A Beautiful Beginning!

What a great first day we had as a SPARK class!  We got to answer some of the "Why am I here?" and "What will we do?" questions as we got to know each other.  Students practice a sample of our morning Jumpstart activities with a collaborative word relay game and impressive persistence on our brain stretcher puzzles.

I was able to do a few pre-assessments which also gave students a preview of what lies ahead in math and reading and will serve to show the great growth they will make this year.  With that growth as our goal, we read My Fantastic Elastic Brain and discussed the brain building benefits of trying new things, making mistakes, and working through challenges.

We wrapped up our day with "game time" and discussed the value of games in logic, reasoning, and strategy.  They are also great tools to encourage responsible risk taking and perseverance.  Today students had the choice of playing Rush Hour, Set or working on a math logic puzzle.

Can you do it?  Side columns each total 15.  Top and bottom rows each total 25.  Arrange number 1-10, one in each white space, to make these statements true.