Kiker's Strength-Based Learning Cohort

This week has been full of wonderful things! The weather has cooled off, we are starting to feel "Texas fall." In project we have learned that our senses are constantly on the move...however, our RAS (reticular activating system) acts like a filter/strainer, only letting our attention focus on some of those signals. We have active control over it -- we can choose what to focus on. We've taken sensory walks to show how, even though we have "seen" certain things many times, when we are asked to focus our attention (i.e. find orange things), suddenly everywhere we look we find those particular things. In Second Grade reading, we have been working on a Kevin Henkes author study in tangent with summarization. They have learned CSERT to assist them in separating the details from the main idea. We've been working on writing those correctly, with complete sentences, paragraph form, and proper letter form in writing. Third has been reading their novel, A Long ...

Hi, fourth graders! Use the links below to learn more about the influence of these Hispanic Texans. Adina de Zavala https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fzafg  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adina_Emilia_De_Zavala Lorenzo de Zavala https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fza05 https://www.tsl.texas.gov/treasures/giants/zavala-01.html Henry B. Gonzalez https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_B._Gonzalez https://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/congress/gonzalez.html Lydia Mendoza https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydia_Mendoza http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127033025 Jose Antonio Navarro http://www.visitcasanavarro.com/index.aspx?page=978 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Antonio_Navarro Juan Antonio Padilla https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fpa06 http://www.britannica.com/biography/Juan-Padilla Juan N. Seguin http://www.britannica.com/biography/Juan-Seguin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

Ending our week with a little rain puts us in a fall mode! Not to mention a shopping mode! Thanks to all the volunteers who worked tirelessly to put on a fantastic SBLC Store. Our kids enjoy the authentic experience of earning a salary and then getting to spend (or save) it! Thanks to all who made donations -- we LOVED the selection! Report cards are heading home today...please sign and return those envelopes! Thank you! Looking towards the next week quickly, remember that MONTHLY HOMEWORK is due on Friday the 30th. Don't forget to join us at the FUN RUN on Saturday the 31st as well! No costumes at school Friday, but they are allowed if they are comfortable and appropriate for the Fun Run on Saturday. In reading, all grade levels have been working on paraphrasing and summarizing text. We've been taught to focus on the character and not get too lost with events...there is one main struggle that all the events tie into. Finding that and using that as a fo...

This week, we have focused on a variety of mindful practices. Learning techniques of breathing that either energize or calm. brainstorming what actions mindful people show, and looking for role models of mindfulness that we might follow. We've been sharing ways together where we have used our mindful strategies, and they are fabulous sharers, learning from one another. Today we are bringing home our portfolios, our notebooks full of wonderful work we are eager to share. Instructions are in our agendas. Enjoy, and please make sure the notebooks come back to school on Monday. In reading, Second Grade has begun an author study of Mo Willems. We are looking at his writing style, themes in books, and contrasting and comparing his work. We also started a series, Knuffle Bunny, where we are analyzing the main character, Trixie, and the changes she undergoes through the three books. We are still learning to refine our summaries and distinguishing main idea from detail. Word Work ac...

Hi, Scientists! Use the links below to learn more about properties of matter. When you are finished, leave a comment below stating something that you learned. Be sure to check for spelling, punctuation, and capitals! Third Grade http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/7_8/magnets_springs.shtml Fourth Grade http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/7_8/magnets_springs.shtml Second Grade http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/7_8/characteristics_materials.shtml

We enjoyed today's Track and Field events! It was fun to wear our new shirts, but more importantly, we had a lot of neat opportunities to problem solve, work as a team, and show great sportsmanship! Thanks for all those who helped out in making today a success -- this is a memory they will treasure! In project, we continue to build on our knowledge of the brain, and the connection with our body. We have discussed using different breathing to calm, energize or re-set ourselves in different situations. We also covered some important Cybersafety in order to get started using our technology regularly. In reading, Second Grade has been working hard on learning to summarize. We also have been working on analyzing characters and providing evidence from the text that gave us our thinking. The writing focus has been on letter form and substance. We also started three new routines for our Word Work: Snap and Clap, Rhyme and Read, a...