POINTS of PRIDE: Ekstrand Elementary in DeWitt, IA

Mrs. Green and Principal Vance

Principal Jen Vance has much to be proud of in her school - Ekstrand Elementary, part of the Central Community School District in DeWitt, Iowa.

"How did you do?  Did you get to your goal?"  Those are the questions most frequently asked in the first ten minutes of Janet Green's resource room.  Students enter her room knowing their goals and ready to work on the computer program FAST MATH.  It's another day of students working with diligence to achieve their goals in reading fluency and math competency.

Routine is key for the success of this program.  Students enter focused and ready to learn.  They may go to an assigned task on the computer, pick up their book and stopwatch to time their reading, or work quietly with a volunteer at a nearby table.  A variety of seating choices are available - a round bouncy ball, a seating pad, or a comfortable satellite seat.

Students gather round the table and use one minute of think time to prepare for their writing.  Next, it is three minutes of writing using the prompt given. Data drives instruction and helps set attainable goals for each student.  A new reading intervention program RAVO has students intrigued with a one-of-a-kind, small-group reading intervention that teaches students to go beyond decoding words to a deeper understanding of word meanings. Mr. MIM (Many Interesting Meanings) takes their reading beyond sounding out words to understanding their varied meanings and how that meaning is determined through use within a sentence.  Mrs. Green's room is warm, personal, and focused on moving students forward in their learning.

Next was a quick visit to the preschool room - spacious and well-defined play areas within two connected rooms.  One room provides an area for quiet assessment, away from the hustle and bustle of preschool play.  Nothing like preschool play!  Such joy in exploration!

Next stop at Ekstrand was Mrs. Jaeger's third grade math class, Iowa Core instruction at its best.  Class began with number talk. A
wide variety of strategies keep students engaged and discussing their "thinking" as they solve math problems.  As problems are solved, students dialogue about which strategies make sense to them - an array, a number line, skip counting, repeated addition, or a bar model, to name a few.  This is the most engaged and conversation filled math class I have ever attended. As Mrs. Jaeger guides the problem-solving process through questioning, students are building a strong cognitive understanding of math concepts.  The focus is not so much on the answer as it is on the process - a process that can be applied in multiple situations in a variety of settings.  "Good mathematics is not about how many answers you know...it's how you behave when you don't know."  (Author Unknown)

Math class is about collaboration - revoicing and clarifying, thumbs up if you understand, private reasoning time, and partner sharing.  Mrs. Green enters the room to offer an extra set of eyes and a direction, "Show me what your stuck point is." Learning is key and voicing how you are learning is the norm.

Passionate educators making a difference in the lives of students!