Bobcat Time is dedicated time in our building when "all hands are on deck" to provide needed interventions to supplement core instruction. If students do not need reteaching, their Bobcat Time may include an extension of core instruction. The group I am leading in Bobcat Time falls under this category, so I decided to use interactive read alouds to extend their learning. However, as time progressed it turned into so much more. The kids are learning about a subject and applying skills from across content areas to dig deeper into the theme. For example, they were writers when they wrote about their observations. They were readers when they read grade-level texts. They were mathematicians when they counted how many unifix cubes it took to weigh as much as one apple, 65 by the way. They were artists as they drew, painted, and made prints with apples and pumpkins. They were scientists when we tested a pumpkin to see if it would float. The kids took their learning into their own hands when they began to question if bigger pumpkins would float. I provided bigger pumpkins the next day and the kids tested out their theories. Right now we are acting as historians to learn more about wild turkeys and how they landed on the Thanksgiving table.
This is what excitement, engagement, and high-level thinking and learning look like at Keystone Elementary. It is amazing to watch students engage in educational excellence, continuous growth, and teamwork. They are complex thinkers, self-directed learners, and creative problem-solvers. These skills are all part of our core values and beliefs at Benton, and I have the privilege of providing students the opportunity to use them to further their love of learning.
Students used paint and small pumpkins to make pumpkin prints.