What is Mindset?

And why does Mrs. Katchen teach this?

Every so often a truly groundbreaking idea comes along. This is one. Mindset explains:

• Why brains and talent don’t bring success
• How they can stand in the way of it
• Why praising brains and talent doesn’t foster self-esteem and accomplishment, but jeopardizes them
• How teaching a simple idea about the brain raises grades and productivity
• What all great CEOs, parents, teachers, athletes know

Mindset is a simple idea discovered by world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck in decades of research on achievement and success—a simple idea that makes all the difference.

In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success—without effort. They’re wrong.

In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.

Teaching a growth mindset creates motivation and productivity in the worlds of business, education, and sports. It enhances relationships. If you read Mindset, you’ll see how. I highly recommend it! It changed my life and my teaching!

Here are some pictures from a lesson on Mindset. Student worked independently to answer a couple questions. Then they worked with a group of 3-4 students to listen to each others ideas and work together to find another way to answer the question. This time they incorporated everyones ideas and/or created an answer based on new thinking developed from having an open mind while listening to each others ideas. What an amazing exercise. You would be so proud of how hard they worked on this. 

Building Equations for Understanding

As you know, our math curriculum is based on the Singapore Math Framework. The foundation of this framework is the belief that mastery is achieved once a student is able to demonstrate a concept via the multiple modes of representation. During math workshop, we practice our new concepts first in a concrete model, then in a pictorial model, and then we add the abstract thinking level. Here are some pictures of our 3rd grade mathematicians practicing addition without regrouping using math manipulatives (MIF Chapter 3)

                                                          

Working hard through exploration

This week students have been engaged in learning through hands-on activities in math and literacy; working hard to develop the skills and knowledge in these areas that will help develop and solidify their learning. 

Meet the Katchen Crayfish

This has been a busy week for us! We adopted 12 crayfish on Tuesday and have been super busy getting to know them. Students have worked with partners to observe, notice, and wonder about the structures and functions of the crayfish and their habitats One thing we learned is that crayfish "play dead" very well. So much so that we thought a crayfish was dead and later found out it was really still alive and had to be added back into the habitat. It may have been the yummy snack wrappers in the garbage can that helped the crayfish survive. Here are some fantastic photos of the crayfish and their caretakers. Enjoy!

The importance of Nightly reading

Each night we ask 3rd graders to read for 30 minutes. We are working on developing a love of reading through student book choice and consistent practice. We have the students log their minutes, pages read, and books so that they can reflect on their home reading life. Reading at home is imperative to growing a lifelong reader. Here is a great article about the importance of reading and how to make that 30 minutes count. Please read for some great tips and ideas about reading for homework.
Your child has nightly reading homework. What should YOU be doing?

Aaron Reynold's Visits Hough

We had an amazing time with Aaron Reynold yesterday as he taught us the importance of writing to express yourself and reading to enjoy yourself. His energy and enthusiasm was contagious. Ellison and Everett were part of the Nerd Game that Aaron played. What a fun morning with an amazing author! Our discussion after Aaron's visit helped us to remember that even when reading and writing can be challenging we can find ways to make it fun and exciting. Today students will  begin their first draft of their personal narrative! Perfect timing!