Kiker's Strength-Based Learning Cohort

Who knew the middle of May would be so busy!? We began our week wrapping up and sharing the culminating activities from each of our project groups. We took time to reflect on our own work, and we also had a chance to view and compliment others' hard work. In reading, we are moving through our novels, with hopes of getting to the end before school is over! Third Grade is anxiously watching Peter in Pax, and Fourth is watching WWII unfold through Leon's eyes. Second graders have honed in on fiction response and summarization. All three grade levels have been composing either expository or narratives this week. Third Grade ended the week with our Vocabulary Parade! We selected words and dressed up to share the meaning of the word -- all of Kiker turned out in the hallways to watch! Our annual spring Book Fair was held this week, and we are so grateful to see all our students so excited about buying BOOKS! Thanks so much for the generosity of each on...

This week we have been finishing the last of our end of year assessments. 3rd and 4th took STAAR math and reading on Monday and Tuesday. They have also completed a reading fluency assessment with Mrs. Forrest as well. We are proud of them! We are finishing up our products in project, and will be sharing them with one another next week. It's been great learning so much about our world and how to care for it! In language arts, Second has been working on nonfiction summarization. We are learning to focus on the main idea rather than retell. They are also drafting a narrative for completion next week. Third Grade have completed narratives, and are finalizing an expository draft. Our book, PAX , has us mesmerized. We are following the two characters closely as they help each other. Fourth Grade worked on using a specific literary device in a third person narrative. It's exciting to see them craft using point of view, suspense, slowing time...and they are discovering mor...

Click the link below and read to learn more in the Butterfly Q&A. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/exhibits/always-on-display/butterfly-rainforest/butterfly-qa/ photo courtesy of Florida Museum of Natural History When you are finished, click the link below, then click Butterfly Life Cycle. http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks1/science/hamshall/life_cycles/images/lifecycleflash.swf

We began our last rotation of our environmental awareness project this week. Armed with prior knowledge from our previous project weeks, we dove right in to our final leg. We are building a portfolio to present to audiences in the coming weeks. It's exciting to see our learning in action...we've been watching our water usage, talking with others about our concerns and what we've learned, and most importantly, asking questions. Questions which can become beginnings for change. Second Grade took their End of Year Benchmark this week, eager to put their strategies into action. We've been brushing up on homonym and more summarization in both nonfiction and fiction. Third and Fourth have been hard at work drafting both narrative and expository texts, preparing them for presentation on Friday. We are learning grit and determination as we work through multiple drafts before saying, "I'm done." In math this week 4th graders had fun playing Jeopardy to review f...

Hello, biologists! Learn more about adaptations by visiting the sites below: http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hmsc/activities/simulations/gr3/unitb.html http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hmsc/activities/simulations/gr3/unitc.html http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hmsc/activities/simulations/gr6/unitb.html http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/animalneeds/animals.swf