One School One Book

    Goodrich is currently participating in One School One Book, and everyone in our school community is reading A Boy Called Bat by: Elana K. Arnold. There are so many fun activities to come still as this book unfolds, but here is a glimpse into what we've done so far!

Mystery Reader

Different staff members recorded themselves reading the chapters for students to listen to. Each day, the students get to guess whose voice it is. To be determined if we have been right!

Bingo

Each day, a class question is asked. As a group, we decide on the correct answer for the reading that needed to be completed the night before. We are still waiting to get our Bingo, but hope it's coming soon!

Individual Trivia Questions

Each day, an individual question is asked from the assigned chapters, and a winner from each grade level is called over the announcements for responding correctly the day before. My class has had two winners so far!

    We are LOVING this book so far. There are more activities to come, but this is what we've experienced so far. Goodrich participated in One School One Book a few years ago, and I'm very glad to see it made a comeback. I love getting to engage in book groups/conversations with kids and other staff members. Stay tuned to see how this wraps up at the end of next week!

Black History Research

With Black History as the focal point of our Social Studies integration to our ELA nonfiction unit, students have been exploring the lives of impactful Black historical figures and doing so in meaningful, creative, and tech-savvy ways.

We began the unit by introducing students to a wide range of influential Black leaders, thinkers, and artists. After this initial exploration, each student selected one figure to study more deeply. To ensure a broad range of stories and perspectives, no two students could research the same person.

One of the most exciting parts of this unit has been the use of SchoolAI’s chatbot. Students engaged in conversations with chatbots that acted as if they were the historical figures themselves. These interactions helped students build background knowledge and spark curiosity. But we didn’t stop there. Students were then tasked with verifying the chatbot information and conducting deeper research using reliable sources to build a more accurate picture of their chosen person.

With their research complete, students selected a digital platform to share everything they learned. The choices and creativity have been incredible! Projects include interactive timelines, digital magazine articles, e-books, podcast-style interviews, and even virtual museum exhibits. These products reflect not only what students have learned, but how they’ve chosen to express that learning in unique, student-driven ways.

Students are now in the final stages of preparing their digital projects, and next week, they’ll present their work to their classmates. This will give everyone the chance to explore a variety of historical figures and celebrate the power of nonfiction reading and research.

Becoming Digital Authors

We've been diving deep into the fascinating world of animals during our informational writing unit! Each student has become a super researcher, choosing an animal classification like mammals, reptiles, or birds. Then, they embarked on exciting explorations to learn all about three different animals within their chosen group. We used folders to create research notebooks so they could use notecards to store their research. That helped students stay organized with the research, so when they transferred it to the writing it was structured! It's been wonderful seeing their curiosity bloom as they uncover incredible facts and details about these creatures.

But the learning doesn't stop at just writing. We're also becoming digital book creators using Book Creator. This fantastic tool allows the students to bring their research essays to life with colorful pictures, interesting layouts, and even their own drawings. It's been such a joy to watch their creativity shine as they design their very own informational books. Get ready to be amazed by the wonderful work our third graders are producing – they are becoming true experts and authors! Below are some sneak peeks of these digital books via Book Creator!

Step Inside Asia

In our most recent reading unit, we’ve been diving into the geography and cultures of Asia, and not just the countries students usually hear about like China, Japan, or India. We wanted to make sure we were giving representation to all parts of Asia, highlighting its incredible diversity. Along the way, we’ve had some great conversations about stereotypes and how picture books can help challenge those by sharing more authentic and varied stories.

One of my favorite parts of the unit was using the thinking routine Step Inside. Students were asked to "step inside" the life of someone from Asia and consider what that person might see, care deeply about, believe, and wonder. It was amazing to watch students shift their thinking and show empathy through their reflections. They really embraced the opportunity to see the world through someone else’s eyes. They weren’t just learning about faraway places; they were connecting, imagining, and thinking deeply. 

Now that the students have built background knowledge on Asia and its people, we are going to explore how Marvel has helped represent Asian culture in mainsteam media.         

Student Travels & Aerodynamics

One of the best part of having students that travel the world is the experiences and knowledge that they are able to share with their peers.  One of our classmates traveled to Hong Kong and Japan, another traveled to Mexico.  Yet another traveled to India.  These students shared the differences in geograpy, climate, food and interestingly enough, money!  Students were fascinated by how currency looks in other countries.  So we picked a day and kids brought in coins from their travels.  We had rich conversations about the physical attributes of the coins and the value of the coins in comparison to American currency.  All coins were returned home safely!

The end of the school year is upon us and this week students had a blast on F day - Flying Paper Airplanes.  Students watched videos on how to make airplanes and why they work.  Students had fun at the end of the day testing the aerodynamics of the paper airplanes.

Discovering Asia Using Pairs Share

 This month, our class has been diving into an exciting reading unit centered around Asia and the rich contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. As part of our commitment to broadening students' global awareness and cultural understanding, we’ve been exploring mentor texts that highlight both the history and geography of Asia, as well as stories that reflect the diverse voices and experiences of AAPI individuals.

One of the highlights of our unit has been an engaging activity where students became researchers and teachers! Using our mentor texts, students searched for key information about Asia’s vast history and geographical features. They focused on topics such as major religions, unique landscapes, historical trade routes like the Silk Road, and powerful empires that shaped the continent.

To help organize their thinking, students used tree maps—a visual tool that helps sort and categorize information. This graphic organizer allowed them to break down complex topics into manageable sections, encouraging deeper comprehension and critical thinking.

After gathering their information, students practiced the Kagan cooperative learning structure “Pairs Share.”

This strategy gave each child a chance to teach their partner about what they learned, reinforcing their understanding and building communication skills in the process.

It was incredible to see students so engaged as they taught one another about the Great Wall of China, the spread of Buddhism, the geography of the Himalayan region, and much more. Not only are they growing as readers, but they are also developing as informed, curious global citizens.

Telephone Charades! A Perfect and Hilarious Combo!

 First grade is truly a special and transformative year. The growth we see in our students during this time is incredible—if I do say so myself! We're laying down the foundation for lifelong learning by building essential skills that will support students for years to come.

One area that holds particular importance is the development of peer relationships and social skills. We dedicate a lot of time to social-emotional learning (SEL), discussing real-life situations that first graders commonly face—like handling playground challenges, managing emotions such as anger, worry, or excitement, and learning how to collaborate effectively in group settings.

Today, we wrapped up our day with one of my favorite SEL games. It’s a class builder that truly brought us together! We needed some smiles, movement, and quality time with our classmates. So, we played Telephone Charades, and it was just what we needed.

Students stand in two lines. I whisper an action (like “brushing your teeth”) to the first person in each line, who then acts it out. The next person guesses the action and whispers it to the next, and so on. When it reaches the last person, the original actor joins the end and hears the final guess—often hilariously different, like “playing the guitar.” Lots of laughs guaranteed!

There was laughter, teamwork and perseverance. Some were tough!

This was a great need for our class today and we will definitely be laughing about this tomorrow, too!

Pre-K: Little Architects

Pre-K is currently in their building unit.  During this unit, this is an opportunity for children to learn

about how buildings are made, the materials that can be used, people and tools involved in the

process of building homes and business, and observing similarities and differences between the

design of various buildings.  Once we had accumulated some knowledge of different features of

buildings, we set off on a walking field trip within the Goodrich neighborhood to see the unique

attributes that each home possesses.  

When we start our walk, children are provided with a clipboard and a sheet to

document their observations.  They had two focus questions while we were studying the homes: 

Are all windows rectangles?  And: Can houses have more than one door?  As we set off on our

walk, we began discussing the interesting shapes we were seeing in the windows: 

many rectangle and square windows, a few semicircles, and an ornate oval window! 

We even saw a small porthole window that was shaped like a stop sign! Children were excited to document all of the interesting window shapes that they were observing in the community. 

They quickly learned that not all windows are rectangles.  

As we walked along, we also counted doors on the homes.  Every home had one door, until

we got to the very end of our walk, and one house had TWO doors!  Children quickly

documented the side-by-side doors on their sheet.  They were very excited to see that some

houses have two doors, and to take their sheets home to their families to show what they

saw on their walking field trip.  

They had other talking points to share as well.  Not only did we see beautiful homes with lots

of shapes, but we saw some of the first flowers popping up for Spring, a beautiful Magnolia

tree blossoming, different materials like siding, brick and stone, and some very pretty lawn

decorations.  No two homes were exactly alike.  This walk was a valuable and authentic way

for the children to apply what they were learning to the environment that they see every day.

Comparing notes with a friend.

Students document the house with two doors.

Discussing some of the windows that we have observed.  This house has windows that 

go from the ground all the way to the top of the house!

Studying the different windows on this house.  We are documenting the various styles 

on our clipboards.

We had a great time on our walk!

Growing Together: Plant Buddies

This week, our kindergarteners teamed up with their 6th grade buddies for a special activity that combined science, responsibility, and a whole lot of heart: planting their very own Plant Buddy!

The excitement buzzed through the air as little hands and big hands worked side by side, scooping soil, sprinkling grass seed, and carefully patting everything into place. Each pair planted their seeds in their own little cup and added a face with googly eyes, a pom pom nose, and drew a smile.

Before getting their hands dirty, our buddies sat down to talk about what plants need to grow. They came up with a pretty great list including: sunlight, water, soil and air.

It was a wonderful way to introduce the basic needs of living things in a hands-on, meaningful way. The 6th graders helped their buddies understand the science behind it all, while the kindergarteners reminded us how magical growing something can be.

Together, they made a plan for how to take care of their Plant Buddy in the weeks to come. We can’t wait to see the bright green grass begin to sprout!

Magical Math: Converting Measurements

    In 4th grade, our current math unit focuses on understanding and applying measurement conversions, which directly connects to our learning standard 4.MD.1 (know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units and express measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit). To bring this concept to life, we went on a "magical" adventure!

    Students participated in a "scoot" activity to complete "The Wizard's Spell," where they had to solve measurement conversion problems to gather ingredients for a magical potion. The wizard potion cards were posted around the room as stations, and groups moved from one station to the next. Each group received a measurement conversion chart for reference, a "Book of Spells" worksheet, and access to their Chromebooks for a QR code reader.

    The activity required students to solve problems like finding how many ounces are in 2 pounds, converting weeks to years, calculating feet in yards, and more. With each correct answer, students scanned a QR code to reveal a magical ingredient needed for their spell.

    I saw 4th graders working diligently through these problems. The activity required them to convert between different units of measurement, perform various operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) with the converted measurements, use their measurement conversion charts as references, and verify their answers by scanning the QR codes. Students showed genuine engagement when they correctly solved a problem and discovered a new ingredient for their spell!

    We discussed how unit conversions are used in everyday life—from cooking (cups to pints) to travel (miles to kilometers) to shopping (pounds to ounces). Students shared examples from their own experiences, like helping parents follow recipes or measuring ingredients. This activity provided  students with an opportunity to practice math skills while encouraging collaboration and problem-solving. By the end of math, each group had successfully completed their spell with ingredients like "moon," "jellybeans," and "spider venom".