Thursday, May 22, 2014

3rd Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Shamble which means a scene or condition of disorder or destruction; to walk or go awkwardly. The ponderer was Whoopi Goldberg who dropped out of high school and became a drug addict. She realized that drugs were not the answer and checked herself into a rehab center. Students discovered the Mystery Object for the warm up activity. While eating a snack, students heard about the Merlakkans of Doolmathon and drew the creatures according to the text. Time was spent completing a Reader's Theatre story with tangrams. The final activity was to wonder about bugs.

This was the final Enrichment class for this school year. For those student who will be moving as well as the 5^th graders, I wish you the very best and encourage you to continue searching for challenging curriculum in whatever school you attend. For the 1^st through 4^th graders, I look forward to seeing you all again in September with a whole new set of exciting challenges.

Have a great summer!

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

2nd Grade - The word of the day was Wary which means to be alert, cautious, on guard, watchful. Lydia Darragh, who was a spy for George Washington during the Revolutionary War, was today's ponderer. Students identified the Mystery Object for the warm up activity. Students wrote and illustrated stories about themselves using their thumbprints to demonstrate that they are "thumbody". We have been studying Change this year. The final activity was to watch The Lorax by Dr. Seuss while eating our snacks, because if we aren't careful with how we change our environment it could look like the Oncler's town.

3rd Grade - Due to AR parties this afternoon, we will have our final Enrichment class for this year on Thursday, May 22.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

4th Grade - Precision which means exactness or accuracy was today's vocabulary word. The Corps of Discovery (Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and Sacagawea) who bravely faced the unknown for our country were today's ponderers. Students solved the Mystery Object for today's warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on the understanding the successful people demonstrate courage. The final activity was to finish and share the cultures each group created.

5th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was A Priori which is a Latin phrase based on untested assumptions or theory. The ponderer was Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press. Students discovered the Mystery Object for the warm up activity. After lunch, students shared information about a philosopher they researched. Since our main study was structures, students designed a large house where they could invent while watching the original Lorax video.

Monday, May 19, 2014

5th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was A Priori which is a Latin phrase based on untested assumptions or theory. The ponderer was Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press. Students discovered the Mystery Object for the warm up activity. After lunch, students shared information about a philosopher they researched. Since our main study was structures, students designed a large house where they could invent. The final activity was to complete a reader's theatre with tangrams.

Friday, May 16, 2014

4th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Robust which means a person who is robust feels healthy and strong. Robert E. Lee, who had to choose between Virginia or the Union, was today's ponderer. A What in the World? puzzle fulfilled the warm up activity for the day.The affective lesson focused on Responsibility and Respect. Students took a post assessment regarding the Systems study. The rest of the morning was spent working on creating a culture.

3rd Grade - Their vocabulary word was Zeal which means showing great enthusiasm or devotion to a goal. General George Patton, who didn't learn to read until he was twelve, was today's ponderer. Students solved the What in the World picture puzzle for the warm up activity. An assessment regarding the Relationship study had students sharing what they learned this year. In Crystal Pond Woods, students evaluated different potato chips, then how well they learned critical thinking skills.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

5th Grade - Kibitzer which is an onlooker who offers advice, was today's vocabulary word. The ponderer was George Crum, an angry cook who invented the potato chip. Students solved a What in the World? puzzle for today's warm up activity. Since this was the final Enrichment class for this year, students brought snacks. Then after some time finalizing research on philosophers, students shared their learning with the rest of the class. The final activity was to take a post assessment of what was learned through the Structures lessons.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

2nd Grade - The word for today was Adjacent which means adjoining, next to; near or close. George Washington, who was the first President of the United States under the Constitution was today's ponderer. There was a man who served as President under the Articles of Confederation. Students matched words with pictures for the What in the World puzzle as the warm up activity. Students demonstrated what they learned about Change in the end of the year assessment. The final activity was to create new Celebrations.

3rd Grade - Their vocabulary word was Zeal which means showing great enthusiasm or devotion to a goal. General George Patton, who didn't learn to read until he was twelve, was today's ponderer. Students solved the What in the World picture puzzle for the warm up activity. An assessment regarding the Relationship study had students sharing what they learned this year. In Crystal Pond Woods, students evaluated three game boards and then how well they did in learning critical thinking skills.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

4th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Robust which means a person who is robust feels healthy and strong. Robert E. Lee, who had to choose between Virginia or the Union, was today's ponderer. A What in the World? puzzle fulfilled the warm up activity for the day.The affective lesson focused on Responsibility and Respect. Students took a post assessment regarding the Systems study. The rest of the morning was spent working on creating a culture.

5th Grade - Kibitzer which is an onlooker who offers advice, was today's vocabulary word. The ponderer was George Crum, an angry cook who invented the potato chip. Students solved a What in the World? puzzle for today's warm up activity. Time was spent finalizing research on philosophers for the Symposium next week. The final activity was to take a post assessment of what was learned through the Structures lessons.

Monday, May 12, 2014

1st Grade - Today's ponderer was Franklin Delano Roosevelt who overcame the effects of polio to become the only president elected for three terms.Students used their visual thinking to solve the What in the World? puzzle for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students practiced using considerations for making a decision. For the Pattern, students read different versions of Cinderella comparing how they are alike and different looking for patterns through all of the stories.

5th Grade - Kibitzer which is an onlooker who offers advice, was today's vocabulary word. The ponderer was George Crum, an angry cook who invented the potato chip. Students solved a What in the World? puzzle for today's warm up activity. Time was spent finalizing research on philosophers for the Symposium next week. The final activity was to take a post assessment of what was learned through the Structures lessons.

Friday, May 9, 2014

4th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Spry which means someone who is nimble or lively. John Glenn was the ponderer today. Not only was he the first man to travel in space, he was also the oldest. A Surprise in the Middle drawing was today's warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on creativity. After listening to Hooray for Diffendoofer Day, students had to develop a creative lesson plan for teaching weather systems.

3rd Grade - Abound, which means very numerous, was today's vocabulary word. Abraham Lincoln, our ponderer for today, volunteered to be a militia captain. That position was dissolved when no orders arrived for his company. Mr. Lincoln then joined the army and started out as a private. Students drew pictures according to the Surprise in the Middle directions for the warm up activity. In the Relationships study, students researched the environments of different animals.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

5th Grade - Trenchant which means incisive or forceful, was today's vocabulary word. The ponderer was Andre Garnerin, the inventor of the parachute. Students practiced their listening skills and following directions as they completed the Surprise in the Middle drawing for the warm up activity. Time was spent researching a famous philosopher for the affective lesson. The Structures lesson had students learning about naturally created landforms. Prizes for participating in the Exploravision contest were then distributed.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

2nd Grade - Today's vocabulary word was harsh which means unpleasant to the senses; unpleasant conditions. Nancy Hart, a southern spy during the Civil War, was today's ponderer. Students followed directions to complete the Surprise in the Middle drawing for the warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on things we liked. Some students shared their stories with the rest of the class. In Crystal Pond Woods, students continued to develop observable, measurable, factual criteria to come to a problem solution.

3rd Grade - Abound, which means very numerous, was today's vocabulary word. Abraham Lincoln, our ponderer for today, volunteered to be a militia captain. That position was dissolved when no orders arrived for his company. Mr. Lincoln then joined the army and started out as a private. Students drew pictures according to the Surprise in the Middle directions for the warm up activity. Students had to develop the criteria for evaluating potato chips in Crystal Pond Woods. In the Relationships study, students finished watching The Lorax by Dr. Seuss then researched the environments of different animals.

Tuesday, April 6, 2014

4th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Spry which means someone who is nimble or lively. John Glenn was the ponderer today. Not only was he the first man to travel in space, he was also the oldest. A Surprise in the Middle drawing was today's warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on creativity. After listening to Hooray for Diffendoofer Day, students had to develop a creative lesson plan for teaching weather systems. The System for today was weather. We practiced predicting the weather using the edheads.org program.

5th Grade - Trenchant which means incisive or forceful, was today's vocabulary word. The ponderer was Andre Garnerin, the inventor of the parachute. Students practiced their listening skills and following directions as they completed the Surprise in the Middle drawing for the warm up activity. Time was spent researching a famous philosopher for the affective lesson. Part of problem solving is to redo a project that didn't work well. We took time to rebuild buildings that could be tested for stability during an earthquake. The Structures lesson had students learning about naturally created landforms. Prizes for participating in the Exploravision contest were then distributed.

The Final Enrichment Classes for the 2013-2014 School Year are Quickly Approaching

With the end of the school year quickly approaching, there are only a few more Enrichment classes left.  Since we have been focusing on “Wisdom begins in Wonder” our final class period will also center on “Wonder” with the students bringing a “Wonderful” snack or something they have researched (cookbook, internet, etc.) and generated.  Students may bring a snack of their choice along with the recipe.  They should bring enough to share with their entire Enrichment class. Since our school system is promoting healthy snacking, please encourage your student to look for snacks that include fruits, nuts, whole grains, etc.

The final class will be during your child’s normal class. Here are the final class dates:

Thursday afternoon, May 15 – Mrs. Bryant and Mrs. Hudkins’s classes (11 students)

Friday morning, May 16 – Mrs. Cook and Mrs. Roan’s classes (16 students)

Friday afternoon, May 16 – Mrs. Britton, Mrs. Crocker and Mrs. Walker’s classes (13 students)

Monday morning, May 19 – 1^st grade (3 students)

Monday afternoon, May 19 – Mrs. Cable’s 5^th grade Class (8 students)

Tuesday morning, May 20 – Miss Agee, Mrs. Holbrook and Mrs. Tarpley’s 4^th grade    classes (22 students)

Tuesday afternoon, May 20 – Mrs. Branch and Mrs. Wood’s 5^th grade classes (12 students)

Wednesday morning, May 21 – 2^nd grade (19 students)

Wednesday afternoon, May 21 – Mrs. Crampton, Ms. Keller and Mrs. Gramling’s 3^rd grade classes (13 students)

Monday, May 5, 2014

1st Grade - Ida Tarbell,  a muckracker (a newspaper reporter who exposed the graft and corruption of government), was today's ponderer. Students completed a Surprise in the Middle drawing for the warm up activity. Our trip to Crystal Pond Woods had us visiting Jordan the Judge's courtroom where he taught students to list both good and bad considerations when having to made a decision.

5th Grade - Trenchant which means incisive or forceful, was today's vocabulary word. The ponderer was Andre Garnerin, the inventor of the parachute. Students practiced their listening skills and following directions as they completed the Surprise in the Middle drawing for the warm up activity. Time was spent researching a famous philosopher for the affective lesson. The Structures lesson had students learning about naturally created landforms. Prizes for participating in the Exploravision contest were then distributed.

Friday, May 2, 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.

3rd Grade - The word for today was Prototype which means an early or original example upon which later examples are based. John F. Kennedy, who tried to compete against his brother, was today's ponderer. Students quickly the Stories with Holes problem for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students continued working on developing criteria to choose the best answer.  For the Relationships lesson students watch the original Lorax movie by Dr. Seuss as they learned that members of a food chain are interdependent.

Thursday, May, 1, 2014

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.