Questioning and Posing Problems
We'll be starting to learn about a new Habit of Mind on Monday at our Connections meeting. We'll focus on Questioning and Posing Problems. Students will hear the story Papa's Mechanical Fish by Candace Fleming and work collaboratively to identify problems, ask questions, and seek solutions for the famous Farmer and River puzzle.
The Institute for Habits of Mind (habitsofmindinstitute.org) offers more information on how to strengthen this Habit of Mind with your children and for yourself.
Asking questions and posing problems can be a signal of your genuine curiosity and commitment to wanting to understand what your family member may be experiencing. An attitude of curiosity acknowledges that there are usually many different contributing factors to the situation, and that we don’t yet know all of them. If we approach an encounter with our family member with curiosity instead of certainty, it is important to use an invitational tone when questioning — one that invites thinking. It is easy for a child to feel defensive and shut down rather than feeling comfortable sharing their thoughts.
Here are some strategies that may be helpful to invite your child’s thinking.
Use tentative language that implies that you do not know the answer to what is being asked:
- How might we…
- When could…
- Perhaps it might be…
- What do you imagine an alternative might be…
Use plurals to indicate that there might be more than one answer to the question or approaches to a solution:
- What are some strategies…
- What are some of the goals you are considering…
Use invitational sentence stems before asking a question to offer a suggestion about the kind of thinking you think would be most helpful:
- As you analyze this problem…?
- As you consider…?
- As you evaluate…?
- As you compare…?
This week, we talked about the courage to be yourself and to be kind to others! Kindergarten heard and discussed "Sheila Rae the Brave," 1st and 2nd grade passed a ball and gave compliments to each other, grades 2 and 3 reworded common phrases like "Give me that!" to make them kinder, and grades 4 and 5 role played using I-statements to respond to unkindness with kindness. We'll continue next week!
April
April 14 - MCAS Grade 5 ELA 1
April 14 - Grade 4 Enrichment (Thank you, PTO!)
April 15 - MCAS Grade 5 ELA 2
April 16 - School Council Meeting 3:30pm
April 18 - No School
April 21-25 - April Vacation Week
April 25 - Last Day for Parent Input for Placement
April 28 - Grade 3 Field Trip - 2 classes (Thank you, PTO!)
April 28 - Community Meeting - Grade 5 Hosting - Parents Invited to join us!
April 29 - Grade 3 Field Trip - 2 classes (Thank you, PTO!)
April 30 - PTO Meeting 2pm - Mr. Keegan shares budget information
May
May 2 - PTO Stay and Play
May 5-May 9 - Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week
May 5 - Town Meeting
May 5 - MCAS Grade 4 Math 1
May 5 - North and South River Watershed Enrichment for Grade 5
May 5 - Connections Meeting, reading Stuck by Oliver Jeffers
May 6 - MCAS Grade 4 Math 2
May 7 - Elementary Early Release 12:20pm dismissal for all students
May 7 - Grade 3 American Revolution Presentations in Cafeteria
May 7 - PTO Variety Show Rehearsal 12:20-3pm
May 8 - MCAS Grade 3 Math 1
May 9 - MCAS Grade 3 Math 2
May 12 - Grade 4 High Tech High Touch Enrichment (Thank you, PTO!)
May 12 - Puppet Storyteller to Kindergarten (Thank you, PTO!)
May 12 - Community Meeting 2:30pm Kindergarten Students Hosting - Parents welcome to attend!
May 14 - MCAS Grade 5 Math 1
May 14 - School Council Meeting 3:30 pm
May 15 - MCAS Grade 5 Math 2
May 15 - Grade 4 Fitness Field Trip (Thank you, Mr. Thornton and PTO!)
May 17 - Town of Norwell - Voting Day
May 16 - Early Release - 12:20pm dismissal for all students
May 16 - PTO Variety Show Rehearsal 12:20-3pm
May 19 - MCAS Grade 5 Science 1
May 20 - MCAS Grade 5 Science 2
May 21 - Grade 5 Fitness Field Trip (Thank you, Mr. Thornton and PTO!)
May 22 - PTO Variety Show at Cole School
May 23 - Grade 3 Fitness Field Trip in morning (Thank you, Mr. Thornton and PTO!)
May 23 - Grade 2 Fitness Field Trip in afternoon (Thank you, Mr. Thornton and PTO!)
May 26 - No School - Memorial Day
May 28 - Art Show
June
June 2 - Grade 1 Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)
June 2 - Kindergarten Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)
June 2 - Connections Meeting
June 3 - Kindergarten Habitat Day (2 classes)
June 4 - Kindergarten Habitat Day (2 classes)
June 5 - Grade 2 Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)
June 6 - Field Day - Fingerprint and CORI required for all volunteers
June 9 - Screening for all incoming kindergarten students in the library
June 9 - Delilah the Whale Kindergarten enrichment (Thank you, PTO!)
June 9 - Grade 5 Band Concert
June 12 - Fifth Grade Celebration 6-8 pm - Grade 5 parents and grade 5 students ONLY
June 13 - PTO Stay and Play
June 16 - Grade 5 Move Up Day to NMS
June 17 - Move Up Day for Grades K-4
June 17 - Last Day of School
