Thursday, December 19, 2019

4th Grade - Due to our Winter Celebrations this afternoon the afternoon class had GATE on Tuesday. This is what the morning class did today:
They learned that Predilection means a preference for something. Their future thinker was Hank Aaron who broke both ankles, but was still able to break Babe Ruth's home run record. The affective lesson focused on setting goals. Students then had 45 minutes to build their robots. When we return from our Christmas Break, we will write out step by step instructions and send the directions and materials to another Edmond school to see if their students can build something identical to what we made.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

2nd Grade - Climate which is weather characterized in an area was today's vocabulary word. There were two future thinkers: James Garfield (20th President) and William Mckinley (25th President) who both died because their doctors didn't know about germs. Students complete a logic grid puzzle for the warm up activity. The affective lesson connected the students' learning intelligence with what they wanted to be when they grow up. In Crystal Pond Woods we learned how to SCAMPER an old item to make it into something new. We took a break to do a fun holiday breakout room and actually opened all of the locks.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

3rd Grade - Our vocabulary word of the day was Tranquility which means a calmness: peacefulness; quiet; serenity. For the warm up activity students worked together to solve  a logic elimination puzzle. Due to classroom activities that was all the time that was available. We are looking forward to January when we will be able to build balloons for our own Macy's parade.

4th Grade - Due to our Winter Celebrations coming this Thursday afternoon and not having third grade, I was able to take one of my fourth grade classes. They learned that Predilection means a preference for something. Their future thinker was Hank Aaron who broke both ankles, but was still able to break Babe Ruth's home run record. The affective lesson focused on setting goals. Students then had 45 minutes to build their robots. When we return from our Christmas Break, we will write out step by step instructions and send the directions and materials to another Edmond school to see if their students can build something identical to what we made.

Monday, December 16, 2019

5th Grade - These students learned that Ligature means bonds used to tie or bind. The forward thinkers were the Smith Brothers' father who had a peddler pay for a meal with the recipe for cough candy. Mr. Smith made the candy and had is sons sell it door to door. It was a hit and is still being sold today. Students spent the next hour and a half working on Exploravision. Then they solved a breakout room around a Christmas theme.

Thursday, December 12, 2019

4th Grade - Today students learned that Aversion means a strong dislike toward something. The forward thinker was Kate Winslet who has overcome her issue with weight to become a well known, awarded actress. For the warm up activity, students used the 26 letters of the alphabet to fill in terms associated with airplanes. Goal setting and patience were the focus of the affective lesson. Students finished designing the robots that will be exchanged with another elementary school here in Edmond. Materials were selected so we can start building next week and write the instructions. We should be able to trade sometime during the first week back to school in January and build from their instructions about the second week.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

2nd Grade - Today we learned that a Shelter is a dwelling place or home considered as a refuge from the elements. The forward thinker was Rutherford B. Hayes who is known for starting the Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn for kids. For the warm up activity, students searched books about planes to complete vocabulary words. The affective lesson focused on demonstrating kindness. Each student developed pledges they could keep to their families, friends, school, and the environment. Our weekly trip to Crystal Pond Woods had students starting stories about a day in the meadow by brainstorming descriptive words to describe what we did in the meadow.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

3rd Grade - Today we learned that Justice is the administering of deserved punishment or reward. Nancy Hart, today's forward thinker, stole a horse to escape from a Northern prison during the Civil War. Students filled in the letters of the alphabet for aviation vocabulary words as the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students learned to elaborate on their brainstorming and creativity. During our GATE 2020 lesson, students observed baking soda and vinegar filling a balloon. They then designed a balloon that will be part of our own balloon parade.

Monday, December 9, 2019

5th Grade - Today's classes learned that Rapacious means raptor-like, preying on others. The future thinker was Ada Lovelace who drew up plans for the first computer program in 1843. For the warm up activity, students used the 26 letters of the alphabet to fill in vocabulary word blanks about aviation. Encouragement was the focus of the affective lesson. Students wrote a kind note to a classmate then searched for plastic eggs hidden in the room. Each child then shared the note with with rest of the class. Some more information has been leaked to the press today about Amelia Earhart's disappearance. Each news reporter then wrote an article for their newspaper about the information they received. Finally, students spent more time working on the Exploravision project.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

4th Grade - Students learned that Gloat means someone who is happy about another person's failure. For the warm up activity, students were given two pieces of a puzzle and had to set the riders on the horses in the correct position. Their future thinker was John Wayne who over came cancer to film 18 more movies. The affective lesson focused on solving the problem of going on a vacation with a limited budget. We then began thinking about the "robots" that each team will create. Once built and instructions written, the robots from this school will be exchanged with another school in Edmond who will try to build our robots from our instructions. And we will try to build their robots from their instructions.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

2nd Grade - Students began class today by learning that Physical change is any process involving a substance's change from one state (solid, liquid, gas) to another. The future thinker was Ulysses S. Grant, who did not want to be a soldier as a child. However, his father enrolled him at West Point and eventually led the Union army in the Civil War. For the warm up activity, students were given two pieces to a puzzle and had to fit them together. The affective lesson focused on doing acts of kindness and how it makes them feel. Our weekly trip to Crystal Pond Woods had students beginning divergent thinking. Today students practiced brainstorming different things they saw with unique shapes.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

3rd Grade - Today we learned that a Preamble is an introductory statement; preface; introduction. The future thinker, Rose Greenhow, tried to help the South win the War Between the States. For the warm up activity, students were given two pieces of a puzzle and had to figure out how to fit the pieces together correctly. We began learning about divergent thinking during our weekly trip to Crystal Pond Woods. Today our focus was on brainstorming and coming up with lots and lots of ideas. For our GATE 2020 lesson students drew a balloon they would like to see added to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Students then had an opportunity to complete some math problems about the parade.

Monday, December 2, 2019

5th Grade - Students learned today that Sedulous means someone who is industrious. For the warm up activity, students were given a two piece puzzle and had to it the riders on the horses. Their forward thinker was Samuel Colt who invented the revolver by watching a ships steering wheel. The leadership lesson focused on characteristics of leadership and how we can work as a team if one member of the group doesn't possess all of right characteristics. In our Amelia Earhart study, students were each given a news leak and had to create a newspaper article based on the information in the leak. The rest of class time was spent working on the Exploravision project.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Due to fourth grade program rehearsal, I didn't have class today. Instead I opened my room for fifth graders to come and work on their Exploravision projects. A lot of quality production was completed today.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

2nd Grade - Today's learning began with Glaciers which is an extended mass of ice formed from snow falling and accumulating over the years and moving slowly. Andrew Johnson who became President after Lincoln was assassinated was today's future thinker. Mr. Johnson did not know how to read or write until he married a school teacher. For the warm up activity, students matched principles of flight terms with the definitions. The affective lesson focused on how we should be happy with our differences. We completed our study of Convergent thinking by using manipulatives to solve some problems. Our final activity was to fly our paper stealth airplanes, measure their flight and compare that flight to the flight of a regular paper plane.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

3rd Grade - These students learned that the Constitution is the system of fundamental principles according to which a nation, state, corporation, or the like, is governed. Their forward thinker was Frank Thompson. But in reality he was Sarah Edmonds who dressed as a man in order to fight in the Civil War. She became a spy for the North. In Crystal Pond Woods, students used manipulatives to complete convergent thinking logic puzzles. The final activity was to listen and discuss Balloons Over Broadway the story of Tony Sarg and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Students then drew a character they would like to see in the parade. We will do more activities around this book after the Thanksgiving Break.

Monday, November 18, 2019

5th Grade - Opprobrious which means shameful, infamous started our vocabulary learning today. The forward thinker was John Pemberton who started the formula which later became Coca-Cola. For the warm up activity, students were given words and definitions about aviation and matched them together. Looking for qualities in friends and leaders was the focus of the affective lesson. We worked as a group using Google Earth to plot Amelia Earhart's trip around the world. The final activity was to begin looking at real world problems students could solve for the Exploravision contest.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Today I was working with small groups in various classes. Students worked through the grammar course of Khan Academy.

Thursday, november 14, 2019

4th Grade - our learning today began with Sullen which is a person who is sulky or quietly in a bad mood. The future thinker was Elizabeth Taylor who lost her contract with Universal Studios after her first movie as a child. Students took aviation words/phrases and created crossword puzzles for the warm up activity The affective lesson focused on leadership and "filling our own shoe" for someone else to fill. The final activity was to fly and record the distance of our stealth planes.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

2nd Grade - This class learned that Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. Their future thinker was Abraham Lincoln who believed that kids were only kids once and should be allowed to have fun even if they live in the White House. For the warm up activity, students were given several vocabulary words associated with aviation and had to create a crossword puzzle. The affective lesson focused on responsibility and respect which are qualities found in successful people.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

3rd Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Generalizations which is a result of a process; a general statement, idea or principle. As the year progresses we will be making generalizations about relationships. The forward thinker was Elizabeth Van Lew also known as Crazy Bet. She was a southern lady who acted crazy to get information to pass along to the Union army. Students were given a list of aviation vocabulary words and had to create a crossword puzzle using as many of the words as they could. In Crystal Pond Woods, students had the opportunity to try solving classmates' logic grid puzzles.To begin our Relationship study, students were given a pretest to see what they currently know. The final activity was to have students fill out an interest inventory so I can get to know them better.

Monday, November 11, 2019

5th Grade - The vocabulary word was Tantamount which means equivalent to, virtually the same. Ruth Wakefield, today's future thinker, invented the chocolate chip cookie by mistake when she ran out of baking chocolate. For the warm up activity, students were given words and phrases associated with aviation and were to create a crossword puzzle. The affective lesson focused on communication, tolerance and diversity, and getting to know each other. Students quickly filled out an idea brainstorming sheet for their Exploravision projects. Finally, students read newspaper clipping of Amelia Earhart's final trip. From those articles, students were to plot her progress until she disappeared.

Friday, November 8, 2019

I spent the day doing push in activities and allowing some of my regular students to come to my class to work in Khan Academy.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

4th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Excessive which means something that goes beyond the usual limit. For the warm up activity, students were given pieces to a puzzle that would spell FLY if arranged correctly. The successful person was Christopher Reeve who fell and broke his neck but went on to be a spokesperson for American paralysis Association and raised millions of dollars for them. The affective lesson focused on celebrating the small things. Students were enrolled in Khan Academy which is an online individualized math and reading program so the GATE kids could continue to advance at their own pace. The morning group had some research learning videos to watch in order to be prepared to do research activities later this year.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

1st Grade - Today we learned that Dr. Seuss's first book was turned down by 27 publishers. We did some brainstorming for the warm up activity covering different topics to exercise our brain. The affective lesson focused on mistakes and what we can learn from them. During our weekly trip to Crystal Pond Woods we did some more detective thinking and started to solve some puzzles that we will finish Friday.

2nd Grade - Our vocabulary word was Accumulation which means to gather or collect. We had four forward thinkers. Because Zachary Taylor was a very religious man, he did not want to be sworn into the office of President until Monday. David Rice Atchison was President for 24 hours which technically made Zachary Taylor, Mallard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, and James Buchanan the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th Presidents of the United States. Students cut out puzzle pieces and had to make the word FLY from them for the warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on the understanding that successful people exhibit the trait of kindness. In particular, we learned how to put our best foot forward when introducing ourselves to adults. In Crystal Pond Woods, students practiced convergent thinking by analyzing the attributes of special dominoes.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

3rd Grade - Our vocabulary word for the day was Judicial Branch which is the branch of government charged with the interpretation of laws and the administration of justice; the judiciary. The future thinker was Belle Boyd who was a master pickpocket and spy for the South during the Civil War. Students had to figure out how to spell the word FLY from puzzle pieces for the warm up activity. We concluded the Take Five program by completing an evaluation of the lessons. In Crystal Pond Woods, students created their own logic grid puzzles.

Monday, November 4, 2019

5th Grade - Our learning began with today's vocabulary word Diaphanous which means translucent, transparent. The future thinker was Tom Adams who invented chewing gum. For the warm up activity students cut apart a puzzle and had to build the word FLY. The affective lesson focused on how people "touch" our lives and how we can "touch" others. Students were introduced to the Exploravision project. This is a contest put on with Toshiba and the National Science Teachers Association to help kids invent something that will solve a real world problem. Our final activity was to begin working to solve the mystery of Amelia Earhart's disappearance.

Friday, November 1, 2019

1st Grade - This class continued the introductory lesson to Convergent thinking. We then became pattern detectives and looked for different patterns around the room, school, and thought about patterns that use different senses.

Thursday, October 31, 2019

4th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Benevolent which means kind and caring. Students worked together to solve some Plexer puzzles for the warm up activity. Their future thinker was Bob Hope who hot his career start as a boxer. Due to several special activities going on today, both the afternoon and morning classes were combined with several groups moving in and out. Therefore students worked on a Aviation Career project for the rest of our time together.

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

1st Grade - A student new to our district was able to start GATE today. That student learned that a Pattern is something that repeats in a predictable way. The forward thinker was Hans Christian Anderson who had difficulty spelling but became a beloved storyteller. The student was handed letters to cut out which would form the word FLY when put together like a puzzle. This was the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, the student was introduced to Dudley the Detective who is a Convergent Thinker.

2nd Grade - Several students were absent today. Those who were in class learned that Precipitation is falling products of condensation in the atmosphere, as rain, snow, or hail. There were two forward thinkers today. Our tenth and eleventh Presidents, John Tyler and James Knox Polk, really did not want to be President but circumstances put them into that office. Students completed Plexer puzzles for the warm up activity. Since so many were gone, I had the few who were in attendance log into Khan Academy which is an online program that allows students to learn and advance at their own pace. Those who tried it today seemed to like it.

Tuesday, October 28, 2019

3rd Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Legislative Branch which is the branch of government having the power to make laws; the legislature. The forward thinker was Mary Elizabeth Bowser who acted as a dull-witted maid when in reality she was a northern spy working for Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy. Our affective lessons have completed the individual components of the characteristics of successful people. Today students thought about where they are with each aspect, where they would like to be, and set goals to reach. The weekly trip to Crystal Pond Woods had student working toward finishing more complex logic puzzles.

Monday, October 28, 2019

5th Grade - These students learned that Sequester means to remove and hold in isolation. For the warm up activity, students had to find as many three or more words as they could in five minutes with the letters from the word Aerodynamics. Their forward thinker was George Washington Carver who had a secret garden as a young child. The leadership lesson had students looking at the qualities of people they know and leaders around the world that they can/could use as role models in leadership. The rest of our class time was spent finishing uncompleted projects about aviation.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

4th Grade - These students learned that Loquacious means someone who talks too much. Our future thinker was Tom Hanks went from being a painfully shy child to a successful actor. For the warm up activity students had to come up with as many words as they could in five minutes from the word Aerodynamics. The affective lesson focused on having the students consider their own unique interests and abilities. They then designed a personal license plate to reflect themselves. Now that students have learned the basic principles of flight, we will begin applying those principles. Each student today read about a stealth plane and then built a paper one. Next week we will test and measure their success.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

2nd Grade - The vocabulary word of the day was Condensation which is the process of changing a gas or vapor to a liquid or solid form. The forward thinker was William Henry Harrison who didn't consider the Native Americans as he took land from them. Shawnee chief Tecumseh put a curse on him and other Presidents who were elected in a year ending with "0."For the warm up activity, students searched for three or more letter words from the word Aerodynamics. The affective lesson focused on the question, How are you creative? Students took recyclable materials and made a creature. They continued demonstrating the creative ability by writing a story about themselves and the creature. In Crystal Pond Woods, students continued working on Convergent thinking puzzles. Today's puzzles used manipulatives.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Welcome back! I hope everyone enjoyed a fabulous Fall Break. Here's what we learned today.
3rd Grade  - Our vocabulary word was Executive Branch which is the branch of government charged with the execution and enforcement of laws and policies and the administration of public affairs; the executive. The forward thinker was Clara Barton who overcame her shyness to help soldiers during the Civil War and later founded the American Red Cross. For the warm up activity, students had to come up with as many words that they could make from the letters in Aerodynamics with only five minutes of time. The affective lesson focused on people who demonstrated all five characteristics of successful people. Each student had an opportunity to write about someone they felt demonstrated all five characteristics. In Crystal Pond Woods, students had an opportunity to complete a few double logic elimination grid puzzles. The final activity was to complete science experiments about the four basic principles of flight.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

2nd Grade - Our vocabulary word for this week was Evaporation which means to change from a liquid or solid state into vapor. The future thinker was Martin Van Buren who presented his first case as a lawyer at age 15. Mr. Van Buren was also our eighth President. For the warm up activity, students had to figure out what time four pilots got to the airport but their watches were not showing the correct time. We also completed a logic grid puzzle together. The affective lesson focused on working toward intrinsic positive motivators instead of having to have an external motivator. There were a couple of students who had to finish a logic puzzle with our friends from Crystal Pond Woods that was started last week. Experiments about the properties of flight were completed. There was time to build a stealth airplane that we will test and measure next week.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

3rd Grade - Today's learning began with the vocabulary word Reef which means a ridge of rocks or sand, often of coral debris, at or near the surface of the water. The forward thinker was Harriet Tubman who helped the Union army during the Civil War but did not receive any money for her services. Students had two puzzles to complete for the warm up activity: one was a logic grid puzzle, the other was a math puzzle. We covered the final characteristic of successful people. Students had to evaluate different scenarios and determine how the people demonstrated caring. In Crystal Pond Woods, students applied their Convergent thinking skills by playing a game similar to Master Mind.

Monday, October 14, 2019

5th Grade - We learned that Solicitous means attentive, concerned. Luther Burbank, our forward thinker, developed the Idaho potato due to potato blight that was causing people to leave their homes and starvation. For the warm up activity students complete a logic grid puzzle. Students had to picture themselves on the cover of a magazine for the affective/leadership lesson. We put our principles of flight to the test by building paper stealth airplanes and testing them against a regular paper airplane.

Friday, October 11, 2019

2nd Grade - Today I met with the half of the class that had been on the field trip Wednesday. The vocabulary word was Forecast which means prediction, especially as to the weather. Andrew Jackson, our 7th President, was our Future Thinker. Mr. Jackson was shot in the chest but decided to leave the bullet next to his heart. Students completed Wuzzles (formerly Plexers) for the warm up activity today. Task Commitment/Goal Setting was the focus of the affective lesson. In Crystal Pond Woods, students analyzed different items, sorted and classified them, then completed a logic elimination grid about the items.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

4th Grade - Today's learning began with the vocabulary word Infallible. Infallible means a person who never makes a mistake. The Future Thinker was Judy Garland who struggled in real life but provided much joy and happiness to others. Students worked together to solve the Wuzzle (formerly Plexers) puzzles for the warm up activity. For the affective lesson, students worked to complete their ABC slideshows about themselves. As the year progresses, we will have students share their presentations with the class. The final activity was to review the principles of flight so we can do some activities about aviation with some background information about the topic.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

2nd Grade - Half of the class was on a field trip today. Those students will make up class on Friday. The vocabulary word was Forecast which means prediction, especially as to the weather. Andrew Jackson, our 7th President, was our Future Thinker. Mr. Jackson was shot in the chest but decided to leave the bullet next to his heart. Students completed Wuzzles (formerly Plexers) for the warm up activity today. Task Commitment/Goal Setting was the focus of the affective lesson. In Crystal Pond Woods, students analyzed different items, sorted and classified them, then completed a logic elimination grid about the items.

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

3rd Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Confidence which means belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities. Our Future Thinker was Sacagawea who was an interpreter for Lewis and Clark even though she could not speak English. Students completed Wuzzles (formerly Plexers) for the warm up activity The focus of the affective lesson was Courage. To demonstrate courage, each student had to give a one minute impromptu speech. We reviewed some logic grid puzzles in Crystal Pond Woods. The final activity was to complete a few experiments about the principles of flight.

Monday, October 7, 2019

5th Grade - Pejorative was our vocabulary word for today. It means Disparaging. The Forward Thinker was Levi Strauss who immigrated to the USA during the Gold Rush. Instead of mining gold, he invented pants out of canvas which later came to be known as Blue Jeans. For the warm up activity, students completed Wuzzles. In the past these have been called Plexers which are common words or phrases put into picture form. The focus of the leadership lesson was teamwork and communication. The rest of class time was spent working on their Flight Career projects.

Friday, October 4, 2019

2nd Grade - This group did not have class Wednesday because I was attending a conference. Fortunately we were able to meet today. Our learning began with the vocabulary word Predict which means to declare or tell in advance. The Future Thinker was John Quincy Adams who put the good of the nation ahead of his party. For the warm up activity, students had to write a sentence using the letters of the word FLYING. Each letter of the sentence had to begin with a letter from the word flying and the words had to be arranged in the order of the word flying. The affective lesson focused on the generalization that giftedness means different things to different people. In Crystal Pond Woods, students analyzed, sorted and classified different shapes into a Venn diagram. Our final activity was to learn and complete experiments about the different principles of flight.

Thursday, October 3, 2019

4th Grade - Today's learning began with the vocabulary word Benign which means something that is harmless. The future thinker was Morgan Freeman who made his stage debut as a dancer. For the warm up activity, students were given the letters to the word FLYING. Each student then had to write at least one sentence using a word that began with the letters of flying and the words had to be in that order. ABCs of Our Lives (getting to know me) was the focus of the affective lesson, Students are creating an ABC "book" slide show about themselves. Finally, students completed science experiments about the four principles of flight.

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

3rd Grade - We learned that a Cannibal is a person who eats human flesh. The future was Emily Geiger who swallowed a secret for George Washington's army so the British wouldn't get it. Students had to write a sentence using the letters f-l-y-i-n-g as the beginning letters of the words to the sentence. The responses were very creative. Task Commitment was the focus of the affective lesson. In Crystal Pond Woods, students learned how to solve a logic elimination grid puzzle.

Monday, September 30, 2019

5th Grade - Today's learning began with the vocabulary word Pugnacious which means quarrelsome. Students completed a quiz about Alexander Graham Bell who was the future thinker of the day. Their warm up activity was also in their Google classroom. To enhance their creativity, students were taught to relax and then were asked to draw a picture around our theme of flight. For the leadership lesson, teams were set up with a balloon between and had to try to walk around the room without loosing the balloons. Students learned the importance of communication in leadership. The final activities were to complete their flight experiments regarding the principles of flight and to begin working on a project involving a flight based career.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

4th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Interminable which means something that seems forever, as if there's no end in sight. The future thinker was Michael J. Fox who perseveres through Parkinson's disease as an actor and helps promote research for it. For the warm up activity, students drew an item their grandmother or fairy godmother may have given them. This led into the affective lesson where they had to develop ABCs about themselves. Later they will create a slide presentation for their ABCs. The final lesson was to have students complete science experiments regarding the principles of flight.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

2nd Grade - Today's class learned that a Front is a zone of transition between two different air masses. Their forward thinker was James Monroe (5th President) who was so poor in his old age that his daughter had to support him. For the warm up activity, students worked together to complete a floor version of a logic elimination grid puzzle. The affective lesson focused on things they liked about themselves because being gifted means different things to different people. Our final activity was the weekly trip to Crystal Pond Woods. Students sorted attribute blocks into a Venn diagram and labeled the groups.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

3rd Grade - Students learned today that Personification means the attributes of human nature or character to animals or inanimate objects. The future thinker was Lydia Darragh, an ordinary housewife who was actually a spy for George Washington's army. For the warm up activity, students worked together to solve a logic elimination puzzle on the floor. Creativity was the focus of the affective thinking lesson. Students were given a white sheet of paper and a black circle and in 15 minutes had to create something. Finally, time was given to complete puzzles from the Puzzler's Club puzzles we started last week.

Monday, September 23, 2019

5th Grade - We were able to learn several things today. First, Prognosticate means to predict. The Band-Aid was invented by Early Dickson because his wife was clumsy with knives. For the warm up activity, students observed a brief video and asked questions about it. Our affective lessons this year will focus on Leadership. Today students created acrostics using words usually associated with leadership to increase their vocabulary about the subject. As we learn about completing a research project, students watched several videos that covered different aspects of research. Our final activity was to complete several experiments about the principles of flight.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

4th Grade - Overt, which means something in view not secret was the beginning of our learning today. The forward thinker was Leonardo Di Caprio who was asked not to return to Romper Room, but has become a famous actor. For the warm up activity, students developed their curiosity by watching a short video and asking questions about it. The affective lesson focused on mistakes and how to turn them into a learning experience. Students took a pretest regarding Systems which we will study this year. They then watched several videos to help them prepare to do research. Finally, they began working on experiments regarding the principles of flight.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

2nd Grade - Students learned that Meteorology is the atmospheric conditions and weather of an ares. Our fourth President, James Madison, was our forward thinker today. Mr. Madison was not the tallest President, but he did write the Bill of Rights for our country. Students worked together to try and solve some online brain teasers for the warm up activity. We then finished some logic elimination puzzles for Crystal Pond Woods. Students then conducted some experiments about lift and gravity as part of our study of flight.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

3rd Grade - Today's learning began with two vocabulary words. The first was phobia which is a fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it. Caricature was the second word which means a picture, description, etc. ludicrously exaggerating the peculiarities or defects of persons or things. Sybil Luddington who helped round up her father's militia group for the Revolutionary Army was today's forward thinker. The affective lesson focused on above average ability and the challenges associated with it. In Crystal Pond Woods, students started developing their convergent thinking skills as they tried looking for clues to solve several puzzles.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

4th Grade - Our learning began with the vocabulary word Oblivious which means a person who does not know or is not aware of what's happening. A second vocabulary word was System which is an assemblage or combination of things or parts forming a complex or unitary whole. Their successful person was Doris Day who had a lot of struggles that did not reflect her "girl next door" screen image. Students solved similes and matched cities with countries for the warm up activity. For the rest of our class time, students completed Get To Know Me inventories. Next week we can start some flight activities.

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

2nd Grade - These students learned that Atmosphere is the gaseous envelope surrounding the earth; the air. Their forward thinking person was Thomas Jefferson who bought the Louisiana Purchase without looking at it.For the warm up activity students took a "plane ride" via Google Earth to match cities with countries. The affective lesson focused on how other people perceive gifted kids. In Crystal Pond Woods we continued Convergent thinking and solving problems using a logic elimination grid.

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

3rd Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Polynesian which is about those island groups in the Pacific lying East of Melanesia and Micronesia and extending from the Hawaiian Islands South to new Zealand. Our forward thinker was Molly Pitcher who took water to men fighting in the battle and then helped with the cannon when her husband passed out due to heat stroke. Students worked together to solve some Similes for the warm up activity. The affective lesson was an introductory lesson to the Take Five program which focuses on the five characteristics that successful people demonstrate. The few minutes we had left was used to get to know one another.

Monday, September 9, 2019

5th Grade - Today's learning started off with two vocabulary words: Quid Pro Quo is a Latin phrase meaning an equal exchange, and Structure which is a mode of building, construction, or organization; arrangement of parts, elements, or constituents. The forward thinker was Nicholas Cugnot who is credited with building the first automobile in 1771. His automobile needed a mechanical genius to operate and its top speed was three miles an hour. After hearing the meanings of the inventories we took during our last class, we settled down to begin learning Leadership Skills. Today's focus was on defining Leadership. When that lesson was complete, students worked in their Google Classrooms to complete an Interest Survey and began thinking about a flight career that was of interest.

Thursday, September 5, 2019

4th Grade - The morning group was busy taking the CogAT test. The afternoon class learned that Oblivious means a person who does not know or is not aware of what's happening. A second vocabulary word was System which is an assemblage or combination of things or parts forming a complex or unitary whole. Their successful person was Doris Day who had a lot of struggles that did not reflect her "girl next door" screen image. Students solved similes for the warm up activity. For the rest of the afternoon, students completed Get To Know Me inventories. Next week we can start some other activities.

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Hopefully everyone enjoyed the extra long weekend. Here are the activities that were completed today in Second Grade:

The vocabulary word of the week was Drought which means a period of dry weather. Today's Forward Thinker was John Adams who moved into the White House before it was completed. For the warm up activity, students worked to complete Simile Pairs. "What Does It Mean to be Gifted?" was the focus of today's affective thinking. In Crystal Pond Woods, students began working on Logic Elimination Puzzles which require Evaluative Thinking.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

4th Grade - The vocabulary work for this group was Confound which means to confuse or mix someone up. Their successful person was Bill Cosby who struggled as a student, but later earned a doctorate degree in education. For our warm up activity, students viewed a news video and discussed what types of questions they should consider when viewing a segment of a real situation. Together students developed a Class Code of Conduct or class pledge of rules that they will follow while attending GATE this year. Each person then took a personality test called "True Colors" and then a multiple intelligence test in order for me to get to know them better.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

2nd Grade - The vocabulary work for this group was Change which means to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alond. Their successful person was George Washington who was the first President of the United States under the Articles of Confederation, but John Hanson was actually the very first President. For our warm up activity, students solved a few Brain Teasers. Together students developed a Class Code of Conduct or class pledge of rules that they will follow while attending GATE this year. Each person then took a personality test called "True Colors" and then a multiple intelligence test in order for me to get to know them better.

Monday and Tuesday, August 26 - 27

School is up and running for the 2019-2020 school year. Our theme for GATE is GATE 2020: Boarding now for the future. Students were able to enter the classroom after showing the "flight attendant" their boarding pass. The "flight attendant" helped students to their assigned seats. Then the new GATE year began.

5th Grade - There are two fifth grade GATE classes following the classroom teachers division of classes. One group will meet in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

The vocabulary work for this group was Admonish which means a mild cautionary rebuke or warning. Their successful person was Archimedes who discovered the math/science principle of water displacement. For our warm up activity, students viewed a news video and discussed what types of questions they should consider when viewing a segment of a real situation. Together students developed a Class Code of Conduct or class pledge of rules that they will follow while attending GATE this year. Each person then took a personality test called "True Colors" and then a multiple intelligence test in order for me to get to know them better.

3rd Grade - The six third grade classes are split into two groups for GATE. One group meets Tuesday morning and the other Tuesday afternoon. Their activities as we begin the year are similar to fifth grade. Relationship which is a connection, association, or involvement was the third grade vocabulary word of the day. The successful person was Hans Christian Anderson who never learned to spell, but begam one of the world's most beloved story tellers. Students solved 7 second brain teasers for the warm up activity. After developing their Code of Conduct, these students were given the same "True Colors" personality test and multiple intelligence inventory.

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

It has been an eventful few days as we prepare for the end of this school year. This will be the last blog. However, I hope to see many of you again next year. Until then, have a great summer and I will see you in September.

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

1st Grade - Today we learned that President was the 22nd and 24th President. He also had a rubber jaw due to a tumor that had to be removed. Students worked together to solve the What In The World puzzles for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students expanded their inventor thinking by looking at squiggles and turning them into something they saw in the picture. Since we will not get to learn about visual thinking skills this year, we listened to a Tangram Tale and worked to complete the figures of the story using tangrams.

3rd Grade - These classes were enjoying a field trip to the zoo and had their final class of the year yesterday.

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Due to field trips and schedule changes, WI third grade GATE students attended class today. The vocabulary word for today was Error which means something that is not correct: a wrong action or statement. Following a vocabulary word activity, students learned that General George Patton did not read until the age of twelve. We worked together to solve the What In The World Puzzles for the warm up activity. Students were given a post assessment regarding Discoveries. The final activity was an opportunity to complete a breakout room. The morning class completed one breakout room and then worked on digital breakout rooms. The afternoon class completed two classroom breakout rooms.

Monday, May 13, 2019

3rd Grade - The vocabulary word for today was Error which means something that is not correct: a wrong action or statement. Following a vocabulary word activity, students learned that General George Patton did not read until the age of twelve. Students were given a post assessment regarding Discoveries. The final activity was a choice of two breakout rooms to complete. One was about a Dr. Seuss book and the other was about the Hubble telescope.

Friday, May 10

Today was our annual Super Kids Day. Therefore, GATE classes were canceled to let kids enjoy some great activities planned for this special day.

Thursday, May 9, 2019

4th Grade - These students learned that Demeanor means someone's behavior toward others. After a vocabulary review activity, student learned that Jackie Joyner-Kersee overcame failure and asthma to become an Olympic champion. They had to listen to directions to draw a unique design for the Surprise in the Middle warm up activity. The rest of our time together was spent learning about stars, galaxies, and the Hubble telescope as they tried to solve a breakout room.

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

1st Grade - Students learned that Presidents Chester Arthur and Calvin Coolidge were not the hardest working of our Presidents. Students followed directions to create a unique design for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students finished creating ways for Isabel the Inventor to get her acorns from the ground to her home in the oak tree.

3rd Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Divergent which means differing from each other or from a standard. After a vocabulary review activity, students learned that Abraham Lincoln had once been an Army spy. Students listened to directions to complete a drawing for the warm up activity. Last week they built artifacts for a civilization. Today they exchanged artifacts and had to make inferences about another team's civilization. With the time remaining, they either built simple machines with LEGO or built bridges with KNex.

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

5th Grade - Their final word for this year was Ruminate which meant so meditate, muse. Their successful person was Andre Garnerin who got the idea of a parachute while planning a way to escape from prison. Students listened to directions to draw a unique design for the Surprise in the Middle warm up activity. Their final activity was to complete a breakout room about the Hubble telescope.

Monday, May 6, 2019

3rd Grade - Today's vocabulary word was variance which mean an amount of difference or change. The successful person was Winston Churchill who was not a good student, but became a great leader and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. These students also worked together to solve the 20 Questions/Mystery Object for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students continued their study of Evaluative Thinking. Students were given three different game boards which they played with a partner. After playing the games, students had to evaluate which game board was the best. For the Discoveries lesson, students reviewed what happened to Pompeii. Students built some artifacts for their civilizations. Next week they will simulate archaeologists and try to infer from the artifacts they find about another team's civilization.

Friday, May 3, 2019

5th Grade - Their final word for this year was Ruminate which meant so meditate, muse. Their successful person was Andre Garnerin who got the idea of a parachute while planning a way to escape from prison. Students worked together to solve a logic elimination puzzle for the warm up activity. Their final activity was to complete a breakout room about the Hubble telescope.

2nd Grade - The vocabulary word was Century which means 100 years. The successful person was Rose Greenhow who was a spy for the South during the Civil War. The class worked together to solve a logic elimination grid puzzle for the warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on the idea that no one is perfect and we all have areas where we can grow. Their final activity was to complete a breakout room from Dr. Seuss's book "Oh, The Places You'll Go."

Thursday, May 2, 2019

4th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Robust which means a person who feels healthy and strong. To review our vocabulary words for this year, students played a smartboard activity. The successful person was Robert E. Lee who struggled in deciding which army he should support during the Civil War. Students worked together to solve a logic elimination puzzle for the warm up activity. Creativity was the focus of the affective lesson. Students designed lesson plans to creatively teach something about Oklahoma. Their final activity was to work on their deep sea vent research project.

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

1st Grade - This group learned that Charlie Parkhurst was actually a woman so technically was the first woman to vote in California 50 years before it was legal for women to vote. They worked together to solve a logic elimination grid puzzle for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students developed their inventor thinking be creating a way for Sybil the Scientist to get across Crystal Pond.

3rd Grade - These students learned that harsh means unpleasant and difficult to accept or experience. Their successful person was John F. Kennedy who did not win an election for class officer at Harvard University. They also solved a logic elimination grid puzzle for their warm up activity. They completed their weekly trips to Crystal Pond Woods by using their Evaluative Thinking to evaluate how well they had progressed with their thinking skills. For the Discoveries lesson, students created artifacts. Next week, they will simulate archaeologists and see what they can learn about other team's civilizations.

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

5th Grade - Today we learned that Vociferous means loud and vehement. Alfred Nobel, inventor of dynamite, also put up the money to start the Nobel Peace Prize. Students worked together to solve a logic elimination grid puzzle for the warm up activity. For the leadership lesson, students passed a "pretzel" by straw in the mouth from one person to another. The idea was to build teamwork and patience. The rest of class time was spent building and programming robots for the LEGO board. This is a simulation to help students understand how astronauts work in space.

Monday, April 29, 2019

3rd Grade - This class learned that Imprison means to put someone in prison. Their successful person was the Wright brothers who never went to high school but were the first to fly an airplane. Students followed a conductor to make an abstract drawing for the warm up activity. Our weekly trip to Crystal Pond Woods had students practicing their evaluative thinking skills by judging potato chips. For the Discoveries lesson, students began developing a civilization. Next week they will create the "artifacts" for their civilization. The following week the will "dig" up a civilization and simulate an archaeology dig as they try to figure out information about another past civilization.

Friday, April 26, 2019

5th Grade - There were several students who had to make up state tests today. This class had to be canceled.

2nd Grade - Several new students joined us today. They learned that Cultured means having or showing good education, tastes. and manners. Our successful person was Abraham Lincoln. We learned today that he was not a very strict father. Students worked together to solve the Mystery Object/20 Questions for the warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on the need for friends to help relieve stress. Students completed a short research activity to learn about symbols of friendship. In Crystal Pond Woods, students learned how to select the best answer to solve a problem by using criteria.

Thursday, April 25, 2019

4th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Exploit which means a daring or heroic act. The successful people were Helen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan. Together they over came physical challenges to bring light to Helen's dark world. Students worked together to solve the Mystery Object/20 Questions for the warm up activity.The affective lesson focused on the concept that successful people demonstrate a caring attitude. For the Explorations lesson, students began researching an item that has to do with the ocean floor.

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

1st Grade - These students learned that Nellie Cashman saved the lives of men at mining camps by providing them with shelter, meals, and nursing them when they were sick. Students worked together to solve the 20 Questions/Mystery Object for the warm up activity. We started learning about Inventor Thinking with Isabel the Inventor. Today, students brainstormed what to do with a whisk, what they could make from circles, and how to make a bicycle for a spider.

3rd Grade - Today's vocabulary word was variance which mean an amount of difference or change. The successful person was Winston Churchill who was not a good student, but became a great leader and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. These students also worked together to solve the 20 Questions/Mystery Object for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students continued their study of Evaluative Thinking. Students were given three different game boards which they played with a partner. After playing the games, students had to evaluate which game board was the best. For the Discoveries lesson, students learned about Pompeii. Students then began to create their own civilization. Next week they will build some artifacts. The following week they will simulate archaeologists and try to infer from the artifacts they find about another team's civilization.

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

5th Grade - We resumed our "normal" GATE schedule today. The vocabulary word was Pernicious which means dangerous, deadly. Our successful person was Samuel Morse who was awarded a gold medal for his art and worked on improving the telegraph machine with Morse Code. For the warm up activity, students had to determine the Mystery Object by asking 20 Questions to gather their clues. Communication was the focus of the affective/leadership lesson. The final activity was developing the understanding that the explorations of new frontiers led to advancements in other fields of study. Students programmed robots to move on a LEGO board where they had to complete missions similar to the astronauts in space.

Monday, April 22, 2019

3rd Grade - Today we learned that a Nobleman is a man who is a member of the nobility. Their successful person was Louis Pasteur who was not a good student until he went to college and began to study science. These students also drew around their initials to hide them. In Crystal Pond Woods, students used criteria to decide what they wanted to do in class today. The Discoveries lesson had students learning about Mary Anning a young fossil hunter who discovered many rare dinosaurs.

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Today was my final day of OSTP testing. The regular GATE schedule will resume on Tuesday. I am looking forward to seeing everyone.

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

State testing continued today. Just a couple of more days to go. We hope to be back to a "normal" schedule next week.

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

OSTP testing continued today.

Monday, April 15, 2019

3rd Grade - These students learned that a Millennium is a period of 1,000 years. Their successful person was Bill Gates who dropped out of Harvard University to devote his time to Microsoft. Students worked together to solve the Plexer word puzzles for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students took the next step to problem solving. Two weeks ago, they learned how to develop their criteria. Today they used their criteria to judge each solution until they found the best solution based on the criteria. The Discoveries lesson focused on fossils and the understanding that discoveries may impact the behavior of people and influence history.

Friday, April 12, 2019

OSTP testing continued today.

Thursday, April 11, 2019

OSTP testing continued today.

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

OSTP testing continued today.

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

OSTP testing continued today.

Monday, April 8, 2019

OPST achievement testing continued today.

Friday, April 5, 2019

OSTP testing of small groups continued today.

Thursday, April 4, 2019

OSTP testing continued today.

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

OSTP testing continued today.

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

State achievement testing began today. Until testing is completed, GATE classes will be canceled.

Monday, April 1, 2019

3rd Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Refined which means free of unwanted substances. The successful person was Henry Ford who invented the assembly line not the automobile. Students brainstormed three different lists for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students began studying Evaluative Thinking. Today, they developed criteria that used observable, measurable facts. Students discovered the power of ice for the Discoveries lesson by watching a video and completing some experiments.

Friday, March 29, 2019

5th Grade - Today we learned that a Schelp is slang word for a stupid or clumsy person. The successful person was Anton Leeuwenhoek who invented the microscope but did not share his invention with others. For the warm up activity, students what the conductor signed for them to reproduce. Positive, encouraging communication was the focus of the affective lesson. Since several students have not had much computer coding and the Lego project requires students to be able to do so, each student was assigned to a code. org course to learn coding before we can proceed.

2nd Grade - These students learned that Inference means the act or process of reaching a conclusion about something from known facts or evidence. Their successful person was Sarah Emma Edmonds who entered the Union Army as Frank Thompson and became a spy for the Union during the Civil War. Students completed conductor drawings for the warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on the need for friends to help us alleviate stress. In Crystal Pond Woods, we began evaluative thinking. Students had to develop criteria by which to judge several solutions to a problem. For the Discoveries lesson, we learned about several paleontologists who searched for dinosaur bones.

Thursday, March 28, 2019

4th Grade - Today we learned that Instill means to put a feeling or idea into someone's mind slowly. The successful person was Thomas Jefferson who died on July 4, 50 years after signing the Declaration of Independence. Students followed a conductor to make Conducted Drawings for the warm up activity. Today's schedule was really interesting with several activities taking place so all of the students that could attend GATE participated in an online Breakoutedu escape room to learn about the ocean.

Wednesday, March 28, 2019

1st Grade - Today we learned that the deaths of President James Garfield and President William McKinley were hastened by their doctors. The knowledge of germs was new and most doctors at the time did not believe that they existed so did not practice washing. Students folowed a conductor to make an abstract drawing for the warm up activity. Our weekly trip to Crystal Pond Woods had students continuing to practice detective thinking through the use of a Venn diagram.

3rd Grade - This class learned that Imprison means to put someone in prison. Their successful person was the Wright brothers who never went to high school but were the first to fly an airplane. Students followed a conductor to make an abstract drawing for the warm up activity. Our weekly trip to Crystal Pond Woods had students practicing their evaluative thinking skills by evaluating potato chips. For the Discoveries lesson, students participated in an "archaeology" dig and then wrote a story about the people and objects they discovered.

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

5th Grade - Today we learned that a Schelp is slang word for a stupid or clumsy person. The successful person was Anton Leeuwenhoek who invented the microscope but did not share his invention with others. For the warm up activity, students what the conductor signed for them to reproduce. Positive, encouraging communication was the focus of the affective lesson. Since several students have not had much computer coding and the Lego project requires students to be able to do so, each student was assigned to a code. org course to learn coding before we can proceed.

Monday, March 25, 2019

3rd Grade - This class learned that Preserve means to keep something in its original state or in good condition. Their successful person was Albert Einstein who failed the entrance exam to engineering school, but went on to become a famous scientist. Everyone worked together to solve the Quotation Quizzler (Drop Quote) puzzle for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students played Numerical Quadrominoes to challenge their visual thinking skills. For the Discoveries lesson, students learned about inventions while trying to solve puzzles for Breakout.edu.

Friday, March 15, 2019

5th Grade - Today's learning began with Occlude which means obstruct/block. The successful person was Percy L. Spencer who accidentally invented the microwave oven. For the warm up activity, students were to draw around their initials until they "disappeared." Clear communication was the focus of the leadership lesson. During the Explorations segment, students started programming their robots in order to complete a mission in orbit.

2nd Grade - This class learned that Evidence is something which shows that something else exists or is true. For the successful person, students learned that Zachary Taylor was a very religious man who would not take the oath of office on a Sunday. Since the Vice-President cannot be sworn into office until after the President, David Atchison (the Senate President Pro Tem) was the acting President for 24 hours. Students drew around their initials to make them "disappear" for the warm up activity.

Thursday, March 14, 2019

4th Grade - These classes learned that Plausible means something that is reasonably true but may not be. Their successful person was Langston Hughes who joined other authors to lead an African American movement called the Harlem Renaissance. Students drew designs around their initials to "hide" them for the warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on creativity through writing and building a creature from given materials. For the Explorations lesson, students built more skyscrapers. This time the skyscrapers had to stand up during an "earthquake."

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

1st Grade - These students learned that Calamity Jane should have been named Lucky Jane because she was able to help a lot of people in trouble. For the warm up activity, students had to draw around their initials until they were hard to find. In Crystal Pond Woods, student continued their detective thinking working with Venn diagrams.

3rd Grade - Today we learned that a Nobleman is a man who is a member of the nobility. Their successful person was Louis Pasteur who was not a good student until he went to college and began to study science. These students also drew around their initials to hide them. In Crystal Pond Woods, students used criteria to decide what they wanted to do in class today. The Discoveries lesson had students learning about Mary Anning a young fossil hunter who discovered many rare dinosaurs and then doing a readers theatre about other paleontologists.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

5th Grade - Today's learning began with Occlude which means obstruct/block. The successful person was Percy L. Spencer who accidentally invented the microwave oven. For the warm up activity, students were to draw around their initials until they "disappeared." Clear communication was the focus of the leadership lesson. During the Explorations segment, students started programming their robots in order to complete a mission in orbit.

Monday, March 11, 2019

3rd Grade - Today we learned that a Shard is a sharp piece of something (such as glass or pottery). The successful person was Thomas Edison who only had five years of formal schooling. Students had to figure out the nine What In The World puzzles for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students had to figure out the common words or phrases that were in picture form. For the Discoveries lesson today's focus was Serendipity. In order to learn about some serendipitous inventions, students worked together to solve a breakout room. We then completed a short research project about some of those inventions.

Friday, March 12, 2019

5th Grade - Today we learned that Spurious means false, counterfeit, The successful person was Elijah McCoy. Mr. McCoy was the son of fugitive slaves who managed to send him to Scotland for an engineering degree. The only job he could get was with the railroad. He invented a way to grease train parts while the train was moving. Folks called it "The Real McCoy." Students worked together to solve the Plexer puzzles for the warm up activity. The focus of the affective lesson was on communication as a leader. Sometimes someone may have the information but may not communicate it properly to the group. The final activity was to begin building a robot to solve one of the LEGO space missions simulating Space Exploration.

2nd Grade - These students learned that a fossil was an item preserved from a past geologic age. Their successful persons were John Tyler and James Knox Polk the tenth and eleventh Presidents. Students worked together to solve the Plexer word puzzles for the warm up activity. Qualities of friends was the focus of the affective lesson and how they can help relieve stress. In Crystal Pond Woods, students continued developing their visual reasoning as they identified and named figural attributes. The Discoveries lesson focused on fossils and the understanding that discoveries may impact the behavior of people and influence history.

Thursday, March 7, 2019

1st Grade - This class learned that Rutherford B. Hays, our 19th President, became President by one vote. Students worked together to solve several Plexer puzzles for the warm up activity. This was very impressive as it was their first time to see these puzzles. In Crystal Pond Woods, we continued Detective thinking. Students learned to sort items by attributes.

4th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Candid which means someone who is honest and sincere. The successful person was Milton Hershey. Mr. Hershey failed several times before beginning his world famous Hershey company. Students worked together to solve the Plexer puzzles for the warm up activities. Due to several activities around the building, as students were moving in and out, we spent some time practicing brainstorming with three separate items. The Explorations lesson built on the tectonic plates we studied a couple of weeks ago. Today students had to build newspaper towers. With shorter time together, we will extend this activity to next week where students will be challenged to build a tower that can withstand an earthquake.

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Due to a change of schedule for an illustrator visit, the first grade class will meet tomorrow.

3rd Grade - These students learned that a Millennium is a period of 1,000 years. Their successful person was Bill Gates who dropped out of Harvard University to devote his time to Microsoft. Students worked together to solve the Plexer word puzzles for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students took the next step to problem solving. Last week they learned how to develop their criteria. Today they used their criteria to judge each solution until they found the best solution based on the criteria. The Discoveries lesson focused on fossils and the understanding that discoveries may impact the behavior of people and influence history.

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

5th Grade - Today we learned that Spurious means false, counterfeit, The successful person was Elijah McCoy. Mr. McCoy was the son of fugitive slaves who managed to send him to Scotland for an engineering degree. The only job he could get was with the railroad. He invented a way to grease train parts while the train was moving. Folks called it "The Real McCoy." Students worked together to solve the Plexer puzzles for the warm up activity. The focus of the affective lesson was on communication as a leader. Sometimes someone may have the information but may not communicate it properly to the group. The final activity was to begin building a robot to solve one of the LEGO space missions simulating Space Exploration.

Monday, March 4, 2019

School was canceled due to inclement weather.

Friday, March 1, 2019

5th Grade - Today's learning began with Oscitant which means inattentive. The successful person was John Walker who invented the first friction match while trying to develop a safer explosive. Students worked together to solve a DropQuote puzzle for the warm up activity. The leadership lesson had students building with playing cards. The caveat was that students could not verbally communicate with each other. For the exploration lesson, students were building items for a space simulation that involves LEGO. Eventually students will program robots to do activities similar to the NASA space program.

2nd Grade - These students learned that an Artifact is a simple object (such as a tool or weapon) that was made by people in the past. Elizabeth Van Lew (today's successful person) acted crazy, but was really the head of a Union spy ring. Students worked together to solve the Quotation Quizzler for the warm up activity The focus of the affective lesson was identifying and dealing with anger. In Crystal Pond Woods we continued developing our visual thinking as students played the Dot game. For the Discoveries lesson, students discovered the power of ice especially glaciers.

Thursday, February 28, 2019

There was no school today due to inclement weather.

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

1st Grade - This class learned that a young lady without a name saved her school from a group called Anderson's guerrillas by waving her petticoat from a window. Students brainstormed three different lists for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students continued to develop their detective thinking as they looked for clues to solve problems.

3rd Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Refined which means free of unwanted substances. The successful person was Henry Ford who invented the assembly line not the automobile. Students brainstormed three different lists for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students began studying Evaluative Thinking. Today, they developed criteria that used observable, measurable facts. Students discovered the power of ice for the Discoveries lesson by watching a video and completing some experiments.

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

5th Grade - Today's learning began with Oscitant which means inattentive. The successful person was John Walker who invented the first friction match while trying to develop a safer explosive. Students worked together to solve a DropQuote puzzle for the warm up activity. The leadership lesson had students building with playing cards. The caveat was that students could not verbally communicate with each other. For the exploration lesson, students were building items for a space simulation that involves LEGO. Eventually students will program robots to do activities similar to the NASA space program.

Monday, February 25, 2019

3rd Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Prehistoric which means of, relating to, or existing in the time before people could write. The successful person was Alexander Graham Bell who invented the comic book along with the telephone. Students worked together to solve the logic elimination grid puzzle for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students played a game called Web Walkers a strategy game to continue developing their visual thinking skills. For the Discoveries lesson, students discovered various Serendipitous inventions. To discover more about inventions, we started a breakout.edu escape room.

Friday, February 22, 2019

5th Grade - Class was canceled this morning due to 2nd grade CogAT testing.

2nd Grade - Students learned that Ceremony is a formal act or event that is a part of a social or religious occasion. The successful person was our ninth President William Henry Harrison who was cursed by Tecumseh because of his unfair treatment of Native Americans. Nine small items from a What In The World puzzle were identified for the warm up activity. The focus of the affective lesson was feelings. In Crystal Pond Woods, students matched shape dominoes as they strengthened their visual thinking skills. For the Discoveries lesson, students tried to escape from a Breakout Room by learning about inventors and Serendipity.

Thursday, February 21, 2019

4th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Idyllic which means something that is pleasant and peaceful. Their successful person was Matthew Henson one of the first men to reach the North Pole by dogsled. Students worked together to solve a Dropquote puzzle for the warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on the understanding that gifted means different things to different people. The Explorations lesson had students discovering the puzzles of the world (plate tectonics).

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

1st Grade - a new class for First Grade was started this morning. They learned that Ulysses S. Grant never wanted to be a soldier. They worked together to solve the 9 What In The World puzzles. In Crystal Pond Woods, students were introduced to Dudley the Detective. Students to use their clues to find the one right answer.

3rd Grade - This class learned that Preserve means to keep something in its original state or in good condition. Their successful person was Albert Einstein who failed the entrance exam to engineering school, but went on to become a famous scientist. Everyone worked together to solve the Quotation Quizzler (Drop Quote) puzzle for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students played Numerical Quadrominoes to challenge their visual thinking skills. For the Discoveries lesson, students learned about inventions while trying to solve puzzles for Breakout.edu.

Thursday, February 19, 2019

4th Grade - Our learning began with Unflappable which means someone who has a lot of self-control and is not easily upset or frightened. Martha Graham, a revolutionary dancer, was the successful person. Students worked together to solve the logic elimination grid puzzle for the warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on humor. To close our our exploration of space, students began working a breakout room about Mercury 13.

Wednesday, February 14, 2019

3rd Grade - Today we learned that a Shard is a sharp piece of something (such as glass or pottery). The successful person was Thomas Edison who only had five years of formal schooling. Students had to figure out the nine What In The World puzzles for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students had to figure out the common words or phrases that were in picture form. For the Discoveries lesson today's focus was Serendipity. In order to learn about some serendipitous inventions, students had to solve a breakout room.

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

5th Grade - The Friday morning group joined us today. We began by learning that a Sojourn is a short stay, brief residence. The successful person was Guglielmo Marconi; the inventor of the sending communication over wires (radio). Students figured out the nine close up views of items for the warm up activity. Our leadership lesson focused on the importance of being able to speak for a group. We started exploring space in our Explorations study. Student complete a Breakoutedu room as they learned about Mercury 13 and the first female astronauts.

Monday, February 11, 2019

3rd Grade - Students learned today that Paleontology is the science that deals with the fossils of animals and plants that lived very long ago especially in the time of dinosaurs. The successful person was Oprah Winfrey who struggled as a news reporter, but became a famous talk show host. In Crystal Pond Woods, we learned that we could turn written analogies into visual analogies. For the Discoveries lesson, we began discovering the Gold Rush of California.

Friday, February 8, 2019

5th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was chaparral which means a thicket of shrubs and small trees. Horace Wells, the successful person, discovered laughing gas could be used as a pain killer - the first anesthesia. Students worked together to solve a logic elimination puzzle for the warm up activity. The rest of class time was spent completing and submitting Exploravision projects. Next week we will begin exploring space.

2nd Grade - Archaeology was today's vocabulary word. It means a science that deals with past human life and activities by studying the bones, tools, etc., of ancient people. Their successful person was Belle Boyd who was a southern spy during the Civil War. Students worked together to solve a logic elimination grid puzzle for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, we continued enhancing our visual thinking with codes. Our final discovery was to hear about inventions that were invented by serendipity.

Thursday, January 7, 2019

No school today due to icy roads. Enjoy your snow day :)

Wednesday, February 7, 2019

3rd Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Prehistoric which means of, relating to, or existing in the time before people could write. The successful person was Alexander Graham Bell who invented the comic book along with the telephone. Students worked together to solve the logic elimination grid puzzle for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students played a game called Web Walkers a strategy game to continue developing their visual thinking skills. For the Discoveries lesson, students simulated a gold dig by digging for chocolate chips in chocolate chip cookies.

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

5th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was chaparral which means a thicket of shrubs and small trees. Horace Wells, the successful person, discovered laughing gas could be used as a pain killer - the first anesthesia. Students worked together to solve a logic elimination puzzle for the warm up activity. The rest of class time was spent completing and submitting Exploravision projects. Next week we will begin exploring space.

Monday, February 4, 2019

3rd Grade - Today we learned that Stratum means one of usually many layers of a substance (such as rock). Our successful person, Sylvester Stallone, was kicked out of 10 different schools. He had a speech impediment that other students teased him about. For the warm up activity, students had to pay attention in order to follow the directions to create a picture. The weekly trip to Crystal Pond Woods had students working with Pentominoes. Students had to fit the pieces into specific shapes using visual thinking. For the Discoveries lesson, we focused on the understanding that not all discoveries are equal in importance or impact. Today we made discoveries about crayons.

Friday, February 1, 2019

5th Grade - Today we started our learning with Inception which means the start or beginning. Our successful person was actually two people. Richard Knerr and Arthur Melvin invented the hula hoop from plastic that no one wanted. They quickly solved the Stories with Holes problem for the warm up activity. During the Leadership lesson, students learned it is important to always listen especially when you are a leader. The rest of class time was spent finishing up Exploravision projects. All segments are due today at 3:00p.m.

2nd Grade - A Mineral is a substance (such as quartz, coal, petroleum, salt, etc.) that is naturally formed under the ground. Our successful person was Martin Van Buren, our eighth President, who presented his first case as a lawyer at the age of 15. Students worked hard but could not solve the Stories with Holes problem for the warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on learning to recognize stress and how to diffuse it appropriately. In Crystal Pond Woods, we continued our visual thinking by combining visual thinking and storytelling to solve nursery rhymes with abstract shapes instead of words.

Thursday, January 31, 2019

4th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Potent which means something that is powerful and effective. The successful person was Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who led peaceful demonstrations against segregation. Students quickly solve the Stories with Holes problem for the warm up activity. The focus of our affective lesson was on preparing for success by looking at our current needs and how we can solve them. Time was spent completing planet brochures and repairing robots to go home after Open House.

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

3rd Grade - Students learned today that Paleontology is the science that deals with the fossils of animals and plants that lived very long ago especially in the time of dinosaurs. The successful person was Oprah Winfrey who struggled as a news reporter, but became a famous talk show host. In Crystal Pond Woods, we learned that we could turn written analogies into visual analogies. For the Discoveries lesson, we began discovering the Gold Rush of California.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

5th Grade - Today we started our learning with Inception which means the start or beginning. Our successful person was actually two people. Richard Knerr and Arthur Melvin invented the hula hoop from plastic that no one wanted. They quickly solved the Stories with Holes problem for the warm up activity. During the Leadership lesson, students learned it is important to always listen especially when you are a leader. The rest of class time was spent finishing up Exploravision projects. All segments are due Friday at 3:00p.m.

Monday, January 28, 2019

3rd Grade - Our vocabulary word for today was Erosion which means the gradual destruction of something by natural forces (such as water, wind, or ice). Steven Spielberg, today's successful person, was rejected from attending film making school but went on to become a famous director. In Crystal Pond Woods, we started developing our Visual Thinking skills. Today, students had an opportunity to solve a visual problem that required them to color a map with only four colors. For the Discoveries lesson, we concluded the discovery of Abel's Island by discussing what we knew about one of the characters and inferring what we thought he was like.

Friday, January 29, 2019

5th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Machinate which means to plot or scheme. The successful person was Robert Goddard, the Father of Modern Rocketry. Students had to concentrate on listening as they worked to complete a Surprise in the Middle drawing for the warm up activity. After playing a numbers game, students discussed the need to listen and develop a plan when leading others. Teams worked to develop the consequences portion of their Exploravision project and complete other essays for the rest of our time together.

2nd Grade - The vocabulary word for this week was Debris which means the pieces that are left after something has been destroyed. We did not have a successful person today. For the warm up activity, students listened and followed the directions to complete a Surprise in the Middle drawing. The affective lesson focused on how to deal with teasing or people that "bug" you. In Crystal Pond Woods, students began learning about visual thinking. Today they had the opportunity to manipulate Tangrams to replicate a given design. For the final activity, students will be studying the Gold Rush. They got to dig for gold in a chocolate chip cookie simulating a gold dig.

Thursday, January 25, 2019

4th Grade - The vocabulary word for today was Impersonate which means to mimic or pretend to be someone else. Benjamin Franklin, today's successful person, was involved in the writing of four of our nation's important documents. Students listened to directions in order to draw the Surprise in the Middle drawing for the warm up activity. After a brief affective lesson that focused on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, students built more robots from the directions we received from Angie Debo Elementary School.

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

3rd Grade - Today we learned that Stratum means one of usually many layers of a substance (such as rock). Our successful person, Sylvester Stallone, was kicked out of 10 different schools. He had a speech impediment that other students teased him about. For the warm up activity, students had to pay attention in order to follow the directions to create a picture. The weekly trip to Crystal Pond Woods had students working with Pentominoes. Students had to fit the pieces into specific shapes using visual thinking. For the Discoveries lesson, we focused on the understanding that not all discoveries are equal in importance or impact. Today we made discoveries about crayons.

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

5th Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Machinate which means to plot or scheme. The successful person was Robert Goddard, the Father of Modern Rocketry. Students had to concentrate on listening as they worked to complete a Surprise in the Middle drawing for the warm up activity. After playing a numbers game, students discussed the need to listen and develop a plan when leading others. Teams worked to develop the consequences portion of their Exploravision project and complete other essays for the rest of our time together.

Friday, January 18, 2019

5th Grade - The vocabulary word for the day was nefarious which means evil, infamous. Doodling and daydreaming led today's successful person, Robert Fulton, to invent the steamboat. We worked together to solve the Plexer puzzles for the warm up activity. Communication was the focus of the leadership lesson. For the rest of our time together, we focused on completing more of the Exploravision project. We are on the downhill side of this project-just two more weeks to go.

2nd Grade - Today's vocabulary word was Glacier which is a very large area of ice that moves slowly down a slope or valley or over a wide area of land. The successful person was Andrew Jackson who lived with a bullet in his chest after being shot by his wife's first husband. Students worked together to solve the Plexer puzzles for the warm up activity. Successful people demonstrate kindness was the focus of the affective lesson. In Crystal Pond Woods, students were given a noun and a verb then had to invent a machine using those two words. Our Discovery lesson focused on the generalization that Not all discoveries are equal in importance and impact. Students discovered different concepts about crayons today.

Thursday, January 17, 2019

4th Grade - The vocabulary word Indignation which means anger, especially over something that's unfair was the start for today.Our successful person, Albert Einstein, was a man of peace who did not want the atomic bomb dropped on people.  Students completed Plexer/visual word puzzles for the warm up activity. The affective lesson focused on obnoxious behaviors. Completing our robot directions and planet brochures wrapped up the rest of our time together.

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

3rd Grade - Our vocabulary word for today was Erosion which means the gradual destruction of something by natural forces (such as water, wind, or ice). Steven Spielberg, today's successful person, was rejected from attending film making school but went on to become a famous director. In Crystal Pond Woods, we started developing our Visual Thinking skills. Today, students had an opportunity to solve a visual problem that required them to color a map with only four colors. For the Discoveries lesson, we concluded the discovery of Abel's Island by discussing what we knew about one of the characters and inferring what we thought he was like. The final activity was to solve the problem of trying to get people and items from one end of the classroom to the other with certain stipulations.

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

5th Grade - The vocabulary word for the day was nefarious which means evil, infamous. Doodling and daydreaming led today's successful person, Robert Fulton, to invent the steamboat. We worked together to solve the Plexer puzzles for the warm up activity. Communication was the focus of the leadership lesson. For the rest of our time together, we focused on completing more of the Exploravision project. We are on the downhill side of this project-just two more weeks to go.

Monday, January 14, 2019

3rd Grade - Today's learning began with the vocabulary word Serendipity which means luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for. The successful person was Elvis Presley who was told by his high school music teacher that he could not sing. Students worked together to solve the 20 Questions/Mystery Object for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students learned how to use webbing another method for organizing brainstorming thoughts. The Discoveries lesson compared Abel's personality and behavior at the beginning of the story with the end. In particular how he was very civilized at the beginning of the story, but his circumstances led him to become more primitive. We also experimented with a candle and a glass jar to demonstrate why it would have been difficult for Abel to build a fire in his log house other than the log would catch on fire.

Friday, January 11, 2019

5th Grade - Our learning began with the vocabulary word Gregarious. Gregarious means sociable. The successful person was Benjamin Franklin who only had two years of formal schooling. Students quickly solved the 20 Questions/Mystery Object for the warm up activity. The focus of the leadership lesson was encouraging feedback. Each student was to write a word of encouragement to someone in the classroom. The final activity was to spend time working on the Exploravision project. There are just three weeks left to work on the project and a lot of segments still need to be completed.

2nd Grade - Today we learned that Supply means to make something available to be used: to provide someone or something with something that is needed or wanted. Clara Barton, today's successful person, was helping a soldier in the Civil War when a bullet when through the sleeve of her dress. She never mended that dress. Her courage and determination to help others led her to establish the American Red Cross. Together we solved the 20 Questions/Mystery Object for the warm up activity. Courage, one of the characteristics of successful people, was the focus of our affective lesson. Students designed their own shield that  demonstrated an act of courage they preformed. For the Discoveries lesson, students focused on the generalization that not all discoveries are equal in importance or impact. We are currently discovering crayons.

Thursday, January 10, 2019

4th Grade - Today we learned that something that is Ponderous is heavy and massive. Thomas Alva Edison, our successful person, took out more than 1,093 patents during his 84 years on this earth. Students worked together to solve the 20 Questions/Mystery Object for the warm up activity. Each team worked for 45 minutes to build the robot that they would be sending to Angie Debo Elementary School for them to build. The final few minutes were spent writing the directions for building the robot and working for finish their planet brochures.

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

3rd Grade - Today's learning began with the vocabulary word Serendipity which means luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for. The successful person was Elvis Presley who was told by his high school music teacher that he could not sing. Students worked together to solve the 20 Questions/Mystery Object for the warm up activity. In Crystal Pond Woods, students learned how to use webbing another method for organizing brainstorming thoughts. The Discoveries lesson compared Abel's personality and behavior at the beginning of the story with the end. In particular how he was very civilized at the beginning of the story, but his circumstances led him to become more primitive. We also experimented with a candle and a glass jar to demonstrate why it would have been difficult for Abel to build a fire in his log house other than the log would catch on fire.

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Welcome Back! I hope everyone had an enjoyable and restful Winter Break. Here is what we did today:

5th Grade - Our learning began with the vocabulary word Gregarious. Gregarious means sociable. The successful person was Benjamin Franklin who only had two years of formal schooling. Students quickly solved the 20 Questions/Mystery Object for the warm up activity. The focus of the leadership lesson was encouraging feedback. Each student was to write a word of encouragement to someone in the classroom. The final activity was to spend time working on the Exploravision project. There are just three weeks left to work on the project and a lot of segments still need to be completed.