Tech Gadgets Arrive in G.A.T.E.!

Want to make a teacher feel like a ROCK STAR?  Let her use these awesome tech gadgets in class!  I can honestly say I felt like a "COOL TEACHER" for at least one day!  The students and I have been anxiously awaiting our tech gadgets....and WOW!  They are fun!  Third grade G.A.T.E. students have had the chance to experience Ollie and Sphero (iPad controlled robots of fun), Osmo (REALLY COOL iPad learning games with tangrams, word puzzles and science controlled pinball!), and elementary engineering kits called Little Bits.  Whew...it was a couple of whirlwind days in GATE, but, oh boy, it was fun!

These girls are learning about math, technology, problem solving...and having a great time!  Osmo is a great interactive way to manipulate these shapes into tangram puzzles.  The Osmo has a mirror that somehow magically works with the camera on the iPad to project every move on the iPad.  FUN!!

Little Bits engineering kits...

A few of our students made a doorbell and attached it outside our classroom!  

If you come visit our class, please ring our doorbell! 

(How super cool is that!?)

Other groups made flashlights, electric spinners, fans, and more!

Ollie and Sphero

We are learning how to control these robots with our iPads.  

They have some crazy dance moves and stunts as they jump the ramps!

We've had a blast with our new IQ Fit games, too.  They aren't robotic or electronic, but are great THINKING puzzles for problem solving and are FUN, too!

I LOVE being a gifted teacher!  I am learning new things about technology each day!

Taste of Albertville

G.A.T.E. students shared a little creativity with the city of Albertville.  Our city will be hosting the Taste of Albertville event on Thursday, February 26th from 5:00 - 7:30 p.m. at the Crossroads Mall.  Organizers of the event asked if our students could create art with a "food" theme.  Our art will be on display for silent auction or door prizes.  Part of the proceeds of this event go to Meals on Wheels in Albertville.  If you visit this event, please look for our G.A.T.E. "food art!"

This color collage of cupcakes is really cute, isn't it!?

All G.A.T.E. students created a cupcake from "pretty papers."  These were made into two pieces of art:  the one above for the Taste of Albertville event and one that will stay at AES.

I love it!

Yukina, 3rd grade, created the art above and Ava, 3rd grade, created the art below using a bunch of CELERY to paint the flowers and OKRA to paint the stems and leaves.  

Fourth grader, Lily, created this HUGE HAMBURGER collage.  Yum!

Michele, 3rd grade, created the fruit bowl above using oranges, limes, and okra as paintbrushes.  This precious torn paper watermelon was created by Sam, 3rd grade.

All of this art will be on display at the Taste of Albertville!  Hope to see you there!

Taste Test...Yum!

G.A.T.E. has been a little "tasty" lately!  Our students participated in a TASTE TEST (yum!) for a new product that might be offered in lunchrooms across our state of Alabama.  Mrs. Kristin Taylor who works in our central office in the Child Nutrition Program visited each of my G.A.T.E. classes a few weeks ago.

She brought two different types of cereal/granola type bars for the students to taste.  Each student who wanted to participate tried a bite of the bar and voted either a SMILEY FACE for "YES!" or a "THUMBS DOWN" for "No".  The students had a great time trying something new and voting their opinion.  We learned that all lunchrooms in Alabama order food items from a bid list.  The items we sampled might be on a bid list for the future, but not served now in our lunchrooms.  The students and I found it interesting to learn how lunchrooms buy in HUGE QUANTITIES and how they order grocery supplies.  This was a fun taste test, but also a great learning experience for our students to see the "big picture" of our whole school system's food program.  Thank you, Mrs. Taylor, for including us in this taste test!