Because of testing, we had a short day.  We were able to get a lot of good learning in!

Convergent:
We stretched our convergent and critical thinking skills with another grid logic puzzle and a Perplexor style puzzle.  

Unit Study:
We worked hard on writing our mystery stories today!  The kids have some really cool ideas for their stories.  We'll be sharing the stories next class.

Affective Skills:
We continued our exploration of character virtues with a book, Too Many Tamales.  The kids examined the character virtues shared in the book, created drawings to illustrate each virtue, and will reflect on which character virtue is most important and why.

Novel Study:
We continued with our novel by using our critical thinking skills to answer questions with Kahoot!  The kids loved it!

HW:  Exit Slip

Have a great Fall Break!
​Dr. Kraeger

We hit the ground running with good learning today!

Algebraic Thinking:
We continued with our math problem-solving skills, working on using charts or lists to solve problems involving combinations.  The kids found this VERY challenging, which is a great thing!  Some were able to solve independently or with a partner, others need more assistance with teacher guidance.  I'm very pleased that they stuck with the hard problems!

Affective Skills:
We continued our mindfulness practice with some muscle relaxation exercises.  We also started our discussion of character virtues.

Mystery Unit:
We continued our mystery unit by creating stories from our Harris Burdick pictures/captions.  The kids are so excited about who the detectives and the suspects are in their stories!  It's going to be great when we can read each other's stories!  

Stations:
We used our convergent thinking skills on a mathematical Versatile activity and two puzzles, a grid logic puzzle and a Perplexor.  Most found these pretty easy, so we're off to harder puzzles next week.  It's fantastic that they're able to meet each challenge I set before them!  We also used our critical thinking skills to make connections between our book and ourselves or our world.  

Novel Study:
We read chapter 4 and tried a new technology tool, called Kahoot!  It was a big learning curve, but the kids did a super job!  They were able to answer some tough questions about the chapter as we read it.  We also looked at a great resource called a "ThingLink".  Check it out on Edmodo this week.

HW: Edmodo-ThingLink

Until next time,
Dr. Kraeger

We had our best day of Target yet!  The kids were focused, on topic and got EVERYTHING done today!

Algebraic Thinking:
We worked on a new math activity, "Math Mystery Stories".  This first one was a good warm-up, but I'll be sure to find an more challenging one for our next time!

Stations:
We worked on our convergent thinking with a logic puzzle, which was much too easy.  Off we go to a harder one next week!  We also worked on our critical thinking skills with our reading bookmark about main points of Chapter 2.  

Vocabulary:
Our second week of Visual Vocabulary was even better than the first!  The kids were more familiar with the process of creating the documents, so they could spend their time searching for good ideas for our word-Coruscate! See if you  child knows this verb!

Mystery/Novel Study:
We learned the important elements of a mystery and then began planning our stories from our mysterious pictures.  I can't wait to see what they do with the stories next week!  We also read more in our novel.  The kids were so excited to find out where Claudia and Jamie will hide in the museum overnight!  We discussed the author's word choice and how important that is for creating the mood and tone of a book.

HW:  Edmodo

Until next week,
Dr. Kraeger

We had a full day of learning in Target! The kids are adjusting to the pace and demands of our third grade Target Curriculum. As we make our way through the semester, I'll expect the kids to raise the level of work they do. This is especially true with any written responses, including creative activities. I'm looking for greater depth of thought now, with more details--both in their writing and also in their drawings. I'm also looking for these bright kiddos to begin taking greater responsibility for directing their own learning. This includes things like learning to mange class work time, remembering to complete and turn in homework, checking with me when they have questions about Edmodo or homework, and bringing their folders and signed assignment sheets each week. Let's work together to help the kids develop these important skills!

Stations:
We stretched our divergent thinking skills with an August F2OE (Fluency, Flexibility, Originality, and Elaboration.) Check with your child to find out the new saying he/she created about feet or shoes today. The kids are growing in their ability to complete these with high levels of creativity. We also worked on a couple of critical thinking questions from our novel.

Algebraic Thinking:
We tried a new math puzzle today, called Ken-Ken. You can access free puzzles any time at this link: Ken-Ken Puzzles. The kids really enjoyed challenging themselves to solve harder puzzles!

Critical Thinking & Communication Skills:
Today, we learned a new way to understand and remember the meaning of words-Visual Vocabulary! The next word from our Weighty Word book was Bifurcate. Ask your child what it means! Their pictures turned out fantastic! Check them out by our classroom!
​
Affective Skills:
We discussed self-directed learning and what that looks like. We also practiced our mindfulness with Still, Quiet Place and Listening Practice.

Novel Study & Mystery Unit:
We continued our unit with an observation activity. Ask your child about how this works. They did a great job! Later, we read more of our book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. The kids are discovering all sorts of interesting things about life in the mid-70s and how much things cost. We even learned how to multiply amounts of money (dollars & cents) by ten today! They amaze me with what they can do! We finished off the day with a couple more difficult questions relying on evidence and inferences from the text. This book is a classic for a reason--lots of complex ideas, but kid friendly content!

HW: Play the Observation Game with a parent, friend, or neighbor
Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

We had an even better day in our second week of Target Class!  The kids are adjusting to our full group and mostly getting down to business.  There was a LOT of good work today! 

Stations:
We worked on some convergent thinking skills with "Back to School" logic puzzle, just to get back in the groove.  Then we challenged our algebraic thinking with Math Stars.  This included some tough questions.  Check it out when it comes home next week!  We also started learning some "College Words".  Each week, we'll be working on some challenging vocabulary.  Today's word was abasement.  See if your child remembers what it means.

Affective Skills:
We continued with our Interactive Notebooks by discussing Target Norms (Trust, Do your Best, Creativity, Manage Your Work, & Believe in Yourself) and classroom procedures (Start & End of the Day, Absent Work, Hall/Restroom, Attention Signals).  Reinforcing these important ideas helps the kids strengthen their organizational, time-management, and socio-emotional skills.  
We did a bit of self-reflection with a fun movement activity called "Vote with Your Feet".  Check out the photo 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.  

Unit Study:
We continued our study of Mysteries with a bit more reading from our novel, Mixed-Up Files.  We discussed how to create thorough and complete responses to the higher-level thinking questions we'll be working on during this unit.  This reading time allows us to tap into evaluative thinking as well as other critical thinking skills.

HW:  Edmodo-2 Question quiz

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

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

We started our day with a team-building activity called "Marshmallow Challenge".  The kids worked in groups to build the tallest structure using spaghetti, tape, string and a marshmallow.  The results were interesting, to say the least!  

The kids signed up for Edmodo, and I can tell they are excited about it already!

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

We started our Mystery Unit with an interesting video.  Check it out here: Harris Burdick.  We also started our novel study, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  

HW:  First Day Exit Slip

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

We had an excellent day in Target!  The kids were busy learning right up to the end of the day!

We started with a challenging and very fun Code.org lesson on "Artist Nested Loops".  The creations were artistic and fun!  Then we did our last Robot Mission:  "Reconnaissance".  The kids had fun trying  to keep their robots in stealth mode while maneuvering through a path.

We had a fantastic time during our first Breakout: "Caught in the Code"!  The kids had to solve a series of codes and puzzles to unlock 5 locks to breaout of the box.  They were all successful due to teamwork and good problem solving skills!  

We finished our day with the last few chapters of our book.  What a great ending!

Until next year,
Dr. Kraeger

We had a great day in Target!  They are still so excited about learning!

We worked on a Padlet to use our critical thinking skills while reading our novel.  Check out their creative answers.  We're getting SO close to the end that the kids are beyond excited to see what happens!

Of course the kids had a fantastic time with our coding and robotics sessions!  They worked on a cool PlayLab coding using all the things they've learned throughout the 16 prior lessons.  Then we did a "Search & Rescue" Robot MIssion.  The kids did a good job problem solving to achieve their mission objectives.

We combined our affective skills and convergent thinking to work with a multiple intelligence Versatiles activity.  We followed that up with analogies for extra convergent thinking practice.

No HW this week!
Until next week,
​Dr. Kraeger

We were VERY happy to be back in our Target classrooms today!  The kids started out strong and kept up the pace all day!

Our day began with a coding lesson about "Events", which led to our Robot Mission--"Advanced Maneuvers".  The kids had a blast creating obstacle courses for their robots to maneuver through.  Then, they had to program the robot to move through the Obstacles.  It was pretty tough, and the kids did a great job!

Later, we continued our algebraic thinking with Ken-Ken puzzles.  All of the kids have become more adept at solving these challenging puzzles.  

We used our convergent and divergent thinking skills to tackle a logic puzzle, a Robot Transformation, and an advice letter to the Hero of our novel.  The kids are so creative in their ideas!  

Finally, we worked more on our novel.  We read a chapter, then replied to a critical thinking question on a Padlet.  This is a new web tool for us, so some need a bit more practice in using it.  We'll use it quite a bit next year, so the kids will become more familiar with it.  We read a bit more to check our ideas, and then made predictions about the mysterious Black SUV in our book.  

We have a VERY exciting event planned for next week!  It's the first of many activities of this type that we will do next year.

HW:  Edmodo

Until next time,
Dr. Kraeger

Milestones testing continued for our 5th Graders today.  So this morning, we took our Target class on the road and hung out in the Media Center for the morning!

The kids worked hard too!  They used convergent thinking to solve logic puzzles and various problems in our "Robots and Special People" activity.  They also used critical and divergent thinking to create a Ninja Comic strip after reading a chapter in our novel.  Check those out by our classroom.  They're so creative!  We worked both algebraic and convergent thinking in doing some Ken-Ken puzzles.  These are also available online for extra math challenge at home.  All you Sudoku fans should check these out!

Later, we read more of our novel and found out the "E" the Robot has been "Robo-napped"!  More to come next week!

Back in our classroom, we learned about "Events" in coding by practicing some events while singing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm".  Then we created unique dance moves to program our robots.  The Robot Dance Recital was spectacular, especially when several of the boys spontaneously started line dancing with the robot!  So GREAT!

HW:  Edmodo-Book Question

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger