letters to my class

November 5, 2012

November 5th, 2012

Dear Vexillologists,

Vexillology is the scientific study of flags. Vexillologists don’t just study what flags look like, they also study how they’re used, what they represent, and how they’ve changed through time. Earlier this year, we made a class flag using symbols that were important to us. We take that flag to assemblies, and we fly that flag in our classroom to represent us. Why did we choose the symbols we chose? What do those symbols say about us? What does our flag say about us?

Today you will make team flags. Before we do that, however, we’ll look at examples of flags and talk about the properties they all have in common. We’ll also look at some examples of flags that seem to break the rules of flag-making. As we’re learning the states and capitals, we’ll also learn the flag of each state. The symbols and language of each state’s flag can tell us a lot about that state, just as our team flags will tell us a lot about ourselves.

Happy flag-making,

Mr. Heimbuck
November 1, 2012

October 31st, 2012

Dear Gamers,

Playing games is the best way to learn math. Board games, card games, dice games–all games require us to solve problems, develop strategies, and look for patterns. And that’s really what math is all about. I know I learned how numbers work by using them to play games like Monopoly, Trouble, or Sorry. And I learned how probability works by playing card games like poker, hearts, and gin rummy. And I learned how to think strategically from playing games like chess, Settlers of Catan, and Risk. I learned all of these things without even knowing I was learning them. I thought I was just having fun.

Today as we play games and solve problems, I want you to be looking for patterns. I think you’ll find that the most beautiful and elegant patterns emerge from the simplest beginnings–the roll of two dice, the shuffling of a deck of cards, a compass and straight edge construction, or the tracing pattern blocks.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck
October 31, 2012

October 30th, 2012

Dear Ghastly Ghosts and Ghouls,

It’s Halloween, and we’ll have fun celebrating. We have a lot to accomplish first, however. Stay focused on your job of being an engaged student. We work hard, and we play hard. But the work always comes first.

Humans celebrate holidays so we can better live in rhythm with the earth and its seasons. Right now, it’s harvest time, so we celebrate by bobbing for apples and carving pumpkins. We rake dead and decaying leaves into piles and that makes us think about the more sinister things in life (and death!) like monsters, witches, and ghosts. Holidays are a chance to do something a little bit different. On Halloween, we quite literally put on a costume and try to see the world in a different way. We change a normal day into one of special significance. Use this day to celebrate the good things that come in life and have a bit of fun.

Trick or Treat!

Mr. Heimbuck
October 30, 2012

October 29th, 2012

Dear Language Learners,

Recently, I’ve been trying to learn more Spanish. Each day I learn new words and phrases, but I’ll never know everything there is to know about Spanish. Even if I keep studying, even if I spoke only Spanish for the rest of my life, I’d still keep learning the language each day. I’ve spoken English since I was born, and I’m still learning something new about the language every day. This is because language always changes. Each day people coin new words to describe something or put something in a new way. There’s no correct form of any language. There’s only how people use it.

In school, we try to show you some of the ways that people use language. Language isn’t just reading and writing; we also use it in math. And as mathematicians, we must always use clear, precise language. We don’t just call an angle an angle. We call it an obtuse, acute, straight, reflex, or right angle. We don’t do this because it’s the right way to speak. We do it because we want to be understood.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck
October 29, 2012

October 29th, 2012

Dear Future Electors,

Every four years, Americans pay extra close attention to US geography. That’s because of the method we use to elect the President of the United States. Depending on a state’s population, each state receives a certain number of electoral votes. All of those electoral votes go to the candidate who received a larger percentage of the popular vote in that state. As you watch the news, you’ll see Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are spending all of their time in places like Ohio, Florida, and Colorado. That’s because those states are still up for grabs, and whoever wins those electoral votes will most likely win the presidency.

The election is only 8 days away. We’ll spend our time this week talking about what we’re seeing in the news, having our own election, and thinking about the process of electing a President every four years.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck
October 25, 2012

October 25th, 2012

Dear Kids,

I had so much fun meeting your families last night. It’s always great to see you as sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters. I can tell that family is important to you. It’important to me as well. My brothers are my best friends, even though we fought a lot while we were growing up. Family stays with you your whole life but friends often come and go.

I look forward to meeting the rest of your families tonight. What you do in school reflects on your family, so make sure you make them proud.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck
October 24, 2012

October 23rd, 2012

Dear Classifiers,

“How do we know?” is one of the Big Questions humans ask. Classification is one method humans have come up with to describe the nature of things. We decide what things are by putting them in groups with other “like” things. We also know what things are by excluding them from “non-like” things. You’ve been doing this your whole life. I see Elsie Mae do it all the time with her toys and books. In fifth grade we do the exact same thing, only instead of classifying blocks and stuffed animals, we classify ideas.

So far we’ve classified angles as acute, obtuse, right, straight, or reflex, and we’ve classified triangles as equilateral, isosceles, and scalene. Today, we’ll classify polygons based on their properties. A square is really just the idea of a square, and that idea of a square rests on certain properties. A square is a square and not a triangle because of those properties. You look at a square and know it’s a square, but as classifiers and explainers, today you will describe the properties that make it a square.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck
October 23, 2012

October 22nd, 2012

Dear Thinkers,

Humans have been asking the same questions for thousands of years: Why are we here? What can we know? How should we act? Those questions have never been put to rest, and I don’t think they ever will. It’s the responsibility of each of us to come up with our own answers to those questions. Our answers will probably change throughout life because that’s part of living, but we must always keep on the life-long search for more satisfying answers.

All the stuff we do in school–learning comprehension strategies, differentiating between a noun and a verb, constructing congruent triangles–is to better equip you to wrestle with the big questions. I want you to master those skills, not because I think it will get you a better job, but because I want you to know the rich life that belongs to those who explore the big questions: Why are we here? What can we know? How should we act?

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck
October 22, 2012

October 21st, 2012

Dear Practicers,

Our brains aren’t very good at thinking about more than one thing at a time. When Peyton Manning throws a pass, he doesn’t think about how he’s throwing the football. He’s thinking about coverages and routes and which receiver is open. If he had to consciously think about what his fingers, hands, and arms were doing, he would never complete a pass. For Peyton Manning, throwing a football is automatic. It’s not automatic because he’s a supernaturally gifted athlete; it’s automatic because he’s spent thousands of hours practicing it.

In fifth grade, we learn to do multi-step processes like long division, adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators, and multiplying and dividing decimals. Each step of these processes requires a different operation. The only way that we can free our minds up to think about the processes is if those individual operations are automatic. The only way those operations become automatic is through lots and lots of practice.

Luckily, practicing doesn’t have to be boring. The best way to practice is with games. If you’re having fun and doing math that serves a purpose (even if the only purpose is fun) you’re more likely to remember what you’re practicing. But we also have to be smart about how we practice. And we have to know that we’re practicing to reach excellence.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck
October 17, 2012

October 17th, 2012

Dear Book Readers,

Since there’s no school Thursday or Friday, you have an extra-long weekend coming up. I know there’s nothing I love more than spending my breaks reading a great book. But don’t limit yourself to just one. I like to surround myself with books, jumping between four or five books at a time. There’s just so much to learn about the world and so little time. I also like to read widely. While I have my favorite types of books, I don’t limit myself to only those. Part of being a book reader is being open-minded to new experiences and ways of being in the world.

I’ve told you before that book reading is an essential part of the good life. That’s because the good life requires time for contemplation. solitude, and reflection. Book reading allows that.

So find a book (or books) that you’re passionate about, that you get lost in, that transport you to another world, and you will kindle a new and more meaningful understanding of the vast world outside yourself and the deep world within.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck