choices, Social studies, Student-centered, technology, Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s Early Explorers on Facebook

Pernille Ripp
My overarching theme for this year has been student-centered learning, so putting the focus back on students rather than me talking them through the learning.  So as I prepped social studies over the break, I realized that I could not just tell my students about the first explorers in Wisconsin; they had to research it and present.  But how to do this without it being another research project with a report attached?

We have just finished a formidable Native American research unit, discussed here, where students took full control of their own learning.  As said by my students, this proved to be one of the best experiences for them this year, so I knew there had to be control relinquished to them.  I also have very set perimeters for the project because it does have to fit into the information presented in the chapter in social studies book.  So students will be creating two separate projects. 

The first project will be a simple read and share event, in which the students have been placed into teams (no more than 3 kids)  and they will read a sub-section of general information about the Native American tribes in Wisconsin.  This mini-project will take one lesson (45 min) for reading and writing (they are learning to not copy others’ words) and one lesson for presentation.  By ripping half the chapter apart, students will have to take more control of their learning as they engage in active listening during presentations, and practicing their own public speaking skills.

The second project is the actual research of various historical figures prominent in the exploration of Wisconsin.  There are 12 different prominent explorers that the students should learn about.  I will therefore go through the time line of the exploration years to provide them with an overview of the time, and then set them off to research.  I have checked out netbooks for them to do their research on, however, students can choose to use them or not.  Other student choices include:
  • Who their learning partner should be?
  • Who they would like to research (I ask them to pick 3 and then pick sticks and assign)?
  • How are they going to research?
I find the “how” is just as important as the “who”, because in 4th grade, we are just learning how to do actual research.  Students have not had a lot of practice and are so used to the teacher printing out various sources, or creating a livebinder.  By having a classroom discussion on various forms of research, we are once again handing over the responsibility (and thinking) to the students, so you are facilitating rather than leading.

Students will be asked to present all of their information via the fantastic Facebook Template that has been circulating on Twitter.  However, I will be asking them to draw it out by hand rather than on the computer.  The reason is two-fold; we have some very artistic students that need an outlet, and we have limited access to computers.  So in the end, we will have some fantastic Facebook templates adorning our classroom walls.  Timeline will be discussed and determined by the students as well but I foresee about one week’s worth of time is needed.

As for grading, students will be evaluating themselves, and we will discuss what they loved, had difficulty with, and how they would improve upon it.  No formal grade will be assigned, as is my style, but students will be asked to read and comment on each other’s work as well, as part of the learning process.

In progress:  
I have been meeting with my students and some need a little bit more scaffolding, so I created this direction sheet for them to use.  That way they can check off when they find the needed information or if they need to make something up they can.

internet safety, technology

Why the Internet is Like the Mall

Pernille Ripp
Another cross posting from my other blog, this one has taken on a life of its own, with others putting their own spin on it.  When we discuss internet safety, it is vital that we are able to relate it to students’ lives, so that they can understand that being behind a computer does not mean that they are protected.  While I am not in the business of scaring students, there are plenty of other ways that can happen, we can stress the importance of proper behavior.  And thus this lesson came about; linking the internet to going to the mall.
I believe in the importance of honest conversation with the kids, where they supply the answers, rather than me hitting them over the head with it.  I simply started out this lesson by writing the words “Internet Safety” on my whiteboard and turned to the kids.  They volunteered what these words meant to them and then I ventured into the mall analogy; so what would they do to stay safe at the mall if their parents dropped them off?  

Some of the students answers were
  • That they would not talk to strangers
  • Give anyone their information if approached
  • Go only to the place they were supposed to
  • And they wold go straight there, rather than take detours or stop at other places 
  • They wouldn’t give their money to strangers
By having the students provide the safety rules, taken from their own memory of rules drilled into their heads by their formidable parents, they connected real life danger with things that can happen on the internet.  Sometimes students think they are safe on the net, as we all know, and this brought the responsibility home for them.  

So as we continue learning proper safety and etiquette, we will keep referring back to the mall analogy, for example, would you walk up to a friend and tell them their outfit was ugly when talking about how to comment?  Today was one of those moments where I was able to make students understand something they have to learn in this day and age.  A lesson not just meant for 4th graders or 5th graders but hopefully something they will keep in the back of their minds when they go on the internet themselves, or maybe even next time they go to the mall.  Once again today I realized how huge my responsibility is for these kids and how glad I am to be their teacher.  
blogging, Introduction, kidblog, safety, technology

So You Want to Use Kidblog?

Pernille Ripp


While this post is from my other blog, I have found it to be a very useful one, thus the cross posting.  Many of us have started our students blogging but to ensure full parent and student understanding, I created these documents.  We still use these documents, halfway through the year, as we continue to emphasize safe internet usage and responsible behavior.  My students can practically recite the safety plan.


One of our main components will be our Kidblog but since this is the first year anyone has done anything like this in my school, there was some safety business to handle first.  So here are my links to an internet safety plan my students will sign as well as the Kidblog introduction letter I am sending home to parents.  Please feel free to use.

welcome, Why

Welcome to This New Adventure

Pernille Ripp


Numerous times I have been contacted through my other blog, Blogging Through the Fourth Dimension, to share lesson plans that I have blogged about.  Well, ask and you shall receive!  I am excited to unveil this blog, which will feature lesson plans, videos, student feedback and all great things 4th grade.

I hope that this will be a place for others to share as well, and not just for 4th grade, but for many grade levels.  We work so hard on our lessons that it seems a shame to not share them with others, I know I get inspired by many people, so hopefully I can repay them through this.

Join me as I start on another adventure.

inspiration, writing

I Once Met Angela Johnson

Pernille Ripp

I once met Angela Johnson
That poet author, who takes you there, makes you live, makes you feel.
I touched that hand that wrote those words and she turned to me and said, “And what do you want to be when you grow up?”
So I felt like a kid, wishing, dreaming and thinking about all of the possibilities.
And I said, “I want to be like you, a sayer of words, a magical creature, who makes you feel, makes you think, makes you live.”
And she turned to me and smiled and said, “You must find your voice to be you, not to be me.”

S I searched within me.
Dug down into the layers, not knowing what it was was looking for but knowing it was somewhere.
Because Angela Johnson told me so.
And one day, there it was, found beneath the layers.
A tiny voice with no direction, but this urgency that meant I could not hold it back.
And I so I tried to become the slayer of words, to make the people feel, to take you there.
Until I realized that I was not Angela Johnson, I was me.
I had found my voice voice but not my thoughts.
So the search continues because
I once met Angela Johnson.

being a teacher, believe, inspiration, promises, students

My New Year’s Promises

Pernille Ripp

I promise to be the teacher I say I am.  I promise to laugh louder, scowl less, and wonder more.  To dream, to dance, and to sing as loud as I can.

I promise to inspire you, to be a role model whenever it is humanly possible, and to switch out my swear words.

I promise to read, reflect, and ponder.  I promise to be strong yet kind, unwavering yet changing, and always always questioning.  I promise that I will balance the work, the life, and the love.  I promise to be present, right here, now, listening.  

I promise to ask questions, not judge, and save up compliments.  I promise to not make so many promises that they become another weight to carry.  I promise to be me, warts and all, and to accept you, glorious faults and flaws.

I promise to push myself, to reach for new heights and to believe, believe, believe.

But most importantly, I promise to be the mother my daughter should have, the teacher my students deserve, and the wife that my husband makes me want to be.  What do you promise?