We started Chapter 5, Division this week, which students understand is "backwards multiplication." We have been breaking larger numbers up before dividing them and adding quotients together--to divide in our heads. Students are getting better at "mental math."

 

Fungi (pronounced two ways) or funguses are neither plants or animals. We watched an interesting video about mushrooms and labeled a mushroom diagram. I've discovered a student in first grade who is a mushroom expert.

 

We set 2nd semester goals and I learned more about students' specific STEM interests and how they might connect to their overarching aspirations. Then students completed a spaghetti-tape-marshmallow challenge to deal with failing and adjusting and failing and adjusting and lots of collaboration. (Everyone got a reward in the end.)

 

Students shared what they did over break. I have started talking about how powerful people become when they understand how their words affect other people's thinking and feelings.