During the months of November and December, all classroom teachers were invited to sign up for a lesson with Mrs. Gregory using the Blue Bots. Blue Bots were purchased last year by the SCA, and they are used to help students learn and practice early computer coding skills. Students LOVE the bots, and now that we have our own set teachers can check them out from our library any time.
During the months of November and December, all first grade students in the school have worked on critical and creative thinking skills. These have included visual focus and memory, deductive thinking, analytical thinking, and creative/divergent thinking. Students learned about the process of using logic and practiced their logical thinking skills through a variety of puzzles. They have also learned that big problems can often be solved by working on the smaller parts first. They also learned that creativity involves looking at things in new and different ways.
Mrs. Holloway's class used our school's Blue Bots to practice computer coding. Blue Bots are programmable robots purchased by our SCA to introduce students to early coding. They programmed the robot to perform a variety of tasks to meet several challenges. They learned the importance of giving correct directions, and they had to persevere to achieve the goal. I have truly enjoyed implementing the first unit of Project Success in each first grade class! After collecting some preassessment data, I have introduced strategies for auditory focus and auditory memory. We have practiced using our eyes as well as our ears to listen, and we have discussed how to focus on the person speaking. We played a fun game called "I went to the store..." to help us remember what others have said. We also used some challenging mazes to talk about and practice perseverance.
The first grade teachers continue to work with students on these important skills throughout the week. Next week, our topic will be visual memory for which students will practice remembering details that they see. I am proud to announce that Beaverdam Elementary School is part of a county initiative to promote creative and critical thinking skills in the primary grades! As part of that initiative, Beaverdam is participating in the implementation of a pilot program called Project Success! This first grade pilot program includes a carefully developed and highly focused curriculum which is being taught to all first graders by both the Gifted Resource teacher and the first grade classroom teachers. Our first unit will involve auditory memory, auditory focus, and learning to persevere. We are looking forward to implementing this curriculum and watching our students soar!
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Mrs. GregoryMrs. Gregory has been a teacher for 25 years. She lives in Montpelier with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs. Archives
January 2017
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