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Learning isn’t Linear
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Continue reading →: Learning isn’t LinearTheme. It’s something so woven into the essence of Prairie Creek and the Herons that I often forget that it’s not part of every classroom everywhere. Theme is our engine. It propels us. It teaches us how to ask questions and make conjectures. We learn to collect evidence and seek…
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Continue reading →: Slip Sliding AwayThe Herons went for their first ski of the season today. On Monday, we got everything ready – venturing down to the basement for all of the boots, building the shelves to hold the boots, cleaning out the ski shed and organizing all of the poles. Today we learned about…
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Doing Our Part
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Continue reading →: Doing Our PartThe Herons really stepped up on Thursday at Squirrel-a-thon. Whatever needed to be done, they were there to do it. Often, they didn’t wait to be asked — they just saw something and did it. Whether it was getting wood for the fire, helping sell headbands, jumping in to help…
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Continue reading →: A Math Community“I really don’t get why 2/5 times 4/6 is 8/30ths.” The student who shared this had gotten the answer “right” but he wasn’t satisfied. He knew how to do the problem but he couldn’t explain why it worked. Sure, you could multiply the numerators (top number) then multiply the denominators…
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Continue reading →: The READ Act and the HeronsToday (Monday) was the seventh of eight sessions for our READ Act professional development. Over the past year, we’ve spent sixty hours learning about the science of reading. The law mandates both professional development and curriculum adoption. We were, of course, concerned about the way the mandates might change our…
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Continue reading →: Sew Much To DoI was skeptical. A new to Prairie Creek grandmother had reached out to me because she wanted to do a machine sewing project with a class. Sewing? With the whole class? At the same time?! I had done some hand sewing in the past with students but she wanted them…
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Continue reading →: Student Agency in the Progressive ClassroomA few days ago, I came across this article about student agency in the New York Times (I think I linked it correctly so that you can read it — it's worth a read, for sure.) A recent Gallop poll found that employers "complain that young hires lack initiative, communication…
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Continue reading →: Personal Projects and TechnologyWe are launching into personal project season and I spent time this past week searching for good on-line information for students' to use in their research. It got me thinking about technology and its role in our projects…a role that is changing rapidly. I'd love your input and ideas —…
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Continue reading →: Unearthing Joy Along the Silk RoadThis month, the teachers at Prairie Creek are focussing their work in professional development on Unearthing Joy by Gholdy Muhammad. Its central premise is for teachers to be culturally and historically responsive by ensuring that our instruction is rich in five different domains (or pursuits as she calls them). This…
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Forest School – A Heron Tradition
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Continue reading →: Forest School – A Heron TraditionCollecting Nature's Notebook data When the Herons started heading outside for Forest School on Wednesday, I had no idea we would still be doing it ten years later. The very first day was not auspicious – cold and rainy, we settled in for our independent reading period which ended thirty…
Hello,
I’m Michelle
I teach fourth and fifth graders at Prairie Creek Community School. We’re a public progressive school in rural Minnesota. I use this blog to share moments in our classroom and to reflect upon my practice.
The Rookery 