December Newsletter
Daniel Boone Elementary Spectra
First Semester Under Our Belts
It's hard to believe that we are half way done with the 2015-16 school year! What a delightful semester it has been. We have our new first grade Spectra students ready to join us in January and have seen other new students jump into other grade levels as well. The current students have shown incredible growth since last year and have been very patient as we implement new Spectra standards and curriculum. I continue to be impressed with how their collaborative skills have grown through the years. It is such a joy to work with your children over time. I feel so lucky to be able to see their personalities grow!
Progress Reports
Student Progress Reports are sent home at the conclusion of each unit. All reports will be coming home the week we return to school. Please look for them in your student's home folder or report card envelope. Please let me know if you have not received it by January 11th or if you have any questions, concerns or thoughts.
Spectrapalooza
Fifth grade spectra students from around the district gathered together to meet with their future Middle School classmates. St. Charles Community College hosted our event where students solved various problems with their soon-to-be classmates. Our fifth graders had the opportunity to meet Mrs. Wittmus, the spectra teacher at Howell Middle, and a few current students from the school. This gave them the opportunity to ask questions about how the program works, while meeting some future classmates. This is a fantastic annual event for our district spectra students, so get ready fourth graders!
Team Challenge
Second and Third graders collaborated to suspend as many marshmallows as possible with a limited set of materials. We saw some incredibly creative designs that could hold more than 10 large marshmallows! Our objective, though, is to communicate and collaborate while attempting a team challenge. Each and every team worked together so they were all successful. It's a wonderful thing to behold!
Visual Spatial Skills
Second grade students learned about the value of persistence while working with cube puzzles. Students needed to create the design on a given card using picture cubes. It's a challenging task, alas no one gave up and they all persevered until they were successful! Some of us learned that time of day and a full stomach enables us to process information more quickly or limit our distractions.
Daniel Boone ~ Home to the Best Special Area Teachers in the USA!
We are so lucky at Daniel Boone to have such caring and wonderful families, administrators and teachers. This may be best evidenced by the time that Mr. Sherman and Coach Millard take from their day to spend with us. They will jump into team challenges, dialogue with students, provide voice overs for video clips and give feedback about presentation or building designs. They are phenomenal team players and role models for us all!
Designing a Flyer That Can Be Flown Through a Hoop
Building a Beam Bridge That Can Hold Weight
Giving Feedback on Cane Toad Traps
Fourth and Fifth Grade Bridges Unit
We have started our second unit with 4th and 5th grade. Students are exploring three basic bridge designs by building models and doing research. We will then apply this information to a scenario using the Problem Based Learning model. Students will collaborate to build a new bridge by selecting a location site, design a bridge model that fits the needs for that area, stay within a budget for their project and present their findings with a digital presentation. Students seem to be enjoying this hands on unit!
2nd and 3rd Grade Nature's Balance Unit
We have just concluded our first of two units with second and third graders. Students learned about the dangers of invasive species and collaboratively designed a trap to catch a cane toad using the Engineering Design Process. Students created a presentation to share their thinking skills, cooperative group work and the design process. Seeing how each team worked together to design their traps was incredible! Our next unit will be Children of the World, which will begin in January.
What Have Others Done to Solve the Problem?
What Works and What Doesn't?
How Can We Make it Better?
Please feel free to contact me anytime ~ Kellie Heslin
Email: kellie.heslin@fhsdschools.org
Website: https://sites.google.com/site/mrsheslinsdanielboonewebsite/
Location: 201 West Highway D, Wentzville, MO, United States
Phone: 636-851-4359
Twitter: @HeslinSpectra