SF MOMA, STEM Challenge, Graphs, and Friendship Week!

Hi Temescal Creek families,

This week was filled with adventure, learning, and creativity!

We had the pleasure of taking a field trip to SF MOMA, where 3rd and 8th graders experienced the joy of slow-looking at art. Despite the rainy weather (you can see just how soaked we got in the pictures below!), the excitement of exploring the museum made it all worthwhile. We focused on a small number of pieces, taking the time to observe closely, make noticings and wonderings, and share our thoughts. One of our favorite activities was choosing a piece of art, describing it with three adjectives, and then playing a guessing game to see if others could figure out which artwork we had picked. It was a fantastic way to hear different perspectives and see how art speaks to each of us in unique ways.

Check out students’ reflections on our visit here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Znk-dNdAjZ1li4p-Fy_gi4cK858zTMXADzg3IZ7RDYM/edit?usp=sharing

Back in the classroom, we kicked off an exciting STEM challenge inspired by Sarah E. Goode, the first African American woman to receive a U.S. patent in 1885 for her folding cabinet bed. After learning about her innovation, students brainstormed multifunctional furniture ideas that could save space. We discussed Murphy beds, foldable tables, and convertible benches, then put our creativity to work using cardboard and other materials to design and build our own space-saving furniture.

In math, we explored graphs and data representation. Students analyzed different sets of data and decided whether a scale of 2s, 5s, or 10s would be the best fit for their bar graphs. We discussed how choosing the right scale helps make data easier to interpret—especially when bars align neatly with marked amounts. After making their decisions, students created their own scaled bar graphs to represent the data clearly and effectively.

Next week is the start of a very special week in our class called Friendship Week when we recast a holiday about romantic love into one that focuses on friendship and belonging. We use this time to delve deeply into what is involved in having friends and being a friend, and to practice the skills of friendship in a fun and conscious way. Instead of candy and flowers, we will be focusing on compliments, appreciations, and acts of kindness and generosity.

We are encouraging the kids to do something kind for their classmates each day and will end the week with a whole class celebration on Friday, February 14. On that day we will be decorating heart shaped sugar cookies and passing out Valentines for the whole class.

Feel free to remind your child to think about their classmates when you drop off/pick up, and have conversations about how to be kind without giving/regifting things. We have discussed ways to show empathy, kindness, respect, and care to our class community.

Here is a list of ideas discussed together in class:

How to spread kindness during Friendship Week!