Target

Week of November 12, 2012 Second and Third Grades

We have been testing, testing, testing and are looking so forward to seeing our Target students the week after Thanksgiving.  Classes for all Second and Third grade students will resume the week of November 26!  Students who have unfinished myths in Mrs. B.'s class need to bring their completed myths with them ready to share with the class!

Week of October 29, 2012 Second and Third Grades

This was the week we were waiting for!  Scientist Allen came from High Touch, High Tech.  He showed us the sun using solar glasses and special solar telescopes.  We were able to experiment and find out how gravity keeps earth and the other planets in their special orbits.  We also learned about the different spectrums of energy in space, like radio and X rays, but our favorite was the color spectrum of light, which entailed our wearing "rainbow" glasses to really discover.  All in all, it was exciting and memorable.

Second graders also did some convergent thinking with "Balance Benders," while third graders worked on their Hands on Equations.  Both groups completed a Halloweeen brainteaser using both convergent and divergent thinking.  Third graders worked on their star PowerPoints.  Some third grade students need to finish theirs for homework.

 

Week of October 22. 2012 Second and Third Grades

Due to Conference Week, we had a short day, with Specials and lunch and a return  to regular classrooms at 12:00.

 Our Second graders are really doing well with our Balance Benders. They can identify equal amounts even when the variables are changed. Great going, Second graders! They also warmed up their convergent thinking by doing some analysis of groups for like characteristics. They completed their study of stars and are beginning to learn about the constellations. They will work more on their constellation research next week.

Third graders have learned how to use Hands On Equations to solve word problems.  This takes more complicated thinking and they had to think convergently to determine how to structure the equation that would solve each problem.  They will be working more on this skill in the future.

Like the Second graders, they also analyzed groups to find the like characteristics.  Some examples were really challenging, but all students were successful by the end of the activity.  We then began our "Who Am I?" star PowerPoint programs.  Some Third graders continued to work on their constellation research as well.

NEXT WEEK, HIGH TOUCH, HIGH TECH COMES TO PRESENT THEIR PROGRAM, "CYGNUS," TO BOTH GROUPS.  WE CAN'T WAIT!

Week of October 15, 2012

We were so excited to see our littlest stargazers this week.  Second graders created and solved equations using balances to find "mystery numbers."  Third graders continued their equation solving with Hands On Equations.

Both groups solved plexors using logical thinking and worked on logic and other activities to strengthen their convergent thinking.

Second graders worked on their star study, determining the different types and sizes of stars.  They began learning about the life cycle of stars.  Some second graders, who had not been able to before, shared their telescope ads.

Third graders continued their study of stars, finishing the life cycles and beginning a study of the constellations.  They will continue learning about constellations next week as well.

HOMEWORK:  Mrs. Bullard's students need to complete the constellation research they started in class if they did not finish it.  They also need to bring their flash drives next week for a special project.

 

Week of October 8, 2012 Second and Third Grades

We missed our youngest (Second Grade) Targeteers this week, but are looking forward to seeing them on the 15th!

Third graders began their day with Hands On Equations and are getting mighty good at making legal moves to simplify equations.  We also worked on logical thinking activities involving "Plexors," which they may have shared with you.  These are fun word puzzles, which are written in strange ways to give clues as to their meanings.

We continued our exploration of stars and constellations in the computer lab.  We also read a book about them together.  As a follow up for our Hubble repair activity, we watched a NOVA special about shuttle astronauts actually preparing for and executing a real Hubble repair.  We had a chance to compare and contrast our experience with theirs and we can truly appreciate the challenges they faced as well as the examples of the evaluative thinking process in use in a real life situation.

We appreciate all of you who have sent in donations for our upcoming High Touch High Tech field trip.  We are looking forward to an exciting program on (Second Grade) Oct. 29, and (Third Grade) Oct. 31.

 

Another Star Struck Web Site for Second and Third Graders

Constellations

Week of Sept. 10, 2012 Second and Third Grades

Another short week due to testing means that we missed our students for part of the day.  We're looking forward to seeing them for full days in the future.

We enjoyed seeing our second graders whom we missed over the Labor Day Holiday.  Those of us who had not shared, presented our "Target Kid for Sale" ads.  Such deals!  We'll buy every one!  We reviewed our facts about Galileo and some of us did an experiment to see if his theory of gravity held true.  We made predictions and determined our hypothesis before conducting the experiment to test our predictions.

Third graders in some classes also learned about telescopes and made Venn diagrams to compare and contrast the three basic types:  reflecting, refracting, and catadioptric (combination.)  Next week, we will continue with our study of the telescope.  Third graders also continued with the Hands on Equations they have been learning.

 

Week of Sept. 3, 2012 Second and Third Grades

Due to the Labor Day holiday, second grade did not have Target this week.  We missed our Monday friends and look forward to seeing you next week.

Third graders had a shortened day due to testing.  We shared our "Target Kid for Sale" ads and learned a lot about each other's strengths.  We enjoyed finding out about our classmates.

We worked on Hands On Equations and then reviewed what we had learned about Galileo.  Some of us did an experiment which replicated one done by Isaac Newton to prove Galileo's theory of gravity.  The rest of us will do this next week.

 

Week of August 27, 2012 Second Grade

Target day is Monday each week.  Because it is the first day of the week, please help your child prepare on Sunday, so Monday morning is just a matter of grabbing the Target bag and heading off to school.  We know it takes some getting used to for the kids, so your help for the first few weeks is greatly appreciated!

This week, we started our day by discussing what an equation is (a number sentence) and talking about the fact that both sides of an equation need to be balanced.  We used some Math balances to prove this fact.  We were given half an equation and an = sign, and had to come up with the other half.  It was exciting to see how many different and equally correct answers we could find!  We used our convergent thinking skills to come up with our answers.

We then talked about our talents, and the things that make each one of us unique and special and what gifts we each bring to the Target class.  We examined ads to see what types of words and convincing arguments were used to convince people to buy the product they were selling.  We used our divergent thinking and brainstormed our talents and wrote rough drafts of a "Target Kid for Sale" ad about ourselves.  We will do our polished, final copy for homework.

In keeping with our theme of space, we made brainstorm lists of words with the roots "helio" (sun) and "geo (earth).  We talked about how the early peoples viewed the earth and how different civilizations and astronomers over centuries developed the idea that the sun was the center of the galaxy rather than the earth. We watched a video or read a book about how these ideas came about over time.

HOMEWORK:  FINISH TARGET KID FOR SALE FINAL COPY AND BE READY TO SHARE.

NO TARGET CLASS NEXT WEEK DUE TO LABOR DAY!  HAVE A FUN AND SAFE HOLIDAY! 

 

Week of December 12, 2011

Due to check-point testing in homeroom classes, we had a late start this morning.Today was our last day of Target for this semester.  We put all our detective skills and knowledge together as we read through and answered questions to the Kids Discover Magazine "Detectives."  We had our mystery celebration and ended the day with the movie "The Great Mouse Detective." 

We want to wish all of you a joyous holiday season.  Due to Target reevaluation the beginning of January, we will not resume Target classes until the end of January with our new unit "The Heart."  Have a great winter break!