Copy Machine Lost and Found
Behind Anna’s desk, in the front of the school, lives a cherished member of our community. Their name is RICOH and they are a copy machine. Just like the rest of us, RICOH has good days and bad days. Sometimes everyone wants to work with you and sometimes you feel lonely and empty. Whenever I’m down making copies with RICOH, I take a minute to inspect a folder, stapled neatly to the bulletin board above RICOH, labeled “Copy Machine Lost and Found”
I love going through Copy Machine Lost and Found and seeing what my brilliant colleagues are up to in their classes. Life as an Uppers teacher is pretty all-encompassing, and I get swept away by my days with this hilarious and genius crew. So it’s always good to get a reminder of all the teaching, learning, fun, and magic that is occurring in every nook and cranny of this building.
I thought I’d share with you what I found on today’s trip to the Copy Machine Lost and Found:
A printout of a short story, “Main Street” by Jacqueline Woodson. I’ve never read the story, but I see by the questions on the back that it deals with themes of friendship and contains some juicy vocabulary words like erupted and conducted. I can tell by looking at this paper that students will practice looking at the world through a character's point of view and thinking deeply about their own lives.
Two sets of math worksheets, from 6th and 8th grade. The cool thing is that both of them have to do with shapes! The 6th grade sheet is about cubes and triangles and the 8th grade sheet is about cylinders and cones. I love how math concepts build on each other and get more complex the older you get.
A graphic organizer for writing a paragraph. The sheet is neatly set up and ready for any student to explore and expand on their ideas. Having tools and structures around teaching writing helps kids express themselves and deepen their learning through writing.
It looks like someone has been using their graphic organizer to write a paragraph about the Little Brown Bat! Did you know that Little Brown Bats “can fly up to a whopping 22 mph”? Lots of research and skill went into crafting this informative piece of writing.
I also found a printout of an (unnamed) teacher’s daily schedule. I won’t name names, but the Student Support Services coordinator has a packed day: tutoring, leading groups, and meeting with teachers. What a marvel!
I wonder what I’ll find next time I go and visit RICOH? I’m about to go and collect a poem called “once a marine biologist told me octopuses have three hearts” by Denice Frohman. I hope someone reads it before I get there!
