TARGET Time

1st Grade - Around the World

This week in TARGET we made our community snack mix.  We compared and contrasted a melting pot soup to a snack mix where everything is combined, but the individual attributes are still there, much like the cultural makeup of our country.  We discussed the following as we made our snack mix: Do the snack mix ingredients get mixed up and become indistinguishable?  Or all they are still separate entities that taste better and are more interesting because they are all mixed together, just like the US? 
We visited the Statue of Liberty where students made a souvenir to commemorate our trip!  Our final stop in NY will be visiting Ellis Island and reading an immigration story called My Name is Yoon next week.  TARGET travelers had their passport photos taken and their bags are packed for our trip to next trip to Vietnam!    

2nd Grade - Cubism

This week in TARGET, 2nd graders previewed the art history section of our Cubism unit by learning about the life and work of Pablo Picasso.  We read his biography and how his artwork changed based on the mood and events of his personal life.  Students began working on a Picasso-style self portrait.  I can't wait to see these finished and painted with watercolors!  
Students are getting to know their Rubik's Cubes and the directional vocabulary needed to solve.  Some students are close to solving the white cross and the white face which are the first two steps to "doing the cube!"  This is going to be a fun challenge to solve as a class!

3rd Grade - Mini-Society

Today in Logictopia, students submitted an idea for a flag design and told the class what the colors and images symbolized.  Next, we explored how money is created and coins are minted.  The students enjoyed learning about this fascinating process as well as the top security measures taken to prevent counterfeit money from circulating.  Kids made a symbol to represent our class currency for Logictopia and generated names for the units.  Students voted anonymously on the symbol (a detailed L) and the unit name (Smartcash).  Students are working on their ideas for a class bill.  Next week, students will finish their currency designs and then we'll have another anonymous vote to determine what our 1, 5, 10, and 20 Smartcash we use in Logictopia.
We're also reading Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill.  Third graders are enjoying this fictional tale of a young entrepreneur who's quite creative and has a strong sense of financial literacy!  

4th Grade - National Parks

4th graders worked on their posters with property recommendations for Mr. Wealthy's two million acres of land to either use the resources for a national park, preserve the land, develop the land, or use the land as a military base.  I shared with students that the land in question was Yellowstone National Park.  We took a virtual field trip to Yellowstone to view the park.  Highlights of our trip were viewing the hot springs, geysers, and all the wild animals, especially the elk and bison.  
Some students began their online journey to be Junior Webrangers.  Students can go to www.nps.org/webrangers to complete virtual park missions and earn badges.  This is a really interesting program and I encourage students to explore it at home!    

5th Grade - Epidemic

The TARGET 5th grade epidemiologists are working feverishly to retrace their efforts and analyze new and old information to help victims of the E. coli outbreak at the Barrow County Fair and prevent other patients from dying of E. coli complications like HUS (hemolytic-uremic syndrome).  Students are drawing conclusions and creating plans to prevent E. coli outbreaks at future fairs.  Next week students will begin their final presentations stating the cause of the outbreak and recommendations for future fairs.  Our unit will conclude as students present their findings on Friday, February 16.  The pressure to synthesize information and save lives is building quickly!