We started right in with our book and a rousing game of Kahoot! This year's class crushed their opponents from last year. Way to go! You really pay attention to details and think deeply about the tough questions!
Algebraic thinking:
We got back into our Hands-On-Equations with a new lesson. Our advanced group has gotten into some tough territory with subtracting negative numbers. We'll be working on this again next week to strengthen their understanding of these concepts. Not to worry--this is hard stuff and we will keep with it until we understand! They are doing fine, just need to slow down a bit to let our brains catch up.
Affective Skills:
We continued our Roadblocks to a Growth Mindset today with another lesson. The kids worked in groups to brainstorm ways to overcome common obstacles to developing and maintaining a growth mindset. They did a very good job with this! Next, we each wrote a reflection about personal roadblocks and strategies to overcome these. I'm looking forward to reading their reflections to see some deep insights and great ideas!
We also reviewed a fun movie clip about "What's the Worst that Could Happen?" The kids liked it, especially the ending when the girl shares that losing the competition might be the worst thing, but she can handle it.
Unit Study:
We designed and built parachutes today! The kids worked in pairs to create a parachute with the longest possible "Hang Time." We tested them out on the Playscape this afternoon. Following that, we learned how to calculate averages using our 3 test flights and the data from the class average. The kids also evaluated the winning parachute design and compared it with their own. So much good learning with this lesson!
Finally, we ended the day with more reading. We are almost to the end of the book and finally know where the 20 balloons came from!
Don't forget, Target is on Thursday next week!
HW: Edmodo
Until next time,
Dr. Kraeger