Kiker's Strength-Based Learning Cohort

Some happy kids finding some equivalent fractions!

Surrounded by sunshine and smiles, our second graders spent last Wednesday exploring Westcave Preserve. As we hiked along the trail and I listened to our little thinkers, I realized my favorite part. Not my favorite part of the week...my favorite part of teaching. I love the curiosity, the wonder, and the excitement. Being in the presence of all those minds in action is a sight to behold. With a multitude of things to observe, they were constantly processing and taking it all in. Taken from behind the waterfall in the grotto After a lengthy hike through a riparian woodland habitat (ask your second grader what that means!), we arrived at a lush grotto filled with greenery, a waterfall, and a cave.  Departing the grotto I was incredibly proud--but not the least bit surprised--of how well we listened to both the environment around us as well as our guides. We asked some great questions and made hypotheses about the ecosystem we explored. We even got a mini-lesson about aquifer...

Awesome Science Fair Projects! Each student did a great job doing research, experiments, and presenting to the class. Thank you parents for your support and helping your child at home complete their projects. We all loved hearing about new and interesting things!

Wow! The new year, a fresh start... I wanted to tell you a personal favorite of mine from the week (Jewellyn). Jennifer and Kim will add their favorite of the week in upcoming blogs. It has been the thinking. The discussion. The engagement with text and topics that are hard to wrap our minds around. It's the questions and the aha moments I saw and heard. It never ceases to amaze me the power of books. It opens the WORLD like no other means of communication. It touches souls and minds in an extremely personal and unique way. Yes, I am picky about what's read to the kids. Yes, I pick the best. But the impact is WELL worth the search for that perfect read aloud to create the experience of LEARNING something new. The kids blew me away with how they were willing to grapple with not having instant answers. They had to think about perspectives outside their own, outside their experiences, outside their setting and time. With DEPTH. They reflected on what had been read befo...

We have been hard at work! Our theme and focus is on PROBLEM SOLVING and going DEEP into our thinking about our learning. This week we have read several books about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the movement for equality. Several of our read aloud books have been examples of how children have made a difference and influenced others to treat everyone equally. We have examined how authors have selected the examples to relay a message of inspiration and to show how yes, even kids can accomplish great things. We learned a great deal from Dr. King's biography written by his sister, Christine King, and compared how her perspective was dramatically different from any other author due to the fact that she lived and grew up with him. In addition, we have been working on writing expository text. We've discussed the importance of this kind of writing (we asked them the last time they saw you write a fairy tale vs. a report for work). We will be DELVING into writing full force in th...