The kids had a busy morning today!  We got off to a great start with everybody finishing their Math Stars and Divergent Thinking activity from last week.  They did a great job!

Novel Study:
We read a couple of chapters in our book, finding out how Sam ended up enjoying his first snow storm, snug in his tree.  

Unit Study:
We finished our research and compiled our Survival Books.  We'll share the finished books at our next class.  

Affective Skills:
We continued our focus on teamwork with a challenge involving using 8 foam tubes to move a marble into a cup.  Each group devised their own solution, executed it, and rated each other on Commitment to the Team, Active Participation, and Reliability.  We had an interesting discussion about how things went.

Algebraic Thinking:
We stretched our math problem solving with some new Math Multiple Art Projects.  The designs are so beautiful!  Love the combination of math and art!  

Convergent Thinking;
The kids used their logical thinking skills to solve Spring Word Suduko puzzles.  They looked simple, but were challenging for most.

No HW!  We will have Target for half-days during Milestone Testing.

Enjoy your Spring Break!
​Dr. Kraeger

The kids hit the ground running today, totally ready to work hard at learning!
They started off by finishing up left-over work from last week, and then a choice of convergent thinking games or divergent thinking activities.

Convergent thinking:
We jumped back into our Quote Fall from last week, with most of the kids puzzling out the long, difficult phrase.  Great job on this!

Algebraic Thinking:
We used our critical thinking and mathematical knowledge to solve a variety of problems from different areas of math.  The activity was a great mix of graphing, number sense, operations, and logical thinking!

Affective Skills:
We continued our mindfulness practice with a "66 Second Story" and Ocean Breathing.  We also watched a couple of impactful clips about reliability, active participation, and commitment.  After some discussion, the kids formed groups to create skits illustrating these traits.  With a lot of laughter, we think the message came across clearly.

Unit Study:
Many of the kids have finished their research and are ready to assemble their booklets.  We're excited to see what they have to share next week!

Novel Study:
We read another chapter and the kids didn't want to stop reading!  It's always a cliffhanger!

HW:  Ch. 15 Question #2-Prediction

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

​

​

It was wonderful to back to class and see the kids today!  They were definitely excited and ready to learn!

Convergent thinking:
We learned a new type of puzzle, called a "Drop Quote" or a "Quote Fall".  The kids really enjoyed using their convergent thinking and communication skills to figure out the Survival Quote.  We'll be doing another one soon.

Algebraic Thinking Skills:
We continued our lessons with Hands On Equations.  The kids are definitely on the right track with the new concepts and moving along well.

Affective Skills:
We discussed Grit, and how it is necessary for perseverance.  The kids read articles about famous people who showed grit on their way to success.  We'll finish this activity next time.
We also continued our mindfulness practice to help focus and prepare for learning in the afternoon.

Novel Study:
We read a bit more in our books, analyzing the character's motives and exploring some of the symbolism in the book.

HW:  Edmodo
Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger