Every C day, from 1:45-2:45 p.m., Class 3 students (or gators) engage in four exciting electives, each with a unique name: Innogators, Creatagators, Zenagators and Communigators.
Innogators
Class 3 students put their engineering skills into action during Innogators, an elective taught by Lower School (LS) STEAM Integrator Jess Busk, LS Science Department Head and Teacher Mary Ostrover, and LS Science Associate Teacher Collin Murphy. Working in pairs, each team designed, built and programmed their own robots using mBot Neo kits. They were provided with a CyberPi controller, mBot2 Shield, two encoder motors, a quad RGB sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, wheels, a chassis, cables and assembly tools to build these working models. Following instructions and guidance from their teachers, the students successfully created their own functional robots, as they honed their problem-solving, collaboration and engineering skills.
The excitement did not end there, once completed, teams tested their creations by using remote controllers to maneuver their robots around the LS Science room. After proudly showcasing their hard work to classmates and teachers, the students collaborated on carefully disassembling their robots, using several tools to take apart each component.
This elective course is an excellent way to expose the Class 3 students to robotics, concepts of engineering, and tools that they can expand upon next year when in their Middle School (MS) classes and afterschool extracurricular activities.
Creatagators
Creatagators meet in the LS Library with Christina Kover, the LS Librarian, to expand their understanding of research resources. In this section of the rotation, students build on their visual and media literacy skills, laying the foundation for their critical thinking expertise. In Classes 1 and 2, they learned how illustrations and typography can convey information in picture books that isn’t communicated in the written story, and here they discuss how the same concept applies to their academic research.
The first lesson introduces them to the concept of pictographs and how to read them. Next, they explore different types of research information, discovering the pros and cons of each. In the third class, they develop an understanding of why you might choose one form of information, say an encyclopedia, a database or a website, over another. Finally, they spend the remainder of their time researching and creating their own pictographs.
This year, they researched precipitation in the U.S., breaking it down state by state. For this project, they needed the most up-to-date information so they explored their research options. Would an encyclopedia be helpful? Perhaps if it was hot off the press, but in the end they determined that a frequently updated website would be the most useful for their research. Students learned how to graph their findings, choose a scale and turn their graphs into creative pictographs to represent regional U.S. rainfall. When these third graders enter the Middle School they will certainly find their newfound research expertise beneficial.
Zenagators
During a Zenagators session, Class 3 students gather on the rug with Ms. Cruite in their Homeroom with dimmed lights and a calm atmosphere. They begin each class with a meditation, joined by Ms. Cruite’s wooden meditation bird to help them center themselves and find a grounding focal point for their three minutes of quiet time. Slowly, they return their focus to Ms. Cruite as she begins their next activity.
Zenagators is all about mindfulness and emotional intelligence. During this section of their rotation the students spend time learning breathing techniques for regulating their emotions, how to meditate, how to focus on the present moment and how to name their feelings. This class helps foster a sense of self and lay the groundwork for self-regulation as they grow up and encounter new challenges.
To introduce these concepts, Class 3 engages in group activities that invite each student to participate and blend vulnerability with fun. To encourage them to look inward and name how they feel in that particular moment, they gently toss a ball to one another and take turns sharing their emotions. This game allows the students to be playful while also opening up to one another.
In another activity they take turns reading a page of Alphabreathes: The A, B, C’s of Mindful Breathing, a children’s book written by Christopher Willard and Daniel Rechtschaffen, which prompts children to breathe in new, more intentional ways. This builds their awareness around breathwork by giving them playful prompts to explore. As an example, for the letter A the exercise is: “Alligator Breath, open your arms wide like alligator jaws on the in breath. Snap them shut on the out breath.” Again, silliness is paired with new life skills, introducing the new idea in an approachable way.
One of the girls’ favorite ways to end a Zenagator’s class is through belly breaths. Each student is given a breathing buddy (a stuffed animal) from Ms. Cruite’s mystery bag, after which they find a spot around the room, lay down on their back and place the breathing buddy on their tummies. They then choose a form of intentional breathing and participate in another meditation. Around the room students choose different ways to engage with this activity. Some lay perfectly still and gently close their eyes while others quietly move an arm through the air to visualize their box breathing technique. At the end of the practice, they quietly return their breathing buddies to the mystery bag and prepare for the next part of their day.
Communigators
In Room 43, third graders sharpen their speaking and listening skills through “Communigators,” a Speech & Debate course taught by Head of LS Literacy & Social Studies Miranda Orbach with support from K-12 Speech & Debate Coordinator Jim Shapiro.
During this hour-long block, the girls practice respectful debate as they endeavor to share ideas clearly and confidently using supporting evidence. They explore storytelling, discover persuasive techniques and develop their unique voices. As well, the students learn to listen to others thoughtfully, with curiosity and with support.
During a recent lesson, the girls engaged in 2v2 debates, arguing both the pro and con sides of various topics. Students debated whether recess should be longer, if fiction is better than nonfiction and if it’s better to be hot than cold. The remaining audience members voted for the winner knowing their vote shouldn’t be indicative of their personal beliefs but cast instead for the side that presents the best reasoning/argument. Strong debaters, the girls learned, can debate either side of any topic, even if they don’t believe in it.
The students also gave 1-2 minute “hero speeches” from the perspective of an object. Their passionate on-the-spot speeches were clever, creative and joyful.
