Kiker's Strength-Based Learning Cohort

Use the resources below to gather information for your project. Remember to take good notes! Third Grade Water Sense http://www.epa.gov/watersense/kids/index.html National Drought Mitigation Center http://drought.unl.edu/droughtforkids.aspx Texas Drought Information http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/response/drought

We had another fast week that wrapped up another fantastic month! The end of April brought the opportunity to share monthly homework and our students have become PowerPoint pros! They did an excellent job presenting both their slideshows and their journals. Reading and Writing This week we worked hard yet again! In second grade, our character, Mike, struggles with feeling confident and sticking with things that are tough. We saw, however, how he solved a riddle...and tried it ourselves! By listening and following directions, "I learned how to make a hole big enough in a piece of paper to walk through!" Nate explained. We even wrote our own "How To..." story about it so others could do it themselves! Third Grade has passed through an emotional change in Billie Jo's life. She now has challenges from her burned hands that have brought a new meaning to facing an already tough life in the Dust Bowl. We were astonished to see how Karen Hesse used facts that we...

Welcome, SBLC Ecologists! Click on the links below to learn more about organisms and their environments. Remember to read thoroughly. Third Grade Part 1: Savanna http://www.ducksters.com/science/ecosystems/savanna_biome.php Part 2: Tropical Oceans http://www.mbgnet.net/salt/coral/indexfr.htm Part 3: Tundra http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/tundra/index.htm After you learn about the three biomes above, please leave a comment stating which biome is your favorite and why. Fourth Grade Part 1: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/foodchain/glossary.shtml Part 2: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/games/producersconsumersgame.htm Part 3: http://www.eduweb.com/portfolio/earthsystems/food/foodweb4.html After you finish, leave a comment answering this question : What other environmental changes or events could cause an organism's population to increase or decrease?

After a full and focused week, we spent some project time playing board games with our homeroom classmates.  In addition to having fun, it was a great way to practice our accountable talk and teambuilding skills.  Reading and Language Arts Third and Fourth Grade gave 110% this week on their STAAR Tests, and we couldn't be prouder of the work they did. As Cooper S. stated, "I discovered there were many ways NOT to be nervous during STAAR." Fully prepared, fully capable! We continued our center work in writing, and our novel units. Second and Third Grade read a Bluebonnet 2015-16 nominee,   The Great American Dust Bowl -- and discovered that farmers and ranchers moving out west and creating lives not only was extremely hard, but that THEY actually had a hand in changing the landscape so that the dust (soil) was bare for the storms to kick up easily. They were shocked to learn, "In the Dust Bowl there was a big drought for a long time a...

We're halfway through April but ALL the way into learning!  Science & Social Studies We completed our space unit this week. We continued our understanding of Earth's movements and patterns. Sophia explained, "We were able to identify sky patterns like seasons, day and night, and years. These patterns happen because the earth revolves and rotates." We also studied the moon's patterns. Second graders learned about the appearance of the moon. Kate said, "I discovered that the moon is waxing when it gets bigger and waning when it gets smaller." Third graders deepened their understanding of the moon's phases and cycle. "I learned that we always see the same side of the moon because of how fast the moon rotates," Ronak explained. Fourth graders made the connection between the moon and our oceans. Dylan reflected, "I learned that the Earth bulges as the sides from the moon and sun’s gravity, creating high and low ...