3rd Grade Summarizes Field Trip

The 3rd graders used Depth and Complexity icons to verbalize what they had learned from the Toyota field trip last week. I haven’t had a chance to scan all of their work, yet, so I will hopefully get it on the blog soon (or send it home for you to see).

They also finished the Billibonk book and made some great connections to our field trip. We finished out the day by trying something new – using our iPads to help solve a trivia puzzle from a set called “Contrasting Facts”. The students had to use teamwork to complete it correctly – just as Toyota has to use teamwork to produce quality cars 😉

4th Grade Finishes Billibonk

The 4th graders finished the book, Billibonk and the Big Itch, which is a sequel to the book some of them read in GT last year, Billibonk and the Thorn Patch.  Both books give lessons about systems thinking.  In the latest book, there was a lot of emphasis placed on the importance of trying to find out what the real problem is instead of just treating the symptom.  We talked about some real-life examples, such as the deer in Hollywood Park and the Boston Bombing.  Then I asked the students to write about a problem they encounter directly in their own lives, and to explain how asking, “Why?” several times can help them to get to the root of it as well as a possible solution.  You might want to ask your child what he or she wrote about!

The students also did Hands-On-Equations, and witnessed a sheep eyeball dissection (I had one left over from 3rd grade).  At the end of the day, I gave them a summer SCAMPER packet they could work on, and here are some of their creations:

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.

4th Graders Reveal Their Faberge Surprises!

I was happy to see that, despite evidence to the contrary earlier this week, everyone remembered to bring their partners’ gifts for today! And, even though I do this project with my 4th grade every year, I was still amazed by the uniqueness and quality of most of the gifts. I tried to take some pictures of the presentations with the iPad, but we also gathered all of the gifts together at the end to get a closer view.

The students also began work on their last research project of the year, which will be on a masterpiece that they have selected from one of the multiple intelligences. In addition, we talked more about systems thinking, and the importance of trying to find the true cause of complicated problems so the solutions will not just be temporary.