Our third graders kicked off their Creative Thinking unit by exploring fluency, the ability to generate lots of ideas! Students rotated through a variety of stations where they were challenged to brainstorm as many responses as possible for each task. The goal wasn't to find the perfect answer, but to keep those creative juices flowing and see just how many ideas they could generate! Through these activities, students discovered that creative thinking isn't always about having the best idea first—sometimes it's about pushing past the obvious and seeing what else their brains can come up with!
Our third graders put their teamwork and problem-solving skills to the test with a new building challenge! This time, students worked in teams made up of as many different personality colors as possible. Their mission was to build a freestanding tower that could hold an object at least 12 inches above the tabletop for 10 seconds!
The real challenge went beyond building the tower! Students were encouraged to notice how working with classmates who think, communicate, and approach problems differently might affect their team's success. Through this experience, students explored how different personalities can bring unique strengths, ideas, and perspectives to a team!
Our third graders explored their unique personality traits through the Power of Our Colors activity! After discovering their personality colors, students teamed up with like-minded peers to design and build a way to move a supply three feet. Through this hands-on challenge, students reflected on the strengths and challenges of working with others who think and approach problems similarly. They discovered that while having similar personalities can make teamwork easier in some ways, it can also present unexpected challenges! If you would like to take the same colors personality test please click on the link below!Â
Our third graders have been working hard to discover what it really means to show GRIT when faced with a challenge!
G – Give it your all
R – Re-do if necessary
I – Ignore giving up
T – Take time to do it right
After discussing what each part of GRIT looks like in action, students put these strategies to the test with two tricky challenges:
Cut a piece of paper along printed lines as many times as possible without cutting any pieces off.
Cut an index card so they could fit their entire body through the middle!
The goal wasn’t to get it right the first time. Each time a strategy didn’t work, students had to rethink their approach, create a new plan, and try again. Through plenty of trial and error, they practiced perseverance, flexible thinking, and problem-solving—exactly what GRIT is all about!