March 2024 GT PARENT UPDATE
How Mail Travels
Students will learn more about how mail travels in this lesson. They will learn about the timeline of mail travel once it leaves their mailbox. Students will get a peek inside a mail processing facility and will practice perspective-taking by writing from the point of view of various people who are impacted by mail delivery.
When was the last time you wrote or received a handwritten letter? How did it impact you or make you feel? Our 2nd graders will be learning about processes in the United States Post Offices which is a good reminder to us all about the importance of mail. Does your child know how to write a letter AND address an envelope? Do they know what a stamp is for? With Spring Break coming up, now is a great time for students to practice this life skill and maybe brighten someone’s day!
Let's Get Creative! Part 2
Students will apply what they have learned about creative thinking in this lesson. They will have the opportunity to brainstorm ideas to solve a problem. They will discuss and critique those ideas to prioritize the best solutions within the creative constraints they are given. Students will also take part in a Pareidolia activity where they will look at items with a fresh perspective to offer new solutions…we call this “thinking inside the box”!
Hogwarts Critical Thinking
In the Hogwarts lesson this month, students will use critical thinking and problem-solving to work through multi-step word problems, requiring them to use all four operations. During the lesson, students will work toward their GT Competency by completing a Forced Association activity to make connections between given images and what they know about critical thinking and problem-solving. Students will wrap up the lesson by solving multi-step problems on the Quidditch Cup to see if Slytherin could score enough to beat Ravenclaw out of the house cup!
Innovation Leads to Success
This month, 5th-graders will begin a lesson titled Innovation Leads to Scholarship. In this lesson, students will examine the story of a boy who was bullied for a homemade t-shirt he designed and wore to school. This story went viral and created future opportunities, including a college scholarship, for this UT fan. Students will analyze the multiple perspectives involved and will use critical thinking to complete a thinking triangle. Students will also learn about Gross margin/profit and cost of goods sold (COGS) using the determined sales of this boy’s t-shirt.
