What Do You Do With a Chance?

To all my Brookdale friends, this is the book I picked to read to all of you during the last week of school. You all have amazing chances in your future.  Take them, and let the excitement of something new be more powerful than the fear of the unknown. See you soon kids.

https://www.wevideo.com/view/1711393647

Also an Octopus

Also an Octopus is a wonderful book to inspire kids to write their own stories. We all have a little bit of nothing, especially now, so why not turn that nothing into something creative.  Enjoy the read aloud, and the writing possibilities kids. 

https://www.wevideo.com/view/1684106002

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton was first published in 1942, and won the Caldecott Medal.  It's been a favorite of my students for years, so I wanted to share a read aloud of one of the best picture books I have ever read. Enjoy! 

https://www.wevideo.com/view/1684066083

The Imaginaries, Little Scraps of Larger Stories

This is a wonderful story that I hope gets you in the mood to do some creative writing kids.  Enjoy and create!

https://www.wevideo.com/view/1683234852

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena

A fun read aloud for everyone.

https://www.wevideo.com/view/1683173035

Secret Garden Metaphor...

When we read The Secret Garden, we dug deep into learning about metaphors, imagery, and layers of symbolism in a well written story. I picked these flowers from my garden today, put them in this vase, and thought about that story. Why do you think this image reminded me of the novel? For 4PA and 5PA, think of an explanation for the first ten minutes of our weekly Zoom meetings next week.

PA News

PA tests results will be shared through email on May 1st, contact school with any questions.  It has been nice to see everyone online, I've seen every classroom Zoom meeting and PA meetings over the last few weeks. The activities below are optional for my PA friends, but the students asked for some ideas.

3PA: Create a way to share your own personal ranking of the top 10 discoveries of Ancient Egypt.  Number 1 should be the most important and 10 is the, while still amazing, the least important on your list. 1-10...create your list and fully explain your choice, 1-10,  in any way you want.

4PA: We left off with reading poetry by Langston Hughes, who wrote about life 100 years ago in Harlem, NY in the 1920's. I wanted to take you on a trip through a period of time known as The Harlem Renaissance during our last weeks together. This week, explore this link: http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/interactives/harlem/faces/index.html 
We can talk on Thursday about what you can create or share about your thinking. 

5PA: Capstone is back, optional, but I know my students want to share their plans to make the world a better place, and it's a good time for big picture problem solving. So kids, basic Mr. Schumann directions, by now I bet you know them already:

1.  Create a way to share facts from your research, provide evidence, that the problem you want to fix is, in fact, a problem.
2. What is your idea to fix the problem.
3. Format is your choice. 
4. Due May 25th, as we discussed on Friday kids. I'm so proud of you guys. 

Made by Maxine by Ruth Spiro

https://www.wevideo.com/view/1648843885

This book makes me think of what can be created with virtually nothing. Why not make something? 

Making Inferences: Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg

https://www.wevideo.com/view/1663757804

This book is a favorite. Listen and think of all the parts the author left out, he wanted you to find them on your own. That's what making an inference when reading means.  Look for the breadcrumbs left by the author...

Happy Easter

Zoom Meetings

PA Zoom Meetings 

3rd Grade April 14th @3:00
https://ipsd.zoom.us/j/4987322193?pwd=d2ZwelVVNHhVTGdjbUY5U1JZK0JUQT09
Password 850393

4th Grade April 16th @3:00
https://ipsd.zoom.us/j/4987322193?pwd=d2ZwelVVNHhVTGdjbUY5U1JZK0JUQT09
PasswordPassword 850393

5th Grade April 17th @3:00
https://ipsd.zoom.us/j/4987322193?pwd=d2ZwelVVNHhVTGdjbUY5U1JZK0JUQT09
Password 850393

PA Moving Forward

This is a difficult time for the world, and this is easily the most difficult post I have made on our website friends.  With the new remote learning plan put together by District 204 and the leadership team at Brookdale, this is our plan moving forward.  I am not going to be posting new activities for PA students.  The teachers, Mrs. Howicz and I want you guys to focus on the learning you are doing in your homeroom classes.  This, sadly, means that we will not continue with our curriculum.  I will be joining Zoom meetings so I can see you all and check in, and you can send me emails or anything via Google so we can stay in touch.  5th grade, I'm crushed,  but this also means that you can stop working on your Capstone projects.  The world shifted, and we need to shift with it.  

All I want you guys to do is escape into a good book.  We can travel anywhere in books.  I know that you kids have about 50 books from the PA library, just keep them until they can be returned to school.  If you need a good book recommendation, visit here: https://www.librarything.com/catalog/brian_schumann/yourlibrary

I will be posting some links each week that any student at Brookdale can use at home.  Stay well friends, and I will see you on Zoom, and in person when it is safe.

Wonderopolis is a fantastic website to get lost in, exploring things that you wonder about: https://wonderopolis.org/

Fold and Fly is a fun website with dozens of paper airplane designs that you can use to pass the time: https://www.foldnfly.com/index.html#/1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-2

I know this is going to be difficult news to absorb kids, but we will get through this and be back together again when we can.  I'm sending you my love.

Mr. Schumann

Thursday E Learning

Find a cozy place to read friends. Go on an adventure with a book, it’s my remedy. Send me your work, assignments are posted below, sometime in the next ten days. Spring break will be different this year for all of us. You know your assignments and how to share your work, you know how to chat with me if you have questions, and you know I miss seeing you everyday in our room. 

If we continue e learning after spring break, I’ll be in touch. Stay well. 

Mr. Schumann 

Tuesday, E Learning

Working from home. 

5PA Capstone

I don’t want anyone to think about their Capstone project this week. Once we get back from spring break, we will come together and move forward. 

E Learning on Twitter

I know many Brookdale PA parents follow me on Twitter, and I am sharing a lot of resources you can use at home on that platform.  You can follow me @brianschumann75 or you can Google @brianschumann75 and get dozens of ideas and links to things PA students can engage with at home.  Stay well friends. 

5PA E Learning Week 2

We are entering new territory kids.  I miss seeing you each day.  I miss the bond, our inside jokes, how well we know each other, our traditions, and how well you can work as a team. This will not stop because we are not face to face in our room. So, this week, I'm keeping it simple.  Finish the fiction book you went home with that pairs with your autobiography.  Continue to do the annotations with a focus on how the life of the author connects with the fiction you are reading and create a seven word summary for each chapter. Annotate on post-its you went home with, or you can do it on Google, or another method we worked out.  That's it until after spring break.  I'll be checking in several times a day, so if you have anything to share or ask, just share a Google Doc with me.  

4PA E Learning Week 2

https://www.biography.com/video/langston-hughes-mini-biography-2174109638

This is the brief introduction I showed you on our last day together. We are going to be learning about the poetry of Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance for a few weeks. Watch the video again, and then begin reading the following poems here: https://www.poemhunter.com/langston-hughes/

Langston Hughes poems to read this week:

I, Too
Dream Variations
Dreams
Harlem, Dream Deferred
Helen Keller
I Continue to Dream
In Time of Silver Rain
Freedom's Plow

You can read more poems if you like, but the eight listed above are ones I'd like you to read.  Create a Google Doc titled Langston Hughes poetry with your name, then share it with me.  I would like you to write the title of each poem, and share your thoughts about each in a few sentences. What do you think he was saying? How did the poem make you feel? What was the mood or tone of the poem? Add any thoughts you have kids.  We will pick this up after spring break, and I'll be checking in to see what you think of these poems.  You might need to look up some new vocabulary as you read because we are not together.

3PA E Learning Week 2

I posted the documentary we were watching together about the top ten discoveries of Ancient Egypt for all of you to keep watching at home.  I know you left your binders at school, so please take notes on the sections we watched in class again. The YouTube link may not work, so ask an adult to use any device you can to watch.  If you have no other options, send me a note on a Google Doc, and I will look for another source.  This week, my expectations are that you watch the documentary, take notes on paper, and include as much detail as you can.  You will be working on a project using this information after spring break. I so wish I was there with you kids, so if you have questions, or things to share, share a Google Doc with me, I'll reply. 

Egypt's Ten Greatest Discoveries [Full Documentary]

Audible Books Free

Stories are so essential for all of us today. I listen to audible books every night. Audible is now free for students during distance learning. Find a story, a book, make a pillow fort and escape. 

https://stories.audible.com/start-listen

Some Fun for Day 2

For day 2, I still want everyone to have some fun. Share any of your creative ideas with me on Google if you want to. I wish we were together kids.

Comics

So it seems some kids are having trouble seeing the images on the link I posted. My advice it to use a different device, other than Chrome Books, or use these images. I will post more tomorrow. 

3-5 PA E Learning Week One

In PA, we think differently.  This is one of the core values of the program. So, we will be thinking differently in the coming weeks.  To start out this three day school week, I am thinking differently too.  While our regular curriculum will begin again next week, 3rd grade Ancient Egypt, 4th grade will explore the poetry and history of the Harlem Renaissance, and 5th grade will be completing our autobiography unit and moving forward with Capstone plans, but this week, let's take a breath and have some fun critical thinking activities that everyone in the house can do.  

Several PA teachers have been in touch, discussing how we can promote inferential thinking, creativity, family communication, and most importantly some fun into this first week of  this process.  The link below is to a site with a range of unfinished comics.  There are blank templates you can print, or just use any paper you have around the house.  The comics are all started, as you scroll down, so I'd like the students, and you too, to complete them.  Share what each member of the family made and talk about it.  There is a lot going on in the world, this week of learning should focus on bringing families together.  Have fun! 

https://jarrettlerner.com/activities/