Friday, October 30, 2015

3rd Grade - Today's learning started with Reef which is a ridge of rocks or sand, often of coral debris, or at near the surface of the water. Cher was today's investigator. She dropped out of high school and failed in the beginning as a recording artist, but eventually became a talented entertainer. Students completed a Surprise in the Middle drawing for the warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on Courage. Students had to give a one minute impromptu speech for the courage activity. We took our weekly trip to Crystal Pond Woods where students used their convergent thinking to play a game similar to Mastermind. The final activity was to observe and record the eggs we started soaking in vinegar and water last week.

5th Grade enjoyed their AR success party and Fall celebrations this afternoon.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

2nd Grade - Students completed a logic elimination puzzle demonstrating their convergent thinking skills.

Dr. Rains spent the rest of the day providing enrichment activities to small groups of Kindergarten, first, and second grade students.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

2nd Grade - In continuing our understanding that being gifted means different things to different people, students put their fingerprints on paper and wrote about things they like to do from the finger's perspective.

3rd Grade - Today's learning started with Reef which is a ridge of rocks or sand, often of coral debris, or at near the surface of the water. Cher was today's investigator. She dropped out of high school and failed in the beginning as a recording artist, but eventually became a talented entertainer. Students completed a Surprise in the Middle drawing for the warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on Courage. Students had to give a one minute impromptu speech for the courage activity. We took our weekly trip to Crystal Pond Woods where students used their convergent thinking to play a game similar to Mastermind. The final activity was to observe and record the eggs we started soaking in vinegar and water last week.

5th Grade - These students learned that Diaphanous means translucent, transparent. Tom Adams, today's investigator, invented gum after trying to invent new rubber with General Santa Anna. Students drew themselves using only straight lines for the warm up activity. The affective lesson had students focus on themselves and their values. The afternoon was spent building then testing a covered wagon built from materials provided.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

2nd Grade - Students completed a Surprise in the Middle drawing to expand their listening, following directions, and creativity skills. They then had the opportunity to finish their "I'm Gonna Like Me" stories.

4th Grade - This group started the afternoon by learning that someone who is Infallible never makes a mistake. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first American woman doctor was today's investigator. Students completed a Surprise in the Middle drawing for the warm up activity. The focus of the affective lesson was to look at various intensities students face every day and to pre-assess how this group was doing with them. To gain a visual of how much those intensities are part of their lives, students had to draw a floor plan of a house with those items as the rooms. In the Systems unit, we continued to learn about electricity. The final activity was to create a Munrack from the planet Veltzar.

Monday, October 26, 2015

2nd Grade - These students learned that a Front is a zone of transition between two different air masses.And today's investigator, Thomas Jefferson, kept two grizzly bears on the White House lawn.

3rd Grade - Today's learning started with Reef which is a ridge of rocks or sand, often of coral debris, or at near the surface of the water. Cher was today's investigator. She dropped out of high school and failed in the beginning as a recording artist, but eventually became a talented entertainer. Students completed a Surprise in the Middle drawing for the warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on Courage. Students had to give a one minute impromptu speech for the courage activity. We took our weekly trip to Crystal Pond Woods where students used their convergent thinking to play a game similar to Mastermind. The final activity was to observe and record the eggs we started soaking in vinegar and water last week.

4th Grade - This group started the afternoon by learning that someone who is Infallible never makes a mistake. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first American woman doctor was today's investigator. Students completed a Surprise in the Middle drawing for the warm up activity. The focus of the affective lesson was to look at various intensities students face every day and to pre-assess how this group was doing with them. To gain a visual of how much those intensities are part of their lives, students had to draw a floor plan of a house with those items as the rooms. In the Systems unit, we continued to learn about electricity. The final activity was to create a Munrack from the planet Veltzar.

Friday, October 23, 2015

3rd Grade - Today's learning started with the daily vocabulary word Confidence which is the belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities. Jim Carrey, today's investigator, was a straight A student but had to drop out of school to help support his family. Students solved the Stories with Holes mystery for the warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on Task Commitment. Students were given a task to complete and a motivator. Following the activity, we had a discussion about positive/negative and intrinsic/extrinsic motivators. Our last activity was to start a science experiment with eggs soaking in either water or vinegar for a few days.

5th Grade - This group learned that Sequester means to remove and hold in isolation. Another word they added to their vocabulary was Solicitous which means attentive, concerned  Their investigator, George Washington Carver, invented 300 uses for peanuts. The warm up activity was to complete a Surprise in the Middle drawing exercising creativity and following direction abilities. Self-discipline, tolerance and empathy were the focus of the affective lesson. Time was spent developing their Bridge Across America timelines. The final activity was to plan and diagram how they want to build a Conestoga Wagon from the materials they will have available.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Dr. Rains spent time providing enrichment activities to regular classrooms while the classroom teachers enjoyed some professional learning time with their grade level colleagues.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

2nd Grade - Students traveled to Crystal Pond Woods where our friends Sybil the Scientist and Dudley the Detective had more mysteries/logic puzzles for us to solve.

3rd Grade - Today's learning started with the daily vocabulary word Confidence which is the belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities. Jim Carrey, today's investigator, was a straight A student but had to drop out of school to help support his family. Students solved the Stories with Holes mystery for the warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on Task Commitment. Students were given a task to complete and a motivator. Following the activity, we had a discussion about positive/negative and intrinsic/extrinsic motivators. Our last activity was to start a science experiment with eggs soaking in either water or vinegar for a few days.

5th Grade - This group learned that Sequester means to remove and hold in isolation. Their investigator, George Washington Carver, invented 300 uses for peanuts. The warm up activity was to complete a Surprise in the Middle drawing exercising creativity and following direction abilities. Tolerance and empathy were the focus of the affective lesson. Time was spent developing their Bridge Across America timelines. The final activity was to plan and diagram how they want to build a Conestoga Wagon from the materials they will have available.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Welcome Back! I hope everyone had an enjoyable and restful Fall Break.

2nd Grade - The focus for the affective lesson today was "How can we celebrate personal differences?" After watching a brief video about Jamie Lee Curtis's book I'm Gonna Like Me, students wrote their own booklet regarding things they liked about themselves.

4th Grade - Dr. Rains had two meetings to attend in the afternoon and had to cancel this class.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

2nd Grade - Students worked on sorting and classifying objects in Crystal Pond Woods using a Venn Diagram with three circles.

3rd Grade - Today's vocabulary word, Cannibals, are people who eat human flesh. Lucille Ball, today's investigator, was told by her instructors at John Murray Anderson Drama School that she had no talent. Through hard work and determination, she was able to prove her teachers wrong. Students completed the Quotation Quizzler puzzle together for the warm up activity. As we continue studying the five characteristics of successful people, students had the opportunity to exhibit their creativity by changing a black circle and a white piece of construction paper into a creation of their choice. In our Relationship study, students learned that fear can be a powerful emotion. We conducted an experiment about hurricanes since it was Mafatu's phobia of the sea as the result of a hurricane that kept him afraid.

5th Grade - Learning for this group began with Solicitous which means attentive, concerned. Today's investigator, Luther Burbank, was a plant doctor who invented the Idaho potato and over 800 new types of plants. Students were given a riddle to solve for the warm up activity. The focus of the affective lesson was self-discipline. The rest of the afternoon was spent developing a timeline of the Oregon Trail as if the students were traveling it themselves.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

2nd Grade - Students worked together to finish the Quotation Quizzler puzzle we started yesterday. They were able to spend time finishing an interest inventory we started a couple of weeks ago.

4th Grade - Benign, today's vocabulary word, means something that is harmless. The investigator, Mary McLeod Bethune, became a national spokesperson for the rights of African Americans prior to major Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. The warm up activity was to complete a Quotation Quizzler together. Family traits was the focus of the affective lesson. We started studying electricity in our Systems lessons. Students were able to go to a website and build series and parallel circuits.

Monday, October 12, 2015

2nd Grade - Our vocabulary word was Meteorology which means the study of the atmospheric conditions and weather of an area. The investigator, Molly Pitcher (Mary Hays McCauly), provided water to soldiers during the Revolutionary War and worked a cannon. Everyone worked together to solve the Quotation Quizzler for the warm up activity.

3rd Grade - Today's vocabulary word, Cannibals, are people who eat human flesh. Lucille Ball, today's investigator, was told by her instructors at John Murray Anderson Drama School that she had no talent. Through hard work and determination, she was able to prove her teachers wrong. Students completed the Quotation Quizzler puzzle together for the warm up activity. As we continue studying the five characteristics of successful people, students had the opportunity to exhibit their creativity by changing a black circle and a white piece of construction paper into a creation of their choice. In our Relationship study, students learned that fear can be a powerful emotion. We conducted an experiment about hurricanes since it was Mafatu's phobia of the sea as the result of a hurricane that kept him afraid.

4th Grade - Benign, today's vocabulary word, means something that is harmless. The investigator, Mary McLeod Bethune, became a national spokesperson for the rights of African Americans prior to major Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. The warm up activity was to complete a Quotation Quizzler together. Family traits was the focus of the affective lesson. We started studying electricity in our Systems lessons.

Friday, October 9, 2015

3rd Grade - This class learned that Personification means the attributes of human nature or character to animals or inanimate objects. Dr. Seuss, today's investigator, was turned down from 27 publishers before he convinced a friend in the publishing business to take a chance and publish To Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street. Students worked together and solved the Quizzle/logic elimination puzzle for their warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on things that students had an above average ability to do. The Relationship lesson had students reading (we watched) Abel's Island. There will be more activities surrounding this book in the weeks to come.

5th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Pejorative which means disparaging or to put into a lower rank. The investigator, Levi Strauss, originally wanted to sell canvas to miners for tents. When they didn't want the material for tents, Mr. Strauss decided to make pants for the men from the canvas. Students worked together to solve the Quizzle/logic elimination puzzle for the warm up activity. Dependability was the focus of the affective lesson. The afternoon was spent gathering information for the Bridge Across America timeline students are creating about the westward movement.

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Mrs. Rains worked with small groups of kindergartners, first, and second graders to provide supplemental enrichment activities to the classroom.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Mrs. Hart filled in for Dr. Rains while she attended a conference. The students learned:

3rd Grade - This class learned that Personification means the attributes of human nature or character to animals or inanimate objects. Dr. Seuss, today's investigator, was turned down from 27 publishers before he convinced a friend in the publishing business to take a chance and publish To Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street. Students worked together and solved the Quizzle/logic elimination puzzle for their warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on things that students had an above average ability to do. The Relationship lesson had students reading (we watched) Abel's Island. There will be more activities surrounding this book in the weeks to come.

5th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Pejorative which means disparaging or to put into a lower rank. The investigator, Levi Strauss, originally wanted to sell canvas to miners for tents. When they didn't want the material for tents, Mr. Strauss decided to make pants for the men from the canvas. Students worked together to solve the Quizzle/logic elimination puzzle for the warm up activity. Dependability was the focus of the affective lesson. The afternoon was spent gathering information for the Bridge Across America timeline students are creating about the westward movement.

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Mrs. Hart filled in for Dr. Rains while she attended a conference. The students learned:

2nd Grade - These students followed up the personality tests from last week by writing a letter to someone sharing their positive traits.

4th Grade - These students learned that Interminable means something that seems forever, as if there's no end in sight. Today's investigator, Clara Barton, began the Red Cross at the battle of Antietam during the Civil War. Students worked on a Quizzle/logic elimination puzzle for the warm up activity. The focus of the affective lesson was on the traits we inherit from our parents and grand parents. The rest of the afternoon had students creating computer codes as part of the System study.

Monday, October 5, 2015

2nd Grade - Learning today began with the vocabulary word Atmosphere which means the gaseous envelope surrounding the earth; the air. We also learned the John Adams never climbed the stairs in the White House because the house wasn't finished when he became President. Work was begun on the Quizzle/logic elimination puzzle for the warm up activity when we had to return to our regular classes.

3rd Grade - This class learned that Personification means the attributes of human nature or character to animals or inanimate objects. Dr. Seuss, today's investigator, was turned down from 27 publishers before he convinced a friend in the publishing business to take a chance and publish To Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street. Students worked together and solved the Quizzle/logic elimination puzzle for their warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on things that students had an above average ability to do. The Relationship lesson had students reading (we watched) Abel's Island. There will be more activities surrounding this book in the weeks to come. For the STEAM lessons, students started the study by completing the statement "When I hear the word science, it makes me think of..."

4th Grade - These students learned that Interminable means something that seems forever, as if there's no end in sight. Today's investigator, Clara Barton, began the Red Cross at the battle of Antietam during the Civil War. Students worked on a Quizzle/logic elimination puzzle for the warm up activity. The focus of the affective lesson was on the traits we inherit from our parents and grand parents. The rest of the afternoon had students creating computer codes as part of the System study.

Friday, October 2, 2015

3rd Grade - This group learned that Phobia is a fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it. They learned that Charles Dickens, the famous author, did not finish school because he had to get a job to help support his family. Plexers or visual thinking puzzles were completed by this group for the warm up activity. The affective lesson had students take another inventory to discover their personalities and how those personalities work with or don't work with other people.

5th Grade - Today's class learned that Pugnacious means quarrelsome. Our investigator, Alexander Graham Bell, could move his dog's mouth to where it sounded like the dog was talking. Mr. Bell invented the telephone. We worked together to solve a logic elimination puzzle for the warm up activity. The affective lesson had students take the True Colors personality inventory. Each color group was to build a tower that would hold an encyclopedia book. This was followed by a discussion about the importance of working with all kinds of people. That was tied to our usual affective lesson on respect.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

2nd Grade - Students were divided into their personality groups this morning. These groups then had to build a tower from index cards in 10 minutes. After testing the towers to see if they would hold an encyclopedia, we discussed the importance of different types of people working together.