2nd and 3rd grade Enrichment Clusters are Underway!

We waste no time at Laurel Mountain, especially when it come to the Schoolwide Enrichment Model.Our 2nd and 3rd graders started their enrichment clusters last Friday. These clusters will meet every Friday during our E-slot of 8:00-9:00 am for a total of eight weeks. The Enrichment Cluster Showcase will take place on Friday, March 7th. Below are the summaries of what our enrichment clusters learned and accomplished last Friday.  Enrichment clusters...another thing that sets LME apart.

Caring Crafters
On Friday, January 10th crafting enthusiast and caring kids met for our first “Caring Crafters” enrichment cluster. We began our time getting to know each other and sharing about crafts we’ve enjoyed making. Next, we talked about ways to show we care about others. Then, we made cards to thank special people and friends from our LME community. We ended our cluster with some tasty cookies. We look forward to meeting again next Friday and continuing the good work!

Take One 

The “Take One” enrichment cluster is excited about the next 7 weeks. We began by talking about why we chose this enrichment cluster. We have students who want to act, students who want to film, and students who want to direct or edit film. While no decision has been made about final products, the students have already divided themselves into groups based on their initial project interests. All students have added the “WeVideo” App from the Google Chrome store. This is a free app that will allow them to work on film anywhere they have access to their Google Gmail accounts. All video will be saved to the students’ Google Drives. Our next steps will be working with flip cameras to collect video and saving the video to the students’ Google Drives. After the students have some original video to work with, they will explore the editing features available through “WeVideo”. Students are encouraged but not required to take videos outside of class time and save the video to their drives…who knows? We may have the next Steven Spielberg at LME! 

Creation Station

The “Creation Station” enrichment cluster kicked off our year by learning about printing as an art form and easy way to make reproductions possible. A Bill Nye video taught us about the history of printing, starting as early as 868 B.C. with the Diamond Sutra on wood blocks and the invention of the printing press with Johannes Gutenberg in the early 1400’s. We spent the remainder of our cluster creating block or stamp prints out of Styrofoam plates, with ink or paint and paper as our medium. It was fun, and interesting to learn that sometimes crafts take some “tweaking” to get the product desired. We look forward to trying different types of print over the next 7 weeks!

Lost in Books

“Lost in Books” got off to a great start! We shared our favorite books of all time with each other. Then we listened to two actresses on Story line online read and sign in American Sign Language the book Chester's Way by Kevin Henkes. After that, we looked at the Texas Bluebonnet link where we chose which Bluebonnet book we wanted to read for our next meeting. We plan on bringing our sleeping bags and flashlights to read in the dark! Yippee!

THE GREAT MINECRAFT EXPERIENCE

Today in “THE GREAT MINECRAFT EXPERIENCE” we assessed each student's experience level with Minecraft, watched a video of completely awesome things that people have made in Minecraft, established ground rules for our classroom Minecraft experience, and had each kid start on a Minecraft tutorial. Because we are using MinecraftEDU and because some kids have not played Minecraft on a computer before, this was a necessary first step.

Pet Palooza

In the “Pet Palooza” enrichment cluster we got to meet Mrs. Hanlon's two dogs, Lainey and Bobbins! We learned that they are French Bulldogs and many things about how to take care of them. We also learned about the things they like to do, we even got to hold them and give them treats! We also decided that during our cluster time we want to work with an animal shelter to make pet toys, food/water bowls, treats, feeders and much more. We would also love to have several visitors come teach us more about Veterinarians, dog breeding, working dogs, and pet training. We really want to have a pet day, as well so we can show off our own pets. 

Creative Coding

In our first cluster, Mr. Robert Shadowen, came in and talked to us about the history of video games. He works for IBM in game design. He talked to us about what to think about when we are creating games. After his talk students were able to go to Scratch and explore. In future sessions, students will create games or stories using this website. 

Pinocchio's Pals

Today in “Pinocchio's Pals”, students played a game where they came up with a word and a movement to help us learn their names. After that, they watched a short video about a puppet maker who shared a variety of techniques for creating puppets. Then, students had the opportunity to explore and learn how to use different hand puppets, marionettes, finger puppets, and rod puppets. Finally, we brainstormed ideas for future sessions, such as the jobs we could have, what types of puppets we wanted to make, and what materials we would need.

LME LEGOsmiths

“LME LEGOsmiths” were introduced to wheels and axles today. They explored the workings of wheels and axles by creating battery powered cars. Then our LEGOsmiths predicted and observed how fast their cars could drive up a ramp. Next week, they will test how different-size wheels impact the speed and power of their cars.

Help Save the Animals

There are a lot of students passionate about helping to save the animals! Today in “Help Save the Animals” students brainstormed and shared ways they could persuade others to protect the animals. We read a book, watched a video clip, and had a very lively discussion about why animals are endangered and what we can do to help save them. Then, each student chose one animal that he or she is concerned about saving and researched one fact about that animal. They made a tiny clay creation of their animal and displayed it in front of their persuasive posters. They realize these products might even influence the students in room 310 to begin protecting the animals too!

Clay Creators

Students in the clay cluster decided their cluster name would be "Clay Creators". Some of the artists would like to give something they make as a service to the Round Rock Empty Bowl Project. Bowls and art are sold in the spring and the proceeds are donated to the Round Rock Food Bank. The Clay Creators watched a video about the Naranjo Family in New Mexico. They watched how the clay was made, formed, slipped, smoothed, engraved, and fired. Then some students used the potter's wheel while others learned the pinch pot technique to make their own creations.

Flying Lion Travel Agency

The “Flying Lion Travel Agency” had an exciting first meeting! We started off with a presentation and discussion of what a travel agent does and what goes in to planning a successful trip. Next, the students worked with a partner to explore the possibilities of interesting destinations. We made our initial selections and now we're ready to create amazing vacations! The sky's the limit!

Sports Galore

All sixteen of our "Sports Galore" friends met and discussed possible names for our cluster. We also brainstormed about both indoor and outdoor sports that we want to play. Mrs. Schnier and Mrs. Bretsch added Quidditch as a possible game to learn. We discussed possibilities for the end product in eight weeks. After discussions, we formed teams and played 30 minutes of the indoor game Kickbasket, a combination of kickball and basketball. We focused on strategy, teamwork, sportsmanship, and leadership. It was rewarding to watch second and third grade students encouraging and complimenting their teammates. It was a very close game and everyone had a good time. 

Friendship Bracelets!

Wow! What an amazing group of loomers we have in this Rainbow Looming Cluster! They were very enthusiastic and ready to go! They decided they would like to make bracelets, charms, and necklaces for friends, family, Army members, and children who are in Dell Children’s Hospital. They cannot wait until next week when they will get to spend an hour just looming!

Rain Forest Friends

We are a group of friends who are fascinated by this ecosystem and are passionate about the plants and animals that live in it. During our first meeting, we talked about the rain forest and why it is important to us. We also discussed about the different plants and animals that live in the four layers of the rain forest. During the next few weeks, we will be taking virtual field trips through different rain forests; we will research and create models of living things and for our big project, we will make a painting of our favorite rain forest animal to bring awareness to our friends and family. We are excited to bring the rain forest closer to our home. 

Global Crafts Workshop

As an introduction, in the “Global Crafts Workshop” we learned about various aspects of the culture of the Netherlands and the importance of windmills in their culture. The Netherlands is so closely associated with windmills, that it's often the first fact people recall about the country. After this introduction, students made their own windmill craft using their new knowledge of Dutch culture. We also discussed future culture and craft exploration and a potential authentic audience for our crafts. In the next two meetings students will explore various cultures and make an associated craft. After these introductory meetings, students will determine the future course of the cluster and decide on the places and cultures they would like to learn more about and the products they would like to create.

Nature's Fury

“Nature's Fury” enrichment cluster spent their first day together gathering prior knowledge of weather events they have seen or heard about, finding out which "furies" they are interested in learning more about, and discussing jobs related to this interest (key questions). We also explored Nature's Fury materials in the Natural Disaster KIDS Kit, including a model of Mount San Helen. We watched Nature's Fury volcano videos to make observations like scientists. The highlight of our time together was that each child was able to make a volcano that exploded using baking soda, vinegar, and red food coloring. 

Crafting for the Troops

During the first cluster meeting for “Crafting for the Troops” we discussed what troops are, and explaining it was another word for soldier. We watched some videos of soldiers deployed in other countries receiving homemade cards from children across America. They were all very happy to receive the cards and letters. We made cards as well. Mrs. Campbell will send them to an organization that collects cards that children have made and they will in turn send them to soldiers currently serving in other countries.