Our third grade class is embarking on a brand new unit about the Great Race in Alaska, known as “The Iditarod.”   Today we read the story of Granite and musher Susan Butcher.  Granite recovered from illness and went on to reach victory in the Iditarod.  He never, ever gave up.  We created these word clouds about the book we read.  There are common words in each of our clouds.  Granite represents courage, heroism, and the spirit of doing the impossible.

Our Word Cloud Gallery

A quote by Susan Butcher that reminds me of our classroom is:

I do not know the word “quit.”  Either I never did, or I have abolished it.

~ Susan Butcher (12.26.54 – 8.5.06)

Chess tournament finals today! After weeks of semi-finals, the bracket is almost complete!  This afternoon, our final two competitors are going head to head for the title of 2012 Chess Champion.  There is no grand prize of a car or a million dollars!  But, we are learning something valuable.  Its not about winning or losing! In the words of Michael Jordan, “I’ve failed over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed.”

Have you ever seen the Michael Jordan commercial about failure?  What do you think he means that failure helps him succeed?  How does this relate to chess?

See those feet?  Do you know where they are standing?  They are on the exact spot where Martin Luther King, Jr. stood many years ago making his “I Have a Dream” speech.   Dr. King had a dream.   His dream was that all people could be treated equally.  He was a leader in the Civil Rights movement.

In his speech, he said, “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

He believed in making the world a better place for us all.

What is your dream for a better world?  Think of something so important that you would stand up for it, even if other people didn’t agree.

Leave a comment below.

We are tweeting about our learning!  As a way to reflect more on what we do and connect with other classrooms around the world, we are tweeting bits and pieces of what we are learning about.  A “tweet” is only 140 characters, but it can say a lot!

Our classes have learned that sweaters in Greece are referred to as “Jumpers,” that timezones mean that when we are starting school, others are just finishing their day, and that when it’s 30 degrees here, it might be 70 degrees someplace else!  We’re learning about our world.