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Week 18 (Semester 2, week 1)

G3 Math
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."
 
GK–3 Makerspace
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.
 
G4–8 Makerspace
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.)
 
G4–5 Social and Emotional Learning
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.

Week 13

G3 Math
Students created rebus word puzzles and multiplication word problems of their own. Students practiced multiplying by a multiple of 10 (e.g., 90 x 30 = 2700 or 33 x 80 = 240 + 2400 = 2640) up through Ch4, Lesson 5. We will continue with Ch4, Lesson 6 when we return from break.
 
GK–2 Makerspace
Students studied dolphin anatomy and discussed how they sleep. We also reviewed the six simple machines and tried to find examples of them in our materials/classroom.
 
G3–4 Makerspace
Collaboration was key as some or all of the following were accomplished in small groups: building marble runs, forts, cars to ride on, a working snap circuit, courses for robots/hexbugs
 
G5–8 Makerspace
Students completed or have almost completed their Micro:bit pet prototypes.