What a great day of learning this week in Target!

Algebraic Thinking:
We jumped right back into our word problems.  Just when we think they're getting easier, they get harder!  Translating the words into symbols and numbers for our equations is pretty challenging!  

We also snuck in a bit of convergent thinking with a Perplexor Logic Puzzles.  The practice last week made this week's puzzle much easier!

Unit Study:
We worked hard today to sort through our plays, blocking scenes, straightening out conflicting roles, and revising dialog.  These kids are great problem solvers.  You might even see a split screen video in our plays for the big premiere!  It is very interesting to watch the ways different groups tackle the challenge of taking on a Shakespeare play.  

Affective Skills:
We continued our mindfulness practice with some information about how to reduce our worries: Kick Logic Back Into Gear.

Novel Study:
We finished our day with some reading in our novel, Operation Yes!  The kids learned about jody calls today.  

HW:  Write a jody call

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

If you haven't stopped by our classroom to see our "What's Up With Will?" Flipgrid, I hope you'll check it out.  The kids have done a wonderful job!

We had a blast today in Target!  The kids started with a bang on a challenging math problem solving activity involving all sorts of strategies.  It wasn't as easy as they first thought, but they persevered and got it done!

Next, we moved on to Shakespeare with some work on mapping each play and deciding which dramatic techniques to use.  The kids begged for more time, so we'll have an extended Shakespeare session next week.  Have I mentioned lately how much we LOVE these talented kiddos?!

We continued our affective skills work with an activity about character traits we value and how we use those traits.  We also thought about how we can develop or improve in the particular traits each valued.

We closed our very short day with some reading from our novel, Operation Yes!.  The chapter was filled with tense moments and dramatic revelations.  The kids can't wait to see what happens next.  

HW:  Create a 6 word story about the events of this chapter.  For more info on 6 Word stories, Mrs. Nixon's Third Graders' 6 Word Stories.

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

It was a whirlwind of a day, with SOOO much great learning!

Algebraic Thinking:
We worked on Word Problems today, so we applied the concepts we've been learning with word problems.  The kids are getting back in the swing of this and did pretty well with some challenging material today.

Shakespeare Unit:
We jumped right into our unit by breaking into groups and reading the plays.  The kids got past the "sillies" pretty quickly and did an amazing job on the first read-through.  After that, they chose parts, highlighting their own copies to indicated their lines.  We'll work on this more each week, unit we're ready to perform our plays in December.  We'll announce dates/times soon, so you can plan to join us.  It will be wonderful!

Novel Study:
We worked more on our novel, doing some good discussion and answering some tough critical thinking questions.  

HW:  Edmodo-Flip Grid--Do this As Soon As Possible!

Until next time,
Dr. Kraeger

We had a VERY busy day!  The kids seemed to be going at mach speed all day!  We had a good start with Versatiles to stretch our convergent thinking skills.

Algebraic Thinking:
We worked through some basic concepts to make them even stronger with today's Hands-On-Equations.  The kids will be ready next week to jump back into our first Word Problems of the year.  They're doing so well, we know they'll be ready!

Unit Study:
We read overviews of our five Shakespeare Comedies that we'll be performing.  The kids asked some insightful questions about the societal and economic differences between the culture back then and modern day society.  They were shocked to learn how different things were back then, especially for women.  After listening to all the summaries, the kids ranked their choices.  We looked at the choices and formed groups that should work well together for the rest of this unit.  

Affective:
We practiced mindfulness with a video, "Fear vs. Anxiety".  This helps the kids learn the difference between real fear and how our bodies react to anxiety.  Then we discussed the strategies we've learned that can help with anxiety.   
We also started our work on Mission Statements with a video about a birthday party for an 80 year old and how we would like to thought of when we're 80.  

Convergent Thinking:
We combined our convergent thinking with visual discrimination and creative problem solving to play several games, Qwirklw, Q-Bitz, and 9 Square puzzles.  The kids enjoyed this hands-on way to use these skills.

Novel Study:
We read a couple of chapters in our novel, looking for "cracks" in the story.  Ask your child what this means and maybe for an example from our reading.  

HW:  Edmodo
Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger