September 2, 2021

What a fun first week of 2/3 Combo GATE! We started our first Social Emotional Learning unit on Wonder. Today, we were introduced to the question, "What is beauty?" Students started by creating a Circle Map diagramming what they connect to the word "beauty." Lots of students thought of items from nature as beautiful.

We read a book called Swirl by Swirl all about spirals found in nature, which lead us to take a look at Fibonacci numbers and the Fibonacci sequence. Can math be beautiful? After discovering the pattern to the sequence, counting the spirals on an artichoke, and examining Douglas Fir cones, students chose one of two challenging Fibonacci projects to finish the day.

Students could either try to continue the Fibonacci sequence as high as they possibly could (with varying success on this first try,) or they could be guided through drawing a perfect ratio Fibonacci spiral on graph paper. Some students even took spare graph paper home to try to make an even bigger spiral! Students were challenged to look for spirals and Fibonacci numbers in nature this week.

If family member want a refresher on the Fibonacci sequence (or students want an extension!) this is the first of 3 awesome videos explaining just how cool it really is. Have fun!