A Matter of Money with Katherine House

 A Matter of Money

"Which President is on the $10.00 bill?"

The Prairie Racerunners look forward to Tuesday afternoon read aloud time with Katherine House, a local author and Willowwind Parent. On this particular Tuesday afternoon she took our interests in coins, Presidents and reading while tying them altogether with a study of money! Using an article that she had written in Appleseeds, Katherine brought in real bills and coins for the students to study and understand. 

Checking out the rare $2.00 bill.

We paid close attention to each coin: penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half-dollar and "the golden dollar." Then we looked at bills: dollar, five dollar, 10 dollar, 25 dollar, 50 dollar, 100 dollar, and the rare, 2 dollar bill. As a special treat, Ms. Katherine brought each student an enlarged (an imitation) $1000 dollar bill. It was interesting to discover that Alexander Hamilton was the only man represented on bills that was not actually President. Instead, he was the first Secretary of the United States Treasury. We also enjoyed the landmarks noted on the back of coins and bills: The Lincoln Memorial, Monticello, The Jefferson Memorial, and The United States Seal.

"Dude! Look at this coin."

 After she finished reading The President's Stuck in the Bathtub: Poems about Presidents by Susan Katz, we moved to the "Golden Dollar" with the face of Sacagawea. She was the only woman on the Lewis and Clark Expedition and was chosen for her expertise in Shoshone language. We enjoyed seeing her coin as well as other dollar coins with past Presidential imprints on them. Katherine visited with students about the youngest President, photography and Presidents as well as special landmarks. 

Following her discussion, and some great Spring Break photos, we were able to add landmarks such as the White House and Jefferson Memorial to the Word Wall. Students located Washington D.C. on the map and compared its location to another spring break hot spot, Seattle, Washington. We discussed that the White House is located in Washington D.C. which is where President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, their two daughters and dog, Beau, all live. Furthermore, the Oval Office is also in the White House. 


Thank-you to Katherine for taking the time to connect history with our everyday lives. We appreciate her time and extra efforts. 


http://prairieracerunners.willowwindclasses.org/

Daily News - Prairie Burning on Mormon Trek

Today in the Prairie Racerunner Daily News dated earlier this month...

Friends spend their day
researching soil erosion, prairie animals
and endangered species, but
understand the importance of
fictional reading as well.

The Prairie next to Mormon Trek Avenue was burned yesterday. The smoke blew over Mormon Trek. The road was closed for ten minutes because the smoke was so thick. The Prairie was burned to help manage it in a better way than mowing it because mowing doesn't get rid of the invasive species does. 


As a teacher, I loved this Daily News entry because students are aware of prairie conservation beyond their Willowwind community. Moreover, friends engaged in the most wonderful discussion about what the word invasive really means and how outside plants, insects and weeds can suffocate a thriving space. From there we revisited our Movement Play from the beginning of the year as we discussed a "controlled burn" and how it restores Prairie Life. We also touched on the devastating fires in Colorado that have left many without their homes, crops and livestock. Your children are making world to community connections that are beyond the egocentricity that is developmentally expected from 6, 7 and 8 year old children. They are advocates for their environments, and approach each discussion with tender hearts and mindful voices. 

Racerunner Reading Challenge

A Glimpse into A Racerunner Reading Moment

The Racerunner Reading Challenge

The Racerunners have hopped right into their spring Reading Challenge. Following our Usborne Reading Challenge success, students and their families have asked for something similar in class. In Morning Meeting friends brainstormed ways to set personal reading goals, classroom reading goals and reading goal celebrations! Each afternoon friends record the minutes that they have read in class. Not only is this challenge increasing our awareness of reading, but it is also a natural avenue to use double (sometimes triple) digit addition! Our classroom is all a buzz as students put all of their minutes together, add to their log and anxiously await the next time we read as a group, with buddies or independently. This week you can spot Racerunners reading at recess, lunch or with their favorite classroom stuffee - Dante the Dinosaur. 

You can support your child with helping them add their minutes read at home (or in the car, grocery store or waiting room), and initialing their log. Remember reading has many faces: fictional short stories, a grocery list, song lyrics, instructional manuals, graphic novels, the side of a cereal box, and classic novels. We are all readers no matter what we prefer!

Buddy Reading to Understand Mummies at the ICPL

Personal and Classroom Goals

During Morning Meeting, we brainstormed what would be reasonable for a personal, daily reading goal. They set a range of 30 minutes to 100 minutes per day! We decided that some days we will read more, and some days we will read less. Regardless, we are excited that each minute will contribute to our classroom goal! As a class, friends decided that they would like to read a total of 1600 minutes per week.  

Far, far away on a reading journey all his own.

Celebrate Reading

After setting our personal and classroom reading goals, it was important to determine a celebration. We made a list: A Dance Party, A Day with Buckley, Extra Recess, Pajama Day, Reading with Stuffed Dogs or other Favorite Animals, Baking and Eating a Cake, an Ice Cream Party, and A Movie with a treat. After everyone had contributed an idea, we took a blind vote. As a result we decided that if we meet our goal for 5 weeks, we will watch a School House Rocks or Discovery Kids Movie with popcorn to celebrate our many, many minutes of reading. 

Of course moments reading under Willowwind's tree, or basking in the warm sun on our classroom porch are unexpected gifts that only an Iowa spring can give.  

I am so thankful for your children and all that they discover each day. 

In our favorite saying of perseverance - just keep reading, reading, reading....

Please check out our website for updates on important dates and Book Shelf Titles.

http://prairieracerunners.willowwindclasses.org/

Spring Break Thinking, Writing and Sharing

Sharing Spring Break Adventures from the Author's Chair
and Answering Questions from "the audience." 

Welcome Back to Our Friends
We had a very successful week back from our much needed Spring Break. The weather was superb no matter if we were on the West Coast, East Coast or cozy at home in Iowa. Students spent the week in Writer's Workshop sharing all of the places that they visited along with the sights, sounds and adventures had in each spot. Then we took our time to write about specific moments from Spring Break, using our senses to paint a picture for the reader, and finally, reading to our classmates! What wonderful educations you are providing for your children not only at Willowwind, but with each experience with travel, family and friends. Thanks for all that you do! Please find our list of travel below.

Places We Visited Over Spring Break 2012 

Writing a Draft
Practicing Paragraphs and
Supporting Sentences

• California
• Chicago
• San Francisco
• hospital
• Colorado
• Des Moines
• Cedar Rapids
• Iowa
• San Diego
• Kalona Bowling Lanes
• Rec Center
• Dairy Queen
• Coralville
• Wiliamsburg
• Jamestown
• Washington D.C.
• Tipton
• Baltimore, Maryland
• Canada
• Port Discovery
• a hotel

*After our list was complete, we went through and circled the cities, states and countries using a color key.

Beginning the Life Cycle

This Week we will wrap up our study of Pebbles, Sand and Silt as we dig into the earth's crust to see all that it is made of. Then we will begin studying the life cycle of the butterfly, chicken and frog to finish up our science study for the 2012 school year. 

Using the Globe during Writer's Workshop
 to write about Baltimore and D.C.

Big News

The Prairie Racerunners have been selected to share their Reader's Theatre: Past, Present and Future Generations with the American Legion on Friday, April 13th. What a great honor to share with our Senior Citizens of the Iowa City Community. 

Our Classroom Reading Challenge is underway! Please check your child's Reflection Journal for a new Reading Log and Personal Reading Goals. 

Please check our Racerunner Website and Carly's Weekly Notes about upcoming important dates. 

http://prairieracerunners.willowwindclasses.org/

Bidding Ado to Winter

Our Prairie Racerunner
Usbourne Reading Challenge Winner!
Her friends were so excited for her!

The week before Spring Break we had a lot on our agenda! Please see the picture walk below. Isn't it true that March gives us such a gift - coats and boots in the beginning - shorts and sandals to end. 

Soil Samples and Observations
In order to better understand layers of soil friends collected soil in preparation for a science experiment in class. Our garden was the perfect spot for sampling, complete with grubs, seeds and worms! We wondered if we would find pebbles, sand,  silt and gravel in our soil.

Collecting Soil Samples from the Garden

Recording Soil Observations

We still wear fedoras!

Our Community and Beyond Night What a great  success! K-6 Friends enjoyed watching performances by prohibition mobsters, Queen Elizabeth's Cousins and The Mona Lisa herself. They also browsed various website based on historical events. The Prairie Racerunners presented A Reader's Theatre: Past, Present and Future Generations! It was a huge hit. They have impeccable pausing and an intuitive humor. To represent their projects from past generations each friend chose a favorite piece of head gear. 

Our Great Great Grandparents drove horse and buggy!
We celebrate Korean Birthdays just as our grandparents did. 

Dogs didn't wear Halloween Costumes
when our parents were little.
Our grandparents and parents wear gold bangles
to an Indian Wedding - just like me!

Planting Seeds for Spring

Scott from the COOP came to our Group Discussion to help us begin tomato and pepper seeds. He taught us how to plant them, water them and provide sunlight and heat to help them grow. We can't wait to transplant them to our garden and enjoy them for morning and afternoon snack!

Carefully Planting Tomato Seeds

Visitors from Joetsu, Japan on Friday Before Spring Break

Our  friends from Joetsu, Japan visited on Friday morning to teach us about a popular plant in Asia, Bamboo. Does Bamboo grow in Iowa? Does in grow in California? A common toy made from Bamboo is TaKe Tombo. However, we made the same toy from paper and straw. The Prairie Racerunners were experts and making their TaKe Tombo Toys fly! After a morning of toy making, we were able to ask our friends about the weather and sports in Japan. They had a lot of similar outdoor activities as we do in Iowa! In the afternoon the friends from Joetsu who are here to learn about Montessori and Independent Learning Schools, observed as the Racerunners collected soil samples, brainstormed all that they knew about soil and shared their fictional writing pieces entitled "Adventures in Soil!"

Sharing SOIL ADVENTURES
Integrated writing and science curriculum at its best. 

Author's Share with our friends.

Listening intently as we make our TaKe Tombo

Trying out the TaKe Tombo was the highlight of the morning!

Personalized Education Plans - Moving Forward

PEP Goal Conferences - A Great Success

Thank-you for your attendance and flexibility with our PEP conferences in February and March. Each meeting was very beneficial to the growth and development of the whole child, and I feel confident in the goals that we revisited for the last 12 weeks of school. 

What we want to try...

Based on the feedback from these meetings there will be some changes to our classroom routine. Please see below some suggested changes and how this will look in the classroom. 

1. More time for word study: Students will continue to have new words each week, however, we will assess the following Tuesday or Wednesday. This will give each child the weekend as well as week nights to study the words, their patterns and engage in authentic discussion about the words. 

2. Less words for word study: Words Their Way has high expectations! The main goal of the word sorts is to have experience with various patterns and word building. However, parents and students have been feeling overwhelmed by the amount of words each week. I will continue to send home the 20 to 25 words per week. It is important the children practice sorting all of them and even using each of the words in oral or written stories, notes, lists, etc. However, we will focus on 10 to 12 words per week to assess. This will allow students to experience greater success and develop healthy attitudes toward assessments. Due to this practice, I have reworked groups to focus on necessary vowel patterns. This change will not involve all groups. 

3. Reading Challenge: The Usborn Reading Challenge was such a success that parents asked if we could do something similar in our own classroom as  a way to hold students accountable in their own independent reading. Be on the look out for more information about this trial exercise. Expect Reflection Journals to focus on reading practice at home. 

What we are doing are well...

Things that you are loving about your child's classroom experience: autonomy in choice! I had great feedback as students work to defend table partner choices, choose read aloud books, engage in authentic cultural learning and take note of the world outside of WW School, their home and community. We have a group of students who are advocates for the humans and animals of our world, and its longevity through Prairie Restoration, composting, gardening, recycling, and being good stewards of our environment by walking, being aware of water usage, and... Packing In and Packing Out!

Thank-you...

Thank-you for supporting your child's whole education and sending them in with spirit and passion. How thankful we are for each child at Willowwind. 

Gnocchi di potato with Chef Gaby

Egg yolks and Potato Mounds before it's gnocchi

Thank-You Chef Gaby

On Wednesday, February 29th, Chef Gaby worked with the Prairie Racerunners to make a winter treat of gnochi to go along with our canned tomato sauce that we prepared after our trip to Echolective Farm in September. 

Making gnochi was not only a tasty experience but one full of textile experiments in mixing eggs, rolling the dough and taste testing - of course. Please find the recipe below. 

Chef Gaby explains testing gnocchi dough

Gnocchi di potate

Potato Gnocchi

Ingredients

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper  

4 organic russet potatoes

2  large free range egg yolks

1 cup un-bleached (all-purpose) wheat flour, plus more for dusting board and dough

Directions

   Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Spread a layer of kosher salt on a baking sheet and arrange the potatoes on top. Bake until a bit overcooked, about 45 minutes. Let sit until cool enough to handle, cut in half, and scoop out the flesh.

Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer or grate them on the large holes of a box grater. You should have about 2 cups.

 Make a mound of potatoes on the counter with a well in the middle; add the egg yolks, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of black pepper.

 Mix in the potatoes and mix well with hands.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the flour over the potatoes and, using your knuckles, press it into the potatoes. Fold the mass over on itself and press down again. Sprinkle on more flour, little by little, folding and pressing the dough until it just holds together, (try not to knead it.) Work any dough clinging to your fingers back into the dough. If the mixture is too dry, add another egg yolk or a little water. The dough should give under slight pressure. It will feel firm but yielding. To test if the dough is the correct consistency, take a piece and roll it with your hands on a well-floured board into a rope 1/2-inch in diameter. If the dough holds together, it is ready. If not, add more flour, fold and press the dough several more times, and test again

Rolling Gnocchi Dough

Keeping your work surface and the dough lightly floured, cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 1/2-inch in diameter.

   Cut into 1/2-inch-long pieces. Lightly flour the gnocchi as you cut them.

 Form them into the classic gnocchi shape with the tines of a large fork turned upside down. Take each piece and squish it lightly with your thumb against the tines while simultaneously pushing it away from you. It will roll away and around your thumb, taking on a cupped shape -- with ridges on the outer curve from the board and a smooth surface on the inner curve where your thumb was. The indentation holds the sauce and helps gnocchi cook faster.

  When ready to cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Drop in the gnocchi and cook for about 90 seconds from the time they rise to the surface. Remove the cooked gnocchi with a skimmer, shake off the excess water, and serve as desired.

Successful Taste Test!

Serve gnocchi with:   

·       Butter or Extra virgin Olive Oil  and cheese

·       Homemade Salsa di Pomodoro – fresh tomato sauce

·       Kids with adventurer’s palates will love gnocchi with homemade Pesto di Basilico – basil pesto

Reader's Theatre: Past, Present and Future Generations

Highlighting Our Lines

Preparing for Reader's Theatre
Our classroom is all a buzz as students prepare for their Reader's Theatre presentation on Thursday, March 8th, 2012 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.  Today students worked with their Reading Partner to illustrate the front and back cover, highlight their lines and practice lines. 


A Brief History of Our Research and Presentations 
In January the Prairie Racerunners worked with their families to discuss trends such as clothing, housing, transportation, education and language across three generations. From there they researched and presented on their trend. On Presentation Day, friends brought posters, diagrams, Power Point Presentations, self-authored books, and pop up illustrations on a variety of topics from ear piercing, household pets, Korean Birthdays to American Weddings. Organically students made connections to better understand how and why trends have changed, as well as, how they often remain the same throughout  the years. In an constant effort to bridge home and school experiences, the Racerunners enjoyed this project as apart of our year long themeChanges and Growth Over Time.

Editing and Highlighting Our Script

Writing the Script
As friends observed changes in technology, education and communication they fantasized about the future. These brainstorms led to a script that students have been editing, revising and rehearsing for the last few weeks. Based on Sumner's presentation on head gear, students will be wearing a variety of head gear that represents the PAST, PRESENT or FUTURE as they perform their Reader's Theatre. 








What is Reader's Theatre?
Reader's Theatre is a tool used to better understand historical events while increasing reading fluency, comprehension and cooperation. . While Reader's Theatre does not typically utilize set design, costumes or memorization, students are able to use their voice and story to paint a picture for their audience. 

Practicing Our Lines with a Partner

Our Community and Beyond Night

                   5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Following the Wolf Award Ceremony, 

low sugar and peanut free refreshments will be served. 

We look forward to sharing this night of K-6 inquiry with you and your family!