided to have one winning team (of four possible teams; two in each homeroom) and several students as honorable mentions. The winning team (Aden, Lacy, Viola, Ava, Miqueias, Leanne, and Kaleah) ended up being on the negative side of the issue, and their enthusiasm, assertion, and clear arguments made for a successful and convincing crew. Other recipients of our Debate Winners medals were Colin, Lyla, Mihali, Petra, Annabel C., Emma, Antonio, Seriyah, and James, who were acknowledged for a variety of positive factors. Overall though, I was so proud of everyone, and their eagerness, teamwork, effort, and participation made for an enjoyable event that will be a highlight of the year for me.

We had three Bucket Fillers this week. Our Bucket Filler for Mrs. O'Keefe's homeroom was Shay. Shay is always contributing to class discussions. I love that she always has her hand in the air, ready to share her ideas. She has grown so much in reading this year, and we have a wonderful relationship that I truly cherish. We picked two names for my homeroom this week, and that's because of how much extra time and effort so many kids put into our debate. Both teams knocked it out of the park and just were super into it, so I ended up rewarding them by selecting two Bucket Fillers for the week. Those two names were Rakia and Mason, and what awesome, awesome kids they both are. It's funny, because they actually have many similarities in terms of why I appreciate them so much. Both Rakia and Mason received the Superintendents Award this school year, and while they were for two different things (Academics and Leadership), they both very well could have been the recipient in the other's category. They are positive, flexible, and respectful. Mason is the first to help me clean up the classroom at the end of the day, and that's often without being asked to. Rakia is as polite and kind as they come, continually supporting her peers and her teachers. I truly feel lucky to have them both in my class this year!

   

 

     

    

4th grade MCAS is officially a thing of the past, as we finished the math MCAS on Thursday this week. Fortunately, the math testing tends to be a bit less time-consuming than ELA for most students, so the days were a tad less draining this time around. We even got to spend some extra time outside after everyone had finished, as well as gather together in one room to relax and read a large chunk of our current read aloud, The One and Only Ivan. On the non-MCAS days, we focused our energy on research for our video game debate. Students will also be writing a research-based five-paragraph essay in support of their claim for the debate.

Another activity we did this week centered around kindness. To be honest, I've noticed that recently kids haven't been so nice to each other. There is a lot of bickering and impatience with one another, in addition to some behind-the-back hurtful comments, which are never fun. Perhaps it's the time of year, or maybe it's MCAS-related stress, but it was evident we needed some sort of "kindness revival". We ended up doing an activity that my friend Miss Bougas (who used to teach 5th grade at the Kennedy) has done in the past with her students. It went like this: first we discussed the importance of compliments and what makes a "good" compliment. Then, students were given a clipboard with a marker and a piece of card stock paper with their name written in the middle. We sat in a circle, and we began the activity by passing our clipboard to the person to the left of us. They had to silently write a genuine compliment about the person whose name was in the middle of the paper. After about 30-45 seconds, we then passed the paper to the next person. We continued this process until we were reunited with our own name. This time though, our name was surrounded by an assortment of compliments written by our peers. Students found a spot in the room to read all the nice things said about them. No names were included, which I think makes the final result more authentic. I got to participate too, and I'll forever treasure mine. I included a photo of that end product (from one of the homerooms) to the right. The quote "Kindness Matters" is sprinkled all over the place in my classroom, and this motto is one that I hope we can all continue to remind ourselves during this last month of school. 

Our Bucket Fillers this week were Leila and Mihali. Leila is filled with enthusiasm. Whether that eagerness is about her baby sister (Charlotte), her love of sports (she's a soccer star and big Bruins fan), or her favorite TV show ("Stranger Things"...), her excitement is often contagious. She's also one of those students who can sit anywhere in the classroom. I don't have to worry about any complaints from her, nor do I have to be concerned about who she sits next to. She gets along with everyone! I was reminded of that quality this week when I was planning out a new seating arrangement. For my homeroom, Mihali is one of those students. When I pulled his name out of the Bucket Filler jar yesterday, I immediately responded with, "Wait, didn't you just win?" In reality, I shouldn't be surprised, as he is a frequent filler of my bucket. Thanks for being so awesome, Mihali, you will be greatly missed when you move on to 5th grade!

  

Video games...are they bad for you? Or could they be considered good for you? Do they have a primarily negative or primarily positive effect on children? That's the issue at the center of our daily ELA block right now, as the kids are gathering research in support of one side. I've provided them with kid-friendly articles, but this week they'll have the opportunity to seek out other sources in support of their claim. They'll be using the information they find to write a five-paragraph essay on the topic, and eventually we'll have a text-based debate. In years past, I've held debates on various matters, such as the benefits and harms of technology and the age in which students should be allowed to play contact supports. It's a really fun way to teach into and combine a variety of skills and strategies, from reading informational texts to persuasive writing to speaking and listening standards. Not only that, but it's important that students are able to respectfully disagree with others when they don't share the same view on an issue, and debates are the perfect way to foster such open-mindedness. 

This week, we also started the book The One and Only Ivan. This is one of my favorite books of all time, and though we only have about a month left in the school year, we'll prioritize finishing it by the beginning of June. I really enjoy using the book as a mentor text for several different writing techniques, and it's a great story to analyze for theme. It's also based on a true story of a real gorilla who spent a good chunk of his life living in a shopping mall. So crazy! I can't wait to continue reading with the kids.

Our last day of ELA MCAS was on Tuesday, and the kids put in so much effort yet again! With that behind us, I wanted to keep the rest of the week relatively light and enjoyable, but still productive and structured. So...we're writing a book! We spent this week working on pages for our book. These writings and illustrations will be compiled together into a book that will represent our 4th grade school year. I had gotten the kit to put this together a few months ago. The kit comes from a company called Studentreasures Publishing, and I thought it'd be a neat way for the kids to celebrate their writing and see their work printed and bound like true authors. I was at a loss when deciding on the theme for our book though, so I raised the predicament to the class. Our brainstorming session brought clarity in that it lacked clarity, and I knew that we were left with one choice: students could write about whatever they wanted. Some students focused the writing for their page on themselves, some wrote about what they want to be when they grow up, some wrote fictional narratives, some wrote personal narratives, and others wrote about a topic they know a lot about. It's transformed into a truly random display of creativity, so I've included a photo of what we'll send in for the cover of our book (I also didn't have any other pictures this week, so...). I hope the kids like it!

Our Bucket Fillers this week were Ryker and Brennan. Both boys made me proud with how much effort they put into the ELA MCAS. I could see them both taking their time, which isn't easy on those long, exhausting, sticky (our classrooms are currently VERY hot) days of testing. I've seen both boys really evolve this school year. Ryker's worked really hard on his writing, even handing in extra credit writing assignments here and there. For our class book, he even wrote a fictional narrative. He got to work right away, and ended up with an imaginative tale about cyborg chickens. (Cyborg animals tended to be a theme for some of our fictional narratives...) He was one of the standout students who remained really focused and enthusiastic about the assignment. Brennan's a computer whiz, and has truly taken advantage of having this year's ELA homework assignments accessible through Schoology. I've seen both his school work and homework grow over the course of the year, and I'm really proud of him!