March 4-15

We have now finally met with ALL of the GRC groups this year! YAY!! This week we were busy doing all of things. We caught everyone up from last week, finished our introduction to the unit, welcomed a new class member, and started some Pink Oyster mushrooms! 

• Telemachus has joined us! Please ask your students what concept this Beta tank represents best! What are these plants & fish going to do to help each other?

• We did a preassessment this week using our Depth & Complexity Icons to determine what we know and what we still have room to learn about regarding Interdependence & gardening. What were some of the icons we discussed? Which one is the hardest for your kiddo to use? Easiest?

• Our Pink Oyster mushroom kit has been started. We should see Pinning over the weekend! Stay tuned for details!

• We did a Notice & Wonder activity this week on "Green Circles". Where does the water come from that greens up these areas?

February Wrap-up:

We have done ALL the things this rotation! From getting our worm bin back in order (vermicomposting), starting our pepper and herb seedlings to be transplanted both hydroponically and traditionally, to researching and presenting our Peculiar Plant projects, we have been busy! This season in the gardening world isn't immediately rewarding, however, we have set up the next rotation for success! Our fruits (or vegetables) of our labor we be here before we know it.

I also want to take the time to thank all of you for your support of our gifted program here at OMIS. Kids' Convention, Open House, and Parenting Day always remind me of how fortunate to have you all supporting our program. As we begin our last rotation, please know how grateful we are!

On to March 🍀🍀

Borrowed from Mrs. Furman, because I LOVED what these kiddos produced!!

Tinsley & Victoria interviewed me about our plants!! (You'll have to be signed in with a SC student account to view).

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DPHUJtxGfhbB6yP_5GnhdEzHa_iM7N4V/view

Week of 11/27-12/1

• As we begin getting into our unit on Interdependence, we will also be starting our coding activities as well. Our 4th Grade will be working in Code.org, Course E,  and 5th Grade will be working on a unit on Music and Sound in Google's CS First Curriculum. Is coding something your child enjoys or is something they'd rather skip?

• This week we read and discussed the book, Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America written by Kathi Appelt. Reading this we got to investigate our essential question: What historical gardening practices have taught us about the interdependence between humans, plants, and the environment. What connections were made between the story and what we're studying in class?

• Some groups began working on a webquest researching the basics of plants and their parts. We will continue this in the upcoming weeks as we get more into our gardening unit and begin some planting.