Linda Winkle- Target

Waves of Energy

This is what learning is all about!  On Cumberland Island the Driftwood instructor explained the energy in a wave by having the group race down the beach for a short distance (no problem, still full of unused energy) then race down the beach for a longer stretch (no problem, but slowed down toward the last) and compared their running to a wave that forms close to shore and one that forms farther out like the ones off the Georgia coast do.  Wow!  I'll bet they'll remember this concept!  And isn't it fun to do it on the actual beach with the soft, slow waves rolling in?

Back to Blogging

Hello, Targeteers!  The Powder Springs blogs are back up and I've realized that this is a great place to share pictures!  So here are a few from our classes at Driftwood!    These two are from our Merely Plankton class.  First we went down to the dock and gathered plankton in the special nets.  It really just looked like brown water to us!  Next we took the collected water up to the "lab" where we looked at drops of this water under microscopes.  We saw microscopic zooplankton and phytoplankton moving around in there!  Then our instructor magnified it on the tv!  WOW!  There's a whole world within a drop of water!   

RELAY FOR LIFE

Next week is a special week in my Target classes!  For the first time ever, I'm participating in Relay for Life.  I've always supported this event for the American Cancer Society, but this year I need to participate because one of my former students is battling Acute Lymphomic Leukemia.  She's an eighth grader and ALL is curable, but right now she is about seven months into two years of chemotherapy and experiencing a lot of pain and secondary problems from the chemo.  Although she and her family are surrounded by a large body of prayer-warriers, she has days when she feels that she can't go on.

Next week each class has decided on a theme for the day and will bring in a $1.00 donation that will go to the American Cancer Society.  The Monday class is having "Bling Bling" day; the Tuesday class has voted on "Dork" day; and the Thursday class is having a PJ party.  Of course, your child is not obligated to bring $1.00, but I'm hoping their hearts have been touched and they will want to contribute to this cause.

And, even though it is a "special day" we will be having our usual set of Target activities!  I'll let you know how much money we raise!  Thanks for encouraging your child to be involved!

WE'RE IN THE MONEY!

We got out the school microscopes today and investigated money close up!  It was fantastic to see how well they handled this new instrument for all of them, and how interested they were in finding the hidden words on money....it might be a fun family activity with magnifying glasses at home!

We're now designing our own Target money.  They each have some ideas on paper for at least one denomination...and over this week they should put their ideas down for a $1, $5, $10, and $20 bill.  Next week they'll make the money in Target. 

Also, I sent y'all an email with the information about the Dexter Switch that I hope y'all will find a fun challenge for everyone!  And please do send in 10 pennies with different mint dates on them.  It will be great if you put the pennies in a ziplock bag and also put your child's name on it.  And remember to start looking for pennies with each year your child has been alive!  We're making a money timeline!

We're also doing math mindbenders this spring.  Today we learned/reviewed how to "double regroup" to subtract money.  We were working with problems such as $5.00 minus $2.62.  We really want to push these Targeteers to EXCEL on the CRCT!  Passing is way too low a goal for these darlings!

Please do email me any questions or comments.  I love having the two-way communication!  I feel that I have so much better understanding of each child when I email with you!

Lost and Found

I have my own Lost and Found and am hoping that all these items can find their homes quickly!

• gray Candy Cane Classic hoodie 14-16
• red Panama City Beach zip hoodie 12-14
• columbia blue Old Navy fleece  Adult Small
• denim jacket with red FLIP  Medium
• stainless steel and black coffee travel mug
• black double breasted boys suit coat, white long sleeve Talbot Kids shirt, and a Don Loper tie
• purple and black lunch box
• white Land's End turtleneck 10-12
• beach towel and girl's swimsuit

Email me if any of these items are yours or send your child to my room to pick them up!

FANTABULOUS!!!!

Our trip to Driftwood Nature Center on St. Simon's Island and the day trip to Cumberland Island were completely wonderful!  All of us at school....and I'm suspecting some of the parent chaperones at work....are daydreaming about being back there!

As a teacher it did my heart so much good to see all the students actively engaged in learning!  How could they not be engaged in learning about gators and snakes and turtles, plankton, or water?  Or when you're hiking on a barrier island catching sight of armadillos and horses (and their scat!), digging for shark teeth, seining for fish, shrimp, worms, and crabs, climbing a live oak tree, viewing Dungeness and the graveyard, learning about the saw palmetto, Spanish moss, and resurrection fern, crossing the dune system to and from the sandy beach?

Even though I think I'm a "hands on" teacher, I was aware that I need to do more activities...and to take them outdoors when the weather is good!  Who wants to help build a gazebo classroom on the PSE grounds???

This week we spent time on the journals...and there are still a very few that need to be turned in to me for grading so I can pass them along to classroom teachers.  Then they'll come back to the kids.

Thanks to all the wonderful parents who came along on the trip and were chaperones!  Y'all were as fantastic as your kids!  It means so very much to us as teachers to have such wonderful parent support!

I'll try to post a picture or two, but y'all will each receive a cd of a compilation of the adult photos taken there...thanks to Russ Webb!  It may take a few weeks to get it all together, but it is coming!

Looking ahead, next week we start the unit "Predators of the Aquatic Biome," aka "Sharks."  We'll be learning about the differences in fish and sharks as we begin this study.  And, yes, we'll dissect sharks...but not until May!

DRIFTWOOD....HERE WE COME!

Wow!  The Driftwood/Cumberland Island trip is this coming Wednesday!

We have 22 4th and 5th grade girls participating as well as 15 boys!  And we'll be well chaperoned with 10 moms, 5 dads, and 2 teachers, plus the Driftwood staff.

I've been really pleased with the work all the students have done in learning a little bit about the coastal biome of Georgia's barrier islands in preparation for going there.  They even made and presented to the class "rough drafts" of PowerPoint slides on the web of topics we brainstormed that pertain to this trip.  We plan on taking pictures and editing these slides the week we return to class.  Then we'll dive into the aquatic biome!

I'll see each of you that are going on the trip at 5:15 Wednesday morning in front of the school!  We'll miss you others that are not participating.  You won't have Target that week, but we'll be glad to be reunited in class the following week either on Monday or Tuesday!

I'm attaching the packing list just in case.....

Download packing_list_2007.doc

2ND & 3RD: MONEY MATTER$

Dear Parents!

We've met for two weeks now and are enjoying having a new second grader join our group as well as four third grade girls.  I hope that you already know that we're studying an economics unit called "Money Matter."  We started with a pretest (the score was recorded on the first tally) and will see how much growth there is after the unit is finished.

These first few days of class we've learned about bartering and the students were able to give great examples of trading.  We've also learned the characteristics of money....which I didn't know before!  For something to be used as money it needs to be portable, divisible, durable, and generally accepted.  We tried using toothpicks, glitter, and pebbles for money, but none of those could pass the four tests!  Your children should be able to discuss these characteristics with you!We've started into the history of money and will also be closely examining our US money and that of other countries.

In addition to learning about money, we've also been using it with logic problems that stimulate the visual-spatial intelligence with Dexters.  I loved it that all of you tried the one the students brought home to you!  Isn't that fun?  We're also doing mathematical problems with money...which is really challenging to them!  They want to moan a little, but I'm finding some great areas to teach them as they struggle through the mathematics of money.

THERE ARE NO TARGET CLASSES THIS COMING WEEK OF FEBRUARY 21, 22, AND 23.  I'LL BE ON AN OVERNIGHT FIELD TRIP WITH THE 4TH AND 5TH GRADE TARGETEERS!  CLASS IS ON THURSDAY THE NEXT WEEK AS USUAL!  PLEASE DO SEND NUTRITIOUS, VERY FILLING SNACKS!  THEY ARE VERY HUNGRY BY 12:40!

2ND, 3RD, 4TH, 5TH TARGETEER PARENTS!

WELCOME TO LINDA WINKLE'S TARGET BLOG!

Yeah!  Powder Springs now has a blog!  I'll be posting announcements each class day rather than sending group emails this semester.

We're excited about the start of the new year in Target!  As y'all have noticed, we've changed Target days...and units, of course! 

Your way of corresponding with me remains the same:  email me at linda.winkle@cobbk12.org with any questions or comments.

"Talk" to y'all later!     Linda