Volume 7, Issue 3

January/February 2022

Mrs. Whitten promotes student collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving through the use of breakout activities that are like escape rooms but designed to promote learning in the classroom. Students work together as a team to solve puzzles to crack open a locked box. Every time a puzzle is solved, it reveals the combination to a lock. Student teams must open six locks to open the box. Puzzles are aligned to grade-level standards and enhance learning by keeping students motivated and engaged. The most recent breakout activity was part of a math lesson on equivalent fractions. Students learn cooperation and teamwork while applying concepts and skills.

At the beginning of each trimester, Mrs. Dunagan and Mrs. Vo provide a “Book Tasting” event for their fifth graders to introduce them to new genres. Students have five minutes to “taste” a book and then write a reflection of what they thought about the genre. The goal is to get students to open books they typically wouldn’t be drawn to in the library. Students who think they do not enjoy reading may try a cookbook or a book about gardening and discover they do like to read, but they prefer books that explain things they like or want to do. During the second trimester, students “tasted” different kinds of nonfiction, including biographies, how-to books, and books about animals and states.

Landell TV Productions is an elective class for sixth-grade students taught by Mr. Gary. Episodes are 5-10 minutes in length and are broadcast to the entire school community every Monday morning. School news, weather, and lunch menus are a staple on the program; but the show also features art contests, trivia, jokes, and even cooking. Landell TV is produced in the school’s STEM lab using television production equipment and a green screen. In the words of one sixth-grade student, “Teamwork and creativity are what I see when I watch Landell TV.”

Fourth graders have become mosquito experts following their participation in a virtual program sponsored by the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District. During daily presentations, students used Thinking Maps to organize information about mosquitos and other vectors. They then applied what they had learned to identify areas on campus that might attract these unwelcome pests. Finally, students drafted letters to Principal O’Leary to share the results of their investigations. Luther’s school custodian responded quickly to address the students’ concerns.

As third-grade classes wrapped up the eagerly awaited literature unit on Charlotte’s Web, students reflected on the theme of friendship that the book so beautifully represents between Wilbur the pig and Charlotte, a barn spider. While reading this classic novel, students studied a variety of literary elements including characterization, point of view, foreshadowing, and the use of sensory language. At the end of the novel, students demonstrated their learning through poems and art projects. They all agreed, Charlotte was a good friend and a clever writer. (Author E.B. White was a pretty good writer, too!)

Coding and robotics lessons are highly engaging hands-on experiences that help develop students’ foundational understanding of computer science. Third graders at Vessels use Sphero robots to learn block coding and work through a trial and error approach to problem-solving while collaborating with their peers. The Sphero robots make coding fun and easy and help to promote student interest in computer-related fields. These experiences also develop other important skills that students will need and use in the future.