Sometimes you just need a fresh breeze and a ray of sunshine...  Come on in!
 Kraeger's
 Kids
  • HOME
  • Target Glog
  • Westward Expansion
  • Third Grade Thrills
  • Fourth Grade Findings
  • The Fifth Grade Files
  • Cool Web Resources
  • Interactive Museum Websites
  • Science Websites & Fun
  • Math Websites
  • About Me
  • Causes of the American Revolution

Breaking Out & Playing Around!

11/15/2017

0 Comments

 
What a day! We had so much fun working on scenes for our play! I can’t wait to film the scenes next time. It’s going to be amazing!

We worked their convergent thinking skills so much with our 21 Balloons Breakout! In fact one of the kids said he was working so hard, “His Brain Hurts!” Live it!

we worked a bit more on our perfect square activity with a focus on excellence, not perfection!

No HW!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
​Dr. Kraeger
0 Comments

Playing Around with 21 Balloons

11/9/2017

0 Comments

 
Even though it was a wet day, the kids had a lot of great learning!

We started off by finishing our book and used our critical thinking and evaluative thinking skills to choose important events from the story.  We also learned about story elements and how they apply to our play.  Then, we learned about a couple of dramatic techniques that we might find useful for this play, narration and asides.  At the end of the day, the kids formed small groups to work on outlining main events for each Act of the play, gathering ideas for how to show these events, thinking about props, and even writing some dialog.  It was an extremely productive part of our day because the kids were SO excited to use their communication skills, research skills, and divergent thinking to create part of this play.

We also worked on Hands-On-Equations to strengthen our algebraic thinking skills.  We continued the lessons from last week, with a very cool video about subtracting integers--Matrix and Gotham City Style!  Check it out here: Subtracting Positive and Negative Integers.  

​Affective Skills:
We practiced Mindfulness with Cloud Breathing.  The kids did a fantastic job in concentrating and experiencing a bit of quiet to still their minds and bodies.  After that, we discussed and experienced some thoughts about perfectionism.  We'll continue this work next week.

HW:  Share ideas for the play on Edmodo
Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger
0 Comments

20 Balloons and 10 Parachutes!

11/1/2017

0 Comments

 
We had a fantastic day in Target!

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
0 Comments

    Author

    My fourth grade memories...A new school, new friends, and learning to play the clarinet.

    Archives

    October 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.