Mrs. Picardi's Brain Busters

Marvelous May

It is hard to believe that school is almost over for the year!  We are working hard to complete our units and wind things up for the year.  If you have noticed boxes in our rooms it is because we are packing furiously in order for our rooms to be ready for a fresh coat of paint.

Fifth Grade

          We are very excited about the shark dissection.  The students are studying hard to pass the three tests required in order to dissect.  The big day is May 14, with a rain date on May 16.  Thanks in advance to the parents who have volunteered to help with the dissection.  This activity will end the year with great excitement.

Fourth Grade

          The children have been working hard on programming the tankbots.  They are well prepared for the beginning of next year.  Thanks to the PTA and the After School Program for donating money for the NXT Robotic Kits.  This will certainly help us for competition. 

Third Grade

          We have learned so much about money, careers and banking.  Exploring the careers has shown the students a wide range of possibilities for the future.  Thanks to the parents who have volunteered their time to tell us about their career. 

Second Grade

          The Second Grade has been pleasantly surprised about what they have discovered about Dr. Suess and Snakes.  They have enjoyed learning how to do a Power Point presentations.

First Grade

          The First Grade has really taken off and we are very impressed with their ability to think logically.  They have discovered many multiple intelligences in our Stepping into Target Unit.  We have enjoyed comparing and contrasting Cinderella stories from around the world.  We have used the stories to write sensory poems, discover elements of a story and to learn about measurement.

April Showers Bring Target News

          Spring Break was a much needed time away form the Mountain.  Now that we are rested and back into the swing of things, we are buckling down to some exciting events.

Fifth Grade

          The Cumberland Island Trip was a lifetime memory for the Fifth Grade students and the parents who attended.  The weather was perfect and the excitement of learning new things in a hands on manner was tremendous. 

          We have started the Predators of the Aquatic Biome Unit.  The students have researched sharks and are learning habitats and differences between sharks and fish.  We will study the body parts of the sharks beginning this week.  The students will be given three tests that they must pass in order to participate in the dissection of the sharks.  We will thoroughly go over all material on which they will be tested.

Fourth Grade

          The Fourth Grade students love the unit on Robotics.  Some of them have certainly found their niche.  They are excited and challenged.  We would like to have our parents become involved.  Next year we would especially want parents connected to this unit.

Third Grade

          The Third Grade students are surprised by their occupations and especially by their salaries.  They have families and huge responsibilities.  We are building a city and neighborhood.  This is a great learning experience on economics done in a hands on manner.  We are looking forward to the students’ occupational speeches which they will be giving in the next couple of weeks. Parents will also be coming in to talk about their occupations after CRCCT testing.  If you would like to participate, please contact one of us to set a date and time.

Target March Madness

          As we are entering March, there are lots of exciting things happening in Target.  All testing has been completed and students have been placed in the appropriate classes.  Some changes have occurred, such as days being switched and new teachers established.  Therefore, we are ready to continue the exciting units for the second semester of the school year.

Fifth Grade

          Our fabulous Fifth Graders will go on their field trip to the Georgia Coastal Islands.  This is such a wonderful learning experience and a trip the children will never forget.  They have done research on the places they will be visiting.  The students will present these extraordinary Power Points, movies, and posters to all the Fifth Grade Target students.  The research has provided the students with background information that will enhance the trip for them.

          As soon as we return from the Georgia Coastal Island Trip, all the Fifth Grade students will continue our Preditors of the Aquatic Biome Unit.  The students are gong to learn to have a greater appreciation for the shark’s symbiotic relationships in this aquatic habitat.  This is a giant learning experience for these students. The unit includes a scavenger hunt, oral presentations, shark classification, and shark models.  The ending of the unit will be memorable for them forever.

Fourth Grade

          Our Eager Fourth Grade students have made Robots out of junk and are ready to dive into technology and engineering.  They will be building robots from Legos and they will program them to perform specific tasks by using technology.  The students will have a head start for next year’s competition by beginning this amazing unit now.  We encourage parents to become involved in this unit as next year it will be crucial to have all of you on board.

Third Grade

          The amazing Third Grade students are learning the economics of life through the Money Matters Unit.  The coins they created are original and clever.  They researched the history of money and learned how it has evolved.   We have also looked at money from other countries and discussed the differences.  This unit on economics will be a life skills experience that will enable the children to better understand  how to budget with the money they earn from their virtual occupations.  We will also build a community with shops, banks, auto repair shops, and restaurants.  These will reflect the students’ occupations.  They will also build their home and will be in line with their salary as well.  Some of the classes will be renting their desks as a means of learning about economics and budgeting.   This economics unit is a unique way to teach life skills and the “Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees”.

         

Welcome to 2007!

We would like to welcome you to the second half of our school year!!  We started off the year with great units in which the students expanded their knowledge and enjoyed.  It is time to move on to new units and open new doors for the students to explore.  January is the month when we do our testing for the Target program.  We will be testing identified students on all grade levels.  This is quite a lengthy process as most students tested must receive more than one test.  Many of the tests we give are administered over several sittings.  Therefore, Target will not resume until sometime late in January or early February.  We will be trying to finish all testing so that our classes are not interrupted throughout the remainder of the year.  Students will be notified as to the exact date we will be starting.  Please read on to find out what your children will be studying for the second semester.  We hope they will find the units challenging and exciting!  If you have resources or a special interest in a unit please feel free to contact us as we are always looking for ways to apply our units to real world knowledge.

New Units for Second Semester Target

We would like to remind parents as we approach the Second Semester of the 2006/2007 school year that our new units will be addressing the following Gifted Skills:

Autonomous Learner:

• Works independently in a self-sufficient manner
• Develops skills of information gathering, both traditional and technological
• Manages time, materials and resources
• Uses effective decision-making skills
• Develops tolerance for ambiguity

Creativity:

• Offers unusual and unique responses
• Applies creative principles to planning, problem-solving, generation of original products and production of quality academic work
• Generates a large number of ideas or solutions to problems or questions
• Demonstrates willingness to take risks and accept challenges
• Elaborates on ideas and adds details
• Uses materials in an original way

Critical Thinking:

• Uses higher level thinking skills (analysis, synthesis, and evaluation)
• Identifies cause and effect relationships
• Expresses ideas with clarity, logic, accuracy, and persuasion
• Develops, implements, and evaluates a plan of action
• Makes choices based on criteria
• Decides on possibilities based on their consequences and implications
• Checks or verifies ideas and guesses against facts
• Defends own ideas

Predators of the Aquatic Biome

Fifth Grade will be working on this interdisciplinary unit on oceanography, biology and environmental science.  By increasing a student’s knowledge of life in the underwater biome, he/she will gain a better understanding, a different perspective and a greater appreciation for the shark’s symbiotic relationships in this habitat.

There are several Essential Questions that we will be trying to answer during the course of the unit.

1. What is the shark’s role in the underwater biome?
2. How and where do sharks fit into the life of the ocean?
3. How does the shark’s anatomy contribute to the symbiotic relationships in the aquatic biome?
4. What role does the shark’s anatomy play in medical advancement?

Gadgets & Gizmos & Robotics

Fourth Grade will start the process of studying robotics and continuing this unit next year with two of our teams participating in the First Lego League competition.

The focus of this unit is engineering and technology as well as research.  Students will explore the field of engineering and technology as they learn to build and program a robot that will perform specific behaviors.

Throughout this unit, students have the opportunity to build broad skills useful throughout their lives, regardless of the specifics of the challenge.  In using this open-ended approach that leads to the creation of numerous designs, students are challenged to apply their individual knowledge, personal experiences, interests and talents to the process of creating an inventive, team driven solution.  This approach creates a powerful learning experience, where students are intrinsically inspired to learn and have pride in achieving a goal as a team.

Inventing “connects” technology to other curricular areas.  Teaching invention builds and strengthens skills in problem solving, planning, research, experimentation, oral and written communication, decision making, creativity and inquiry.  The process of inventing helps children make connections across curriculum disciplines in math, science, technology, and social studies, supporting state and national standards.

Money Matters

Money Matters is an interdisciplinary unit on economics. The unit is designed to increase student’s knowledge of money, budgeting, banking, careers, and entrepreneurship. Some of the objectives for this unit are:

• Students will learn the history of money.  They will be exposed to money from around the world.
• Students will research and learn about occupations.
• Students will apply math to real life experiences as they choose an occupation, budget their money and pay their bills.
• Students will develop decision making skills and interact with their peers as they work in groups to develop a town.
• Students will learn a variety of resources to develop research skills.

This unit promises exciting and innovative ideas and activities.  An economically literate population is essential to the well-being of our nation.