We started our day by getting things glued into our notebooks and enjoying some critical thinking games.

Algebraic thinking:
We used our problem solving skills to find strategies for multistep math problems.  The kids were astounded that their first answer was wrong, but were eager to jump back in with more information to find the correct solutions.

Stations:
We used our convergent thinking to solve a logic puzzle and our divergent thinking to create an illustration for our mystery news article.  

Unit Study:
We learned a bit more about mysteries.  The kids wrote a news article about "The Skateboard Mystery" and illustrated their articles.  Check those out in the hallway outside our classroom.  We also chose illustrations as the basis for our own mystery stories.  The illustrations are from the Chris VanAllsburg book, The Chronicles of Harris Burrdick.  I can't wait to see what the kids come up with as we work on these stories over the next few weeks!


Affective Skills:
We continued our Mindfulness Practice with "Mindfulness Bell".  The kids enjoyed this one so much that we watched a little bit more of another "Mindfulness Bell" video.  

HW:  Think of a movie or TV show about a mystery

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

We started our day with a mixed problem solving math activity.  The kids had great fun collaborating to measure their height and wingspan.  They used this information to determine what their shape is.  Ask your child for more details!

Unit Study:
We continued our Mystery Unit by learning the parts of a mystery.  Later on, we read a short story about a stolen skateboard and used the clues to solve the mystery.

Novel Study:
We read a bit more of our book, The Big Bad Detective Agency. The kids love the silly antics and funny things the characters say. They are already trying to solve the mystery in the book, even though it's only the third chapter!  

Divergent thinking:
We used our divergent thinking to create responses for each part of creativity: Fluency, Flexibility, Originality, and Elaboration.  The results were SO clever!  

Affective skills:
We continued our Mindfulness Practice with "4-7-8 Breathing".  This is a good and very easy way for kids to focus, relax, or just have a moment of calm whenever and whereever they might be.

HW:  Think of a mystery book to tell the class about

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger

It was so good to have our third grade Target kiddos together today! They were BEYOND excited to see their Target friends and to get started on this new adventure!

Unit Study:
We kicked off our Mystery unit with an intriguing video called "The Chronicles of Harris Burrdick". It shows famous children's authors speculating on theories on what might have happened to Harris Burrdick. The illustrations are fantastic, and we will be studying them more next week.
During our Unit time, we learned about Sketchnoting, which is also called Visual Notetaking. Here's one of the videos we watched on "Drawing Peeps".

Novel Study:
We started our first book, The Big Bad Detective Agency. It is a hilarious story about how the Big Bad Wolf is wrongly accused of a crime, and how he must try to figure out the mystery.

Affective Skills:
We played "Friendship Bingo" to get the kids better acquainted. After that, we tried "The Marshmallow Challenge". There were lots of positive teamwork, but none of the teams built a structure that could support the weight of the marshmallow. Check out this TED Talk for more details on the how and why of this activity. We also tried "Vote With Your Feet" which involved choosing preferences between pairs of items. It was interesting for the kids to see their friends' choices and how they overlapped with their own.

We began our Mindfulness Practice with "Still Quiet Place". The kids learned how to imagine a quiet place when they need a moment of peace or relaxation.

HW: "Target Reflections" Exit Slip

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger