Learning & Leading With Habits of Mind

366 Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind

FIGURE 22.3

Letter to Parents

Source: Tahoma School District No. 409. Copyright © 1998 by Tahoma School District. Used with permission.

Dear Parents,

We a r e e x ci t e d t o b e s t a r t i n g o u r y e a r w i t h t h e P u g e t S o u n d C o m mu ni t i e s i n t e -

grated unit! Students will have the opportunity to learn about Maple Valley’s his-

tory along with the history of Seattle. We will focus on the themes of Systems,

Cycles, and Relationships as we explore the systems that make up our commu-

nity of Maple Valley, learn about the salmon cycle, and explore the relationship

of past to present in our study of local history. We will emphasize the district out-

come of Community Contributor as we consider ways to improve our school

and neighborhoods.

Our thinking skill focus will be problem solving. We will practice a strategy for

this thinking skill with literature as we explore problems characters have in sto-

ries. Then we will use our strategy to look at the problems salmon face to survive.

Students will learn that a problem is a situation that needs a resolution. “Some-

thing is happening that is not right. We have to try to fix it.” They will apply a

strategy we will learn. The strategy includes defining the problem as a question,

inventing alternatives, critiquing the alternatives, and executing a plan.

In addition, we will reinforce the thinking behaviors of attending, risk taking,

persistence, and deliberativeness. We will apply these behaviors to pioneer set-

tlers in our area, to the salmon as they make their way upstream, and to com-

munity service projects that we will select as a class. We will also read the

newspaper to see how local people use thinking behaviors to be good commu-

nity contributors.

Throughout the unit, students will practice reading and writing skills. We will

focus on inferring to better understand what we read and will write friendly let-

ters to thank local people we interview as we learn more about our history. We

will also learn basic map skills. Students will explore a variety of picture and

chapter books to build an understanding of our three themes: Systems, Cycles,

and Relationships.

We w o u l d w e l c o m e a n y i d e a s o r m a t e r i a l s t h a t mi g h t e n r i c h o u r s t u d y o f t h e

Puget Sound Communities and our salmon resource. Please feel free to contact

me if you have materials to share with the class. Thank you so much!

Sincerely yours,