What a fantastic final day for these 5th graders! We finished our novel—such a good ending! Then it was on to Dissection—Crayfish and Frogs. The kids did a great job and learned so much! I’ll miss these kiddos, but they’re on to bigger and better things on Middle School!

Yours,
​Dr. Kraeger

We had a very busy day with these kiddos!

Unit Study:
We enjoyed seeing some wonderful Frog Projects! These kids are so creative! I loved the variety of projects and was impressed with the detailed information shared. 
We watched a couple of Dissection videos from the Target Glog and also worked on labeling a diagram of the Frog Digestive System and other internal organs. 

Stations:
The kids used convergent thinking to work on a difficult logic puzzle. After that, they used their critical thinking skills to discern the moral from a Frog Fable.  

Novel Study:
We read a bit more of our book. The kids created their own "Cheating Interviews" based on those in the novel.

Looking forward to our Dissection on Wednesday, May 18th 8-10am. 

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

We had a short day due to Milestones Testing.

Unit Study:
We finished our Frog Project time today. The kids may need to work a bit more at home to be ready for presenting Projects next week. We also used our divergent thinking to create solutions to a Frog SCAMPER. Check out their creative ideas below!

Novel Study:
We read a few more chapters in our book and challenged ourselves with critical thinking questions on Kahoot!

Until next time,
Dr. Kraeger

We started a bit late because of Milestones Testing. The kids hit the ground running and didn't look back!

Unit Study:
We continued our Frog Research, with most going strong on creating their projects.

Algebraic Thinking:
We played a fun math game called, BACON. The kids love the challenge and the competition!

Until Next Time,
​Dr. Kraeger

We had a wacky, fun, wonderful day in Target!

Unit Study:
We watched a clever video about "The Worst Presentation Ever" to see what NOT to do for our Frog Presentations. The kids shared key takeaways. We also discussed our Project Rubric. The kids worked a bit more on their research.

Algebraic Thinking:
We continued our Hands On Equations lessons. Our top groups are getting into some very challenging concepts. It's quite difficult, but they are hanging in there!

Novel Study:
We read a bit more of our novel and challenged our critical thinking skills with a Kahoot! game. We also created Black Out Poems about a character from our book. The kids are so creative! Check out their incredible poetry below in the photos!

Stations:
We used our convergent thinking to solve a very difficult logic puzzle.

The kids were ready to go this morning! They have a busy week, so it was good to see them at the start!

Affective Skills:
The kids created word clouds of possible obstacles to reach their goals. They also included ways to overcome those obstacles. The results are beautiful!
We continued our mindfulness practice with a calming video.

Unit Study:
We learned about "Thick vs. Thin" questions and discussed how to paraphrase and cite our sources. The kids did more research about their basic facts and their thick questions.

Stations:
We used our algebraic thinking to solve a variety of math problems in our Math Stars. We also applied our convergent thinking to a different type of puzzle. Lots of complaining about how hard the puzzle was. Finally, something challenging!  The kids used their divergent thinking to transform frogs. The results were SO creative!

Novel Study:
We read a couple more chapters in our book. We used our critical thinking skills to answer some tough questions while reading.

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

The day was filled with Genius, fun, and lots of learning!

Algebraic thinking: 
We continued on in our Hands on Equations lessons. The kids are doing well with more challenging concepts. They are realizing that the work takes full concentration to fully understand it!

Unit Study:
We closed out our Genius Hour Unit with Presentations today. I was totally impressed with the kids' knowledge, their passion, and their creativity in sharing their learning. So many fantastic projects! Very impressed with these kiddos!
We also started our last unit for the year, Frog Research. Frogs are an indicator species, so we must pay attention to the impact of pollution, climate, destruction of habitat and pesticide use on frogs to see the potential for larger impact on other creatures. Each student chose their own frog to research. We'll also be learning all about frog anatomy to be ready for our Frog Dissection in May.

Until next time,
Dr. Kraeger

We jumped right into learning today!

Affective:
We read a fantastic book about perseverance, Wilma Unlimited. The kids worked to identify one of their short term goals, potential obstacles, ways to persevere, and an accountability partner to help overcome those obstacles. 

Unit Study:
We finished our Genius Hour projects. We'll share them next week during class. Any students who need more time can work on Projects at home.

Algebraic Thinking:
We used our critical thinking skills and math knowledge to figure out divisibility and create a Math Mosaic. The results are beautiful!

Novel Study:
We learned about dramatic irony and read a couple of chapters in our novel. The kids used their new knowledge to share an example of dramatic irony from the chapters.

Stations:
We chose a person to research from Women Who Dared, for our Women's History Quilt. We'll assemble it next week. 
We used convergent thinking to solve a logic puzzle and a math grid riddle. Then they used divergent thinking to do "30 Clover Creations". The results are amazing!

Until next time,
Dr. Kraeger

Off to a great start with our learning in Target!

Affective:
We worked more on our Goals, choosing 3 short term goals and action steps for each. We'll explore this more next time.
We continued our Mindfulness Practice with a Mindful Bell.

Algebraic Thinking:
We reviewed concepts from Lesson 21 to solidify understanding before we move on. A small group moved ahead to Lesson 22, which added parentheses to the concepts from Lesson 21.

Unit Study:
We had our final Peer Coaching session for Genius Hour. The kids showed good evalutiave thinking and were responsive to the feedback they received. We will have one more class period next week to work on the project.

Stations:
We used our convergent thinking to solve Logic puzzles. These are getting hard! The kids used their divergent thinking to transform the robot from our book into something new. The results are SO creative!

Novel Study:
We read another chapter in our book, while playing Kahoot! to challenge our critical thinking skills. 

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger