We were pretty busy catching up on missing classwork these last two classes for the semester!

Stations:
We stretched our convergent thinking skills with a Logic Puzzle-Favorite Holiday Treats.  We also stretched our divergent thinking skills with a December F2OE.  The kids are becoming SO creative in their solutions for each part of this task!

Novel Study:
We finally finished our second book, Make Four Million Dollars by Thursday.   Just as in our last book by Stephen Manes, our main character learns a lot by trying to do something very difficult.  In each situation, the characters develop many of the character traits we discuss and work on in Target.

Algebraic Thinking:
We enjoyed 2 very different, yet equally festive math mysteries.  The first was a Mystery Picture, revealed as the kids graphed ordered pairs.  The second was a CSI-style Math Mystery-"Who Stole Santa's Sleigh".  The kids really enjoyed discovering the culprit to solve this mystery!

Unit Study:
Over the last few weeks, the kids have been analyzing evidence found at the scene of our Mystery Crime.  We've analyzed the Ph of the sodas and the ice cube water. We've also tested the various powders found at the scene to discover similarities and differences.  We've conducted "Burn" Tests on the mysterious yarn samples found at the scene to compare with yarn from each of the suspects' sweaters.  As we've analyzed each item, we've added the results to our Data Sheets.  This week, we shared our data, compared results, and evaluated the evidence.  In the end, we came to a conclusion about the Mystery.  Check it out on Edmodo!

We will start Target Classes again on January 8th, with a half day.  This will help us make our new classmates welcome and kick off our new semester.

Have a Peaceful and Joyous Holiday Break!
​Dr. Kraeger

 We started our day getting caught up with our Weighty Word from last time, Kleptomaniac.  The kids are getting the hang of finding examples of their word meanings, even when they aren't obvious!

Algebraic Thinking:
We learned about Ordered Pairs and then applied that skill with our creativity to reveal Mystery Pictures.  The pictures aren't all finished, but they are turning out beautifully!

Stations:
We continued our study of extended vocabulary with a new Weighty Word, Laxity.  The kids are using their creativity to make their meanings come to life!  We used our convergent thinking to solve a logic puzzle about "Favorite Holiday Sweets".  It was pretty challenging for many of the kids, and they persevered to finish it!  We also channeled our thinking and creativity to make "Curved Line Drawings".  You may remember these from your own childhood.  Some of them are so cool!

Unit Study:
We used DNA analysis to examine some evidence from the scene of our Mystery.  We compared the DNA traits of some hair in the comb at the scene with hair samples from each of the people at the scene.  The analysis revealed some interesting information!

Affective Skills:
We continued our Mindfulness Practice with 2 Minutes of Mindful Breathing.  
We also watched a video story, Too Many Tamales.  We analyzed the characters to see which of our main character traits each showed.  Then we created examples from the story to illustrate these traits in our notebooks.

We were VERY lucky to have a chance to read the sequel to our class novel, Make Four Million Dollar$ by Next Thur$day!.  Thanks to Laura's family for sharing this book with us!  We're so excited to see what happens next!

HW:  Edmodo-Question about our new evidence.

Until next time,
​Dr. Kraeger