Kiker's Strength-Based Learning Cohort

Math Mania Monday!! We had a great time focusing on all things math-related! We began our day by identifying and sharing important numbers in our lives (birth dates, how many people in our family, how many pets we have, etc). In Mrs. Forrest's block, we discovered a very wise little girl who tricked a king with mathematical doubling. She asked for a single grain of rice the first day, and then double each amount on consecutive 30 days rather than a lump amount. She ended up with rice in the billions! We investigated how much we'd get if we got a quarter a day, doubled each day, for the 12 days of Christmas...my advice to you: DON'T AGREE! ;) In Ms. Reiman's block we explored with geoboards and played different math games to practice the skills we've learned so far. On Tuesday we solved Thanksgiving story problems and worked on   Thanksgiving turkey trot math problems. In Mrs. Blake's class, we played a few rounds of Buzz, one of our favorite m...

It's a wrap on another busy week.  Fourth Grade rocked the house with their amazing 3 performances! We are so proud of their hard work! In reading, Second Grade have continued their comparing/contrasting with two books about a character who wants to adopt a pet. We've been hard at work with our spelling, word building, and using word patterns to help us with a variety of words. All grade levels learned Mountain Language, a way to practice and actively apply grammar skills. We also completed an example of a homonym routine that we are incorporating in our new writing rotations. Third Grade closely examined A Long Walk to Water using all the Bloom's Taxonomy Levels. They were blown away by how deeply with their thinking they can go, especially using evaluation, synthesis, and analysis.  Fourth Grade has been hard at work with expository writing. They penned a piece for administrators to read which explained how our "lunch families" works to ma...

Hello, scientists! When you are finished with your Energy Comic Strip, use the links below to learn more about energy. 2nd grade Part II: Light and Shadows http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/science/physical_processes/light_shadows/play/popup.shtml Part III: Watt's That, Jr. http://energyquest.ca.gov/wattsthat_junior/power/index.html 3rd grade Part I: Geothermal http://energy4me.org/all-about-energy/what-is-energy/energy-sources/geothermal/ Part II: Tiki the Penguin-Energy http://tiki.oneworld.net/energy/energy8.html Part III: Types of Energy http://c03.apogee.net/contentplayer/?coursetype=kids&utilityid=demo&id=16168 Part IV: What is Sound? http://www.sciencekidsathome.com/science_topics/what_is_sound.html 4th grade Part 1: Forms of Energy http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/aqa_pre_2011/energy/heatrev4.shtml Part II: Energy Transfer-- Click  Choose a Topic , then click  Energy https://acswebcontent.acs.org/scienceforkids/inde...

This week we have had some exciting assemblies. On Tuesday, Keynotes led us in a fabulous tribute to our heroes -- Veterans. On Thursday, we heard from 5th Graders running for Student Council positions and participated in the democratic process by voting. We've been working on ways to improve our 3,2,1 responses by first focusing on writing and developing good questions. We will be moving on to how to elaborate and explain our learning more thoroughly as well. In reading and language arts, Second Grade has been working on summarizing and comparing and contrasting. We enjoyed Drew Dewalt's The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home.  We've been working hard in our spelling and word work groups in order to give us a strong base in writing. Third Grade has continued their journey with Salva in A Long Walk to Water.  We've delved deep with inference and using evidence to predict our character's next steps, and seen how every bit of the story has g...

We have had a wonderful first week of November! Our classes have been actively creating opportunities to be leaders in making Kiker a positive place where kids are treated with kindness, dignity, and respect. In project time, we developed a plan for the cafeteria. We admitted that there was a problem with noise and opportunity for unkind words during this time -- the first step. Next, we brainstormed ways to use our time more positively and productively. We also are taking advantage of our multiage component -- we have trios of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders -- "families" that sit together at tables. With our families, we either play a cooperative game, doodle, or draw. We are number one having fun, but the results are a quieter space, more chance to meet others, and good communication skills practice. We hope to see this become successful so that we can share with others at Kiker. We'd love this to make our cafeteria a nicer place to eat AND promote kindness. We wrapped...

Howdy, cowboys and cowgirls! First, read a little bit about the history of cowboys here: http://www.ducksters.com/history/westward_expansion/cowboys.php Make sure to pay extra-close attention to the Clothing section to learn about cowboy boots. Next, leave a comment with your partner sharing your two favorite facts. Then use the links below to view how some cowboy boots are made and observe various boot designs to get ideas for your own custom boot! Pay attention to patterns, colors, and objects that you think best represent Texas. https://www.lucchese.com/process/  *Watch the video titled: LUCCHESE PRESENTS THE MAKING OF THE SHERIDAN (second one down on right side of page) https://www.caboots.com/cart/cowboy_boots/inlay_and_retro_designs/ http://www.paulbondboots.com/collections/boot-of-the-month Finally, begin your own design on the next clean page in your notebook! Your boot must have at least two Texas symbols in the design, but you can be creative with how you...

These are a few links that will help you prepare for your interview! https://www.nbclearn.com/writers-speak-to-kids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eOynrI2eTM http://www.scholastic.com/browse/collection.jsp?id=843 http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/how-conduct-interview Feel free to look up others to get you ready!