Second and Third Grades:
What a busy day we had as a "River Kid." We started off by completing our analogies between the tools in our Target Tool Bag and an Ideal Target Kid. Students did a great job coming up with ways that a Target Student is like a rubber band (they stretch their imaginations), a stick of gum (they stick to a problem until they solve it), an eraser (they erase their mistakes in a challenging logic puzzle), and other tools. Next, they drew their Ideal Target Kid as a compilation of all the tools in the tool bag. What divergent thinkers we have.
Next, Mrs. Shaw's class shared their avatars, while Mr. Brown and Mrs. Hutto's classes shared their superheroes. This activity tapped our affective growth, as students communicated their strengths and showed respect for the input of others.
Third graders headed to the computer lab for an interactive pre-test on our knowlege of water. (Second graders had some technology issues as we tried to use our new laptops, so we had to do the lesson whole group.) Among other interesting facts, we learned that the constant circulation of water from the atmosphere to the lands and the oceans, and back again, is called the "water cycle."
Students developed good critical thinking strategies as they worked through the logic puzzle "That River is How Long?" They learned that the Nile River is the longest river in the world.
Together, all classes watched a video on the Water Cycle where students were introduced to the properties of water and the terms evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and transpiration. The video included an on-line quiz, and the students did very well with their comprehension of the material.
Homework: The Water in our Lives (due in 2 weeks). Students came home with detailed instructions on this project which requires them to reflect on the significance of a body of water in their lives. Please help your child find a photo (or take one this Labor Day weekend) of them in or near a body of water. If you do not have a photo, think of making a trip to East Cobb Park to photograph and research the Sewell Mill Creek that we are planning to adopt.
Third graders were also asked to bring in a metal clothes hanger for a mobile that we will be making next week.
Fourth and Fifth Grades:
We began our day by sharing our Avatars and telling the class about ourselves. We then completed our Target Tool bag assignment and created a transformation using the items from the bag. If you want a peek, come look at our walls outside our classrooms.
Next, we completed a simulation called “Bridges Impact our Lives.” During the simulation the students were divided up into cities and given a surplus of products found in their city. The cities needed to trade their surplus with others in order for their city to survive. Due to lay out of the cities the students had to buy bridges to get to one another and to reach the center island city which held all the fresh water. After the simulation, students were able to discuss the importance of bridges and the strategies that allowed some cities to survive and other not to survive.
Students finished their day by watching a video entitled “Understanding Bridges” and answering corresponding questions. This video provided the students with some background for how bridges were built, different types of bridges, some problems bridges have, and a few famous bridges.
Homework: Complete the worksheet on Gephyrophobia.
To all...
Thank you to all the parents who attended the Open House. It was very rewarding to see the support you have for your children, and we hope that you will consider joining the Georgia Association for Gifted Children. If you missed the Open House, you can download a copy of the presentation by accessing the Open House Category.
