We had a short, but sweet week in High Ability. We took a slight break from our regular lessons to focus on Thanksgiving fun. Stealing the idea of another HA instructor, the students took a minute each day to write on a leaf, something they were thankful for. Many wrote something each day and it was nice to see the things they are thankful for.
Our LifeSkill focus for the week was initiative. This one is so very true for me! I just need to get started and then I'm off.
- The hardest thing to get is going.
- A journey of a thousand miles begin with a single step.
- Just Do It!
A lot of our Thanksgiving activities this week could be used across the different grade levels. You'll see that as you read below.
We only met one day for math this week. For my fourth and first graders next week will be only one day again due to the early release on December 4th.
Looking ahead to December, it is truly going to fly by. Don't blink or you'll miss it! Only ten days of HA!!! Yikes.
Week of:
- December 1st-4th-Early release day on Thursday the 4th
- December 8th-11th-regular full week, whooohoooo!!!!
- December 15th-18th-no HA on Monday or Tuesday because I will be in Indy at a High Ability Conference.
- December 22nd-January 2nd-Winter Recess
Fourth Grade LA:
We did a really neat Thanksgiving lesson on the SmartBoard. We started off with an educational video about the first Thanksgiving which showed live reenactments of the tools they used, the houses they lived in, how they gardened, etc. Then the students had to match up the vocabulary with their terms where students had to physically move them into place. We wrote on the board what we were thankful for, then played a Jeopardy-like game to review what we learned. We also squeezed in a game of "I have . . . who has?" which was centered around Thanksgiving.
Great interactive learning with technology!
Fourth Grade Math:
This group was given a new Thanksgiving logic problem to work on. We stopped where we currently were in our logic problems to do this one. Just when I think I've found a challenging one for them . . . they go and solve it in a day! Not just one logic problem, but two! Hats off to this group; I'm impressed! I hope to wrap up our logic unit next week
This group was given a new Thanksgiving logic problem to work on. We stopped where we currently were in our logic problems to do this one. Just when I think I've found a challenging one for them . . . they go and solve it in a day! Not just one logic problem, but two! Hats off to this group; I'm impressed! I hope to wrap up our logic unit next week
Second Grade LA:
We did a Thanksgiving themed mad lib to keep with the parts of speech study. This group really got into it! I sorted them using "button buddies" which for many we'd never done. I could hear them explain the parts of speech to their partner if they didn't know what an adjective was. I also heard a lot of laughter as they read their paragraphs back to each other. We finished up with a Thanksgiving themed game of "I have . . . .who has . . . " It's just like the math one we played with money except this time they called out Thanksgiving clues. It was challenging, but fun nonetheless! Oh, and we couldn't forget Edward. We continued to read a little each day, so we're way past our lessons. It's simply not a book you can just stop in the middle of. They'll be fine when we jump back to work on them, just so they keep on reading.
Second Grade Math:
We did an activity from Kagen called Fan and Pick. Students took turns pulling from a deck of task cards that each had different money amounts on it. They each had a job to do, so everyone is engaged and learning. It was great for review. We also took time to do the Thanksgiving themed Jeopardy game which they enjoyed!
We did an activity from Kagen called Fan and Pick. Students took turns pulling from a deck of task cards that each had different money amounts on it. They each had a job to do, so everyone is engaged and learning. It was great for review. We also took time to do the Thanksgiving themed Jeopardy game which they enjoyed!
Third Grade LA:
We started by playing, "Would you rather . . ." It was Thanksgiving themed where they were given two choices. For example, would you rather get to lead the Thanksgiving Day Parade or get to eat Thanksgiving dinner in the White House with the president? There were SO many others and many were difficult for them to decide on. Ask them to tell you a few. We had a good laugh and kept it going with Thanksgiving themed Mad Libs. Usually the group will laugh out loud while reading the funny/mixed up stories at the end, but this group was giggly going into it. They even laughed when asked to give them a noun. It was contagious and we had a lot of fun. We also played a Thanksgiving Trivia game where we learned many interesting facts, ask them to share one they learned.
Third Grade Math:
This group totaled up their shopping list for a large family Thanksgiving. They had to figure out the total per pound for some items and then give a grand total. I only had one group with the correct answer. That left time for "Would you rather?" It's a series of crazy Thanksgiving dilemmas they have to think about. For example, would you rather wash your hair with mashed potatoes or take a bath in gravy? They continue to work hard on their math facts and even though I hadn't planned on giving a test, they asked for one!
This group totaled up their shopping list for a large family Thanksgiving. They had to figure out the total per pound for some items and then give a grand total. I only had one group with the correct answer. That left time for "Would you rather?" It's a series of crazy Thanksgiving dilemmas they have to think about. For example, would you rather wash your hair with mashed potatoes or take a bath in gravy? They continue to work hard on their math facts and even though I hadn't planned on giving a test, they asked for one!
First Grade LA:
We did a Thanksgiving ABC where they had to come up with something they were thankful for that began with each of the letters of the alphabet. It really got them thinking and they even had multiple ones on certain letters. This group also played, "Would you rather?" It was fun to see their thought process when deciding. For example, would you rather not be allowed to talk during Thanksgiving dinner or not be allowed to have a dessert on Thanksgiving? Let's just say that many dinners would be very quiet if this were the case
. . . mine included! With a small group of three we played a Thanksgiving Jeopardy game. They really did learn a lot of good facts in their classrooms which they remembered, but many new ones were discovered too.
We also fit in "I have . . .
who has . . . ? Have them explain what this is.
We did a Thanksgiving ABC where they had to come up with something they were thankful for that began with each of the letters of the alphabet. It really got them thinking and they even had multiple ones on certain letters. This group also played, "Would you rather?" It was fun to see their thought process when deciding. For example, would you rather not be allowed to talk during Thanksgiving dinner or not be allowed to have a dessert on Thanksgiving? Let's just say that many dinners would be very quiet if this were the case
. . . mine included! With a small group of three we played a Thanksgiving Jeopardy game. They really did learn a lot of good facts in their classrooms which they remembered, but many new ones were discovered too.We also fit in "I have . . .
who has . . . ? Have them explain what this is.
First Grade Math:
I sent home the Addition Gobble Bump game for you to play with your child. They had their Thanksgiving Feast during our time, so we didn't get a chance to play it. The directions were also included. All you need are three dice and 10 markers each to use. Enjoy!
For All:
For All:
Are you looking forward to Thanksgiving as much as I am? I hope you enjoy your time with your family and if you're traveling, be safe.
Yours in education,
Mrs. Koedyker
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