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Week Ending November 18, 2011

Fourth and Fifth Grade

It was a busy and productive day. We began with a challenging logic puzzle called "The Thanksgiving Pageant". This allowed to students to strengthen their convergent thinking skills and coherently communicate their reasoning orally as they shared their thinking with the class. 

Companies are making great progress on the bridges. Everyone is learning the value of working together. Many bridges have the deck up and are in the process of putting the sides together. We are excited to see the completed structures (and then, of course, the breaking of that structure).

Time was spent reading articles about the controversy surrounding the building of a bridge at Morgan Falls Park. While reading, students fill out a graphic organizer that listed various opinions about the building of the bridge and the reasons people used to support their opposing opinions.

Mrs. Shaw’s and Mrs. Hutto’s classes worked on a writing assignment as a follow up to the research about “Galloping Gertie” last week.

Homework: Mrs. Shaw’s and Mrs. Hutto’s classes- Finish RAFT writing.  Mr. Brown’s class- Journal Entry #3.

Second and Third Grade

We began our day by completing a Thanksgiving logic puzzle. Students had to match up first names with last names and match each person with their favorite food using several clues.

Students shared their homework “Focus on Water.” Each student discussed their results and shared their illustration. Students were able to elaborate on their watershed by describing the flow of water and some possible pollutants it might pick up.  

Next, students took a pre-test on the parts of an insect. We have a lot of background knowledge on these little critters. Then, we learned a little more using an interactive website called “Let’s Talk about Bugs.” http://urbanext.illinois.edu/insects/01.html  Students learned all about the parts of an insect and what each part is used for.

The next activity put students in groups of three and each person was assigned to create a specific part of the insect. Then students merged their parts to create a new bug. Students were allowed to name and describe the characteristics of their new critter.

Insects use their antennae for tasting, smelling, touching and hearing. We asked what a day would be like if your arms were antennae. Students were able to come up with several of examples of how everyday activities would be different with antennae arms.

Students were given another attempt at Hot Chocolate River. Some classes were able to make it all the way across while other classes are still trying to make it.

Homework: Enjoy your much deserved Thanksgiving Break!!

 

 

Week Ending November 11, 2011

Fifth Grade

Fifth grade did not meet this week since Tuesday was a teacher workday. We look forward to getting back to building our bridges next week.

Fourth Grade

The day began with the students completing “Baffling Bridge Connections.” Students had to think of different, unusual, and creative connections to join words to a bridge. For example, A subway is like a bridge because… This activity was used to continue to developing the students’ divergent thinking.

Students watched a short video clip about “Galloping Gertie” This is the nickname of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The students researched about the bridge collapsing and worked on a timeline of the events leading up to its collapse.

Companies continued with bridge construction. It is fun to see how each group is going about the process and working together. We believe that all employees are finding the construction more difficult than they thought it would be.

We were very pleased with the reflections in the Bridge Journals. Hopefully, this next week’s will be just as good.

Current events continue to be a time when lots of good thinking happens. Students amaze us with their insight and ideas about topics presented.

Homework: Journal Entry #2.

Second and Third Grade

This week we started our day with a Veteran’s Day quote fall. In this activity, students use their knowledge of consonants and vowels to decipher words to discover a quote. This week the quote was “This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” Students contemplated the meaning of this quote in a class discussion.

Next, students made a watershed. We crumpled up paper to make our ridgeline and then added everyday pollutants such as oil (black marker), litter (orange marker), insecticides (hot chocolate) and several others. After our watershed was polluted we watched as it rained (spray bottle) and witnessed all the pollutants wash into the river. Students completed this activity by reflecting on the impact we have on our environment every day and how it will affect us in the future.

Students were then able to truly be stewards of the environment by making posters to inform others about how pollution travels into rivers and convince people to make an effort to keep our rivers clean.

Students finished their day by watching a video that reiterated facts about watersheds and our impact on the environment.  

Homework: Focus on Water- Due the 11/16-11/17

 

Week Ending November 4, 2011

Fifth Grade

The day began with the students completing “Baffling Bridge Connections.” Students had to think of different, unusual, and creative connections to join words to a bridge. For example, A subway is like a bridge because… This activity was used to continue to developing the students’ divergent thinking.

Students watched a short video clip about “Galloping Gertie” This is the nickname of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The students researched about the bridge collapsing and worked on a timeline of the events leading up to its collapse.

Companies continued with bridge construction. It is fun to see how each group is going about the process and working together. We believe that all employees are finding the construction more difficult than they thought it would be.

We were very pleased with the reflections in the Bridge Journals. Hopefully, this next week’s will be just as good.

Current events continue to be a time when lots of good thinking happens. Students amaze us with their insight and ideas about topics presented.

Fifth grade will not meet on Tuesday, November 8. It is a teacher workday.

Homework: Journal Entry #2.

Fourth Grade

The day began with students building their convergent thinking. Working on a Halloween logic puzzle, the students were able to analysis the puzzle, make inferences from the clues given and through a class discussion they explained their thinking. 

In order to prepare for the beginning of each grade's new Hands on Equation level, a review test was given of the previous level. Students were excited to get their hands back on the manipulatives and solve problems. 

The day continued with companies writing order forms and checks to purchase welding material (glue) and lumber (toothpicks). Once those arrived at the construction site building began on the bridges. It was a real learning experience to see just how careful and exact you have to be when gluing toothpicks together to follow a design plan. All bridges are in their infancy and work will continue.

Students displayed their Sur Le Pont drawings that were completed for homework. Students walked around the room and wrote comments to compliment the work of others students. Then, they went back to their own drawing and commented on what they could do to make theirs better after viewing their classmates drawings.

Homework: Each week the students will be recording in a Bridge Journal details and reflections from the day's construction. Inside the journal there are specific questions that need to be addressed in the reflection.

Note: Fourth grade students were given a list of optional activities to complete for “Above and Beyond” credit. Students need to do only one project from the list to get credit for nine week period. These projects are not due until December.

Second and Third Grade

Our day began with a convergent thinking activity call “Word Boxes”. Students used clues to come up with three letter words that shared letters.

Next, we shared our “My Life is a River” projects. Students were asked to explain their tributaries and describe what that person or event had added to their lives. Students were able to make great connections about their lives and even predict how their lives and rivers may change in the future.

Students used divergent thinking skills to brainstorm “things that float”. After coming up with everything from beach balls to dead fish, students were asked what floats in hot chocolate?  Marshmallows, of course, were the immediate responses. Students were then introduced to activity call the “Hot Chocolate River”. In this activity, students work as a group using the evaluative thinking process to move from one side of the river to the other.  The river is twenty feet wide. The river is too hot and too deep to touch or swim through.The students had to keep a body part on the marshmallow or it would float away. Also, students were not allowed to pick up a marshmallow once it was placed in the river. If a student touched the hot chocolate with their hand or foot the whole group had to start back over. Students were given several attempts and then returned to the classroom.

Finally, students discussed watersheds. We completed an activity called “Go with the Flow”. We discussed what a watershed is and how to determine its boundaries. We also analyzed maps of our own watershed.

2^nd Grade-Completed an activity called “It’s Okay to be Different”. Students thought about special characteristics that make them different, and created a page in a book.

Homework: Focus on Water Reflection Piece—Due 11/16 or 11/17

***Note: Third Grade students will meet on Friday next week (11/11).