Kiker's Strength-Based Learning Cohort

As many of you may have heard, we had an incredibly special visitor today. Gilbert Tuhabonye, founder of the Gazelle Foundation, came to Kiker today to share his inspiring story of perseverance. Enthralled Kiker students learned about his childhood, the scarcity of clean water in his home country of Burundi, and the amazing impact he has made by acting on his passion. The connection and level of engagement between Gilbert and his compassionate, wide-eyed listeners was palpable. After his presentation, students were able to ask questions. Of course, our thoughtful philanthropists impressed him repeatedly. Our students were so grateful for his visit...and obviously, deeply affected.  We couldn't be prouder.

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/activity/measuring-weather-with-tools/?ar_a=1 http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-words.htm http://theweatherchannelkids.com/ http://www.scholastic.com/kids/weather/

To culminate our Energy Unit, students created an Energy Pyramid to show understanding of four different types of energy: Sound, Light, Thermal, and Mechanical.  They were so excited to see each other's examples of energy and lovely artwork, so we held a gallery walk (ask your child to explain and then see below for a clip)! This is an excellent way for students to get new ideas, admire each other's hard work using accountable talk, and show off their work as well! Here's a glimpse into how it works: What a wonderful group of thinkers we have! 

Howdy, energy explorers! Today, you are going to explore different forms of energy. Use the links below. Write neatly using complete sentences for your answers. Part I: Geothermal Click here to find your answers! Part II: Tiki the Penguin - Energy Click here to find your answers! Part III: What is Sound? Click here to find your answers! Part IV: Energy All Around Click here to find your answers! Post a comment with your favorite fact after you have double checked your work. Have fun! :) Mrs. Blake

*Parents, this is an in-class assignment. Hi, Second Graders! Use the links below to find the answers for your scavenger hunt. Be sure to read carefully and write neatly in complete sentences. Strive for accuracy! :) E xplore the forms of energy at:  http://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=about_forms_of_energy-basics  E xplore non-renewable sources at:  http://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=nonrenewable_home-basics   E xplore renewable sources at:  http://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=renewable_home-basics E xplore electricity at:  http://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=electricity_home-basics  E xplore uses of energy at:  http://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=us_energy_use-basics  L earn about energy efficiency at:  http://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=about_energy_efficiency-basics  Before you pat yourself on the back for a job well done, go back and double check your work for capitals, periods, and spelling! Then

Our SBLC superstars contributed 239 cans to Legacy of Giving's "Pack the POD". Although we fell slightly short of our goal, we felt proud to support our school and food-insecure families in the Austin area.  Way to go, SBLC Philanthropists! 

*Parents, this is an in-class assignment Are you ready to celebrate Thanksgiving? Click the link below to see what what it was like to celebrate the First Thanksgiving and explore the perspectives of the English Colonists and the Wampanoag People. http://www.plimoth.org/media/olc/intro.html Click below to hear two letters from a pilgrim child. http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/letters/Mayflower_letter2.htm?eml=OT/e/20121108////Thanksgiving_Letter2//Listen/pilgrim/TNL_Openers//&ym_MID=1447502&ym_rid=11180894 http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/letters/Mayflower_letter3.htm?eml=OT/e/20121115////Thanksgiving_Letter3//Listen/pilgrim/TNL_Openers//&ym_MID=1447530&ym_rid=11180894 Click below to hear two letters from a Wampanoag child. http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/letters/tribe_letter2.htm?eml=OT/e/20121108////Thanksgiving_Letter2//Listen/wampanoag/TNL_Openers//&ym_MID=1447503&ym_rid=11180894 http:

*Parents, this is an in-class assignment Caddo Circle Books Use the information you learned from the Caddo website to create a book about their lives.  http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/kids/caddo/ Circle 1: Mounds of Mystery Write a 3-5 sentence paragraph explaining how the Caddo used soil as a resource for building. Use these vocabulary words in your paragraph: mound, tomb, ritual, basketful, labor . Circle 2: Village Life Draw a Caddo village, including houses, gardens, mounds, and temples. Circle 3: Living in Grass Houses Click on "Step inside a Caddo House." Write a six-line poem describing life in a Caddo house. Circle 4: Caddo Meaning Click on the site below. Write 1-2 sentences to explain what the Caddos call themselves and the meaning of their name. http://www.bigorrin.org/caddo_kids.htm

*Parents, this is an in-class assignment. Today you are going to be virtual archeologists! You will uncover facts about some of the first people in Texas, the Caddos. Tomorrow you will begin your very own book about the Caddo people, so make sure you are active learners today. :) Take turns with your partner to read and explore about the World of the Caddo. Click on all five circles to learn about the lives of the Caddo people. http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/kids/caddo/ Four generations of Caddo families Photo courtesy of Texas Beyond History When you are finished, please leave a comment about your favorite Caddo fact.

Today was filled with food, fun and fall activities! :) We started our day with pumpkin pancakes that we mixed ourselves. We wrote about our pancake process in Language Arts, created story problems about ants and spiders in Math, and made spooky popcorn hands in Science to learn a little hand anatomy! Our parent photographers captured many moments and have already updated our photo site. If you have photos to add, please do so here . :) Thank you to all the wonderful parents who donated supplies, time, or both...we couldn't have done it without you!   Have a safe and happy Halloween! 

Parents: This is an in class assignment :) Select one of the pictures below. In your notebook, write down the number of the picture, the vocabulary word you think it represents, and WHY it means that to you.                                                                                  1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Thanks to those of you who came out, rooted, ran, or supported through positive thoughts! It was a fabulous brisk (ok, really cold for Austin) morning, and we joined the 4,000 who ran for this terrific cause. I personally kept myself going by thinking about the characters -- both Nya and Salva -- and the incredible way the story was brought together by strength and forgiveness. Way to DIG DEEP, SBLC!

Our first Super Star Store was a huge success! Students were able to apply their understanding of our ongoing Classroom Economy Unit. As consumers, they knew that they had three choices: spend, save, or share their money (in the form of a donation to the Gazelle Foundation). Here they are doing some shopping... ...and happily enjoying their purchases!  Our store wouldn't have been nearly as successful without the donations provided by our fabulous parents...thank you! Also, thank you to our A-W-E-S-O-M-E store helpers: Carrie Keith, Kate Scholz, Becky Strandwitz, Luressa Smith, and Carrie Stein...you're the best! Have a wonderful weekend! :)

Our scientists have been busy! We've performed many investigations during our Matter Unit. Here's a glimpse into what we've been up to this week. Combining vinegar... with baking soda... ...and creating carbon dioxide to demonstrate how gas expands! This video captures the excitement I get to see everyday. One of the many reasons I love teaching Science... We also observed matter changing states from a liquid to a solid by making... ...ICE CREAM! That's some seriously delicious learning! :)

*Parents, this is an in-class assignment. Hello, SBLC Super Stars! Today, you are explorers of the four Texas regions. If you get finished--AND your have double checked your work--please make a comment that includes your name and something you enjoyed learning today! Directions : Carefully read below and use the links to investigate the characteristics and history of each region. Remember to write neatly and double check spelling...everything you do deserves your best effort! :) 1. A  sub-region  is a smaller part of a region or area. What are the sub-regions within each Texas region? Look at the picture below to see how to record your findings in your notebook. Now, click here to find your answers:  http://bookbuilder.cast.org/view_print.php?book=41216 2. On the next two pages in your notebook, create a half-page "fact sheet" for each region. Set your pages up first! Use a ruler to make straight lines and create a half page for each region. Then write:

Although we consider ourselves  Super  Stars of the Hollywood sort these days, we've kicked off October like we're rock stars! We've been busy classifying matter in Science, empathizing with kids halfway across the world in Language Arts, and sharpening our rounding skills in Math. What a fabulously busy week! :) Have a wonderful weekend!

*Parents, this is an in-class assignment. :) Hello, citizens of SBLC! Today, you are going on a scavenger hunt with your partner to explore some of the communities you belong to and the heritage of our state. Remember to treat each other the way we agreed in our SBLC Constitution and--this is VERY important-- read the directions under YOUR grade level!  And of course...have fun! :) *2nd Grade: Our Communities Directions : 1. Add Scavenger Hunt to the Table of Contents in your Social Studies Notebook. Turn to the the next clean page to record your answers. 2. Use the link below each question to find your answers. Record your answers in complete sentences! 3. If you finish early, post a comment with your favorite fact. Then, explore the websites to discover other interesting facts. :) Example : (click on the picture to make it bigger) 1. School The SBLC is a part of  _____________ Elementary. Our school was named after ___________ . http://www.kikerpta.org/administratio

Again, another busy, exciting week rushed right on by! We are falling into routines and learning so much each and every day! This week, our town meetings re-emphasized the great message, "including others in our work and play," that Dr. Schneider has talked about in Morning assembly. With that theme in mind, here are a few of the clips we mentioned at Back to School Night. They reflect the togetherness we have as an SBLC family. We are delving deep into our Bluebonnet novels in 3rd and 4th grade, and we have absolutely ADORED Piggie and Gerald books in our 2nd grade fluency study! Next week we get to go teach the Kindergardeners what we've learned and read to them! This week in Science, we learned about what makes a successful team, created teams, and had several opportunities to operate in our teams as we conducted different hands on experiments. Here are some fun glimpses!