5th Grade Finishes Up a Few More Projects!

We only have one more class of 5th grade GT, and the students are doing their best to finish up their remaining projects. Below, I am sharing with you one Dream Team project, and a few Genius Hour ones. Because the “Cold War Tech” Powerpoint includes some pictures of weaponry, I am only including the link, rather than embedding it into this post.

Cold War Tech Powerpoint

4th Grade Starts Presenting

Several of the 4th graders completed their masterpiece presentations today, and began to present. They had two options for presenting, both using the iPad – Puppet Pals or Haiku Deck. Unfortunately, my videos of the students presenting their Haiku Decks did not come out very good (sound-wise), so I need to find a different way to post them on the blog. I do have one Puppet Pals presentation to share, though, and have embedded it below.

5th Grade Gets TONS Done!

Sometimes it amazes me how 16 students can be working on 10 different projects, and we don’t all implode from the absolute chaos! Today we got so much done that I haven’t even had a chance to upload all of the finished projects to share on this blog. Four Dream Team videos got finished, as well as five Genius Hour projects. A few of the students even found the time to work on the Robotics challenge board that is due next week. Way to go, 5th grade!

I’ve got the Dream Team Projects embedded below. Next week, I will try to include all of the completed Genius Hour projects.

Can you believe we only have two more GT classes left?!!!!

3rd Grade Bonus Post

Well, it’s STAAR week again and, unfortunately, 3rd grade will not have GT this week. I know this post is not a substitute, but I think you will enjoy this opportunity to earn some bonus points!

Watch the shark video below, and then bring the answers to these questions to school:
What are stereotypes, and how are sharks generally stereotyped?
What are some of the stereotypes we have found in reading Billibonk and the Thorn Patch?
What are some of the stereotypes people may have about students in GT?
What is a stereotype you have believed, but later realized was not true?

4th Grade Connects Billibonk to Earth Day

We had 4th grade GT this morning since 2nd grade was on a field trip.  The students finished up a Hands-On-Equations lesson from last week, and then worked some more on their masterpiece research projects.  I showed the students some alternative ways to present other than Powerpoint, and I think they are anxious to get started on the “creating” part of their research.

Since today is Earth Day, I showed the students a short video that summarizes what has happened regarding the environment in the last 40 years since Earth Day began.  Then we talked about how this relates to our current book, Billibonk and the Big Itch.  I have embedded the video below; it’s kind of a whirlwind, so I’m sure your child wouldn’t mind watching it again, and maybe discussing some of the events that are mentioned which happened long before they were born.

5th Grade Had a Very Productive Day!

I started composing this post, and realized that I have quite a bit to say!

We started the day by looking at a slideshow on how to be better presenters. You can find the slideshow on my professional blog here.

Then I showed the students this video, which was part of Apple Computer’s early campaign, “Think Different.”

It relates to one of my favorite Gandhi quotes, “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” and I presented them with Spirit Sticks to remind them of this.

After this, the students continued to work on Genius Hour projects and Dream Team videos. Two more videos were completed today, which I will embed below.

We also worked on Hands-On-Equations, 6-Word Memoirs, and creating quotations using an app called Quipio.

I’m sure I’m forgetting something, but I am thankful we got so much done!

5th Grade Returns to Work

It’s been a stressful week of testing for everyone, and I was glad to finally have class again today!

The 5th graders are still working on Genius Projects, and we had a presentation today from Amy, Grace, and Julia on wallabies. They used Glogster to make their presentation, and I have embedded it below.

Amy was also able to complete her Dream Team video using Puppet Pals, and I think it came out great!

We also worked on Hands-On-Equations, and watched the video that you can find on my professional blog today here. I love Brad Melzer’s message to kids, “Dream Big. Work Hard. Be Humble.” That says it all, doesn’t it?

4th Grade Bonus Challenge

Okay, 4th grade, are you ready to earn some Class Dojo points? Since you were not able to come to GT this week, I am bringing GT to you!

Our Essential Question for this year is, “What can I do that will have meaning in the future?” Watch the two videos below. Try to think about what they have in common. Write a paragraph that answers the Essential Question and explain how the videos connect to this answer. Bring it to class next week to earn extra points. Remember, there is not one particular right answer.

The links for the two videos are:
http://youtu.be/o-Fpsw_yYPg
http://vimeo.com/52711779

Landfill Harmonic- The world sends us garbage… We send back music. from Landfill Harmonic on Vimeo.

3rd Grade Bonus Challenge

Want to earn some Class Dojo points, 3rd graders? Watch the video below (which you can also find here), and bring a paper to our next class with your answers to these questions:
What is the monk’s problem, and how does he solve it?
How does this connect to our Billibonk and the Thorn Patch story?
How does this connect to something that has happened in your life?
What is a better solution to the monk’s problem?

The Monk and the Fly from Matthew Darragh on Vimeo.