Day 20, Bailey-3rd Grader

Mrs. Craig’s class has been counting coins. Some students used an open number line to determine the value of the coins.  An open number line has no numbers or marks on it. It is a visual representation for recording and sharing students’ thinking strategies during the process of mental computation.

Bailey explains how she arrived at her answer-  “Mrs. Craig had us get out certain coins. We could choose a strategy to count the amount.  I used an open number line. I put 4 half dollars as 50 cents each. That equaled $2.00. Then I added 25 cents two times for 2 quarters. That was $2.50.   And then I added 5 cents 2 times for nickels and I had $2.60. Plus ten cents for a dime is $2.70. I added 3 cents for 3 pennies for a total of $2.73. I like number lines because they make things go by fast.”

Day 18, Mary Lee Sherman-Challenge Teacher

Today in Challenge we learned about weather fronts.  Who knew air had characteristics like temperature, humidity, and stability? Our favorite part was watching the cold front (blue water) push the warm front up and away.  The cold water is denser and heavier than the warm water.  Eventually the water reached homeostasis – where the temperature of the warm and cold water mixed and came to room temperature.

              

Did you know: 

• The symbol for a cold front is a blue line with teeth.  
• The symbol for a warm front is a red line with half circles. 
• A stationary front is when a warm front and cold front meet and stay in the same place because neither is strong enough to push the other out.  They cause lots of flooding.  
• Occluded fronts happen when a cold front pushes under a warm front and cuts it off.

For most of us our favorite part of the day is doing research. We’re researching famous storms.  

Did you know: 

• An ice shove is when a lake freezes then a heavy wind pushes it up on the land.  On Lake Winnebago it destroyed houses, boats, and caused major damage.  
• Hurricane Ike was the costliest storm Cuba has had.  
• The Tri-State tornado in 1925 was the deadliest in the US.  
• One major reason Katrina had so much impact on New Orleans is that New Orleans is kind of shaped like a bowl so the water didn’t have anywhere to go.  
• The storms of the Dust Bowl started the Great Depression.

Stay tuned for more interesting facts about weather. We have lots to say!

Mrs. Sherman's Thursday Challenge Class (3rd-5th Grade)

Day 15, Amy Lancaster-Math IC

What’s a “number talk?” 

What’s a “number talk?”  At Cimarron we are focused on building fact fluency and numeracy. Wonderful “number talks” are happening in every grade level. A number talk is a short amount of time when students are asked how THEY solve problems. For example, when given  8 +9, students might take one from the 8 and give it to the 9 to make a 10. Now the equation is 7 + 10 (Make a Ten Strategy). Those are “friendly” numbers to add. Another student may see the same equation and think 8 + 8 + 1 (using the Doubles +1 Strategy). Here is a poster displaying the students’ thinking in one fourth grade classroom. Once children learn to manipulate numbers they have a better understanding of Algebra. Did you know that there is a correlation between failing Algebra and dropping out of school?  Try it! How would you solve 36 + 25 (TWO WAYS)?  Did you see 30 + 20 + 11? Did you see it another way?  Students need to understand how to break problems apart. Have fun exploring different ways of solving problems!

Day 13-Josh Button-Boosterthon Team Leader

The Boosterthon Fun Run at Cimarron

Boosterthon’s vision is to Change the World. It’s on our shirts, bags, jackets--you name it. And, it’s also why I decided to work for this organization.

The Boosterthon Fun Run is a 9-day fitness, leadership, and character based fundraiser for elementary schools. It kicks off with a big Pep Rally to get the students fired up about helping their school, and along the way students get donations and per lap pledges from friends and family members for the big event at the end of the program, the Boosterthon Fun Run. This event is like the Super Bowl on campus! Every student participates, and parents and family are there to cheer on and celebrate their students. I absolutely love Fun Run Days, but that’s not even the best part of my job.

The reason I love my job is the impact I get to make on the next generation of students in the Houston area. Between the Pep Rally and the Fun Run, the Booster Team meets with every student in the school each day of the program to teach them a character lesson of the day. Cimarron is 1 of 70 schools we will serve in Houston area and 1 of 1,000 schools across the country that we will partner with this school year. That means the Boosterthon will impact 700,000 students in 22 different states this school year alone! Among those 700,000 students are the next scholars, small business owners, CEOs, Congressmen and women, professional athletes, and maybe even a future President of the United States. I believe these students will soon be shaping our future, and it’s the hope of our team that the character values and traits we teach will be lasting ones. In summary, I love my job because I have the great opportunity to make an impact on the next generation.

The character theme this year is Camp High 5, and we have been challenging the students at Cimarron to move from classmates to friends with a summer camp theme all about friendship. Each day we give them a new Camp Challenge, a way they can become a better friend to those around them. The Camp High Five theme includes daily character lessons that teach the value of respecting others, not bullying, and showing sportsmanship. Each lesson is paired with a daily hand gesture that helps make it memorable. The message is also reinforced through a curriculum that includes interactive character videos, catchy songs, and a brand-new children’s book that we leave with every teacher.

Another way Boosterthon is aiming to change the world is through our give back initiative. This year, Boosterthon’s 1,000 partner-schools will link arms to fight hunger in America through Boosterthon’s High Five Meal Drive. Partnering with the non-profit Feeding America, Boosterthon will donate five meals for every student who reaches the giveback reward level. Approximately 275,000 meals will be donated this school year to American families in need. Students at Cimarron are helping to change the world too!

Cimarron’s Boosterthon Fun Run will be this Thursday, and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate the hard work these students have done to help their school! Our team loves being here. The best part is the family culture here at the school, and how the Administration, Staff, Teachers, and Students have all welcomed us into their family. It truly has been a joy to be here!

A Huge Fan of the Cheetahs,

Josh Button – Team Leader

If you would like more information, please visit Boosterthon.com, morethanarun.com, or you can contact me directly at JoshB@Boosterthon.com.

Day 12-Regina Bartels, Reading IC

Cimarron’s Community of Readers

As you walk down the hallways at Cimarron, you can’t help but notice and feel something different, something wonderful! Teachers are reading!  They are reading professional books and books just for fun!  They are creating a passion for reading in our students by displaying their current reads on signs outside each classroom door.  Students are talking about the books that teachers are reading!  Even Mrs. Bell is showcasing her books!

Miss Fait and Mrs. Reagan shared their reading and it’s amazing how many kids stop and comment on the books! A student today said, “My Mom reads USA Today just like Mrs. Reagan!”

Cimarron is also reading around the World.  The teachers plot the setting of their read alouds on the map displayed by the literacy library. We had our first book from Mrs. Mcvey’s 5^th grade class added last week.  They are reading Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff which takes place in New York.  Can’t wait to see where the other books will take us! We might end up in India or Australia or Ireland!

Cimarron is building a community of readers among its teachers and students. Reading is

truly contagious!

Day 11: Cayce Corley, 5th Grade Math Teacher

BEAT the TEACHER

Who doesn’t enjoy a little competition-especially against their own teacher?

This lesson helped students to learn place value while using strategy and a little friendly competition with their teacher. How often do teachers hear the statements, “I love Math!" or "This is fun!” I heard that in my class on Friday, and I have to say it made my heart happy.

Beat the teacher is a very simple, yet engaging, method of teaching place value. All that is needed is a pair of dice(0-5)(5-9), beat the teacher tracking sheet (using a few spaces for a small number or more for a larger number), and a little creativity. I made it more interesting by introducing some clever claps to the students (Alligator clap, Princess clap, and my favorite, the Oreo clap) along with making deals with the kids about what ridiculous things I would do if they won or what they would have to do if I won.

The strategy

Students rolled the dice and decided which place value slot to place the number in on their tracking sheet. The goal was to make the bigger number in order to beat the other player. Students compared numbers, wrote the number in word form and vertical expanded form. Students didn't even realize they were learning because they were so engaged. Students love to see their teachers do outlandish things all in the name of learning! When I lost, I did pushups and other things that would be embarrassing to those in the outside world. We also extended the lesson by playing Beat the Principal!! I must say that I beat Mrs. Bell three times! She was a good sport and displayed her singing and dancing skills nicely as a penance for her loss! We would like to thank Mrs. Bell for coming into our classroom and showing us that principals can be fun, too!! 

When kids do not want to leave the room, or stop the lesson/game, that is definitely what I would call a successful lesson. This is one to keep in the books!

Day 10: Sanee Bell, Principal

We have a story to tell at Cimarron Elementary. I want to shout on a mountaintop that we have the VERY best teachers, the VERY best students and the MOST supportive parents! Because we live in Texas and have no mountaintops to climb-just dirt hills, I have to resort to blogging to tell the world about all the great things that happen each day at Cimarron. This blog is dedicated to telling the story of our learning journey. Each day, students, teachers, support staff and even parents will tell the story of Cimarron. There are 179 instructional days this school year and we are committed to telling a story each day. Welcome to our learning chronicles. We hope you enjoy the journey!

Sincerely,

Sanée Bell

Principal