Kiker's Strength-Based Learning Cohort

Happy Friday! We have been hard at work, settling into our routines. In Language Arts, we've been constructing letters, learning multi-paragraph structure and how to elaborate our main ideas with specific details (You've probably received this already!). We've been digging into our library to find those Just Right books, building our stamina, and monitoring our engagement with our characters. We've explored several books about United States Flag and Anthem, the Constitution, and our Pledge of Allegiance. We analyzed the meaning of the words, the symbolism, and the document's contents. We examined the SAY (What they are/what we see), the MEAN (the meaning behind, the meaning )of, the sacrifice and thought put into them) and the MATTER (Why this is important). We are learning our history not just to check off boxes, but so that we can move forward as active citizens, in mutual respect, investing in our country's founding beliefs into our future. In math, w...

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Thanks for coming to Tuesday's Back to School Night!  We loved seeing everyone together and sharing our passion for this year's Studio SBLC.  If you haven't yet paid enrichment fees online or via check, please do so ASAP so we can order this year's t-shirts. This week the SBLC began a new design project...our outdoor space! After seeing the possibilities come to life inside, the kids are making plans for re-landscaping zones outdoors to make them more learning centered and user-friendly. We needed to hone our map making skills (which works perfectly with math, social studies, and research TEKS)... We applied our knowledge of measurement and used scale to convert our feet to inches in order to create an accurate representation of Mrs. Forrest's side of the Studio. BIG work!   In ELA, we read about landscape architects and designers while refreshing our memory of nonfiction text and text features. We also quickly reviewed some routines for spelling so that w...

Cursive Writing  Use the link above for cursive writing practice at home and during soft start. :)

Our week has been filled with celebration and reflection! The three of us want to express our gratitude for each and every one of you and the contributions you have offered to our SBLC family. We truly have enjoyed every minute of this year. Thank you for all the ongoing support and encouragement. We couldn't have done it without you! We are all excited for the time to relax and recharge this summer.  Thanks for your generous gift - we're all looking forward to some quality time at Travaasa!   Happy summer! Your SBLC coaches   

This week's focus was growth mindset. It was a great review of how to grow our brains and have a positive outlook on mistakes and challenge. In the English Language Arts portion of the “Changemaker Project,” students researched using technology or family interviews. They selected 5 people from their heritage that made contributions in some way to our world. After fact finding, they discerned a precise verb for the action in their story. Using the pattern from the mentor text, So Our Children Can Soar by Michelle Cook, they developed a pattern story in chronological order which portrays each person and their contributions, and how those contributions led to others’ actions in making change in our world. Their pieces end with application to their lives as they illustrated their passion and how they will make change in the future. In the math portion of the “Changemaker” project, students used literary nonfiction and online sources to research famous mathematical changemakers....

This week began with our Third and Fourth Graders showing their hard work during the STAAR reading and math tests. We are so proud of their dedication to their learning all year long, and know that they felt well prepared! This week we've switched focus to our Changemaker Projects. In reading, we have been finding facts about influential people in our heritage that have made our lives possible today. We are creating individual books to celebrate those people, and to show how chronologically they have affected change in our present time. We also have a page that illustrates what/how WE will be changemakers through our lives. It's been exciting to find so many interesting people in our history! In math we've taken some time to make more connections between all of the concepts we studied through the year and how they apply beyond the walls of our classroom.  We're creating a series of posters that will grow as we make more connections these next few weeks.  We're a...