We started our day with some fun convergent thinking games like chess, Unblock Me, and checkers.  

Unit Study:
Our Genius Hour research is going well with many kids nearly done with their research.  Projects will be shared in class on March 14th, so we have 2 class periods left to work.  

Divergent and Mathematical Thinking:
We combined our creativity and math abilities to create beautiful Math Mosaics for Valentine's Day.  Check them out below!

Affective Skills:
We used our divergent thinking and communication skills to create our Dreams Poems and a visual to go along with the poem.  These will be displayed in our classroom after the Break.  I'll send along some pictures!

Finally, we had a very interesting guest speaker today, Mr. Rick Parker, Gifted Lead Teacher from Daniell Middle School.  He does an amazing job giving a thorough overview of what Middle School is like for our gifted kids.  They learned a lot, asked some great questions, and seem very excited to check it out next year!  Here's his Presentation, which includes his contact information.  Feel free to reach out to him with questions, even if your child isn't going to Daniell.  He's very knowledgeable and helpful!

No HW!  Enjoy the Break!
Dr. Kraeger

We started our day by completing our "Extreme Dream" reflections.  It's interesting to see what the kids dream of doing and being.

Stations:
We stretched our creative thinking with "YouTube Discoveries" to go along with our novel.  There are some incredible responses!  These kids are amazing divergent thinkers!  We also used our convergent thinking to tackle a Perplexor style logic puzzle.  

Unit Study:
We continued our Genius Hour Research.  The kids have come a long way in the information and knowledge they've gathered.  Soon, they'll be ready to begin creating their presentation to share with the class on March 14th.

Algebraic thinking:
We continued our progress with algebraic thinking as we work through increasing challenging equations using our Hands On Equations program.  The kids are making good progress!

Novel Study:
We read a couple more chapters in our book and challenged the kids with some critical thinking questions with Kahoot.  They really enjoy the excitement of this format to explore their understanding of our novel!

Affective Skills:
We read a lovely book called "Dreams", by Susan Bosak.  It is a compilation of 15 different artists' visions of a series of verses/poetry about how dreams change over a lifetime.  The kids began a draft of their own Dream verse and will refine it next week.  They will also create a visual representation of their verse next week using a variety of art media.
We continued our Mindfulness Practice with a reminder about "Fear vs. Anxiety".  It's helpful for the kids to learn to differentiate the two, so they can begin to self-regulate.

HW:  Edmodo-Project Update

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

We started our day with our Math Stars problem sheets and convergent thinking games to wake us up!

Stations:
We used our divergent thinking to solve the tasks on our "Ungifted" F2OE.  Some of the answers were AMAZING!  We also used those convergent thinking skills to solve a logic puzzle.  

Unit Study:
We had a great Peer Coaching session today.  The kids described their project to a peer and then provided feedback to each other about the project.  There were some valuable insights and many insightful comments!

Algebraic Thinking:
We continued our work in Hands On Equations with some tough lessons today.  The kids are moving right along as they apply new strategies to solve increasingly more difficult problems.

Affective Skills:
We learned about the Space Shuttle Columbia and it's tragic end.  Then we discussed the potential risks and costs associated with reaching for the really big dreams in life.  We'll discuss this a bit more next week.
We continued our Mindfulness Practice with a review of "Why Humans Experience Anxiety".  It always reminds us of a few important points!

Novel Study:
We shared some samples of our personal "Ungifted" Intro Chapters.  They were all funny and very clever!  Then we read a bit more about Donovan's big problem, and how he helps his new friends out of their big problem.

HW:  Edmodo-Watch Columbia Tribute Video & Finish "Extreme Dream" Reflection

Until next time,
Dr. Kraeger

Our day started with a math-based convergent thinking task using our Versatiles.  The kids seemed to enjoy this variation on our typical Versatiles task, so we'll check out our collection to see if we have more of this type.

Stations:
We used our divergent and evaluative thinking, and communication skills to create Intro Paragraphs about ourselves in the style of our book, Ungifted.  We also stretched our convergent thinking with a logic puzzle.  The kids have had quite a bit of practice lately on the grid type puzzles, so we'll look to change things up next week.

Algebraic Thinking: 
We tackled a Math Stars problem-solving activity.  These include a variety of math problems with a mixture of concepts and many strategies to solve them.  

Unit Study:
We spent some time in the Computer Lab researching our Genius Hour Topics.  Almost everyone seems to have an excellent start on a topic, with some good research already!  We've conferenced with each student this week to check on his/her progress.  Next week, the kids will Peer Coach to offer their feedback and ask questions about each others' projects.  They find this opportunity very helpful in directing their work.

Novel Study:
We read another chapter in our book, with our main character Donovan making it to the Academy for Scholastic Distinction.  He's figured out that all he needs to do is blend in and hide from the Superintendent for awhile.  Might be easier said, than done!

Affective Skills:
We watched an amazing Ted Talk by Diana Nyad, "Never, Ever Give Up".  She discusses her record-breaking swim from Cuba to Key West at age 64.  The kids were astounded at her perseverance, mental toughness, and positive attitude!  This is part of our "Extreme Dream" lesson, where the kids learn about how negative thinking can create obstacles for continued achievement in school and in other activities.  They did a good job reflecting on their own experiences.

HW:  Edmodo-Next Steps for the Project
Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

We started our day with a creative task to imagine and share a scene from chapter 2 of our novel, Ungifted.

Unit Study:
The kids chose a topic and created a Project Plan for their Genius Hour Project.  They will be bringing this Project Plan home for parents to review and approve.  We want to make sure that their chosen topic is reasonable within the time/materials available at home.  Later, the kids spent some time researching their project topic.  

Stations:
We stretched our divergent and evaluative thinking with the creation of a plan for our main character, Donovan, to "Escape From Detention".  The ideas were pretty unusual and definitely very creative!  The kids worked their convergent thinking skills with a logic puzzle.  Our new Target kiddos are getting the hang of these puzzles quickly!  

Algebraic Thinking:
We dove head first back into our algebra lessons with Hands On Equations.  I was super impressed with my first group when they remembered and applied the concepts we last discussed in mid October!  Woohoo!  That means they're really understanding it!  Our new students started in either a Beginner group or a Level 1 group, if they've joined us in the past for Math Enrichment.  They all made good progress today!

Affective Skills:
We watched a video about Diana Nyad's Extreme Dream.  The kids were amazed by the ordeal she experienced on her attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida.  The kids will reflect on their own "Extreme Dream" next week.

We continued our Mindfulness Practice with a foundational video called "4-7-8 Breathing".  This technique is very helpful for calming the mind and/or body, increasing focus, relaxing, and getting ready for sleep.

Novel Study:
We read a bit more of our novel and tested our critical thinking skills with a Kahoot Game.  The kids always love these and did very well today!

HW:  Edmodo-What did your parents think about your Project Idea?

Until next time,
Dr. Kraeger

We started off with a "Waker Upper" to get our creative juices flowing this morning!  The kids enjoy thinking of all sorts of wacky ideas!

Our first activity with the whole group was "Speed Meeting".  The kids completed a survey about their favorite things.  Then we formed two circles.  For each round, the partners compared to find common favorites.  Then one group rotated to the left.  The kids really enjoyed this fun way to get to know our new Target friends!

Divergent Thinking:
We stretched our Divergent thinking with an F2OE.  The kids did a fantastic job thinking of really original and creative sentences using the letters of their first names.  Check those out by our classroom!  

Novel Study:
We started our new novel, Ungifted.  It's about a middle school boy who just keeps finding himself in trouble for his crazy antics until he gets caught destroying the school gym, by accident.  The kids can't wait to find out happens to this poor guy!  We have enough copies of the book for the kids to buddy up, but if you'd like to purchase a copy for your child to keep, here's an Amazon Link.  

Unit Study:
We kicked off our new unit-Genius Hour!  The kids were very excited to begin thinking about what they're interested in learning about!  They will choose their own topics and later create a project to share their learning.  Their first assignment was to interview an adult about what he/she was interested in learning about as a kid and share that on Edmodo.  We'll be working on these projects until Mid-March.

HW:  Edmodo 
Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

We started our day with math and convergent thinking to solve our Versatiles Challenge.

Algebraic Thinking:
We learned about Ordered Pairs and then applied that skill with our creativity to reveal Mystery Pictures.  The pictures aren't all finished, but they are turning out beautifully!

Unit Study:
We had a final Peer Coaching session and our last in class work session before Games will be shared on December 13th.  They are doing a great job!  We can't wait to play these games!


Novel Study:
We read several chapters in our book today, breaking to respond to some critical thinking questions involving irony, evaluation, and inferencing.  They are really enjoying the subtle and not-so subtle humor in this book!

Stations:
We worked on a logic puzzle and an analogy task to stretch those convergent thinking skills in all kinds of directions!  ​We challenged our creativity with a December F2OE.  The kids had some extremely original responses!  Their fluency is growing each time!

HW:  Predictions from the Chapter Titles

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

We started off with a Waker Upper to get our brains moving and get the creative juices flowing.  The kids seem to enjoy these because they're a mixture of small convergent and divergent tasks.  Just enough, but not too much for the start of the day.

Algebraic Thinking:
We had our second go at a VERY challenging Math Versatiles activity.  Only 2 of the kids got it.  This is definitely higher level with squares, square roots, and multiple operations.  We'll put it on the shelf for now and bring it out in the Spring.  They'll get it--they just need a bit more math first!

Unit Study:
We had a great peer coaching session today for our Game Project.  The kids are getting really good at evaluating projects and providing constructive feedback.  They get a lot out of the feedback from their peers.  It definitely helps to drive revision and further success in the design process.  We will have one more class session to work on the projects, December 6th.  Games will be shared on December 13th.  

Novel Study:
We worked on some critical and evaluative thinking questions about our book, using text evidence.  Then we read another chapter with some Kahoot questions to challenge us!

Stations:
We tried a new Divergent thinking activity-a Sketchnote Challenge.  The topic was "Celebrate".  The kids did fantastic job of creating interesting, fun images of different celebrations!  Check out the photo below!

Affective Skills:
We finished our Mission Statements.  The kids had some good small group discussions about their Missions.  I think they surprised each other with their bigger life goals.  It's wonderful to see them thinking about what they might want to do with their lives and what sort of people they want to be.  Big ideas for these young people!

No Homework! Remember, no Target Class on November 29th because of Gifted Testing.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Dr. Kraeger

We started our day with a "Gotta Think" activity called, "Catch A Train" for one of our resident train buffs!  The kids had to solve various convergent and divergent thinking problems.

Algebraic Thinking:
We used a variety of strategies to solve mixed math problems.  The kids learned that there are easy and hard ways to solve problems.  Hopefully, they remember that next time!

Unit Study:
We continued work on our Game Projects.  Today the kids conferenced with Mrs. Lobello to check on their progress.  Most are doing very well so far.  We will have two more class sessions to work.  Games will be shared on December 13th.

Novel Study:
We read a few more chapters in our novel, learning a bit about the Manhattan Project and more about some of the characters.  Although the Lexile of this book isn't a challenge for most of our kids, the story involves many historical events, especially scientific discoveries.  In addition, we are focusing on inferences, making connections between subject areas, and evaluating the actions and choices of our characters.  We are finding that the kids sometimes have to revise their thinking or refer back to the text for evidence.  The story is humorous, so the kids sometimes think that means it's an "easy" book.  It's definitely a good learning experience for them!

Affective Skills:
We watched Jason Mraz' song "Have It All" and began drafting our personal mission statements.

Later, we continued our Mindfulness Practice with "Body Scan".  The kids did a great job with this!

HW:  Edmodo Update on Project

Until next time,
Dr. Kraeger