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SO, WHAT ARE THE EXPLORATION BLOCKS IN THE SCHEDULE?
The purpose of Fruitful Minds Academy is to help children grow to be all they can be, and all they want to be! When students finish with an assignment, they will not be given computerized busy work. If a student already knows something, they won't be made to listen to a lesson on content they've already mastered. Instead, students are encouraged to take a deep dive into something that interests them. This will happen during "Exploration" blocks.
Throughout the day, there are times when the whole class will meet- during Bible Study and Social Studies, for example. Other than that, students spend time in Exploration blocks. This gives them time to really dig into activities and encourages them to take charge of their learning.
During "Exploration" blocks, I will be circulating, observing, and assisting as needed. This is also the time when I will call students to work with me in small groups. This is based on need. For instance, in a small group to teach multiplication, I could have an advanced 2nd grader, an on-level 3rd grader, and a 4th grader who needs a refresher. The photo shown is a student weekly checklist / tasks.
Example based on the checklist shown:
Kai starts off his day by joining the class at the carpet for the novel study. The whole class discusses the novel in-depth. Afterwards, Kai sets off for Morning Exploration and works through his checklist.
He begins by spending the allotted 15 minutes on the computer practicing keyboarding skills. This is a required daily task. Then, I told him he needed to practice adding fractions. He plays a pizza game with a friend who also needs fraction practice, and they take turns adding and subtracting fractions from the pizza. During this time, I call him and a few other students over to do some reading & spelling practice. When I set them free, I tell them they need to sort words based on a given pattern.
When Kai finishes the sorting activity, he gets to work on a planet game he has been working on last week. He is creating cards to represent each planet with various facts to match to them.
Then, it's lunch and recess time! When recess is over, I call Kai back to me to do a small group lesson on fractions. We also review coin amounts.
Kai's friend has a birthday coming up, so he gets out painting supplies to paint them a beautiful card. When he is done, he does his daily vocabulary practice. He sketches a picture to represent a word, and his friend guesses the term.
When he's done, he gets together with other students who are learning their x3 multiplication tables. They sing a song to help them remember then quiz each other on marker boards. I circulate to provide input.
Just before Bible Study time, Kai decides to work on his cursive. He practices signing his signature perfectly.
Then it's time for whole-class Bible Study, followed by a whole-class Science lesson on animal adaptations. Kai is excited for tomorrow- all this talk of animal adaptations has given him a great idea for a Lego engineering activity! Tomorrow he will challenge his peers to build different animals with Lego and explain each adaptation of the animals.
There are certain things that students are required to do daily during their Exploration times-
Math facts, which means being able to quickly recall subtraction/addition and multiplication/division facts. (3x4=12, etc.) Students may practice these any way that works for them.
Keyboarding will be done on either a typewriter or one of the 2 laptops in the building. Although I'm a big proponent of limiting screentime when at school, I recognize the need for typing skills, especially for older students! 15 minutes ONLY are required daily.
Vocabulary practice is essential for students as it directly enhances comprehension, academic achievement, and communication skills. Students must practice and study current words.
At the beginning of each day during the Morning Meeting, students will write down what they hope to accomplish during the learning day. They must practice keyboarding, work on their math facts, and study vocabulary. I will also tell students what I need them to practice during that time. If a student needs practice with parts of speech, I will tell them to add that to their daily task list. I will also pull students for small group work at this time.
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