letters to my class

28 September 2015

September 28th, 2015

Dear Students,

An unfortunate thing in school and society is that we give a lot of attention to bad behavior. It’s a lot more fun to talk about the few people who are doing bad things than the vast majority of people who are not. We also tend to remember the bad behavior and forget about about all the people who are doing what they’re supposed to do.

When I’m driving, I completely forget about all of the people who are driving the speed limit like me. But we all remember the driver who zoomed past us going 20 or 20 mph too fast.

All of the attention on these bad behaviors can lead us to believe that the behaviors are a lot more widespread than they really are. We might think, “Everyone’s doing it, so what’s the big deal if I do?” But that’s just not true. The norm is to follow the rules.

Sincerely,

Mr. H
25 September 2015

September 25th, 2015

Dear Archeologists,

How do we know what happened in the past? What evidence and ideas about the nature of the world do we use to know what people did before we were alive? These are two of my favorite questions and thinking about them will keep you busy for a lifetime.

Over ten thousand years ago, the first people stepped foot onto North America. Historians, anthropologists, archeologists, geologists, and biologists have been debating how and when this happened. They have theories, but they’re always open to new evidence, and they have to think deeply about what makes evidence persuasive.

These kinds of debates are fascinating, and I think they’re one of the best things about being a human being. When and where the first humans came to North American may not have much bearing on our everyday lives, but the process of weighing evidence, building arguments, and figuring out what’s true in the world is the most important job we humans have.

Sincerely,

Mr. H
24 September 2015

September 24th, 2015

Dear Dreamers,

On Monday, Yogi Berra died. He grew up with four brothers and sisters and Italian immigrant parents in St. Louis. His father was a construction worker. Yogi left school after eighth grade to help the family, but he kept playing baseball and eventually signed a contract to join the minor leagues.

Nobody probably expected Yogi to become much of a baseball player–he was short, he was small, he was round, and he was sort of funny-looking. But he was also smart, hardworking, and he never took himself too seriously. He combined these traits into becoming the greatest catcher who ever played the game.

No matter what you want to be successful at, the ingredients for success are the same: hardwork, passion, and humility. Yogi Berra used these traits to become one of the greatest (and most memorable) players who ever lived. What will you become?

Sincerely,

Mr. H
23 September 2015

September 23rd, 2015

I just started reading this book yesterday. It’s about memoir, not personal narratives, but it’s a great reflection on writing about one’s own experience. Funny too.

Dear Writers,

We’re in the middle of drafting personal narratives, and I am impressed by what you’ve come up with so far. This is your opportunity to tell a story that only you can tell, and you want to tell it in the most beautiful and entertaining way possible.

We’ve read a ton of personal narratives, so we know what good ones look and sound like it. And when we’re reading a really good personal narrative (or any type of good writing) we feel like the author is speaking directly to us. That’s your job as a writer–make each of your readers feel as though you’re speaking directly to them. No matter how different your life experience may be, if you tell your story in an engagng way, your reader will feel like you’re speaking directly to them.

Sincerely,

Mr. H
22 September 2015

September 22nd, 2015

Dear Geographers,

To better understand a large landmass like the Americas, it’s useful to break it up into parts. We call these parts regions, and geographers have found many, many ways to make regions in the United States. These regions can be based on landforms, location, what people do, climate, culture, language, and beliefs.

Where we are in Colorado is part of many, many regions. We could call ourselves Front Range of Colorado, the Intermountain West, the Rocky Mountains, the Middle, or the Great Plains. Other parts of Colorado are located in Tornado Alley, the Jello-O Belt, and the Four Corners region.

No matter where you are, you are in a place that has many characteristics and a rich history. Being a part of a community means trying to understand the place you are.

Sincerely,

Mr. H
28 May 2015

May 28th, 2015

Dear Number Mavens,

Yesterday we compared the Mayan number system to our own. We’re so used to everything being based around 10, when we see a different system that’s based around 20, it takes us awhile to wrap our minds around it. But it seems that most of you understood the difference and could figure out what the symbols stood for. Some of you even figured out how to represent large numbers using only Mayan symbols. That’s tough work!

Humans use numbers to represent things in their world. The Mayans used numbers to understand time, seasons, space, and architecture. They needed numbers so they could create masterful works: pyramids, calendars, and trade routes. Today, we do the same thing with our number system. While the number systems might look different, they both show a deeply human desire to understand the world and change it for the better.

Sincerely,

Mr. H
20 May 2015

May 20th, 2015

Dear Geometers,

Yesterday we talked about geometric solids. We discussed the properties of these different solids to compare and contrast them. Today, we’ll talk about a specific class of geometric solids. As we’re studying them, be thinking about the trait that they all share. Just as amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds, and fish belong to their classes based on specifc traits, humans also classify geometric solids by specific traits.

The difference between organisms and geometric figures is that one exists in the real world and one mostly exists in the world of ideas. We can find real world approximations for cylinders, spheres, and other geometric solids, but they are mostly ideas that exist based on traits that humans agree on. For that reason, they have a certain, magical, power.

Sincerely,

Mr. H
19 May 2015

May 19th, 2015

Dear Geometers,

Today we’ll begin discussing geometric solids. We’ll classify these solids based on their attributes, and we’ll think about how these solids are similiar and different. It’s important to keep in mind the vital differences between two-dimensional and three-dimensional figures. They really do live on different worlds, although they like to visit each other.

Luckily, our friend Euler found out some secrets about polyhedrons (a specific type of solid). I think you’ll be amazed by the rules these polyhedrons follow.

Sincerely,

Mr. H
18 May 2015

May 18th, 2015

Dear Classifiers,

There are many, many species of animals (and many more that we don’t even know about). Before we study these animals, it’s helpful to put them into categories. Biologists have a special method of classifying animals based on important traits. What kind of traits are important for putting animals into groups?

We can use the same ideas about classification to better understand numbers, polygons, and polyhedrons (3-D shapes). This week, we’ll classify all of these things, and see the deep understanding that happens when we put like things next to each other.

Sincerely,

Mr. H
15 May 2015

May 15th, 2015

Dear Readers and Writers,

Losing yourself in a text and seeing the world from a different point of view is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Reading Willaim Blake’s “The Echoing Green” transports us to a different place and makes us think about the rhythms and truths of life and nature. To think that Blake accomplished that using only words is amazing.

Being able to read well and write clearly are super powers. As author and illustrator Kevin O’Malley said when he visited Meadow a few years ago, “I write because I want to control people’s minds.” That, however, is a tough job, and it requires a lot of hard work–reading, writing, rereading, rewriting–throughout our lives.

Sincerely,

Mr. H