Target

Tally for Week of 8-27-07

Problem Solving

Third grade students were introduced to their first lesson Hands on Equations lesson. They used a number of manipulatives to solve these problems.

Second graders used their deductive reasoning skills to play a challenging round of "Fiddle, Faddle, Flop," and then sharpened their mathematical-logical intelligences by solving two interesting number puzzlers.

Unit Work

While our students enjoyed their nutritious snacks from home, we discussed the logic behind the Bell Clapper mystery exit question from last week. We also read and examined a poem entitled "What is a Mystery?"

Mrs. Bullard, our newest member to the Target Team, has a friend who owns a candy factory.  He is looking for a kid-friendly recipe for a new candy bar and has asked Sope Creek students to participate in this quest! Teachers brainstormed with their classes what ingredients are in chocolate and then examined what other factors are necessary to know in order to make chocolate. We determined that the amounts of each ingredient and the procedure used to mix these items were of critical importance. We also explored the fact that cocoa beans grow on cacao trees that grow in warm climates south of the equator in Brazil and along the Ivory Coast in Africa.

The children were delighted to discover that the owner of the chocolate company was anxious for their help.  He asked each class to develop criteria to evaluate three different samples of his chocolate and then taste each sample to determine which one was best!!! We developed a hypothesis, prior to our taste test, to name the sample we thought looked the best.

For our home extension activity, each child will develop his/her own chocolate recipe for the perfect chocolate bar and will write this recipe neatly on the special sheet we sent home. Students may bring in samples of their recipe for the class to try if possible.  We are all very excited about this assignment! 

Bridge Builders Web Sites

Here are some sites our bridge builders will find useful for research.

Great information on the math behind the basic bridge types and an explanation of why each type works so well.

Do activities one and two: become familiar with the types of bridges and see some beautiful bridges in their locations in France.

Building Big: Bridges - This site provides a wealth of information and terminology about bridges.

Learn the bridge basic types and terminology used by bridge builders.

How Stuff Works: This site explains the how and why of bridges.

Tally for the Week of 10-22-07

Dear Parents,

We are still collecting and are in great need of popsicle sticks (the thin variety) and wood glue.  We are grateful to everyone who has sent in those items. We ask that each child bring at least 150 sticks and a bottle of wood glue.

UNIT WORK

October 19, 2007

Week of Oct. 21 4th and 5th

Tally for Week of Oct. 21, 2007   

We are having a great time with our bridge unit.  We want to thank all of you who sent in the necessary popsicle sticks and wood glue.  Here are some highlights for the week of Oct. 21:

Fourth graders will be practicing our Hands On Equations skills with Lesson 8: Practice.  Fifth graders will be working on Hands On Equations or other Math activities according to individual needs.

We will continue straining our brains with our Halloween logic puzzle.  We hope to be able to find out which partygoers are behind their masks by using our powers of deduction.

We will continue planning and start building our popsicle stick bridges in our construction crew groups. We hope to be able to construct strong bridges and stay within our crew budget.  We're learning that time is truly money!

We are planning to finish our "Who Am I?" bridge PowerPoints this week.  Our text boxes are finished and all pictures which were turned in by the due date have been scanned in.  We've edited, chosen colors and backgrounds, picked graphics, and imported our Excel graphs into our slide shows.  The presentations are looking really impressive and we plan to share them with each other next week.  We'll see if we can guess which bridges we have been researching just by the facts presented in each presentation.

Home Extension:  Answer this question in two paragraphs:

What are some techniques we can use to build a better bridge with fewer materials?

Valerie Verduci, Judy Bullard, Liz Goldstein, Lee Linsley

Tally for Week of Oct. 21, 2007   

We are having a great time with our bridge unit.  We want to thank all of you who sent in the necessary popsicle sticks and wood glue.  Here are some highlights for the week of Oct. 21:

Fourth graders will be practicing our Hands On Equations skills with Lesson 8: Practice.  Fifth graders will be working on Hands On Equations or other Math activities according to individual needs.

We will continue straining our brains with our Halloween logic puzzle.  We hope to be able to find out which partygoers are behind their masks by using our powers of deduction.

We will continue planning and start building our popsicle stick bridges in our construction crew groups. We hope to be able to construct strong bridges and stay within our crew budget.  We're learning that time is truly money!

We are planning to finish our "Who Am I?" bridge PowerPoints this week.  Our text boxes are finished and all pictures which were turned in by the due date have been scanned in.  We've edited, chosen colors and backgrounds, picked graphics, and imported our Excel graphs into our slide shows.  The presentations are looking really impressive and we plan to share them with each other next week.  We'll see if we can guess which bridges we have been researching just by the facts presented in each presentation.

Home Extension:  Answer this question in two paragraphs:

What are some techniques we can use to build a better bridge with fewer materials?

Week of Oct. 21 4th and 5th

Tally for Week of Oct. 21, 2007   

We are having a great time with our bridge unit.  We want to thank all of you who sent in the necessary popsicle sticks and wood glue.  Here are some highlights for the week of Oct. 21:

Fourth graders will be practicing our Hands On Equations skills with Lesson 8: Practice.  Fifth graders will be working on Hands On Equations or other Math activities according to individual needs.

We will continue straining our brains with our Halloween logic puzzle.  We hope to be able to find out which partygoers are behind their masks by using our powers of deduction.

We will continue planning and start building our popsicle stick bridges in our construction crew groups. We hope to be able to construct strong bridges and stay within our crew budget.  We're learning that time is truly money!

We are planning to finish our "Who Am I?" bridge PowerPoints this week.  Our text boxes are finished and all pictures which were turned in by the due date have been scanned in.  We've edited, chosen colors and backgrounds, picked graphics, and imported our Excel graphs into our slide shows.  The presentations are looking really impressive and we plan to share them with each other next week.  We'll see if we can guess which bridges we have been researching just by the facts presented in each presentation.

Home Extension:  Answer this question in two paragraphs:

What are some techniques we can use to build a better bridge with fewer materials?

Tally for Week of 8-20-07

Dear Parents,

It was wonderful to see so many of you at our annual Target Open House. We are thrilled to have your students in class and are looking forward to an exciting, productive year. Thank you for sending in the items on our supply lists and the requested forms. We are most appreciative of your support and cooperation.

Lee Lindsley, Liz Goldstein, Valerie Verduci, Judy Bullard

Brainstorming/Problem Solving

Today students and teachers spent time getting to know one another. We brainstormed possible questions a person might ask in an interview and explored the difference between open-ended questions and those that evoke only a "yes" or "no" response. Students drew a colored marker out of a bucket and interviewed the person who had the same color marker they selected. Students then intoduced their "new friend" and shared the information they learned from their interview with the class.

Unit Work

Students dropped a "mystery capsule" in a clear glass of water and were delighted to discover that their capsule turned into a sponge safari animal. Students then used a Venn diagram to compare and contrast themselves to their animal.

Bottoms Up Activity - Students were divided into groups of four. Each group was given a large piece of paper that was divided into four parts and entitled "What is a Mystery?" Students brainstormed what a mystery is and recorded their responses on the chart. Each group then examined all responses generated by team members and selected the best five to share with the class.

"The Bell Clapper Mystery" - Teachers read this mystery to the class. Students earned an exit ticket to return to their classroom by submitting the final question that definitively solved the mystery!

Welcome to Our Blog 3/30/08

Welcome to the Target Blog!

We hope everyone has a wonderful Spring Break.  We look forward to seeing our students come back well-rested and full of exciting news about their trips and other activities during their break.

We are well into our units and have been enjoying many exciting activities.

Our fourth and fifth graders have just returned from our trips to the Tennessee Aquarium.  We had wonderful days and learned so very much.  Many, many thanks to our chaperones, bus drivers, and the staff at the Aquarium!

Second and third graders have been "flying high" in our current unit on flight and space.  We have tested all sorts of flying devices that we have constructed and are looking forward to an upcoming field trip which we are in the process of planning.

First graders are Seuss experts.  We have been enjoying many of the Dr. Seuss books and are learning about his style.

Our units are:

First grade:  Seuss, the Whole Seuss, and Nothing but the Seuss - an introductory unit thematically based upon the wonderful wacky world of Dr. Seuss.

Second and Third grades:  Journey Through Space and Time - this unit will introduce students to the development of flight and the journey to space.  We will learn about the sun and the stars as we take off in this unit.

Fourth and Fifth grades:  Predators of the Aquatic Biome - we will study those sometimes fearsome and always misunderstood sharks.  We will learn the "inside story" on sharks and will be taking a field trip to the Tennessee Aquarium to put our knowledge to the test.

The Target Team