We started our day with a "Complicated Math" Versatile, in the kids' words.  They loved the challenge, even if it "made their heads hurt"!

Divergent Thinking:
We got our creative juices flowing with an F2OE focused on Kindness.  The kids came up with some amazing ideas!  Check them out on the bulletin board, if you pop by the class or in the photos below.

Unit Study:
We continued our frog research.  The kids are learning all sorts of interesting, weird, and gross facts about their frogs.  They never knew that frogs could be so vicious!  We have one more week of research left and then Project Creation will start.

Convergent Thinking:
We combined our convergent thinking and communication skills to solve analogies and logic puzzles.  The kids are moving right along in their logical thinking.

Novel Study:
​We shared our Chalker Fun Facts and plan to interview some teachers about more Fun Facts of our school.  We enjoyed a few chapters and are at a VERY interesting part of the story!

Affective Skills:
We used our comunication skills to create Kindness Letters for our Target classmates.  The kids wrote funny, sweet, thoughtful letters to each other!  Well done!
We continued our mindfulness practice with "GoZen Loving Kindness".  It was a nice connection with our Kindness Week.
 
No HW!  Enjoy the Break!
Dr. Kraeger

​

We warmed up with a mathematical and logical thinking activity using our Versatiles.  The kids did well with this!

Divergent Thinking:
We worked on a Way to Stay in Destiny F2OE.  The kids had a good time thinking of other things to use as bait, since Theo loves to fish!

Unit Study:
We continued our Frog research today.  The kids are doing a great job answering their "Thick" Research Questions, as well as gathering so many interesting facts about their frogs.  We have two more class periods to research, and then we'll begin working on our projects.

Algebraic Thinking:
We reviewed the important concepts from our last Hands On Equations lessons.  The kids are applying new concepts like adding the same thing to each side of the equation to allow removal of "Convenient Zeros".  

Convergent thinking:
We used our convergent thinking skills and communication skills to solve a Perplexor and complete an analogy task.  The kids really have to think on these because they are getting very challenging!

Novel Study:
We read more of our novel today, finding out some important information about Theo's past.  We also wrote a Friendly Advice Letter to Theo.  Some of the letters were very good.  Others must take a bit more time to organize their thoughts and remember to edit and proofread before handing in written work.  We worked on some critical thinking and evaluation questions about our novel.

Affective Skills:
We completed a difficult Teamwork Challenge called "Keypunch".  The kids worked well together and showed HUGE improvement from the beginning to the end of the Challenge.  They really wanted to successfully complete it, so we may try it again later in the year.

We continued our Mindfulness Practice with "Fear vs. Anxiety".  These videos help the kids sort out their feelings and learn to self-regulate.

HW:  "Chalker Fun Facts"
Until next time,
Dr. Kraegeer

We started our day with a creative brain stretch on our "Waker Upper".

Unit Study:
We reviewed the Project Rubric.  Find it here.  The kids did a good job in finding images and important facts about their frogs.  

Algebraic Thinking:
We moved on with our Hands On Equations to discover new ways of solving more complicated equations.

Convergent Thinking:
We stretched our convergent thinking with a different type of logic puzzle, Perplexors.  We also used our communication skills to complete analogies.

Affective Skills:
We viewed a video, "Book of Virtues-Friendship".  After that we reflected on what we've learned and what question we still have about teamwork, leadership, or building our skills.
We continued our mindfulness practice with "Why Do Humans Experience Anxiety?".  This is a good one to help the kids understand more about  why they may feel anxious about some things.

Novel Study:
We read more in our book, and reflected on the meaning of some important story events.
​ 
HW:  Edmodo Question
Until next time,
Dr. Kraeger

We started our day with a convergent thinking Versatiles task.  This was pretty easy for many of the kids!

Affective Skills:
We worked on our group dynamics a bit more with "Revisiting the Broken Square".  This task involved the kids working together to combine their individual pieces into 5 complete squares.  We had a deep discussion with many good insights and some powerful reflections by the students at the end of the lesson.
We continued our Mindfulness Practice with "Still Calm Place".  The kids enjoy this visual way to relax and refocus their attention.

Unit Study:
We chose our frogs today.  I'll be posting a photo of the list below and on Edmodo, just in case anyone forgets.  The kids came up with some "Thin" questions about their frogs, and some "Thick" questions that will require more research and perhaps some evaluation and analysis to understand.

Algebraic Thinking:
We continued our Hands On Equations with groups learning more about Legal Moves and Convenient Zeros.  It's challenging, but interesting for these kids!

Convergent Thinking:
We stretched our thinking with logic puzzles and analogies.  The kids are becoming more confident in their convergent thinking.  It is amazing to listen to them debate over the clues and what conclusions they can draw from the information given.  

Novel Study:
We read a few more chapters in our novel.  The kids are learning a lot more about our main character, Theo, and also making some connections between the characters and themselves.

HW: Emodo-What is one question you have about your Frog?

Until next time,
Dr. Kraeger

We got off to a strong start with a convergent Versatiles activity-"Minipups & Sneedflops".  It was a bit tricky, but not hard enough to stump these kiddos!

Algebraic Thinking:
We jumped right back into our Hands On Equations lessons to refresh our memories and prepare for new learning.  They did very well and are ready to move on next week!

Affective Skills:
We had a challenging teamwork task called Zoom.  Each person had a card with an image on it.  The kids had to order the images sequentially, without showing their images.  There were 30 for each class, so this was a pretty tough task!  Check out the video here: Zoom.  The kids learned how important clear communication is to solving a difficult problem.
We also continued our Mindfulness Practice with a quick review of "4-7-8 Breathing". So helpful in many situations!

Unit Study:
We kicked off our Frog Research Unit with an overview of why it is important to study frogs- Disappearing Frogs.  The kids will choose a frog to begin researching next week.  You can find more information about this Frog Unit on the Target Glog-4th Grade Page.

Convergent Thinking:
We worked on our convergent thinking skills with analogies and a logic puzzle.  These kids are making excellent progress in solving more challenging puzzles!

Novel Study:
We read a bit more of The Way to Stay in Destiny.  Many interesting things about Theo were revealed!  

HW:  Write down 3-5 frog choices to research

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

We started off with a "Waker Upper" to get our creative juices flowing this morning!  The kids enjoy thinking of all sorts of wacky ideas!

Our first activity with the whole group was a Target Scavenger Hunt.  The kids had to move around the Target Classrooms to find and identify various games, resources, and supplies--sometimes matching the resource or idea to one of our Gifted Standards.  This was fun and an excellent lesson reviewing what exactly we're working in during our Target Time!

Stations:
We stretched our Divergent thinking with an F2OE.  The kids did a fantastic job thinking of really original and creative sentences using the letters of their first names.  Check those out by our classroom!  We also honed our communication and convergent thinking skills with an Analogy and a Logic Puzzle.  

Novel Study:
We started our new book, The Way to Stay in Destiny.  The kids are totally hooked and can't wait to figure out more about the mysterious parts of the story.  We haven't even gotten to the actual mystery in the book yet!  We have enough copies for the kids to share with a buddy during our reading time.  If you'd like to purchase a copy for your child to keep, here's an Amazon Link to the book.  We'll make sure your child's book gets labelled and goes home at the conclusion of our Novel Study.  

HW:  Edmodo Question about the Novel

Until next time,
Dr. Kraeger

We started our day with math and convergent thinking to solve our Versatiles Challenge.

Algebraic Thinking:
We learned about Ordered Pairs and then applied that skill with our creativity to reveal Mystery Pictures.  The pictures aren't all finished, but they are turning out beautifully!

Novel Study:
Each group continued in their Survivor Novels.  The kids really enjoyed sharing what their character has learned in the latest chapter and why it was important!

Unit Study:
We finished up work on our Survivor Research.  Projects will be shared at our next class on December 19th.  You can check out the Target Glog-4th Grade, for more information about the project.

Affective Skills:
We continued our Mindfulness Practice with 2 Minutes of Mindful Breathing.  
We also watched a Teamwork Video called the "Bridge Story".  It's a classic fable of helpers and nonhelpers.  The kids did a good job on their reflections after the video and our discussion.  For our kiddos who need to move to learn, we tried a Team Challenge--The Human Knot.  It was pretty easy in small groups, but got VERY difficult in larger groups of 9-10.  The kids did a pretty good job trying.  

Divergent thinking:
We challenged our creativity with a December F2OE.  The kids had some extremely original responses!  Their fluency is growing each time!

No class on December 12th because Target teachers will be out of the building to score Motivation Portfolios.

HW:  Edmodo-Reflect on a time when a classmate was like the Turtle from our fable.

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

We started our day with convergent thinking by solving a Versatile Challenge.

Algebraic thinking:
The kids used their algebraic and other mathematical skills to help the Thanksgiving Dinner Escape the Oven!  The kids were sailing along until they got to long division!  Whoo--it got tough pretty quickly!  Not to worry!  The kids powered through and unlocked the ovens!  Your Thanksgiving is SAFE!

Novel Study: 
We continued our reading with our Survivor Novels.  This week's discussion focused on foreshadowing.  The kids did a good job of understanding and identifying it in their books.

Unit Study:
We continued our Survivor Research Projects.  This was our last in class session to work.  Projects are due on Wednesday, December 5th.  We're very excited for the kids to share their projects Gallery Style.  

Affective Skills:
We continued our work with group dynamics.  Today was a decision making task that involved evaluative thinking.  The groups did a fantastic job in making tough decisions and coming to consensus.  

The kids also worked on their teamwork skills within their Tribes.  Their challenge for today was to join hands to form a circle and pass a Hula Hoop around the circle without dropping hands, in under a minute.  All teams were successful today!  

No Homework
Remember, Target will not meet on Wednesday, November 28th due to Gifted Testing.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Dr. Kraeger

We started our day with logical and algebraic thinking by solving a Versatile Activity.  The kids said it was too easy, so it's moving down to 3rd grade now!

Algebraic Thinking:
We worked on mixed math problems using a variety of strategies to solve them.  Some had to make corrections because they didn't use a strategy the first time and tried to figure it out in their heads.  Hmm...this may the year they learn that strategies are important!

Affective Skills:
We continued our work on Group Dynamics with a lesson on handling constructive feedback and criticism, "Like Water Off a Duck's Back".  Some of the kids understood this immediately, others are still trying to grasp this idea.  
We continued our Mindfulness Practice with "Progressive Muscle Relaxation".  The kids always enjoy this one.

Novel Study:
We continued reading our survival novels with a focus on tools for survival.  The kids brainstormed a survival tool for each letter of the alphabet.  They thought of some VERY clever answers--lots of good insights!

Unit Study:
Our research projects continued today.  Most are making excellent progress!  We will have one more class session to work before projects will be shared on December 5th.  Kids may take projects home to work on them as well.  
We practiced our teamwork by silently lining up in Birthday Order.  This was a challenge with 2 of our 3 groups successfully completing the challenge in one minute.  
Our creative thinking task for the day was to SCAMPER a Backpack.  The kids came up with some highly unique ideas!  There was SO much divergent thinking!

HW:  "Like Water Off a Duck's Back" Reflection Sheet

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger