Due to Junior Achievement, we had a shorter class period today.  Even so, we managed to squeeze in a lot of good learning.

Convergent thinking:
We challenged ourselves with some fun Halloween Logic puzzles today.  The kids are really coming along with their convergent thinking skills.

Algebraic Thinking:
We've finished Lessons 2 & 3, which are the building blocks of material to come.  The kids have learned the "Legal Move" which allows them to more easily solve equations by isolating the variables on one side of the equations and the numbers on the other side.  

RBQ:
We dove into our individual research projects today.  The kids chose a question of interest to each of them from a list of 23 possibilities.  The kids completed a Student Research Contract, so you be getting a copy coming home next time.  Be sure to check out your child's topic and the due date.  Most of the work for this project will be done in class.

Novel Study/Affective:
We talked about how the character felt invisible and discussed how that can happen in real life.


HW:  Write about a time when you felt invisible


Until Nov 11th,
Mrs. Kraeger

Despite our shorter day, we were able to accomplish a great deal of fantastic learning!

Convergent Thinking;
We used our critical and logical thinking to solve analogies today.  The pictorial and verbal puzzles challenged our brains in a new way.  I'm excited to see the kids taking these mental leaps!

Algebraic Thinking:
We jumped right into the real stuff of algebraic thinking today.  We learned how to do Legal Moves today.  Ask your child how this works to help us solve the equations.  The kids are doing well with this foundation to algebra!

Vocabulary: 
We used our critical thinking and communication skills to learn today's word:  Expedient.  The kids had some good examples of how things can be done with expedience!

RBQ:  Focus Study-
We jumped into our research by choosing individual questions from our list of 23 possible topics to research.  We will be completing a contract--you'll see a copy next week.  There is also a Research Process chart that goes step-by-step to keep the students on track through this long process.  The due date is December 9th.  Much of the work will be done in class, so dont' worry about getting started on this right away! :)

Self-Reflection & Evaluation:

Due to IOWA Testing, our day was shorter than usual.  We still managed to squeeze in some great learning!

Logical Thinking:
We enjoyed playing a card game called SET, which challenged our convergent thinking skills.  It's sounds easy, but requires careful thought and analysis.

Communication-Vocabulary:
We reviewed high quality work standards before beginning our work on the word of the day:  Dogmatic.  Ask your child about whether he or she is dogmatic.

Self-Directed Learning:
We took a few moments to add our past vocabulary work to our notebooks, so we can develop those organizational skills that are so important for success in school and life!

Novel Study:
We started a new book today with the focus on setting in Millie Cooper, Take a Risk.  We used analytical thinking to use clues in finding out the setting--February, 1947, in Chicago.  Great thinking here!  

HW:  Predict what will happen in the book.

Until next time,
Mrs. Kraeger

RBQ:  Bats-Small Group Research
Today the students presented their small group research to answer their research question.  They did a good job on the posters and were very knowledgeable about their topics!  The relationships & connections were strong because of the targeted research questions they thought of .  Good Work!

Algebraic Thinking:
We got more familiar with solving equations for a variable and then checking out work to make sure we solved correctly.  The kids are developing good confidence with these skills.

Vocabulary:
We used our critical thinking skills and written communication skills to define our word of the day-coruscate.  Ask your child what it means!

Novel Study:
We did some collaboration in small groups to make predictions about what would happen next in our book.  Then, we finished the last chapter.  It was a surprise ending for sure!  Ask your child about the lessons Milo learned about being perfect.  Definitely something to consider!

HW:  Draw your favorite scene from the book.  Please add speech or thought bubbles and/or captions to convey your meaning with your illustration.

Yours,
Mrs. Kraeger

It was a Punny, Punny DAY!  We had a fantastic time flexing our convergent thinking and humor muscles with some super puns.  Some examples: 
What day of the week would you go to the beach?  What day would you hang out with your twin sister?  Ask your child for the answers.  

Algebraic Thinking:  
We've gotten past our first lesson and have worked through Lesson 2.  We're still using the "Guess & Check" method for solving equations, but we did learn that pawns are used to represent an "x" in our equations.  That's our variable-the unknown number!

RBQ:  
We learned about SOLE-Self Organized Learning Experiences today.  We also collaborated with our small groups to gather our information to create a poster showcasing our Bat Information.  These will be presented next week.

Novel Study & Affective Skills:
Once again, we combined our novel study with work on our affective skills.  This week we focused on discussing perseverance.  How Milo showed it in the story, how it was evidenced in another book we read, The Art Lesson, and how we may have shown perseverance in the past.

HW:  Write a paragraph about a time when you've shown perseverance.

Yours,
Mrs. Kraeger