The Kersey Chronicles
Rockstars Choosing to Matter in Room 25
Genius Hour
The Genius Hour Project is broken into 3 distinct categories: EXPLORE, CREATE, and SHARE. It has three rules: 1) It must begin with a Driving Question, 2) It must involve Research (students cannot just find the answer by typing their question into Google), and 3) The end product must be shared.
Each quarter, students select a topic they are passionate to learn more about. There are a few caveats to the project, but ultimately the students are in charge. Students are motivated and engaged in directing their own learning all while practicing authentic 21st century skills to prepare them for college and career. Watch the video below to learn more.
Try This At Home ...
In honor of Genius Hour, come up with a topic you and your child could research together, and then find a creative way to share what you learned with others!
Food for Thought: Self-Directed Learning
Next Week's Set List (August 15-August 19)
Week at a Glance/Skills for the Week:
LITERACY – We will continue practicing and establishing good reading habits, and building up a high quality reading life at school and at home!
WRITING – We continue practicing and establishing good writing habits, and continue writing quality personal narratives.
MATH – We continue Unit 1, and will have a test this week! Here is a great resource for parents: http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu/parents/5th-grade/
SPELLING – Next week will be the unit 2 spelling test. Students have the spelling list in their take-home folders.
SCIENCE – No Science this week.
SOCIAL STUDIES – We begin unit 1 in Social Studies next week, which investigates Indiana's physical features. Essential Questions to explore: How have people over time adapted to the changes in the land? How do people use the land's resources? How have people benefited from the 3 regions created by glaciers?
TIPS - We are familiar with the 4 Cs and will begin practicing these regularly in TIPS. This week, we will hold our first Socratic Seminar!
Upcoming Events
August 25th: I will place a scholastic order on this date. Please place your order online! You child has the website and code for our classroom for your reference.
September 5th: Labor Day, no school
September 16th: Tiger Trek