The 4Cs: Communication, Creativity, Collaboration, and Critical Thinking

As you are aware, we work really hard to use the 4Cs all day, every day. They are embedded in everything we do. Sometimes, however, we want to talk a bit more about one of the Cs so we do an activity that helps us think more about that particular C.

One activity that we do is having a Maker Station as one of the rotations of our Build and Create Station. At this station the students must think creatively to use recycled objects and turn them into something else. They must also think critically as they try to actually build their idea and think about things like building strength and balance so that their creation can stand up if necessary. They also collaborate and communicate by sharing ideas with their station partner. Together they can come up with ideas to overcome a tower that just won't stay standing or what to do when the glue isn't strong enough to hold their creation.

A finished Maker Station project.

Another activity we do is a morning meeting game called, "What could it be?" For this game, I  grab an item from our pile of recyclables and we pass it around the circle answering the question about what it could be. The first time we played this game the crew was worried that they wouldn't be able to think of any ideas. Now they know that not only will they have an idea but that they will have many ideas and will want to build their idea during their next visit to the Maker Station.

A few of the objects we have passed around our circle.

Sometimes we adjust an "old" activity to make it more collaborative. For example, we normally create our ShowMes on our own during our station work time. Today we tried to create a ShowMe with a partner about something we have learned about a patriotic symbol or holiday or famous American. We had to work together to decide what content we wanted to include, how we wanted to present it and what parts each partner would do.

We will continue to work on learning these skills and to begin to use these words in our daily discussions.

Homework
No homework for the long weekend. Read a few good books with your child. See you back at school on Tuesday.

IA
Our IA next week is Art. Be sure to check out Ms. Pam's blog, Renaissance Art, for Art information including the Pages tab which has information for each grade level.

Maker Station

We have finished this round (actually 2 rounds) of our Maker Station. We will move on to other things in our Build and Create center for a while. We will come back to the Maker Station again later in the rotation of activities. We like to keep the interest fresh by constantly rotating our activities. Before we move on I wanted to share one of the things that some kids began making right before Fall Break. They made sharing stick cups. We use sharing sticks (popsicle sticks) with each student's name on them to determine who will have a turn to share during morning meeting. We select three sticks each day - except for Mondays when we drum. Students love to have their stick pulled. Anyway, one day I looked over at the Maker Station and students were writing names of their crew mates on popsicle sticks and creating their own sharing cups. I heard them calling on each other after school as they waited to be picked up. Pretend play at its finest.

My sharing stick cups - green for those waiting for a turn and red for those who have already had a turn.

Student created sharing stick cups.

Homework
Reading ~ Read a good book or two.
Math ~ Home Link 3.5 Number Lines and Counting Patterns

Library
We have library tomorrow. If your child has not already turned in his or her book, please help them remember to do so.

Brain Breaks and Body Breaks

Throughout our day, we squeeze in a few brain breaks and body breaks. Sometimes these are silly games or motions like Jack in the Box, Walking the Tight Rope, Penguin Walk, Swimming, Squeezies, Hand Massage, Mirrors, etc. At other times, we do regular exercises like crunches, push-ups, lunges, squats, bicycle crunches, arm circles, chair push-ups, mountain climbers, etc. Mr. Doug approved all of these exercises for first graders. You can see how active we are in the photos below and taking these breaks helps us all focus better.

Squats

V-sits

Crunches

Maker Station
You may have heard already about our popular new Exploration Station that we are calling the Maker Station. You may even already have some projects from this station decorating your home. Your donations of recyclable items have been put to good use. Feel free to continue to send those small items. We are really using our imaginations and fine motor skills at this station.

Sloan creates an "ice cream sundae" for her dad. Sam builds a rocket ship.

Ellison designed a trophy.

David and Caroline choose their materials.

Luke makes a space station.

Emma makes a card.

Homework
Reading ~ Read a good book or two.
math ~ Home Link 2.9 Counting by 5s