What fun we had creating and building this week in Target!

The kids spent a couple of hours finishing their Cardboard Challenge Projects.  I can't wait for the kids to play each other's games next Thursday!  It's going to be a blast!

Algebraic Thinking:
The kids are working their way through Hands On Equations Level 2 (Ms. Rhone's group) and Level 3 (My group).  Ms. Rhone's group finished Level 2 this week.  Yippee!  My group is up to Lesson 22 out of 25.  They really want to finish the program, but we'll see if they can get it done in time.  They surprise me all the time!

Stations:
The kids used their convergent thinking skills to solve a choice of Grid Logic or Perplexor.  They did well, even though the puzzles were harder than last time!  Then they worked on the May F2OE.  I am forever amazed with the level of creativity these kids bring to their work!  They are so clever!

No HW
jTarget Class will be on Thursday next week.
Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger​

We had a fantastic day of learning!  It was so good to welcome a couple of classmates back into the building today!

Unit:
We continued our Cardboard Creations.  The kids will have one more class period to build their Creation.  We'll share them on May 13th.  Please make sure your child brings any materials necessary to finish their project next class.

Algebraic Thinking:
The kids did a good job with two difficult lessons today!  They are plowing through some challenging concepts.  So proud of their hard work and perseverance with this math!

Stations:  
We used our convergent thinking to solve a choice of logic puzzles.  Apparently the Perplexor wasn't perplexing enough because they all zoomed right through it.  Guess I'll have to find a more challenging puzzle for next class!  
Next, we used our divergent thinking to transform a box.  Their creations are full of clever ideas!  Finally, we finished and shared our new endings for our novel.  The kids did a good job, especially with using the character's voice in their writing!

Target Class is Tuesday next week because of Milestone Testing.
HW: Finish Logic and/or Box Transformation

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

The kids were up to the Challenge, the Cardboard Challenge, that is!  

Algebraic Thinking:
We continued our work on Hands On Equations with two new lessons.  One group worked on using all of the many strategies they've learned to simply and solve complex equations.  The other group learned a new strategy to simplify equations.  

Unit Study:
The kids jumped right into our Cardboard Challenge this week!  Most remembered to bring cardboard and other recycled material as well as duct tape or craft glue to begin building their creations.  Kids who haven't brought in material should bring cardboard (boxes, cereal boxes, old file folders, etc) next week.

Stations:
The kids used their convergent thinking to solve a logic puzzle.  Then, they used their divergent thinking to create solutions for our Earth Day F2OE.  The results were incredible! 

Target Class will switch to Friday next week because of Milestones Testing.  

Homework: Bring Cardboard & finish Logic/F2OE if not done

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

Another great day of learning and laughs here in Target!

Algebraic Thinking:
I may have stumped these kids with our latest Hand on Equations lesson.  They soldiered on and made it through.  We'll review those concepts next week before moving on.

Affective Skills:
We read the true story of Wilma Rudolph's early life and Olympic success.  Then we discussed how perseverance helped her and can help us reach our goals.  The kids chose an accountability partner to help them with their goals.

Unit Study:
We kicked off our Cardboard Challenge with several short inspirational videos.  The boy who inspired the Global Cardboard Challenge is quite a kid!  We planned our creations and made Materials Lists.  The kids will bring materials next week to start building their creations.  We'll be working on Cardboard Challenge for the next three classes.  

Stations:
We stretched our convergent thinking skills with a 14th Goldfish Cryptogram. The kids worked hard to solve it!  Then they used their creativity to solve the challenges on the April F2OE.  Check out their work below!

No Homework
Until next time,
Dr. Kraeger

What a wonderful day we had!  

Unit Study:
Genius Hour Project Presentations were very good today!  The kids did a good job sharing their learning.  They also evaluated their peers' projects and the unit as a whole.  I'm interested to see their feedback!

Algebraic Thinking:
We moved on to new concepts in both groups.  My group is about halfway through Level 3. They are deep into adding/subtracting positive and negative numbers.  Ms. Rhone's group is learning about using "Convenient Zeros" to add or subtract the same thing from both sides of the equation.  

Stations:
We created Epilogues for our novel.  The kids are filled with innovative ideas as to what might happen next!  The kids also used their divergent thinking to draw their favorite scene from the book.  They really captured some funny parts!

Affective:
We continued our work on Goal Setting and "protecting our dreams".  It was a very productive lesson for these kids!  I can tell they're thinking hard about how to make their big dreams come true.

Have a fantastic Spring Break!
Dr. Kraeger

The kids are doing a great job in Target!

Algebraic Thinking:
We continued our Word Problems and also worked on new concepts in Hands On Equations Lesson 18.  The kids took some time to get back into the algebra, but then they took off and did fantastic!

Novel Study:
We read, played Kahoot with our Critical Thinking questions, and then finished the book.  The kids loved the ending!  The kids worked on a Character Evaluation, choosing one of the main characters to explore.

Stations:
We stretched with 14th Goldfish Quotefall using our convergent thinking skills.  Then we used our divergent thinking to create solutions to a March F2OE.  They are SO creative!  Check out their amazing work in the photos!

Unit Study:
We started our Genius Hour Presentations today.  The kids did a marvelous job!  We enjoyed seeing their learning!  We'll see the rest of the Presentations next week.

Affective Skills:
The kids worked on "Goal Ladders" to set a goal and add steps to reach that goal.  Hopefully, this will be helpful as they work toward their goals.

HW:  Finish Logic, Math, or F2OE
Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger  

We had a fantastic day in Target!

Algebraic Thinking:
We continued our work with Word Problems.  The kids are really getting the hang of this!  

Affective Skills:
We looked more deeply about our dreams and listed five goals for our lives.  Next week, we'll think about how to begin work on one of the goals.

Unit Study:
We worked more on Genius Hour Projects.  Next time, we'll do our last Peer Coaching session about the projects.

Novel Study:
We read a few more chapters of our book.  After that, we did some critical thinking about Similes and Idioms from our book.  That was challenging!

Stations:
We stretched our divergent thinking with Rainbow SCAMPERS.  I can't wait to see the finished products!  The kids also worked VERY hard on a St. Patrick's Day Cryptogram.  Oh, it was tough!

HW:  Finish Cryptogram and Logic
Until next time,
Dr. Kraeger

We had a wonderful day of learning in Target!

Algebraic Thinking:
We started our Word Problems today.  This is learning how to apply the concepts from our Hands On Equations to actual word problems.  The kids did a great job making good progress on our first lesson!

Unit Study:
We reviewed the Project Rubric and viewed a couple projects from past years.  The kids worked hard to make sure their projects are on track!

Novel Study:
We read a few chapters, with the kids thoroughly enjoying the Kahoot questions along the way.  They love that game!

Stations:
We evaluated titles from our reading to see how well they fit with the chapters.  The kids also used their divergent thinking to make a Dr. Seuss Creation in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday this week.  Check out the amazing things they imagined!  Finally, they worked their convergent skills with a logic puzzle.

HW:  Finish classwork 

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

We had a short Target Day because of the IOWA Reading Test in the morning.  The kids made the most of their time and accomplished so much!

Unit Study:
We had Session #2 of Peer Coaching on Genius Hour Projects.  The kids gave each other helpful feedback and asked hard questions about progress when necessary.  They are getting pretty good at giving constructive criticism!  I've posted details about the Project on Teams, along with the Genius Hour Project Rubric.

Stations:
The kids enjoyed some collaboration along with creative thinking with a February F2OE.  They had some wonderfully original work!  Can't wait to see all the finished products!

HW:  Finish F2OE and Genius Hour Peer Coaching feedback

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

What a wonderful day of learning!

Affective Skills:
We had a fantastic session creating our Dreams poems and artwork.  Check out some of the finished results in the photos.  I am amazed at their creativity and deep thinking!

Novel Study:
We read a bit more of our novel, hearing about the second failed attempt to retrieve the T. Melvinous from the Lab.  We also discussed Point of View and how those choices impact the story.  

At the end of the day, the kids who finished all their work and had no missing assignments played Kahoot, chess, Minecraft or worked with art materials.  They really enjoyed this time to explore their divergent and convergent thinking in other ways!

No Homework-Have a Super February Break!
Until next time, 
​Dr. Kraeger

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