5th grader, Laine, and 4th grader ,Claire
Ham was one of the first space explorers. As a chimpanzee, he provided data from his space travel that led to manned-space flight. The Ham Award is given to a student who exhibits above-and-beyond action in TAG class.
FIFTH GRADERS met on Tuesday and tackled their first team problem to solve: assemble a Water Tower. Check the 5th grade page here on the website for pictures on the action. I'm so proud to see how they worked together, solved problems, fixed mistakes, and completed the assembly. They commented on the pride they felt in their accomplishment. The students also planted seeds - eggplant, cherry tomatoes, beef steak tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and basil. In a few weeks after the seeds sprouts, the students will transplant the small plants to the water tower. Question for you: Will we need to expose those plants to bees (for pollination purposes) in order to get the vegetables (not just greens) to grow? Fulton County Schools is piloting a new Progress Skills Checklist for TAG students at the elementary level, and we are one of the pilot schools The fifth graders got their first look at the new checklist this week. They will be documenting their mastery of each objective as we go through the year. Here's an example of an objective: "I supported and defended my opinions while respecting the opinions of others". The students will each be responsible for stating how they met that objective, with specific examples. I think this will be a fantastic way for students to become more responsible for mastering TAG learning objectives. A Progress Skills Checklist will come home at the end of each unit. | FOURTH GRADERS met on Thursday. They began with a "See, Think, Wonder" with two different models of the solar system. They are keen observers and have many things they are wondering about regarding our solar system. They added a new word to their vocabulary - "quadrillion" - as they explored the expanse of the universe in miles. Students have some insightful discussions as they read articles about the use of animals in space research and then discussed the information using the "Six Thinking Hats Strategy." In this strategy, students are assigned various colors. Each color approaches the textual information from a different point of view. White hat - Just the facts Yellow - the sunny view, all the good things Black - the problems, things that could go wrong Green - alternatives that could have been better Red - feelings, emotional approach Blue - put it all together Here is some of their "six hats" thinking" |