MCAS MATH MARATHON...AGAIN?

You betcha! We know what's important. In part, we're helping students get ready for the statewide MCAS tests. But, there's another important reason--

Sometimes kids feel as if they learn math in school and then they will never use it again. That’s just not true. People in all sorts of jobs use math. People across the street on the construction site in Old Colony, for example, need all their math skills. They use math all day, every day.

That’s why students everywhere have to study math. We, however, are going to do it, Perkins Style. Each Monday we'll give third, fourth, and fifth graders one math problem from a previous MCAS test. Then we’ll give them another similar question using real data from the construction site. Our kids are learning to be elementary school students and engineers and architects at the same time!

Here are this week's problems. Good luck, kids!

This is the third grade's actual MCAS problem:














Here is their question from the construction site:















Here is an actual fourth grade question from the MCAS test:

















Here's a similar question from the construction site:















Here is the fifth grade's actual MCAS test question:







And, their construction site problem:

Stand Up and Be Counted!

Some of our kids may be seated in these pictures, but they all are ready to stand up against bullying. Last Friday lots of Perkins students wore purple (if they had purple clothes) as a way to say that they believe kids--everyone--should be nice to each other.

People should be kind to each other and speak out when others are not. That's the way to be!

MCAS MATH MARATHON and the answers are...

It's Tuesday and time to report in on the weekend's MCAS homework--the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade each having one math question from an actual MCAS exam and then one based upon data from the Old Colony construction site across the street.

As you know, we can't show everyone's work. We don't have enough room. Here are some samples, though. Remember, you can click on the pictures to make them larger.

Here's the official 3rd grade MCAS question:




















And, here is our Perkins construction site version of the same kind of problem:



Here's the official 4th grade MCAS question:




And, here is the Perkins construction site version of the same type question:



Here is the official 5th grade MCAS question:



For the fifth grade construction site problem, we all had some real challenges. We grownups may not have not have phrased that question as clearly as we should have. Some of the fifth graders, who got the original MCAS version correct, had difficulty shifting to the construction version. Hey, we're ALL learning! Guess we've all got to work a little harder...

MCAS MATH MARATHON!

Kids aren't the only ones who learn things at school. Adults do too. This year we started out with a feature called MCAS MATH MONDAYS to help our students get ready for the statewide MCAS tests. But, there's another important reason...

Sometimes kids feel as if they learn math in school and then they will never use it again. That’s not true. People in all sorts of jobs use math. Workers across the street on the construction site in Old Colony, for example, need all their math skills. They use math all day, every day. So at the Perkins, each Monday, we were going to give the third, fourth, and fifth graders one math problem from a previous MCAS test AND another similar question using real data from the construction site.

It was a good idea but a bad schedule. Giving the kids the problems on Monday and showing the answers on Friday, didn't really fit well into the teachers' schedule. So now we will be giving our students the questions on Friday to take home as weekend homework. This has an added advantage--the kids and their parents will have more time to work on the problems together.

In fact, the only bad thing about this new arrangement is that we will have to give up the title, MCAS MATH MONDAY, which is a lovely alliteration (that means all three words in the title start with the same consonant sound of M). No problem, how about the three Ms we've come up with in the new title!

Here is our first set of MCAS MATH MARATHON questions to home over the weekend:

The third graders' actual MCAS problem:

And, their construction site problem:


The fourth graders' actual MCAS problem:



And, their construction site problem:


Now the fifth grade's actual MCAS problem:

And their construction site problem:

GOOD LUCK, KIDS!

Green Up, Clean Up Day

Most of the time, our Perkins kids work INSIDE the school. Last Saturday they worked on the outside--at least most of the time. It was Green Up, Clean Up Day at the Perkins! Luckily it was a blue, sunshine day.

Lots of people showed up, students, parents, and staff. Mr. Moore, a former teacher here, now a professor at University of Rhode Island, brought up a bunch of his student to do their community service requirement. We were glad to have them be part of our community for the day. Someone estimated that we had about 50 people working there.

What were they doing?


Outside, people were greening up and cleaning up. They were picking up paper and glass. They were sweeping up other trash from the schoolyard.





They were greening up too.

First the weeds had to come out (although they were green!).










Then kids and adults smoothed the soil and began to plant.










They put in flowers to make our schoolyard beautiful now.

They dug deeper to put in bulbs to bloom in Spring.

They planted bushes too.





Inside, people were also working.


They were organizing our science books so kids will have an easily accessible library that teaches them facts about electricity and the plants they are working with in the schoolyard.

There was also time for crafts.











A good day was had by all! As Ms. Correa said, "This is a way that we can take ownership of our school."

Bark About Books!

Our wonderful (former) intern Sadye Sagov is back to school herself at Brandeis University, but last Friday she was at the Perkins School. Here is her report of the day's event:

Mr. Brawer and I brought all of the first graders together to celebrate a successful summer adventure of reading through Read Boston. The majority of kids had participated- getting books in the mail, reading them with their families, and sending postcards of their thoughts to the Read Boston office.

As a result, they got some mail back as well--a new book! They loved the books and many kept going, reading more than just the ones the program sent! After a celebration of chocolate and stickers for all, a few special readers got shirts for sending all of their postcards back.

Here are just three of them modeling their new clothes.



Hopefully even more kids will get shirts next summer!

Thank You, Mrs. Menino

At 9:00 a.m., last Thursday, school had already started. Yet some of the Perkins kids were still a few blocks away. Even though it was morning, they were at the Paraclete Foundation, which has an after-school enrichment program for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. The Foundation's library was being dedicated to the mayor's wife--Mrs. Angela Menino.

But our Perkins kids were the ones who got a treat. The First Lady of Boston was going to read to them!


The Paraclete Library had lots of books on its shelves. The book Mrs. Menino read, however, was a special one. It was written and illustrated by the kids of the Perkins School. Not these kids--the book had been published in 2007. It's called Why Do We Celebrate Evacuation Day? You can even buy it on www.Amazon.com.

As Mrs. Menino settled into her chair, she told the kids that she had been to the Perkins School before with her husband.

"I didn't see you there," said Angel.

"But I did see the mayor," added another student. "Just a while ago." "Yes," said Mrs. Menino, "I know he was at your school last spring. He's a very busy man and works hard. I can't go with him all the time."


Then Mrs. Menino opened her book. She started reading the story of Evacuation Day, when, in 1776, George Washington and the American rebels drove the British out of Boston.

The kids read along in their own copies as the big confrontation between the American and British soldiers took place on a hill right in back of the Perkins School (which hadn't been built yet).

We don't want to ruin the end for you, but the Americans won!

Our kids celebrated the library, the book, and the battle with a special breakfast. Then it was back to school for the rest of the day.

As Promised, MCAS Math Monday on Tuesday

Math is important, even on weeks where the Perkins is closed for a holiday on Monday. So here are our MCAS problems for the week.

In case you're new to MCAS Mondays, here's why we have them. In part, to help our students get ready for the statewide MCAS tests. But, there's another important reason--

Sometimes kids feel as if they learn math in school and then they will never use it again. That’s just not true. People in all sorts of jobs use math. People across the street on the construction site in Old Colony, for example, need all their math skills. They use math all day, every day.

That’s why students everywhere have to study math. We, however, are going to do it, Perkins Style. Each Monday we'll give third, fourth, and fifth graders one math problem from a previous MCAS test. Then we’ll give them another similar question using real data from the construction site. Our kids are learning to be elementary school students and engineers and architects at the same time!

Here are this week's problems:

The third graders' actual MCAS problem:

And, their construction site problem:


The fourth graders' actual MCAS problem:



And, their construction site problem:


Now the fifth grade's actual MCAS problem:

And their construction site problem:

GOOD LUCK, KIDS!

MCAS Math Monday...What?!?!?

The Perkins School may be located in Boston, but our readers come from all over the country. In fact, they check into our blog from all over the world, from more than 38 countries. So some of you may be logging in today to find this week's math problems.

Well, it's Columbus Day, an official holiday in forty-eight of our fifty states (if you want to know which states do not recognize it, LOOK IT UP!). But not all of the states that do recognize it close their schools. Massachusetts does. We have no school today. So this week, it's going to be...

MCAS MATH MONDAY ON TUESDAY.

See you tomorrow!