Kinder: Brainfocals

Word of the Week:

Colossal

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Convergent Thinking: ONE RIGHT Answer

Today we did another Crayon Logic puzzle. The kids use clues to determine which crayon belongs in which spot in the crayon box.

I also introduced the kids to a new logic game called Ken Ken.  It has some similarities to Sudoku, but it has an added math element. This was definitely tricky for a few of the kids, but we will keep working on it.

Divergent Thinking: LOTS & LOTS of Answers

Today the kids met Isabel the inventor and learned that she uses a type of thinking called Divergent thinking, which is different than Dudley the Detective’s way of thinking.  While Dudley uses clues to find one right answer, Isabel is interested in brainstorming and discovering lots of possibilities.

The kids started by making Brainfocals, which will allow them to focus on an object or idea and see all the possibilities.  We then read a story about a friend of Isabel’s that discovered a whisk in her house.  When she found out the function of a whisk she knew that she wanted Isabel’s help thinking of alternative uses.  Yolanda is not much of a cook.

We put on our brainfocals and studied the whisk.  The kids brainstormed all the ways a whisk could be used.  Here are their results.

The kindergarteners were given a sheet filled with bubbles, but they had to think about what else the bubbles might be.  Here are a few of their ideas.

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Kinder: It’s Raining Cats and Dogs

Last week, we experienced a very rainy Friday.  A Friday morning that brought torrential rain…right at drop off.  As I heard the rain coming down, it reminded me of the idiom “It’s raining cats and dogs.” Of course, this immediately made me switch gears with my kindergarteners.  Who can pass up idioms with kindergarteners?  Not this gal. 

So, we started with our word of the day.  Which was, of course, TORRENTIAL.  

After learning about the word Torrential, I put up a list of idioms.  I did share any information about the phrases.  I had the kids choose one phrase and draw a picture that went with it.  When they were done we discussed idioms and that each phrase actually means something beyond what you would anticipate.  The kindergarteners used Comic Book on the iPads to create a comic with their drawing, their idiom, and the meaning behind their idiom.

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We also used our Divergent Thinking with a new logic game called X-Tiles.  Students use clues to solve for X, our mystery number.  Just like in all divergent thinking, we should arrive at ONE RIGHT answer and NOT jump to conclusions.  

The kindergarteners were very concerned that I would get in BIG trouble for letting them write on the desks.  I assured them I had special permission, but that they should NEVER write on furniture in at home or in their regular classrooms. Hopefully they heed my warning. 🙂

3rd Grade: Leo the Inventor

In 3rd grade we have been studying the great thinker, Leonardo Da Vinci. The kids were fascinated to learn that he was more than just a painter and were especially interested in his role as an inventor and engineer.

The third graders each chose one of Da Vinci’s inventions to research. They researched Da Vinci’s design and today’s version.  They then made modifications to create a future version of the invention.  You can enjoy their work below.  

5th Grade: Thales

In fifth grade we have discovered that philosophers were the first mathematicians and scientists because they asked QUESTIONS and SOUGHT to understand how things in the world worked. We are studying some of these early mathematicians and scientists.

Several weeks ago I asked the 5th graders to find an accurate measurement of the light poles on our back parking lot.  The tricky part was that they only had a yardstick at their disposal.  Below you can see their thinking.  :)

After trying our hand at the light pole problem, the kids then heard the Story of Thales.  A man of firsts: the first known Greek philosopher and scientist, the first person associated with the use of deductive methods in mathematics.

We learned about two of his theorems:

The opposite angles of two intersecting lines are equal.

Any triangle inscribed within a half circle is a right triangle.

We heard a story that Thales figured the height of the Cheops by using his shadow, his height, and the height of the pyramid’s shadow.  No one is certain that this story is true, but it led to learning about proportions and what isn’t fun about that?

Below you will see the proportion problems researched, written, and solved by the kids.  They each researched the height of a famous landmark and used that information to determine it’s shadow.

1st Grade: Multiplication

This week in first grade the kids got to explore the world of multiplication, and boy were they excited.  The concept of multiplication seems so mysterious and exciting to kids…especially when they think they are learning it years early. 

Concepts Explored:

  • Connection between multiplication and addition.
  • Grouping…equally.
  • Arrays versus Grouping
  • Commutative Property
  • Skip Counting helps you know your multiplication facts
  • We looked at the multiplying by 0, 1, 2, 5, and 10.
  • We also looked at a fun trick to learn the 9’s. 

1st Grade: Inventions

A few weeks ago the kids and I wondered what it meant to be an inventor.  We started by learning about a great inventor from history, Thomas Edison.  After learning what it takes to invent…being creative, showing perseverance and learning from our failures.

The first graders tried their hand at inventing.  They were each given a noun and a verb and had to force fit them to create an invention.  You can learn about their inventions below.

Kinder: Four Weeks of Fun

I can hardly believe that I have had the awesome pleasure of working with my kindergarteners for four weeks already.  They are an energetic, amazingly bright bunch of kiddos.  I know we will have a lot of fun this year and in the years to come.

One of my goals in GT is to help develop stronger vocabularies for my students.  In Kindergarten we have a word of the week.  I am working to get the kids to use their word outside of our classroom, too.

Word of the Week:

Week 2: ELIMINATE

This word connected to convergent thinking, working to eliminate clues and wrong answers to get to the ONE right answer.

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Week 3: INQUISITIVE

In life it is important to know that we should always be curious and excited to learn new things.  This word connects to our goal to have inquisitive minds.

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Week 4: ELATED

We are obviously ELATED to be at GT on Fridays. 🙂

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In Kinder GT we will be working on developing our convergent, divergent, and visual thinking skills each week.

Convergent Thinking: We use clues to help us find the ONE right answer.

We have worked on X-Tiles, finding mystery numbers.  We have solved some logic puzzles. We used clues to help discover Mystery Creatures.  The kindergarteners then researched an animal they did not know a lot about, wrote their own clues and used a great app called Educreations to share their clues with us.  Enjoy their work below.

By Miles:

By Ellison:

By Aubrie:

By Mila:

By Sayuri:

By: Tristan

Visual Thinking: The kids are learning to look for patterns to find ONE SOLUTION that works.

 They have enjoyed playing with pentominoes to build different size rectangles. They have also used pentominoes to solve different shaped puzzles.

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Divergent Thinking: Learning to brainstorm to find LOTS and LOTS of answers.

 We haven’t done much with this type of thinking…YET!  But I did have the kids participate in an activity called Turn Over.  They were given a squiggle and a noun.  They had to turn their squiggle into that object. We will be working more on this type of thinking in the coming weeks. 

3rd Grade: Plasticity of the Brain

In 3rd grade the kids have been studying the structure of the brain and the function of the various parts.  Now it is time to understand what it all means.  Why is it important to understand our brain.

We read a great study called The Power of the Brain to Change.  In the study scientists studied three groups of rats.  They had an enriched group, and impoverished group, and a standard group.  You can see what the scientists learned from their study through cartoons the kids created in Pixton.

An important part of reading this article was the connection to the Growth Mindset.  The 3rd graders could see that they have control
over what and how they learn.

4th Grade: Tuck Everlasting Vocabulary

We are currently reading Tuck Everlasting in 4th grade.  It is a beautifully written book, chock full of amazing examples of figurative language and spectacular vocabulary.  Each week my students are choosing 5 new words to learn from our novel.  Our goal is to start using the new vocabulary in our daily conversations and in our writing.

The kids used a fun webtool, Powtoon, to create cartoons to help teach the meaning of their new word.  Not all are perfect, but I like that they are playing with these new words. 












3rd Grade: Neurons

A few weeks ago the third graders learned about the nervous system, the central and peripheral nervous system and how it works.  Through our study of the nervous system the kids wanted to know more about the neuron.  We studies the anatomy of a neuron and the functions of the various parts.  The 3rd made their own neurons out of pipe cleaners and then used Chatter kid and iMovie to share their new learning.