Hey, Hey the Gang's All Here..

It is nice to be back in class and I was happy to see everyone.  It sounds like they had a fun winter break.  Today they were focused, hard working and I think a little more independent than I have seen.  Either Piaget is right and we hit a few developmental milestones or distance makes the heart grow fonder.  Perhaps it is a bit of both.  Regardless, today was a good work day.

We started our day sharing something we did over break to "feed our soul;" for me it was painting.  The kids vacationed away, received special presents, enjoyed seeing cousins they don't get to see often and spent time with family and friends.  Next, they worked on their math problem solving skills with TOPS Math.

In the computer lab, they worked on formatting their Microsoft Excel graph that we began before break.  Their data came from our snowman card exchange. Below are examples of graphs the students made.  They also continued to explore the features of Power Point.  Today, they learned to format backgrounds for template options and to select and insert graphics from the clip art galleries.

 Frankie's graph

Luke's graph

After lunch we discussed the importance of goal setting, how to make a specific, relevant and reasonable goals, and what we can do to achieve our goals.  The students began this process by setting a goal related to their SAGE work.  In the weeks ahead, we will refine their goals and begin tracking their progress.  Ask your child about his or her individual goal.

Next, we discussed the spectrum labels used to identify an animal species' status:

• extinct
• extinct in the wild
• critically endangered
• endangered
• threatened
• nearly threatened
• vulnerable
• least or lesser concern

For the purposes of our research unit, the students will be choosing an animal that is endangered or critically endangered.  We are using www.arkive.org to determine an animal's status.  Several asked for the link so they can explore the animal lists and check on animals they are interested in studying.  They will make their final choice next week and begin gathering information on it.  (***As this is the first real research most of them have done, I want to avoid obscure animals and those on which little has been published.)

We ended our day with our Spanish instruction with Senora Gates.

They should be proud of their efforts today!