Kiker's Strength-Based Learning Cohort

Hello, SBLC Citizens! Use the links below to uncover information about the Austin and Texas. Record your findings in complete sentences in your Social Studies Notebook. Some answers may be on the surface and some may be a bit deeper...good luck! Answer questions 1-2 with this link: http://www.austinlibrary.com/ahc/faq1.htm 1. What was the original name of the city of Austin? 2. On what date did Austin officially become the capital of Texas? Answer questions 3-5 with this link: http://www.senate.state.tx.us/kids/matching.htm 3. What is the State Fruit? 4. Draw a picture of the State Flower and label with its name. 5. What is the State Insect? Answer questions 6-8 with this link: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/texas/ 6. Name two of the major industries/businesses in Texas. 7. Which Presidents were born in Texas? 8. What are the State Mammals of Texas? Answer questions 9-11 with this link: http://www.senate.state.tx.us/Kids/Trivia.htm 9. What...

Observe the images below. Compare and describe what is similar or the same and contrast to describe what is different. Now, use the Double Bubble strategy we practiced for the images below.      

It's been a MIND FULL week of learning and growing our brains! In project, we put the final touches on our draft/critique/feedback presentations for display. We also had the chance to create a product of our choosing to show what we now know about our brain structure and function. Coloring and cutting... Mentors older... and mentors younger... All put on their thinking hats!! Second Grade readers and writers have been hard at work on summarizing narrative text via a new mnemonic, CSERT. We have found that using this system (character, setting, experience/struggle, resolution, and theme/lesson) helps us differentiate between the main idea and details when we are summarizing. We are also starting analyzing our characters. We've been developing seed ideas and creating narratives, as well as keeping up with our building words and spelling centers! Third Grade has jumped in to analyzing poetry in duo with our book, Long Walk to Water. We've been ...

Use the link below to explore characteristics and properties of matter. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/7_8/characteristics_materials.shtml

Our first full month together has come to a close and it's been fun to see how much progress we've already made!  This week in Project Block, we continued our critique and feedback activity inspired by Austin's Butterfly . We had the opportunity to provide and receive feedback after each of our drafts, which really allowed for us fine-tune our drawings! After seeing their drafts (and progress) in succession, our mindful artists felt prideful and empowered...and rightfully so! They gave commendable effort in both their drawings and feedback.   Our scientists have spent the week observing, describing, and measuring matter. Third grade enjoyed a round of Mystery Matter, creating riddles for each other to solve by describing properties of various objects in the classroom. Both third and fourth graders used their knowledge of science tools to measure and describe solids and liquids. Fourth graders identified two different ways to measure volume o...

http://www.nyu.edu/pages/mathmol/textbook/weightvmass.html

Our project this week has been a study of how to give and receive feedback.  We discussed how effective critique is kind, specific, and helpful.  Then we practiced giving this kind of feedback to each other.  We also noticed how it feels to receive feedback and were mindful of our positive self-talk.   We used photographs of United States and Austin landmarks as part of this feedback process. Each student chose an image, then created a first draft.  Next week we'll use our peer feedback to improve on our first draft.  While we're using art to better understand the critique and revision process, we're making the connection that lots of worthwhile work is a process that takes time and often multiple drafts.   We've also noticed that we're most proud of ourselves when we demonstrate effort and persistence to accomplish a task that was tricky at first.  Here are SBLC teammates working on a fun spatial reasoning challenge tha...