We got off to a strong start this week by using our creativity to make Tagxedo Word Clouds for our Target folders.  They turned out so nice!

Stations:
We used our convergent thinking skills to tackle a logic puzzle, which was too easy for these kiddos.  On to harder puzzles next week!  The kids also used their divergent thinking to create solutions for our August F2OE, with ideas in the Fluency, Flexibility, Originality, and Elaboration categories.  The more we practice these basic parts of creative thinking, the more the kids improve!  Take a look outside our classroom for some amazing work!

Unit Study:
We read a bit more about the Global Goals to give us more background information.  Then the kids used their evaluative thinking skills to rank the 17 Global Goals from most to least important.  It was fascinating to hear their reasoning behind the decisions!  From there, the kids chose a country that is represented in the United Nations.  They did a bit of preliminary research about their country to get started.  We will continue to research these countries throughout the semester, focusing on how each country is working to meet the Global Goals.  The kids will be looking at economy, natural resources, allies, education, sanitation, and other factors.  Our first goal to begin studying is No Poverty.  The kids are just getting a small slice of this story right now, but we will dig deeper each week as we work through our top six Global Goals.

Affective Skills:
We continued our Mindfulness Practice with "Mindfulness Bell".  The kids enjoyed this one so much that we watched a little bit more of another "Mindfulness Bell" video.  

HW: Think about which other Global Goal would you like to research, besides the top six we chose.
Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger
​

We started our day off with a art special project.  Look for it outside our classroom next week!  You're going to LOVE it!

Our next activity was big excitement--the Target Scavenger Hunt!  The kids worked in teams to get photos or answers for as many of the challenges as they could in about 20 minutes.  Whew!  They did a great job using their Gifted Standards and creativity to solve the tasks!

Stations:
We worked on getting our Notebooks set up with divider tabs for each of the subjects.  We also used our convergent thinking skills to solve a logic puzzle.  Many thought it was too easy, but had to go back and make some corrections.  Maybe we're just getting back into the swing of things!

Affective Skills:
We continued our Mindfulness Practice with "4-7-8 Breathing".  This is an easy and effective way for kids to calm down, focus, or just grab a moment of calm whenever they want.  

We talked about Fixed vs. Growth Mindset, discussing some real world examples and outcomes of each.  

Algebraic Thinking:
We assessed our algebra skills with a Hands On Equations pre-test.  This will help us know where each child is ready to start with new lessons this year.  

Unit Study:
We learned about how our skills can help us to be "Global Goals Goalkeepers".  We also watched "Malala's Magic Pencil" and discussed her accomplishments with some of our Global Goals.  

HW:  "Magic Pencil" Reflection

Until next time,
Dr. Kraeger

It was so good to have our fourth grade Target kiddos together today! They were BEYOND excited to see their Target friends and to get started on this new adventure!

Unit Study:
We kicked off our Model United Nations unit with an intriguing video called "The World's Largest Lesson".  It shares the 17 Priority Goals for Sustainable Development in the World.  The kids were incredibly engaged during our Unit time!  Their eyes were sparkling with new ideas and they were positively bubbling over with curiosity and eagerness!   One of the activities was to imagine what they might be doing in the year 2030, which is the Target Date for accomplishing the 17 Priority Goals.  The stories they wrote are sweet, funny, and inspiring!  Check them out next week outside our new classroom, Room 267.  Later the kids worked in small groups to design a city that included features to help meet the 17 Priority Goals.  The four small groups joined their city maps into one larger map to make "Global Goals Country".  It was very interesting to see the thought process happening in each of our Target classrooms and in the smaller groups.  

At the end of the day, we saw a video of the book, "Beatrice's Goat".  It shares the story of a young African girl who gets to go to school for the first time after her family receives a goat that helps the family earn some badly needed money.  The discussion that followed was moving for all of us. 

Affective Skills:
We tried "The Cup Stack Challenge". There was lots of positive teamwork, and much success using clever strategies to solve the problem. 

We learned about Sketchnoting, which is also called Visual Notetaking. Here's one of the videos we watched on "Drawing Peeps". We practiced Sketchnoting about the important concepts from Moby's Big Idea and also from "Your Brain is Plastic".  Both of these videos are foundational for learning about Growth Mindset.

We began our Mindfulness Practice with "Still Quiet Place". The kids learned how to imagine a quiet place when they need a moment of peace or relaxation.

HW: "Target Reflections" Exit Slip

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger