Today was a day when we did a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and some of the other stuff.  We had things to finish up from last week, so we stayed the course and got them done.  

Focus Study: RBQ
First on that list was setting up our notebooks for our RBQs-Research Based Questions.  We made title pages and created a Steps to the Research Process organizer.  This is safe in our notebooks, so we'll know what to do when we're working on this research project.  To learn the process, we'll be working on a mini-research unit about bats.  We started by brainstorming "THICK" questions about bats to investigate.  These are questions that require research to answer, not simple yes or no questions.  Samples of their questions: How are bats similar to humans?  Why do bats come out at night?  What do bats have in common with birds and mammals?  Wow!  The kids knocked me out with their high quality, interesting questions today!  Yippee!  So, we'll pick one to work on as a whole class.  That will let us practice the research process.  Next, the kids will work in their small groups and research the question they chose together.  Later in the semester, each child will choose a question from our RBQ Interest Inventory to research independently.

Convergent Thinking:
Today was our first day working on logic puzzles.  The kids did a great job and are ready to move onto a bigger challenge next time.  Can't wait to see what they do!

Divergent Thinking:
The drawings & stories from their homework, "What in the World Is It?"  were a good start on creativity.  Some are learning that the story should be just as creative as the drawing.   I can't wait to see this week's assignments about the broccoli dreams!

EDMODO:
Whew....we got all signed up for Edmodo!  Today in the lab, the kids created their own student accounts on our class Edmodo group.  You should have received an email about how to sign up for the parent Edmodo account.  I hope you'll join because it's a great way to stay plugged into what's going on in your child's Target class!

Algebraic Thinking:
Today we tried a VERY challenging math activity called an Exemplar.  Our task was about continuing a pattern of different shaped blocks.  Not only did the kids have to figure out the number of each shape in the extension of the pattern, they also had to explain how they figured it out.  Pretty tough stuff!  Not all of them got all the way there, but they worked hard and learned a lot about how to communicate their math learning.  Great work!

HW:  Broccoli Transformation

Your never perfect, but always doing my best teacher,
Mrs. Kraeger

We had a wonderful second week of Target.  The kids worked so hard!

Self Reflection & Self Directed Learner:
We finished up our interactive notebooks by discussing class procedures to help us with being self-directed learners.  We added to this with our "Goal Setting" sheets.  It was exciting to see the kids thinking carefully about their self ratings and their goals for the year.  We finished up our self reflection by creating graphs of our multiple intelligences.  We have a very diverse group filled with LOTS of talent!  

Evaluative & Critical Thinking and Making Connections:
We started work on our Focus Study for the semester: Research Based Questions (RBQs).  After viewing a slideshow of different real-life questions, the kids completed an interest survey about which areas they're most interested in. We'll begin our work by creating a model RBQ together over the next few weeks, so they can hone their research skills and understand the process better before they choose a topic and begin independent research.  I'm excited to see them tackle this project!

Divergent/Creative Thinking:
Our last activity for the day was a transformation.  The kids stretched their creativity by transforming a squiggle into something completely different, adding colors, details, and other lines to the original drawing.  For homework, they are to extend their creativity by thinking of an interesting title and writing a paragraph about their drawing.  The paragraph can be either a story about the picture or a description of the drawing, including many details.

HW:  "What in the World Is It?" Transformation


Waiting eagerly for Tuesday!
Mrs. Kraeger

We had a great start to our 3rd grade Target Year. The day began with a fun collaborative problem solving task, "Saving Fred". Check out the fun:

We continued with work on our interactive notebooks. If your child didn't bring a composition notebook to Target, please be sure to send one in next week. 

We also investigated our multiple intelligences. Can't wait to discuss & graph the results next week! 

Please be sure to review the assignment sheet and sign it each week!

They are a delightful group and I can't wait to see them again! Speaking of next week, we will be switching Target days. We will meet on Tuesdays for the rest of the Fall Semester. 

HW: Check out the Target Glog & create a Word Cloud. The children can use either Tagxedo or Wordle (links from the Target Glog) to create a word cloud using their name (type that in several times), words to describe their likes/personality, AND a few terms from our Target Standards (found on the back pocket of the Red Target Communication Folder).  The word clouds may be printed in color or black & white.  Can't wait to see what they create!  

I can't wait to meet all my wonderful third graders on Wednesday, Aug 13th.  Be ready for an exciting day filled with fun and tons of cool learning activities!

See you soon!
Mrs. Kraeger