Because of testing, today was a bit unusual in Target. We had specials in the afternoon and a session on our new Cobb Digital Library resources. We managed to get some good work accomplished, but can't wait to get back to the regular schedule on our next Target Day!
Stations: Divergent Thinking- We tackled a creative problem solving exercise that was all about pumpkins. The point was to unshackle our creativity and really develop our fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration! I can't wait to see the results! Convergent Thinking- Today's cryptogram was challenging, but not unreasonable. Don't forget to explain the quote on the back of you paper to unleash those evaluative thinking skills. Critical Thinking- The kids were faced with an age old dilemma: "Do I take a $1 million dollars or take a penny that doubles every day for a month (30 days)? They had to unravel the riddle by actually calculating the worth of the doubling penny. Then, they were given the opportunity to reflect on their choice after knowing the truth. Which would you choose? Pretty unpredictable, I'd say! As an unexpected bonus, we began work on our "UN" poster. We'll be creating a giant word cloud of our favorite "un" words. I'm sure it will be unequaled in creativity! HW: Finish station work-Cryptogram, Pumpkin Creative Problem Solving, & Power of a Penny Prediction, Calculation, & Reflection.
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We had a terrific Thursday! We had a late start because of CogAT, so we didn't get as much done as usual. We did Lesson 14 from Hands-On-Equations, went over some work, and got back completed sheets. Another great day in 5th Grade Target! By Jace Today we got our Ungifted books, but it was a short day. We didn't get to do Stations! Unfair!
Un word to say the day was like--Unlong! B The fifth graders were unflagging in their efforts to work hard, despite having a shorter day because of CogAT going on this morning!
Our day started strong with a rousing discussion of government types. This discussion is forming a good foundation for our Focus Study of Law. There were many excellent probing questions about how different types of government have existed during the past. There was also some stirring debate about the impact of different government types on the lives of people in other countries today. Algebraic Thinking: We dug right in to a new lesson about "Convenient Zeros". This allows the kids to work on equations that may seem Unsolveable! Novel Study: We jumped into our book Ungifted with our brand new copies of the book today! The kids worked unceasingly on comic strips of their favorite scenes of the book. The kids were so engrossed, they thought I was being unreasonable when I asked them to take a break for recess. Unbelieveable! When we resumed work, the kids finished some extremely creative projects showing high levels of divergent and evaluative thinking! Way to go! HW: Finish any work that is undone. Unabashedly Yours, Mrs. Kraeger Our day started with heartfelt Birthday Wishes-"Target Style" to Mrs. Osborne & Mrs. Sides. Both teachers enjoyed some attention from some of their favorite fans-former students!
We got right down to work on our stations including some challenging logic for convergent thinking and a collaborative problem solving task that involved evaluative & divergent thinking. We enhanced our fluency with a massive UNdertaking: Thinking of all the UN words we could, in honor of our novel study-Ungifted. The kids were unsurpassed in this ultimate challenge! After lunch, we honed our algebraic thinking with a Hands On Equations lesson. Most had an easy time completing the lesson and are ready to move on to the next lesson. A few were able to create and solve some extended word problems. Good thinking! We ended our day with some work on our focus study of law. We researched and discussed different types of governments as a foundation of understanding our legal system. There are some unusual systems out there. Ever heard of an autocracy? HW: Finish Government Types Undeniably Yours, Mrs. Kraeger Today started with a test of both algebraic thinking & convergent thinking. The children worked to solve a cryptogram, using mathematical equations. At the end, they came up with a famous quote. We reflected on the quote and discussed its meaning.
We also worked on transformations with pictures of law/legal symbols. Your children are so creative! Later, the children worked on collaboration and creativity by writing a writing a group story using several law words. Some of the stories were quite humorous! We began our goal setting work with a lesson called, "Seize the Day". The kids watched a video featuring a song called "Seize the Day." We discussed the meaning of the phrase, as well as how that relates to the recent accomplishment of Diana Nyad, the endurance swimmer. The children worked hard on a written reflection of people that embody the practice of "seizing the day." Finally, we ended with some work on our novel study-Ungifted. The kids created a chapter title about themselves using the format of the book chapters. I was impressed with their creativity, their writing ability, and their willingness to reveal some deeper understandings and feelings about themselves. Really great work!!! HW: Finish any station work or writing that is "undone". Unquestionably yours, Mrs. Kraeger |
AuthorFifth grade was the year I learned all about dolphins, read EVERY Beverly Cleary book, and made brownies from scratch. YUM! Archives
March 2022
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