Today the 4th graders started their day getting acquainted with the classroom and their classmates. They then took part in an introspective activity where they rated themselves on scales about all sorts of social-emotional intelligence. You can check out the scales here. They added their rating to a class set of scales and analyzed the data as a group. They noticed where clusters appeared; they thought about whether there were negative or positive sides to the scales or not; and they examined whether they felt compelled to be dishonest when answering despite it being mostly anonymous. The students then imagined how they can use the data to inform their actions in the GATE community, their regular classrooms, and their families.

The second piece of work revolved around Habits of Mind. Each team was secretly assigned a Habit of Mind. They thought about what their Habit looks, sounds, and feels like. Then they used craft supplies to create a sculpture that represents that Habit of Mind, had their classmates guess their Habit, and later explained their interpretation.

A couple students rated their recess experiences as pretty low today, so next week, we will work as a class to strategize how to help everyone in the GATE class work toward having a fun and carefree recess experience. It can be hard to be out of your element, but this is a huge growth opportunity!