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.
2nd 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).
