Week 9: Active Learning

“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.”

~ Fred Rogers

 

In This Issue:

• K/1 and 6th/7th Buddies Read Together
• Action-Oriented Devotional Time
• 6th & 7th Graders Learn About Heat Rising
• 8th & 9th Graders Experiment with Fermentation
• Special Guest Speaks to 8th & 9th Graders
• After-School Teams and Electives Are Going Strong
• Fun Friday Fitness Was a Big Hit
• 3rd-5th Graders Play Stockholders in the New World Game and 4th Grade Plays BINGO
• 2nd Graders’ Outdoor Classroom & 3rd Graders Learn Pumpkin Math and Host a Mystery Reader
• 3rd-5th Graders Build a Scarecrow for the School Garden
• K-5 Students Learn about Japanese Tea Ceremonies and Warlords and the First Thanksgiving
• 1st Grade Lunch Bunch Scores Big
• 7th Graders Present “A Wrinkle In Time” Projects

K/1 and 6th/7th Buddies Read Together

Our 6th/7th Grade Buddies are reinforcing what the K/1 teachers are helping their students learn: reading!

Action-Oriented Devotional Time

Several grades participated in action-oriented devotional times this week. Some topics included: God’s mercy, His jealousy (being unlike ours), and themes of Ezekiel (6th/7th grade). For our K-5 students, they participated in a game and learned (using Post-It notes) that God’s mercy covers over all our sin.

6th & 7th Graders Learn About Heat Rising

Our sixth and seventh graders participated in an experiment related to the fact that heat rises and forces air to circulate; this is why Jupiter encounters so many storms – its core is hot!

8th & 9th Graders Experiment with Fermentation in Biology

The 8th & 9th graders learned what fermentation involves this week in biology.

Special Guest Speaks to 8th & 9th Graders

Our 8th grade life skills class and our 9th grade life skills class participated in a group discussion with two parents in our Learnwell community who are in the entertainment industry. One is a stunt director for TV/film, and the other is a director/actor. (Ask your 8th or 9th grader what he or she learned about their career history, obstacles they faced along the way, and how character counts!)

After-School Teams and Electives Are Going Strong

Our after-school programs are going strong — we’ve hosted the art elective for students in 2nd through 9th grade, our Innovation Expo participants have been meeting with the REACH coordinator about their projects, and the 7th-9th graders are rehearsing their lines and designing the set for their upcoming performances of “Arkansaw Bear.” (See your newsletter and our private Facebook community for updates on these.)

Fun Friday Fitness Was a Big Hit

Our Fun Friday (fitness-themed) was a huge hit last Friday! Several students learned about nutrition, healthy exercise, and how to compete in a fun way.

3rd-5th Graders Play Stockholders in the New World Game and 4th Grade Plays BINGO

Our 3rd-5th graders learned about the new world stockholders in history and played a game to reinforce what they learned. The fourth graders played BINGO to reinforce their multiplication tables.

3rd Graders Learn Pumpkin Math and Host a Mystery Reader

Our third-grade class learned math with pumpkin seeds, and they hosted a Mystery Reader. The second graders had a little outdoor class time.

3rd-5th Graders Built a Scarecrow for the School Garden

Our school garden volunteer brought the fun and fall this week! She helped our students in grades 3-5 put together a scarecrow for the garden.

K-5 Students Learn About Japanese Tea Ceremonies and Warlords and the First Thanksgiving

Our K-5 students got to make a Japanese warlord craft and take part in a Japanese tea ceremony in social studies this week; they also learned about the first Thanksgiving by feasting.

1st Grade Lunch Bunch Scores Big

One of our first graders saved up all of her pom-poms to trade them in for lunchtime in the classroom; she got to choose a few friends to join her and Mrs. Smolin for lunch this week. Way to go!

7th Graders Present “A Wrinkle in Time” Projects

The seventh-grade class finished a classic this week: “A Wrinkle in Time.” They all presented projects related to the book.