We got our day off to an unexpected start with a practice writing task for the Writing Assessment next week.  I can't wait to read the essays to see our students' creative thinking and great communication skills!

Next, we unleashed our divergent thinking and collaborative problem solving by creating an invention for a frog.  Wow!  I was unprepared for the level of creativity and innovation I saw! 

We investigated the unseen inner organs of the frog's digestive system today.  We'll follow up on this in our homework and in our classtime next week. 

We closed our day with Mrs. Kindschy for a lesson on effective web search techniques for our Frog Research.  She gave us some helpful tips and tricks to make our searches more efficient, so we can use our time wisely and get the information we need.

HW: Complete the reading about the digestive system and label the parts of the digestive system on page 37 or 38 in your Frog Packet.
**Find 2-3 more sources for your research.  You should have 5-8 sources all together.
Undoubtedly Yours,
Mrs. Kraeger

Wow!  It was great to see our 5th graders today.  We really missed them!!! I was very pleased and proud of the hard work the kids did today.  

We had a dual focus today of Frogs and the Olympics.  No, not the Frog Olympics, but hmm…that is an interesting idea!

Convergent thinking was all over our first Olympic task: Use the letters GREAT to fill in Olympic related categories.  Tough, but the kids really showed their strengths.  Afterward, we played "Scratch" with our answers.  Fun stuff!!!
Divergent thinking was not difficult at all as the kids created new Olympic events.  I can't wait to take a look at what may be the events of the future!

Back to unbreakable frogs!  We studied the skeletal systems of frogs today.  There are many similar bones in humans. We also spent time with Mrs. Kindschy working on our Frog research.  The discussion focused on nonfiction text features, which will become very important as we move on with our research.

HW: Google Doc Form #3, on the Media Center Blog, Class projects, 4th & 5th Grade.

What an unexpectedly exciting day!  It started off in an unremarkable way, since many of the kids were tired and uncharacteristically quiet after their three days at Jekyll Island.  They soon made an unlikely turn around when we chose our frogs to research!  The room was filled with the unmistakeable sounds of enthusiasm for learning!  That initial burst of energy was short-lived as the fatigue crept back in.

Today, we signed up for our class Edmodo account.  I've attached the Parent Information Letter Below.  I hope you'll sign up for a Parent Account.

January 23
Today was an uncommonly cooperative day!  With our new stability balls waiting to be inflated, the kids stepped up to the challenge by remaining undaunted despite using the hand pump to fill them up successfully!

Stations: The cooperation continued unabated as the students worked to solve a difficult convergent thinking puzzle.  Our logic puzzles were not quite as difficult ,but still provided enough challenge for these unrelenting problem solvers!  Our final challenge was to use divergent and evaluative thinking to create a Survival Plan for an unexpected mishap in the woods.  

Algebraic Thinking:  We wrapped our brains around unknown numbers by evaluating solutions to our word problems.  Most of the kids are on the right track, and those who were unsure developed a new sense of confidence!

 Focus Study: We stepped into our frog unit today by uncovering the meaning of classification and taxonomy.  Ask your child about the unusual way we practiced classification today!

Novel Study: We finally got back into our favorite book, Ungifted!
Our reading today was lots of fun as we learned about Donovan's undiscovered talent for driving the robot.  

HW: Find one example of a classification system and list your top 3 choices of frogs/toads to research.

Unchanging in my appreciation for these great kids,
Mrs. Kraeger