Target

Fourth and Fifth Week of March 28, 2011

In order to continue our preparation for the May shark dissection, we must deepen our study of sharks' internal organs. After we got our brains ticking with a logic puzzle, riddles, and Hands-on-Equations, we dove right into a review of what we remember about a sharks' internal features using diagrams, websites, and a 3-D model. For language arts, we read some shark poems to the students called "Shark Infested" and "Never Disagree." The students were then asked to write a persuasive essay on who stands in greater danger from the other – man or shark? Finally, we visited the computer lab and created graphs in Microsoft Excel on the varying lengths of sharks.

We hope you have a wonderful spring break.

Please note, when we return (week of April 11th) we will have Target only for part of the day after CRCT testing.

Second and Third Grade: Week of March 28, 2011

Second grade began their journey through ancient Greece,  while third grade continued their examination of the wondrous contributions of the ancient Greeks. Students explored Greek mythology and the legends of their gods and goddesses. We counted like a Greek for math, and investigated early Greek mathematical theories with the "Sieve of Eratosthenes" (prime numbers) and a story about Protagoras (Protagorean theory).  We further examined the influence of Greek roots in our language and wrote about our personal "Achilles' Heel."  Third grade used their creative talents to create their own Greek vase with a scene from Greek life.  Second grade ventured with Arizona Smith's to ancient Greece, while third  grade enjoyed the Greek myth of King Midas.

We hope you have a wonderful spring break.

Please note, when we return (week of April 11th) we will have Target only for part of the day after CRCT testing.

First Grade: Week of March 28, 2011

Very very busy day!!!  Once our brains were shakened we began with two logic puzzles, Baseball Cards and Dancing Yoder Girls. Our first graders are becoming so sharp at solving their logic puzzles.

Our focus story today was The King's Stilts, Dr. Seuss's third book written in narrative form rather than his traditional rhymes.  The story was introduced through a brainstorm activity.  As a class we brainstormed activities we do to reduce "stress and relax," and why it is important to have these activities in order to focus better on our work. Students were enthralled with the story of King Birtram and Eric.  We examined the cause and effect relationships in the story. Students completed a vocabulary match activity with review and new vocabulary words.  After discussing the unique land features in the Kingdom of Binn, we followed up with a geography lesson on landforms.  Students  worked with partners and designed and created their own 3D kingdom with several landforms.   Thank you again for your generous clay donations for this project.  Early finishers had time to expand their creative talents with a transformation of the king's stilts. 

We hope you have a wonderful spring break! 

 

Fourth and Fifth Week of March 21, 2011

We sharpened our thinking skills this morning with a logic puzzle (Shark Report) and a crossword puzzle in which students were asked to identify various species of shark from given clues. We also plotted points on a grid for a math activity. The points, when connected in order, formed a mystery picture. In our unit study, we learned more about the internal features of sharks as well as the likelihood of a shark attack.

**For those students who are districted for Dickerson, please fill out the form that is in your child's take-home folder and send it directly to Dickerson.**

Second and Third: Week of March 21, 2011

Second grade will not meet for Target on Friday 3/25 due to Art Day.

Third grade students started the day strengthening their analytical skills with their weekly Hands of Equation lesson and  logic and number junction puzzles.  They polished their creative skills with a Gotta Think Activity: Catch a Train. Students  reviewed the contributions of ancient Egypt by completing their civilization graphic organizer. We then crossed the Mediterranean Sea to begin our exploration of ancient Greece.  Students used a website to complete a scavenger hunt about ancient Greece.  We examined many of the contribution we see today that trace back to Greece in architecture, government, and language.  We looked at their great influence to literature as we read some Greek myths. At the end of the day, Arizona Smith took us on our dig through Greece.

 

First Grade: Week of March 21, 2011

Thank you for sending in the packages of Magic Modeling Clay for our landform project next week.  We greatly appreciate your support.

This week we read one of the many books Dr. Seuss wrote to teach worldly lessons to children and adults through his imaginative lands and characters.  By visiting the world of The Sneetches, we examined the feelings of injustice and prejudice, as well as the realization of the many attributes we have in common.  We added to our vocabulary bag the words: prejudice, peculiar, guaranteed, and snooty. We developed a web of appealing attributes and used our creative talents to design a new symbol of "equality." We said good-bye to winter with our Winter Thinker Blinker and enjoyed the video of The Sneetches.  Our analytical skills were kept sharp with a logic puzzle, Birthdays, and an activity with analogies.

Fourth and Fifth Grades Week of March 14, 2011

Our fourth and fifth graders sharpened their thinking skills with Hands-On Equations and a logic puzzle and/or by playing Tri Cross (a game of strategy/logic). In our unit study, they learned about the 3 types of symbiotic relationships: parasitism, commensalism, and mutualism. They explored how the senses help attract sharks to their prey, and they conducted an experiment in their learning clubs to reinforce the concept. Sharks, unfortunately, are constantly in danger of being caught for their parts, and today the students learned why. They understand that sharks, not humans, are most at risk in the ocean.

 

 

Week of March 14, 2011

Today was our "Feetstival Day".  We read The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss and all our learning activities were in honor of our "feet."

We started our day with two logic problems; One Busy Podiatrist and Cinderella's Big-Footed Family.  Our vocabulary words today were podiatrist, idiom, antonym and synonym.  Before reading our story we brainstormed unusual pairs of opposites. We followed our story charting with our learning clubs things we can do with our hands and feet, things we can do only with our hands, and things we can do only with our feet.  We changed our view to another definition of "a foot," and read the story How Big is a Foot.  We ventured into several math activities using our measurement skills.  We then used our best following direction skills and our word smarts to connect and describe our feet with nouns, verbs, and adjectives. A Feetstival Day would not be complete without a fun exploration into idioms that pertain to feet as well as a creative transformation of a foot.

***Please review the note attached to today's tally requesting Crayola soft modeling clay for a future lesson.

Week of March 14, 2011

Our schedule is flipped flopped from last week's.  This week  Mrs. Bullard's and Ms. Boucher's class will enjoy the wonders at the Carlos Museum on Thursday 3/17.  Wear your third grade class t-shirt and a light jacket for your picnic on the campus's lawn.

Second graders and Mrs. Goldstein's and Mrs. Blue's third graders will venture deeper into the mysteries of Egypt.

**REMINDER** 2nd graders HOMEWORK due this week 3/18, your reflection on our trip to the Carlos Museum, since we did not have time to complete it in class last Friday.

Fourth and Fifth Grades Week of March 7, 2011

Our fourth and fifth grade students stretched their brains in the morning with Hands-On Equations and Logic games. Then we dove into our unit study. Students who were not able to present their self-created fish last week, did so this week. Afterward, we watched a videostream entitled Ultimate Guide - Sharks in which they learned more about the various shark species, their size and shape as well as their diet (plant vs. meat eaters). Our students were introduced to the scientific classification of sharks, including the 8 orders. We also learned more about the anatomy of sharks in order to prepare for the dissection in May.