Curriculum & Instruction Newsletter
Fair Haven Public Schools
November 2020 - Volume 3, Issue 2
November is upon us and with the changing colors of the leaves and crisp morning air to awaken our senses, I am filled with excitement over the possibilities this new marking period brings! This month, we welcome all of our students back into our schools and to say it brings me so much joy to see so many smiling faces enter our schools is an understatement. I am looking forward to our continued work as a school community, engaging students each and every day, and feel this is a time to be thankful and grateful. I am extremely thankful for our amazing staff and families that continue to tackle the ongoing challenges of education during such unprecedented times and I am so grateful to be part of such an amazing, caring community that continues to do amazing things with our students.
With that said, I am excited to share this edition of our Curriculum & Instruction Newsletter with you.
Sincerely,
Cheryl Romano
Director of Curriculum & Instruction
Twitter: @FHCurriculum
"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."
- Albert Camus
Second Grade Science
Through this unit, students investigate a mixture of different sized river rocks. They will determine how to classify these rocks can by separating and sorting them by size, shape, physical appearance, and how they react in certain environments. You can see Mrs. Spano's students hard at work as they look at rocks closely and perform a variety of tests on them to be able to classify them accurately.
Once they complete this portion of the study, students will then learn how sand is formed and compare slow changes of weathering and erosion to rapid changes due to volcanic
eruptions. How exciting!
The Evolution of Innovation Lab
This unique program, offered to students in grades 4-8, sequentially builds upon skills necessary to embrace the idea of design thinking. Key components of design thinking include:
Empathy: Understanding the feelings of your users through actions like observations and interviews.
(Re)Define: Define your challenge. What are you making, for who, and why?
Imagine: Plan, think, visualize, and design a solution to your challenge.
Make: Build a version of your solution to your challenge to show others.
Test: Find users to test your solution and give feedback.
While the challenges are predetermined for our younger learners, setting the stage for them to understand the process, our middle school students create real products that they actually bring to market. Currently, students have over 50 hands-on experiences in marketing, sales, and finance! Another unique facet to this program is that by bringing these products to market, the program is self-sustaining. Students have raised money for philanthropies that they are passionate about and to purchase equipment to use in Innovation Lab. Items like pin makers, candle makers, a Vacuform, jewelry supplies, and a Cricut machine are just a few of the resources that were purchased through the funds generated in Innovation Lab.
The challenges of virtual learning are felt within this course, but they haven't stopped Mr. Aviles or his exceptional students. Students continue to design games and products to address challenges while working from home. Just take a look at some of the great prototypes and sketches that have been shared throughout this marking period. Students have begun to design collage kits, sprays to heal irritation from surfboards, new wiffle ball bats, and even recipes for homemade pasta! As you can see, our students are extremely creative and their passion for an idea shines through in the work they have begun.
What's next for Innovation Lab? In rethinking scheduling and with the new updates to standards, there are some curricular changes in the works. 4th and 5th grade students will engage in game design studios, something that they dabbled with while working virtually for the first marking period. With the new emphasis on career readiness and life literacies, Mr. Aviles is looking to also have a greater community presence with his students, putting their products and designs out there for more people to see and provide more customer engagement for students. Mr. Aviles will also continue to help students foster their relationships with local Fair Haven businesses, who have generously opened their arms to our students and their business endeavors.
First Graders are Busy in their Virtual Classrooms!
New Middle School STEAM Elective
The idea for a new elective started early in 2020. With the understanding that new standards were being approved at the state level and with the need to increase elective offerings for students, the idea of STEAM and it's potential components, as well as the enthusiasm of Ms. Smith, our STEAM teacher, was shared with students through an online survey. With student interest backing the idea and also with their input on which projects they would be interested in creating, the blueprints were in hand to build this new, hands-on experience for students.
What is STEAM? STEAM is an interdisciplinary (Science, Technology/Engineering, Art and Math) course designed to engage students in real world, hands on, collaborative learning experiences while supporting middle school math and science curriculum. Students will experience a variety of hand tools and creative mediums to design and create woodworking projects. While using different tools, it will be essential that the students learn and apply proper safety procedures, respect others and school property, and to participate in cleaning their workspace.
How will Ms. Smith be facilitating this learning in new, engaging ways? Through the Maplewoodshop, of course! By working and training with the Maplewoodshop, utilizing their tools and lessons, Ms. Smith will be able to incorporate woodworking into our elective areas. This is both exciting and educational for students and Maplewoodshop says it well, when they share that, "Woodworking is engaging. It sparks creativity and develops problem solving skills. Working with hand tools and wood gives students the opportunity to practice patience, foster collaboration, and learn responsibility. The end product is a keepsake that kids are proud to bring home and say, “I made that!”"
While electives took place virtually during the first marking period, the use of hand tools was put on hold, however through Ms. Smith's creativity and some alternate lesson plans from the Maplewoodshop, many of the objectives of the course could be covered through the use of found materials, such as cardboard. Ms. Smith began the year by creating to-scale blue prints and isometric sketches, two skills that are necessary when the time comes to put tools in the students' hands. The measurement and mathematics behind the scale drawings and sketches prepares students to work with wood when they arrive for in-person STEAM instruction. Take a look at the pictures of some of the fantastic work students have already completed!
Being Creative in Literacy
Doing Our Civic Duty at Sickles
As a side note: These students voted on Halloween, explaining their festive attire!
Looking For Math Resources?
Go to: http://classroom.google.com
Join the Math Resource Classroom with the code: cfiazgm
Student Voice
---------------------------------------------
Boom-Boom, Boom-Boom! My heart pounds my chest.
“Let me go,” I scream. We were just about to go for our flu shot-the worst kind of shot to get. They hurt like all other vaccines combined. My mom is struggling to keep me in her grip. I finally break free but my big brother, Matthew, catches me and puts me in my seatbelt tight and firm. Right then and there, in that moment, I accepted that I had to get my shot.
Arriving in the parking lot the breaks on the car shout, “here we are…” like in a horror movie. My arm already felt sore. I started hyperventilating. My mom opened the door and snapped, “pull yourself together.”
“Please don’t make me go out there,” I wept with a tear falling down my cheek.
After my mom grabbed a medical glove from her seat she made us put hand sanitizer on before we even entered. We finally walked in with sticky gloves, sunglasses to protect our eyes, and a mask to cover our mouths. We wore big winter coats and boots but it wasn't cold out. Barely able to walk, we waddled like penguins into the room.
Doctor Miguelino asked, “Who wants to go first,” like she was giving out candy. “I want to go last,” I whispered. Christian volunteered to go first. Matthew said, “I’ll be second.” That left me going last.10 seconds later I ended up going first...I was shocked, didn't she hear my brothers volunteer? I didn't want to be mean so I said, “Ok,” and sat in the hospital bed with tinfoil on it. My belly felt like it was empty. My mom said to relax my arm so it would hurt less and to not look at it coming in. I asked my mom if she could give me my squishy toy and her hand. She did and I squeezed them both tight. Then “Doc” cleaned my arm with alcohol on a pad and I felt a little pinch. Just like that it was done.
Matthew said to Christian that I didn’t even flinch and he was right. I don’t know why I made such a big deal about this. I smiled. I was done and it was my brother’s turn. Matthew’s was a breeze but Christian’s wasn't. He had cuts and bruises on his arm from his lacrosse game and so the Band-Aids kept falling off and the blood trickled down his arm. He was fine of course. Mom whispered to us to go outside and wait in the car. “Ok” we replied very fast. “And get some hand sanitizer!” “Okkk,” so we did and we also put some of our own on that was in the car. A couple seconds later mom and Matthew walked out and we were off. I could not wait to tell dad all about it!