Follow Maury Think Tank on Twitter!

I'm in the process of trying to write a comprehensive new blog post with tons of pictures and info about all the great projects we've started this year. It's taking longer than I thought! In the meantime, follow @maurythinktank on Twitter and you can see DAILY updates from the classroom and links to fun at home events!

Expect a new blog post by the end of the weekend! Happy Thinking!
-Mrs. Ford

Maury Monarch Madness

The fall of 2012 send-off celebration!

In less than one week, about 70 newborns will be delivered to Maury ready to be nurtured by our students. For our third year, we will observe, explore, investigate and create projects surrounding the amazing Monarch butterfly.  As we prepare to welcome these amazing creatures into our community, I want to try to more directly connect our school-wide study with things you can do at home together with your children.

Become a Citizen Scientist!
Join thousands of other everyday citizens and report your Monarch sitings! Report your sitings HERE !

Take a family trip to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum's Monarch Exhibit and IMAX!
 Haven't been to this museum's  Live Monarch Exhibit and/or go watch the amazing IMAX film about their incredible journey. Get more information HERE !

Search our neighborhood milkweed for eggs and larvae!
 Take a walk and spend some time on a search for the super-tiny Monarch eggs, evidence of the very hungry caterpillars (larvae) or a beautiful chrysalis. Eggs are barely visible and are often found on the underside of milkweed leaves. It takes patience to find one but well worth it when you do!

Look closely! The eating pattern should help you find them!

Find some leaves? Bring them in so that your child's classmates can investigate the larvae eating patterns more closely.

Not sure what milkweed looks like? Check out our front garden... and all over the city! You can find a visual guide HERE or look for the very common kind that is blooming all over our city right now! Please always wash your hands after you touch milkweed!

Swamp Milkweed has been a favorite of our larvae in the past!

Follow the Monarch migration from home HERE while learning all about their amazing migration! You will be inspired... I promise! Check out their journey HERE.

I hope you are ready to watch the amazing metamorphosis and pictures from our own Maury Monarchs next week.

Happy thinking!
-Mrs. Ford

Tagged and ready to fly South.... or not?

Welcome to the NEW Think Tank!

One view from the door of our new space.

                                     

For those of you who have not yet ventured out to the new portable classrooms ( or follow our learning from afar) I wanted to give a virtual tour of the NEW Think Tank! This space will be one where ideas are developed, problems are solved and learning and student engagement seeps from every crevice. ( Can you tell I'm excited?)

Our Think Tank Lending Library of games will open by October 2013! I'm in the process of bar coding all for a smoother check-in/check-out process. This partnership with Labyrinth Puzzles and Games is the best!

So welcome.... and stay tuned for an update in the coming week about what our first units will be! If Maury's Think Tank program is new to you, I encourage you to scroll through past posts, or read some of the "Think Tank at Home" links to the right. As always, never hesitate to send me questions at vanessa.ford@dc.gov or through Twitter @maurythinktank. Don't forget to sign up with your email in the space provided so you get instant updates when I write new posts!

Rug and whiteboard space. Don't be surprised if you see groups of students working on the floor building structures soon! Do you see that small section of shelves on the left of the rug? This is an entire area for teachers. Science units, materials and lessons are organized by content area and available to all teachers to check out and use with your student!

Positive Paws! This system is used by all of our special subject teachers and this year we each have the same categories. We also have Habits of Mind in each so students are constantly practicing these great thinking skills!

 

A Smart Board! A Smart Board! After 12 years teaching in DC, I get my own awesome piece of technology! To the right students find materials for building, engineering and design as well as inventing!

Bring on the investigation station! The first time we will use these this year is to examine our Monarch butterflies for parasites!

Legos! Lego Simple Machines are coming back to Maury later in the year, as well as a number of different challenges using one of the students' favorite materials. 

Meet our Smart Friends! These friends help explain to our youngest thinkers all of the ways they are
smart. What are your be "Smarts"? Ask your children too!

Not pictured are the many engineering units I have prepared for your child this year, student work that will soon fill all of the walls and your smiling children! Many pictures of those are to come!

Happy Thinking!

GET READY TO THINK DURING SY 2013-2014!

Great ready Maury Cougars!

During the extended Think Tank break due to my back surgery (wait till you see the x-rays), I've had the chance to continue dreaming up partnerships and challenges for the coming school year!

Here is a summer sneak-peak for those of you starting to get excited!

We will start the year, as always raising our Monarchs! How many can we raise and send to Mexico  this year??

They didn't want to leave!!!

Engineering is Elementary through the Boston Museum of Science!




A World in Motion through SAE International including 5th Grader opportunity to travel to the 8th Annual International JetToy Competition. After last year's 2nd place finish in Detroit,  Maury Cougars have set the bar high!

Straw Rockets

Architects in the Schools

Junior First Lego League
                                                      

First Lego League  ( fingers crossed!)
                                                 

Smithsonian Global Tree Banding Partnership
                                        
Anacostia Watershed Programs
                                        
SHAD
     
 Living Classrooms Shipboard Program



Think Tank Lending Library through Labyrinth Puzzles and Games!

Among these partners we will be working with many other community partners, challenging ourselves with "old" favorites such as ramp building and "Think Tank Buffets" of games from Labyrinth Puzzles and Games.




Great ready to think Cougars! It's going to be an amazing year!!

Mrs. Ford

Stay tuned....

You may have noticed a lack of posts recently. That is because I am recovering from TLIF back surgery! No worries though, Think Tank will return before the end of the school year...along with the blog!

Keep thinking in the meantime!
-Mrs. Ford

WHEN WE PUT OUR IDEAS TOGETHER, OUR IDEAS GET EVEN BETTER



PreK Students proudly show their structure that they worked together to complete.



The current focus of our PS-K Think Tank classes are on the  Habit of Mind "Thinking Interdependently"

We've called it " Working Together" or "Sharing Ideas"  this skill is a tough one for kids to master. ( Hey, it's a tough one for adults too!)

We began our work with this by learning from the classic character Horton in Dr. Suess' series of books. Horton exemplifies kindness, caring and friendship. Students talked about how they could be a good friend when working with others and from there we put it to the test.

The challenge? Each group was given ONE set of materials ( Legos) and had to work together to complete ONE final piece. They were given progressively more difficult challenges-- from freebuild something with one moving part to create a seasaw that balances. It was amazing to watch the students figure out how to complete the task and simultaneously navigate the difficulties of sharing materials and ideas.

 The first moments were filled with " That's my piece!" ringing through the room, but with a little guidance and refocus, students began to share, use kind words and truly work together!

In Kindergarten, we even took a "train tour" of all of the work accomplished when we put our ideas together. Just listen to the kids' excitement!

Students noticed that not only was the outcome of their project more interesting and creative, but they were happier doing it!

Great job young thinkers!
-Mrs. Ford

Spotlight on Maury Engineers!




Ms. Scott's class test their Straw Rockets!

As I'm sure many of you have heard, we are "A World in Motion"! Through a generous grant from the GM Foundation and the Society of Automobile Engineers, all of our students are becoming engineers!

While you might be used to seeing lots of finished work or products posted around the school showing all of our exciting Think Tank and Science activities, this unit is a bit different. Students are partaking in the "Engineer Design Experience" where they are constantly working to solve problems and perfect their specific designs. For this reason, the best way to share what we are doing is through pictures AND videos! Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more pictures showing their progress!

 4th Grade Engineer Design Teams:
  

Students carefully cut out the hull for their Skimmer models.



3rd Grade students begin (safely) testing out a variety of Straw Rocket models. Does the length of the rocket matter? What about the diameter of the rocket? Which travels farthest? Which travels in a straight line? They are exploring all of these concepts!



In "Engineering Inspired by Nature", 2nd grade students look at different seed dispersal methods and work to design toys using various methods. Their toys will work like helicopters and parachutes but include important observations about size, weight and surface area.

Before being given a template for the helicopter, students tried to make something that fell in the same way as a maple seed.

Does a helicopter with one or three paperclips stay in the air the longest?

Recording data

Kindergarten and 1st Grade students explore Rolling Things. In these challenges they determine the impact that weight and ramp height have on the movement of an object.



Ms. Kelly's Class is ready to "Crash and Bash"!

 

Mrs. Dorsey's students also "Crash and Bash"

 I also have exciting news to share! You may have noticed the "TRAINING AREA" marked the end of the 1st floor hallway. This space will be used by Maury 5th graders to design the best JetToy cars they can. Through an in-house competition, four Maury 5th graders will fly to Detroit, Michigan to compete in SAE's 7th Annual JetToy Competition in April! Stay tuned for more pictures, videos and information about this particular challenge  in the coming days.

If you are an engineer, find any of these activities particularly exciting or just want to support our students and have the time, please email me and come volunteer on any of our Think Tank days!

Until next time,
Mrs. Ford