Wednesday, April 30, 2014

2nd Grade - Qualm which means a feeling of illness, a disturbing feeling, was today's vocabulary word. Andrew Johnson, our 17th President, was today's ponderer. Students quickly solved the Stories with Holes warm up problem. The affective lesson focused on "bugging" each other by telling a little bit about ourselves through story writing. The evaluative thinking lesson had students considering the good and bad results of an idea before making a decision. For Change, students gained a better understanding of the water cycle and the idea that based on past information, people can predict change.

3rd Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Prototype which means an early or original example upon which later examples are based. John F. Kennedy, who had difficulty competing against his brother but became our 35th president, was today's ponderer. In Crystal Pond Woods, students used their problem solving skills and ability to develop criteria to solve the problem of "What To Do In Class Today?". In the Relationships study, students completed a quick research activity on different types of animals and discussed the relationship between the animals and how people are treating the earth.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

4th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Demeanor which means someone's behavior toward others. One of the world's greatest female athletes, who overcame racism and asthma to become an Olympic champion, Jackie Joyner-Kersee was today's ponderer. Students solved two Stories with Holes problems for the warm-up activity. Motivators were the focus of today's affective lesson. Students then spent time reading folktales and creating one for their team's culture which they are developing.

5th Grade - These students were enjoying a field trip to the state capitol today.

Monday, April 28, 2014

1st Grade - Herbert Hoover, who was instrumental in feeding over 10 million Belgians after World War II, was today's ponderer. Students solved the Stories with holes problem for the warm up activity. For the visual/critical thinking lesson in Crystal Pond Woods, our friend Max the Magician brought out his trangrams and students had to fit the seven different puzzle pieces into several shapes.

5th Grade - Today's students had time to reconstruct a building that would withstand an earthquake before heading back to class for a special lesson taught by the school nurse.

Friday, April 25, 2014

4th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Instill which means to put a feeling or idea in someones mind slowly. There were two ponderers today: Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan. Together they changed the way people thought about handicapped people. Students were able to solve the quote puzzle used for the warm up activity today. The focus of the affective lesson was goal setting. For the Systems study, students wrote two stories that they had heard from their families. The final activity was to begin putting all of the various systems together to create a new culture.

3rd Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Fetch which means to go after and bring back; to get as in a price. Winston Churchill was their ponderer. Mr. Churchill was not a gifted student but became a Nobel Prize winner in Literature. Students went to spend time with their Kindergarten testing buddies so will be bringing their warm up puzzles home. Parents are allowed to help them solve the puzzles. Those who bring them back help their team. Students learned about developing criteria in Crystal Pond Woods as a well to help them solve problems. The Relationships study focused on the understanding that relationships between members of a food chain are interdependent as we did an experiment with water and cups.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

5th Grade - Due to a meeting Mrs. Rains had to attend, today's class was canceled.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

2nd Grade - Hoax which means a practical joke; something intended to deceive was today's vocabulary word. Today's ponderer was Rose Greenhow, a southern spy during the Civil War who died trying to save gold for the Confederacy. Students completed a Quotation Quizzler for the warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on mistakes and what we can learn from them. Our friends in Crystal Pond Woods had us selecting a backpack based on measurable, observable, factual criteria. We also learned that using past information can help people predict change such as weather.

3rd Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Fetch which means to go after and bring back; to get as in a price. Winston Churchill was their ponderer. Mr. Churchill was not a gifted student but became a Nobel Prize winner in Literature. Students quickly completed the warm up activity which was a Quotation Quizzler. Students put into practice the development of criteria and evaluative thinking as the decided where their family would spend a summer vacation. The Relationships study focused on the understanding that relationships between members of a food chain are interdependent as we watched the original version of The Lorax.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

4th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Instill which means to put a feeling or idea in someones mind slowly. There were two ponderers today: Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan. Together they changed the way people thought about handicapped people. Students were able to solve the quote puzzle used for the warm up activity today. The focus of the affective lesson was goal setting. For the Systems study, students wrote two stories that they had heard from their families. The final activity was to begin putting all of the various systems together to create a new culture.

5th Grade - Their vocabulary word was Ruminate which means to mediate or muse. Today's ponderer, Alfred Nobel, who not only developed the Nobel Peace Prize, he was also the inventor of dynamite. Students were challenged by the quote puzzle for the warm up activity. For the affective lesson, students began researching different philosophers. The afternoon was spent studying the structure of the earth and how to build structures that are better able to sustain an earthquake.

Monday, April 21, 2014

1st Grade - Warren Harding, the 29th President of the United States who had a special cabinet chair for his dog, was today's ponderer. Students figured out a Quotation Quizzler puzzle for today's warm up activity. They didn't let Max the Magician fool them in Crystal Pond Woods as they quickly made trains of Max's dominoes. They were able to spend a few minutes reading different versions of Cinderella that we will discuss next week.

5th Grade - Their vocabulary word was Ruminate which means to mediate or muse. Today's ponderer, Alfred Nobel, who not only developed the Nobel Peace Prize, he was also the inventor of dynamite. Students quickly solved the quote puzzle for the warm up activity. For the affective lesson, students began researching different philosophers. The afternoon was spent studying the structure of the earth and how to build structures that are better able to sustain an earthquake.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

5th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Vociferous which means loud and vehement.For the structures study, students explored the structure of the earth and plate tectonics with pudding and graham crackers.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

All Enrichment classes were canceled for today due to testing.

We will be back to our regular schedule next week.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

4th Grade - This class was canceled today because of testing.

5th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Vociferous which means loud and vehement. The ponderer was Samuel Morse who was awarded a gold medal for his art and invented the Morse Code. For the structures study, students explored the structure of the earth and plate tectonics with pudding and graham crackers.

Monday, April 14, 2014

1st Grade - Class was canceled due to testing.

5th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Vociferous which means loud and vehement. The ponderer was Samuel Morse who was awarded a gold medal for his art and invented the Morse Code. For the structures study, students explored the structure of the earth and plate tectonics with pudding and graham crackers.

Friday, April 11, 2014

Due to testing, today's Enrichment classes were canceled.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Fifth Grade - The vocabulary word of the day was Pernicious which means dangerous, deadly. Anton Leeuwenhoek, the inventor of the microscope, was today's ponderer. Students figured out the Plexer puzzles which were today's warm up activity. Today's discussion question was, "Does anything every happen by chance?" Once the environment changes timelines were complete, we moved on to the study of Natural Structures.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

2nd Grade - The vocabulary word for today was Transpire which means to happen; to become known. Abraham, who wasn't a very stern father, was today's ponderer. Students completed the Plexer word puzzles for the warm up activity. No one is perfect was the focus of the affective lesson. They continued to practice using criteria for making choices in Crystal Pond Woods. We had a few minutes today to study Changes and discovered that using past information can make change predictable.

3rd Grade - Parapet which is a low wall or railing was today's vocabulary word. Neither Orville nor Wilbur Wright, today's ponderers, finished high school. Students quickly came up with the answers to the Plexer puzzles for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students were introduced to Jordan the Judge who taught us how to develop criteria for Evaluative Thinking. For the Wonder study, we finished listening to A Weed is a Flower about George Washington Carver. The Relationship study had students focusing on the understanding that members of a food chain are interdependent.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Fourth Grade -  Today's activities centered around the word barrier. A barrier is something material that blocks or is intended to block passage. The ponderers were Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey who broke the segregation barrier to major league baseball. Students figured out items from a What in the World puzzle for the warm up activity. Time was spent finishing brochures about Oklahoma celebrations. Then students designed an object according to a story they heard.

Fifth Grade - The vocabulary word of the day was Pernicious which means dangerous, deadly. Anton Leeuwenhoek, the inventor of the microscope, was today's ponderer. Students figured out the Plexer puzzles which were today's warm up activity. Today's discussion question was, "Does anything every happen by chance?" Once the environment changes timelines were complete, we moved on to the study of Natural Structures.

Monday, April 7, 2014

First Grade - Today's ponderer was Ida Wells Barnett, an early advocate for civil rights. Students did a great job of completing the Plexer puzzles for the warm-up activity. Building patterns was the activity Max the Magician had for us in Crystal Pond Woods.

Fifth Grade - The vocabulary word of the day was Pernicious which means dangerous, deadly. Anton Leeuwenhoek, the inventor of the microscope, was today's ponderer. Students figured out the Plexer puzzles which were today's warm up activity. Today's discussion question was, "Does anything every happen by chance?" Once the environment changes timelines were complete, we moved on to the study of Natural Structures.

Friday, April 4, 2014

4th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Exploit which is a daring or heroic act. The ponderer was Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence. Students figured out the 20 questions item for the warm-up activity. The affective lesson focused some more on the understanding that being gifted means different things to different people. After listening to the story I am in charge of Celebrations, students researched different celebrations in Oklahoma.

3rd Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Colossal which means enormous, gigantic; huge in size, extent or degree. Louis Pasteur, the Father of Microbiology, was today's ponderer. These students also solved the 20 Question problem. Our friend Max the Magician had students playing a number game as they used visual and convergent thinking. During Relationships, students learned that members of a food chain are interdependent. In the Wonder lesson, students began listening to A Weed is a Flower book by Aliki. This is the story of George Washington Carver a man who wondered a lot.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

5th Grade - Schelp which means a stupid or clumsy person, was today's vocabulary word. Percy Spencer who invented the microwave oven was today's ponderer. Students solved the 20 Questions mystery object problem for the warm-up activity. For the rest of the school year we will be discussing some philosophical questions for the affective lesson. Today's question came from Parmenides - Can you think about nothing at all? The rest of the afternoon focused on environmental modifications that have been made to the earth since 1900 in Edmond.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

2nd Grade - The vocabulary word for today was Shoddy which means poor quality or make; dishonest. Sarah Emma Edmonds or Frank Thompson as her fellow Union soldiers called her pretended to be a man in order to be in the army. Students completed the 20 Questions problem. The affective lesson focused on the understanding that not everyone does things at the same time-we are all different. In Crystal Pond Woods, students used a creative problem-solving matrix to determine the best solution to the problem.

3rd Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Colossal which means enormous, gigantic; huge in size, extent or degree. Louis Pasteur, the Father of Microbiology, was today's ponderer. These students also solved the 20 Question problem. Our friend Max the Magician had students playing a number game as they used visual and convergent thinking. During Relationships, students learned that members of a food chain are interdependent. In the Wonder lesson, students began listening to A Weed is a Flower book by Aliki. This is the story of George Washington Carver a man who wondered a lot.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

4th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Exploit which is a daring or heroic act. The ponderer was Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence. Students figured out the 20 questions item for the warm-up activity. The affective lesson focused some more on the understanding that being gifted means different things to different people. After listening to the story I am in charge of Celebrations, students researched different celebrations in Oklahoma and started making brochures to advertise those activities.

5th Grade - Schelp which means a stupid or clumsy person, was today's vocabulary word. Percy Spencer who invented the microwave oven was today's ponderer. Students tried to solve the 20 Questions mystery object problem for the warm-up activity. For the rest of the school year we will be discussing some philosophical questions for the affective lesson. Today's question came from Parmenides - Can you think about nothing at all? The rest of the afternoon focused on environmental modifications that have been made to the earth since 1900 in Edmond.