Jumping into Second Semester

It is nice to be back in class!  The students came in excited and energetic this morning.  It sounds like they had a fun winter break.  Today they were focused and hard working.

We started our day sharing something we did over break to "feed our soul;" for me it was painting.  The kids shared about receiving special presents, enjoyed seeing cousins they don't get to see often and spent time with family and friends.  

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.)


The students were introduced to the North Kansas City Online Resources.  In the computer lab, they worked to cross-reference our list of endangered animals to be sure we have a Seachasaurus article available for each animal species.  The did a great job!

After lunch the students worked in their individual Exploratory areas.  Ask your child about their progress.

Next, 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 choosing an area of focus for a goal related to their SAGE work.  In the weeks ahead, we will write and refine their goals and begin tracking their progress.  Ask your child about his or her individual goal ideas.

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