Friday, September 23, 2011

3rd Grade - Today's word was Pejorative. Pejorative means disparaging/to lower rank or reputation. Lucille Ball was today's investigator. A Stories with Holes problem was the warm up activity. The study of Competent Kids focused on Task Commitment. More complex logic elimination grid puzzles were given to us from our Crystal Pond Woods friends. Our science experiment focused on developing a hypothesis.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

3rd Grade - Pugnacious was the word of the day. Pugnacious means quarrelsome. Dr. Seuss was our weekly investigator. Word Winks got our minds warmed up. These are common words or phrases put into picture form. Our study of Competent Kids focused on Creativity. The puzzler's of Crystal Pond Woods gave students an opportunity to further develop their convergent thinking skills while playing a game similar to Master Mind. The Relationships study had students studying fears and beginning a research project on a Polynesian island.

5th Grade - Their word was Structure. Structure means something built or something made up. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, was the investigator. These students warmed their minds up by playing 20 Questions. Respect was the focus of their affective lesson. The Structures lesson has students studying the "Bridge Across America" or westward expansion. Students are developing a timeline that includes places to stop, hardships these people faced and items they took on the trail. The Lewis and Clark Expedition had students beginning projects associated with that study.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

1st and 2nd Grade - These students looked for patterns in Shel Silverstein's book, A Giraffe and a Half. Before class next Wednesday, it would be nice if they could write their own version of the poem. Their science experiment focused on developing a hypothesis and observation.

4th Grade - The word of the week was System. A System is a group of units so combined to form a whole. Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was the investigator of the day. A Mystery Object/20 Questions was the warm-up activity. Students spent time developing their research questions and getting started searching for answers. The Lewis and Clark Expedition had students developing their latitude and longitude skills.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

1st and 2nd Grade - Today we continued the "What's Bugging You" lesson by making caterpillars and talking about bugging people in a good way. Our trip to Crystal Pond Woods this week had us working with Attribute blocks. As students moved from one spot to another they were to make changes from one block to another based on certain attributes.

5th Grade - Botanical was their word of the week. Botanical means of or pertaining to plants or plant life. Our investigator was Earle Dickson, the inventor of the Band aid. The puzzle of the week was a "Mind Wink." Students are given a common word or phrase written in picture form. They have to decipher the word or phrase. The affective lesson focused on Honesty. Our study of the Lewis and Clark Expedition had us learning about Latitude, Longitude and finding locations on a map. The Bridge Across America project had students shopping for items to take with them on the Oregon Trail.

Monday, September 19, 2011

1st and 2nd Grade - The word of the day was Coherent. Someone who is coherent is clear and easy to understand. Our investigator for this week was Rutherford B. Hayes. His presidency is most noted for moving the annual Easter Egg Roll, which Congress wanted to cancel, to the White House lawn the Monday after Easter. He was also the 19th President. The weekly puzzle was a Mystery Object. Students are given an unusual object that they have to determine it's name before reaching 20 questions. Tomorrow we are going to "bug" each other in a friendly way.

5th Grade - Botanical was their word of the week. Botanical means of or pertaining to plants or plant life. Our investigator was Earle Dickson, the inventor of the Band aid. The puzzle of the week was a "Mind Wink." Students are given a common word or phrase written in picture form. They have to decipher the word or phrase. The affective lesson focused on Honesty. Our study of the Lewis and Clark Expedition had us learning about Latitude, Longitude and finding locations on a map. The Bridge Across America project had students shopping for items to take with them on the Oregon Trail.

Welcome Back!

We have now been back in Enrichment for four weeks. Updates to the school technology blocked  this site, so there was no access for updates. That situation has been corrected and I hope to begin making daily updates again this week except for Wednesdays.

I am looking forward to a great year of working with your students in Enrichment.