TAG Tidbits
Your weekly update on all things TAG at NPE!
This week's newsletter is a recap of last week's unit work and a preview of this week's lessons. There will be no newsletter this upcoming Thursday since Spring Break is next week.
2nd Grade
Last week, our 2nd Grade entomologists began the day by creating prototypes of the insect traps they designed the week before (check out the picture below). After sharing our finished prototypes, it was time to turn our attention to honeybees. We started our new unit work with a read aloud of If Bees Disappeared by Lily Williams and completed an I used to think...Now I think activity, in which students shared what they already knew about honeybees before reading, then shared how their thinking changed after reading.
After building some background information about the importance of honeybees and how their work as pollinators is crucial to our lives, students engaged in a Decision-Making lesson, where we examined the mysterious case of the vanishing honeybees and had to determine the most likely culprit causing bees to vanish: changing habitats, mites and fungus, overwork, or pesticides. After a deep dive into each of these options, we decided as a class that overwork of worker bees is likely to blame, as worker bees are now being expected to work year-round in different environments without having a resting season. When we use the decision-making process, we focus less on the actual decision and more on developing valid criteria to help us find the best option. Once a decision has been reached, we're able to use the criteria to help justify our choice.
What challenges do beekeepers face?
This week in Stop Buggin, we will continue our study of honeybees, but with a focus on beekeepers. We will be using the design thinking process as we explore creative ways to help them do their jobs. We'll start off the day by learning what beekeepers do and establish the various challenges they face while performing their job. When going through the design thinking process, students engage in the following steps: gaining empathy, defining a problem, ideation (brainstorming ideas), creating a prototype, testing the design. I can't wait to see what creative designs they come up with!
Kindergarten & 1st Grade
Last week, we officially began our final unit of the year - Architecture! We began the day by viewing a series of pictures that featured structures built by both humans and animals and were able to deduce that all of the structures were built for a specific purpose. Next, we spent some time defining what it means to be an architect and the various skills and tools that architects use to do their jobs. Then we posed the question: Can animals be architects? Students learned that animals build structures for 3 different purposes - for shelter, food storage, and communication. Additionally, we learned that animal architects use a variety of resources available to them to create these structures, using everything from sticks and mud to wax that they produce themselves. Using all of this newfound knowledge, students engaged in a compare and contrast activity to determine the ways in which animals and architects are alike and different. We rounded out the day with a Carousel Brainstorm, where students explored their thinking about some architecture-based questions, such as "How is an anthill like the human body?". Students even ranked which animal homes they felt were built the best.
How are shapes used in architecture?
This week in Architecture, we began our day with a read aloud of Iggy Peck, Architect and revisited the traits of an architect, which we learned about last week. We know that architects need to do well in Math, be a good reader, work well with other people, be creative, be organized, be a good planner, be flexible, be a good listener, be a good designer, know how to use computers, and finally, be a problem-solver. Next, our young architects learned that there are two different types of shapes found in architecture - geometric and organic. After establishing the difference between the two, we went on a Discovery Walk around the school to record some observations about the shapes that make up the architecture of NPE! We recorded our notices and wonders on a graphic organizer and held a class discussion when we returned to the classroom, where we determined that our school's architecture is made up mostly of geometric shapes (and a LOT of rectangles!).
Next, we introduced a fun design thinking project, where students empathized with three kid characters - a vampire, a witch, and a werewolf. After we identified what we felt would be important to our users, students chose which character they wanted to design a haunted house for. Using our lesson content, all designs needed to include both geometric and organic shapes. Students had so much fun creating their prototype drawings!
When we return from Spring Break, we'll be using the SCAMPER strategy to help us learn about Greek architecture!
4th Grade
Last week in Future Scientists, students finished up our science fiction superhero project by creating an origin story on Book Creator. We were so impressed with the hard work that went into creating these digital comics and can't wait to share them with each other! During the second half of our day, students tackled a design challenge where they were asked to think about the needs of their superhero and design either a vehicle, communications device, or protective clothing for their character. We had a blast using our prototyping supplies to create a physical representation of our designs.
How can we design a school that will meet our needs in the future?
This week, future scientists will explore an entirely different topic - schools of the future! To set up our work, we will first explore schools of the past and how they have changed over time. Using our SCAMPER strategy, students will work collaboratively to envision what schools of the future might be like and then they'll have an opportunity to design their very own school of the future. SCAMPER is a creative brainstorming technique, in which we make small changes to existing concepts to create brand new ideas. It's a great way for students to practice taking risks with their creativity by having a starting place to build from.
When we return from Spring Break, we'll take a close look at global warming and how its effects might change the future of our planet.
3rd Grade
Why does the government require its citizens to pay taxes?
This week was all abuzz in TAG Town as students were eager to find out what their job would be throughout our unit! Using our wheel of names, students selected their TAG Town job at random. Some students were thrilled with their luck, while others were a little less fortunate when it came to monthly salary. Students were given their first paychecks and were shocked (even outraged!) to learn that the salary on their job slip was not, in fact, the total on their paycheck. This is the perfect way to introduce the concept of paying taxes. We learned that salary is based on gross pay, or what you make before taxes are taken out, while the amount of money that goes into your bank account is your net pay. We established an understanding of how the government (federal and local) uses tax dollars to fund a variety of services provided to its citizens - everything from maintaining roads to preserving national parks to funding the military, and everything in between. After building this background knowledge, students explored the concept of getting a paycheck using our Six Thinking Hats strategy. When we put on each color hat, it allows us to explore our thinking about a topic from multiple perspectives. The white hat is our facts hat, the yellow examines the positives, the black takes a look at the negatives, the red hat explores our emotions, the green hat gives us an opportunity to look at alternatives, and the blue hat allows us to think about future impacts.
To wrap up our learning for the day, students learned how to record their first paycheck into a check register, which they will keep up--to-date throughout the duration of the unit. The check register will track the ways in which we spend money and help to inform our financial decisions.
Why must people make decisions about how to spend their money?
Now that students have a job, it's time to find a place for their TAG Town family to live! This week, we will be learning about the pros and cons of renting vs. buying and how to make a smart housing decision for their family. We'll introduce the concept of leases and mortgages and students will have an opportunity to browse the TAG Town Realty properties before selecting a house. Once houses are selected, students will learn how to write a check for their first house payment and record a deduction into their check register.
When we return from Spring Break, we will be using the Creative Problem-Solving strategy as we investigate the issue of kids having credit cards.
5th Grade
We kicked off the day in Amusement Park with a fun mystery object, which is one of the most famous concession stand offerings - the hot dog! Students practiced the art of making hypotheses and asking good questions as they tried to solve the mystery object. After discovering that it was a picture of a hot dog, we took a look at the hot dog's deep roots in amusement parks, stemming all the way back to the early 1900s at Coney Island. When it was time to begin our unit work, however, Decision-making was the focus skill of the week. Students were presented with a theme park scenario, in which a new park was getting ready to open, but their remaining budget was not quite enough to cover the costs of the final park necessities. Using creative problem-solving and our decision-making matrix, students worked collaboratively to come up with the best possible decision to ensure that their guests would have a positive park experience, their workers would remain happy, and that the park would remain safe. Groups were presented with some artifacts, such as a theme park ledger, detailed descriptions of what the remaining items (Food Alley, Security, Photo Booth, etc.) would entail, and a pie chart showing the results of a consumer survey that establishes guest preferences. Students did an amazing job coming up with some creative solutions, which ranged from cutting the budget of all remaining items by a certain percentage, to eliminating items deemed less important to their guests!
How can we use SCAMPER to improve a product?
This week, students will revisit the SCAMPER strategy, which we used a few weeks ago to make a carousel more enjoyable, as explore the ways in which we can make improvements to a rollercoaster. After learning about Newton's laws of motion, students will be introduced to The Anaconda Mystery, which is a story about a rollercoaster that's getting ready to open after refurbishment at an amusement park, but the ride engineers can't seem to figure out how to get it working the way it's supposed to. Using the information presented in the mystery, and what they know about Newton's laws, students will use SCAMPER to make modifications to the rollercoaster to get it working again! Students will then be asked to create a visual of the improved rollercoaster that details the modifications they've made.
Kdg. & 1st Grade Carousel Brainstorm
4th Grade Superhero Origin Stories
2nd Grade Design Thinking
4th Grade Superhero Origin Stories
4th Grade Design Thinking
Kdg. & 1st Grade Discovery Walk
The following is a repeat from last week's newsletter
We thank you in advance for being flexible with us while we schedule conference times, as we teach many students throughout the grade levels. Typically, we are able to schedule them during the last week of school, which gives us lots of time throughout the day to meet with you, but we will only have our planning time and after school time slots available with our new conference process for this year.
HAVE A GREAT SPRING BREAK!
Stay in touch with Ms. Anderson!
Email: andersondL@fultonschools.org
Website: andersontagonline.weebly.com
Location: 3055 Kimball Bridge Road, Alpharetta, GA, USA
Phone: (470) 254-2800
Twitter: @Ms_AndersonTAG
Stay in touch with Ms. Craig!
Email: craigs1@fultonschools.org
Website: craigtag.weebly.com
Location: 3055 Kimball Bridge Road, Alpharetta, GA, USA
Phone: (470) 254-2800