Sometimes you just need a fresh breeze and a ray of sunshine...  Come on in!
 Kraeger's
 Kids
  • HOME
  • Target Glog
  • Genius Hour Project Ideas
  • First Grade Friends
  • Third Grade Thrills
  • Fourth Grade Findings
  • The Fifth Grade Files
  • Cool Web Resources
  • Interactive Museum Websites
  • Science Websites & Fun
  • Math Websites
  • About Me

And the Theme is...

8/31/2017

0 Comments

 
Our day got off to a good start with some fluency and flexibility to challenge our brains! 

We hit the ground running with Hands On Equations.  They kids are definitely picking up steam with their algebraic thinking, now that they're warmed-up and ready to move ahead!

Unit Study:
We opened our unit work with a fun improv game called, "Alien, Tiger, Cow".  The kids really liked it and got good at it pretty quickly.  Then we moved to learning about theme in literature and movies with a BrainPop video and game.  Following that, we worked to summarize the main points of a scene from Romeo and Juliet, both the original version and a modern version of the same scene.  The kids will work in small groups to do their own take on this scene next week.

Affective skills:  
We started some goal setting lessons with a video called "Seize the Day".  The kids even sang along a bit, pretty neat stuff!  

Novel Study:
The kids really enjoyed these two chapters, especially the discussion where we explored why the United States becomes involved with some wars that don't directly impact our country.  The kids asked some insightful questions and made some powerful connections between the war in Afghanistan and the Vietnam War, while touching a bit on the Korean War.  I love the way they really jump into these deep topics!

HW:  Edmodo-Brainstorm a topic for our R & J scene.

Until next week,
​Dr. Kraeger
0 Comments

Project Time!

8/24/2017

0 Comments

 
We had a busy day of learning in Target!
​
Algebraic Thinking Skills:
We started our Hands On Equations work for this year with a group beginning the Level3, another group reviewing basics of stars vs. pawns, and the final group starting at the beginning with Level 1.  They got off to a good start with their math work today!

Unit Study:
Later on, we picked up work on the Shakespeare Tic-Tac-Toe Menu Project. The kids choose 3 mini projects to complete (row, column, or diagonal).  We are looking forward to seeing all the finished projects next week in Target.  The project choice menu is on Edmodo, if the kids need it.

We also continued our vocal warm-ups and tableaux practice, this time with more complicated scenes.  This was perfect to prepare the kids for acting out scenes from Romeo and Juliet, after we read a summary of the play together.  Their take on these scenes was fantastic!  Check out the photos below!

Affective Skills:
We practiced our mindfulness with Still, Quiet Place and Listening Practice.

Novel Study:
We read more of our novel today, discussing how people can have different impressions of the same event.  

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger
0 Comments

Gettin' back to Business!

8/17/2017

0 Comments

 
We had a fabulous second Target Class!  These kids are ready for learning and new experiences!  

Unit Study:
We started our day with a Shakespeare Tic-Tac-Toe Menu Project.  The kids will choose 3 mini projects to complete (row, column, or diagonal).  They were so excited to be working that they didn't want to stop.  Can you imagine my happiness when I heard, "Do we have to stop working on this Shakespeare Timeline?  I really want to keep working!  This is fun!"  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these kiddos!  Check out their fantastic responses to our Unit Kick Off Question on FlipGrid: Shakespeare Kick-Off.  In the afternoon, we continued our practice with vocal warm-ups and creating a tableaux.  
​ 
Algebraic Thinking Skills:
Later we we dusted off our Algebraic Thinking Skills with a quick review of important concepts from Hands On Equations Level2, followed by a pre-test to check existing knowledge and readiness.   This will help us form groups based on readiness for learning our new concepts.

Convergent Thinking Skills:
We managed to squeeze in a little work on our convergent thinking with a logic puzzle.  Some needed a little revision to get to a successful solution.  Not to worry, though!  They're just knocking off the rust and getting those brains back in shape.  Next week, they'll do a great job! 

Affective Skills:
​
We did a teamwork challenge called "5 Elbows"--a fun movement activity. Check out the photos below!
Our Mindfulness Practice continued with 4-7-8 Breathing. This gives the kids a breathing pattern to use for focusing attention, calming down, or relaxing. 

Novel Study:
We continued our reading of Operation Yes! The book is a complex text, filled with figurative language, unfamiliar vocabulary, puns, and challenging narrative structure.  The kids are loving it because it's funny!  It's a great tie-in with our Shakespeare Unit with all the references to acting, drama, and theatrical techniques.  

HW:  Work some on the Shakespeare Tic-Tac-Toe Project.  It is available on Edmodo.  We'll be working on these projects again next week in class.

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger



0 Comments

Welcome Back!

8/10/2017

0 Comments

 
We had a fun-filled, exciting first day of Target!  

We started our day with a team-building activity called "Pasta Race".  The kids worked in groups to move spaghetti from one side to the other using only 2 foam plates--without touching the pasta! The results were interesting, to say the least!  

The kids signed up for Edmodo, and I can tell they are excited about it already!  We also finished our Tagxedos for the front of our Target notebooks.

Later we worked on starting the basics of our Interactive Target Notebooks.  The kids did a good job making their notebooks unique and getting ready for our work together.  

We got a sneak peek at our new Shakespeare Unit.  The kids are excited about what's coming next for this unit!  To begin getting ready for all the acting we'll do later, we learned some vocal warm-ups and also learned how to do a "Tableaux".  Ask your kiddo about what that is and how it went today! 

We also practiced a bit of mindfulness with Til the Thinker & Widdle the Worrier and Clouds.

We started our unit by reading a bit of our book, Operation YES!  

HW:   Edmodo

Until next week,
Dr. Kraeger
0 Comments

    Author

     Fifth grade was the year I learned all about dolphins, read EVERY Beverly Cleary book, and made brownies from scratch. YUM!

    Archives

    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    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
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 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.