Geological Timelines

This week we began our unit on fossils.  The point was to try to fathom how old fossils are. Using geological timelines, students plotted a variety of fossils according to the Epoch of the fossil.  Fossils ranged from 11.8 million years old to over 500 million. A great start to our fossil unit.

Science Conference

In science this week, students were informed about a "Science Conference" we will be holding in mid-February.  Starting after Winter Break, students will create their own investigation on something that they are interested in.  Modeled each step of the way in science class, students will carry out their Science Inquiry Project and write up a proposal to present it in our 5th Grade Science Conference.  An agenda will then be created where students can rotate through sessions to hear presentations from peers on topics they are interested in.  This will be required for all 5th grade students.  Presentations can take place using Powerpoints or Science Fair Boards. 

If students wish to move forward with their project and be judged, they can then enter it into the school's Science Fair the following week, as criteria will be the same.  Science Fair is not required.

I wish to encourage the joy of science through this activity.  Allowing students to celebrate the science and knowledge they learn through doing their own investigation in an inquiry-style fashion.

Floor Hockey

We began our unit in P.E. on floor hockey this week.  Students will learn the skills associated with the sport and then put their skills to use in several weeks during scrimmages on the basketball court. 

In science we have moved away from tie-dye to looking at plant and animal adaptations.  We will be shifting even further at looking at how individual differences within each species help it to survive.

In math we have begun our unit on measurement and fractions.  We have taken it slow at first, using many manipulatives to help students visualize what  is taking place. Within the next few weeks, students will learn formulas and shortcuts for comparing fractions and adding and subtracting them with like and unlike denominators.

Tall Tales

This past week, with half days, we decided to write tall tales. Some people had to adjust their stories because tall tales cannot have fantasy. We started to get some ideas of tall tales the week before by reading 6 tall tales. Then we spent 20 minutes a day on each half day going step by step over our story. We started with our brainstorms to get magnificent ideas on how to start. Then the next day we began writing it. The next day we continued this, but on the last day we got to partner up and share our spectacular tall tales with each other. That is what we did with tall tales during conference week.         

Written by a student in Dr. Brock's class-

Upcoming Science of Tie Dye

Next week, students will learn the in-depth level of the science that takes place during tie dye.  From covalent bonds to negatively and possitively charged molecules, students will walk away from our lesson on Tuesday understanding the importance of why we need natural fibers for this process instead of synthetic ones. 

Then, on Thursday, the class will put the science to work while they tie dye their own item.  Many have ordered lab coats to dye, while others are bringing in an old (or new) shirt, pairs of socks, a sweater, etc to brighten up.  On Friday, the class will assist their kinderbuddy in the same process.

If students or families wish to do more tie dye, Monday the 21st and Tuesday the 22nd is the perfect time.  Outside our classroom families can show up after school to tie dye anything their heart desires.  Prices have been posted on posters around the school (as some items soak up much more dye).  I know I will be making many Christmas presents during this time (beach towels come out great).

Eerie Stories

     Written by a student in Dr. Brock's Class-

     Last week everyone wrote eerie stories. Then we read our original eerie stories to the class. Dr. Brock made one too. He made a campfire for us to read around. We all brought flashlights. Someone brought a flashlight that goes on and off. We read a few stories then it was recess. Then Dr. Brock put black paper on the windows to darken the room even more. Then the rest of the people read their stories. Then Dr. Brock read his.

Art

Written by Kaziah Dutt

Our class did art last Thursday. We painted jars orange and then added a face with yellow paint. It was really fun! Chris’ older sister, Melinda, was the one who taught the lesson. She read us an Irish myth about how the jack-o-lantern was created. The finished product was a jack-o-lantern jar. I lit mine at home and put it out for decoration.

UNR Engineering School Visits

Today three students from the College of Engineering visited our class to do a science lab on earthquakes and foundations.  Students learned the basics about the best foundations for building upon.  In addition, they learned the difference between S-waves and P-waves.  Basically, students built structures out of sugar cubes and tested them on shaker tables (representing an earthquake) for stability.  Students were able to see which foundations under their structure worked best. These UNR students were fantastic, positive role models which were also to excite the students about possible future careers in engineering.

Pumpkins, Scarecrows, Cookies and More!

By Chris Chemor

Dr. Brock’s 5^th Grade

Jessie Beck Elementary School’s playground was packed with parents, students, teachers, volunteers, and scarecrows on Friday.

“The scarecrow festival is my favorite event because of the pies!” said Ethan Swanson, 5^th grader.

It is a time when kids can hang out with their friends and family at school.

“I love the scarecrow contest because I get to hang out with my friends.” Anthony Rios, 5^th grader said.

Every class puts together a scarecrow each year, but students can also work with friends and families on their own scarecrows.

Students are judged on creativity, theme and looks.

Walking through the maze of scarecrows, you never know what kind of scarecrow you will see                      next.

There was an Einstein scarecrow made by Mrs. Thaxton’s Fifth Grade Class, with Einstein’s tongue sticking out of the pumpkin, like the famous picture.

“Einstein was my favorite scarecrow because it made me think.” said Ms. Bland, 6^th grade teacher.

The Scarecrow that stood out the most to me was the giant one that was at least 8 feet tall. It looked like a real scarecrow that might come to life at any time.

Some of the scarecrows that won prizes had used the class as part of the theme of the scarecrow; they would have a main scarecrow and lots of mini scarecrows that would be the kids in the class.

Dr. Brock’s fifth grade class put a lot of time and effort into our scarecrow. Our scarecrow was a tribute to the famous Native American leader Crazy Horse.

It may not have been the favorite, it did not win any prizes but our class worked hard on it and put a lot of time and care into making him. His face was hand drawn, and we researched about his awesome life as a great warrior and leader.

As for the scarecrow festival, even if you don’t win, it’s still a really fun time for everyone…and there is always next year.

Halloween-Dry Ice Lab

The day after Halloween, our science lab focused on a substance often seen around this holiday, dry ice.  Students carefully observed it both in and out of water and connected their observations to states of matter, including sublimation and deposition.  They learned: how it was made, what it was made out of, how many soft drink companies carbonate their beverages, and how dry ice often forms over the water ice on the poles of Mars.

On another note, soon we will be exploring the science behind tie dye.  We are in need of ziplock bags (gallon size), latex gloves, lots of newspaper, and empty 2 liter bottles.

Challenge Course

Written by a student in Dr. Brock's Class:

When we went to Grizzly Creek Ranch we did a challenge course.  A challenge course is where you have to work as a team to do a challenge.  One of the challenges was that you had to get your whole team up a 10 foot wall.  That was really hard.  When you do a challenge course you need to help others and listen really well so you don’t miss out on the plan.  When you make a plan you need to make it before you start the challenge.  Also when you’re making a plan you need to try every body’s idea, and the last thing is that you need to be a team player.  I loved the challenge courses.

Ort

Written by a student in Dr. Brock's Class:

     When we went to Grizzly Creek Ranch, the first thing I actually learned was at dinner. It was about ort.  Ort is wasted food that in the mid evil times kings or queens would throw the left over to the poor people from the castle.  It’s kind of funny because I had never heard of ort until they mentioned it.  Every time we had a meal we tried to have no ort left over.  On the first meal, was dinner, we had one pound of ort.  We were proud of ourselves.  Then when we had breakfast when we had breakfast we had one in a half of ort.  We were not that proud, but the next two meals we had no ort left over.  So remember… our eye can be bigger than our stomach.  So try to never have ort!

Success at Grizzly Creek Ranch Outdoor School

Our three-day adventure at Journey's Outdoor School at Grizzly Creek Ranch was a success, both academically and weather wise.  Students participated in a night hike by moonlight, without any flashlights.  They also studied pond ecology at an amazing pond.  Meals were fantastic and students learned about not wasting food by keeping an Ort Report at each meal. The challenge course allowed students to grow personally.  Amazing skies allowed us the opportunity to learn about astronomy the second night.  One group even saw shooting stars.  The archery course let students learn a new skill while understanding potential and kenetic energy. 

I could go on and on, but have decided to let the students themselves tell you what they got out of this experience in their own words.  Each quote was a sample taken out of their three pages they wrote in their lab books after they returned:

"We learned about rods and cones in our eyes."-Anthony
"I never saw a shooting star before!"- Alexis
"We learned about predators and prey. Prey is the animal that the predator will eat."-Maddy
I learned "I can trust other people when I am blindfolded and the sun is the closest star." -Keziah
"Backswimmers swim on their backs and can also walk on land." - Robert
"I learned about invertabrates and vertabrates. Invertabrates does not have a backbone. Vertabrates have a backbone."-Claire
"I learned when the moon does not show it is the new moon."-Grace
"When we were on the night hike we saw deer in the meadow and we sat their for a little bit and watched." -Jakob
"I learned to trust others."-Alexa
"Bats can run into trees without their echolocation. An average family wastes 5 lbs. of food per day (ort)" -Regan
"I need to think outside the box." -Chris
"I learned a lot about archery.  Microinvertabrates were very small bugs who lived under these very big, black rocks in the pond and that means the pond is healthy." -Sarah
"I have learned how to love the outdoors. I learned that red ants are edible." -Zachary
"I learned about triboluminescence." -Briana
"I learned about rhodopsim, pH testing, and dissolved oxygen." -Eric
" l learned that it is good when you work in groups, to trust others, and how to discuss." -Mason
"Waxing moon is getting larger, waning moon is getting smaller." -Natalie
"Camouflage-The point is to blend in with the rest of the wildlife." -Isaac
"My favorite was the pond because we found tadpoles and lots of fish." -Abigail
"I did not know I was so good at archery."- RJ
"I learned the different stages of the moon." -Kelli
"I learned that scat in animal poop." -Collin

Denim Drive!

Our school is trying to recycle 1500 pairs of denim pants.  The drop off bin will be located at the school the day of the Scarecrow Festival.  The pants will be sent to Florida where they will be shredded and turned into house insulation.  Habitat for Humanity will then use these to insulate three of their houses (500 pants=1 house).  Please look through your old pants and see if there are any you can send in.

Talk Like a Pirate Day in Dr. Brock's Class!

Written by a fifth grader in Dr. Brock’s class

Last week we did Talk Like a Pirate Day.  We had a blast! Some of us even dressed up like  pirates.  At least none of us had to mop the poopdeck. The poopdeck is the part of the ship furthest to the back, which is usually above the captain’s quarters. It was the most amazing day of the year so far. I hope the rest of the fifth graders enjoyed Talk Like a Pirate Day as well because it is a great day to have fun and speak in a different way.

Choosing our Scarecrow

Written by a student in Dr. Brock’s class-

One week ago we sat down and we had to come up with ideas for the building our scarecrow for the festival. First we came up with ideas. Some came from our social studies book and some just popped into our minds. We collected lots and lots of ideas. Next we took a vote. The ideas that didn’t have very many votes were out. Then we took another vote. Now, lots of ideas were out. And finally we took the last vote and we ended up with Crazy Horse. And that’s how we chose Crazy Horse for our classroom scarecrow.

Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Monday was Talk Like a Pirate Day (internationally if you can believe).  The fifth grade brought in this excitement to our learning on this day.  In math, we solved multiple mathematics problems associated with pirates.  In reading intervention, we read a sea poem and analyzed it.  Later this week, on Tuesday and Wednesday, students will continue to capitalize on the excitement by doing experiments with surface area and density as they try to float the "booty" (fancy marbles) in aluminum boats they create.  Feel free to ask your child how surface area impacts buoyancy on Thursday night (after our lab is finished Thursday).

Separating Mixtures and other Happenings in 5th Grade

In social studies this week students in our class are learning about the migration to the Americas.  It is hard to believe we will cover so much this year, from migrating to the Americas all the way to the Civil War.  In math we are beginning to work on squared numbers.  We are moving slowly on this so that each child comprehends that 6 squared is 36, etc.  Eventually we will reverse this process and find the square root of numbers.  In science students began making basic mixtures and are on their way to separating them back into their original components.  This was easily done with a screen filter on gravel and water, but unsuccessful with the powder and salt.  Students will try another method on Thursday and yet another down the road, as one is a special mixture called a solution.

Below are a few photos of science this week. If they don't appear (they don't on my end when I get the email), simply click on the blank spot and they will show up.

Science Unit Begins

We have officially started our mixtures and solutions unit in science.  This week, students set up and observed the materials that will be used for the next few labs.  They included gravel, diatomaceous earth, and sodium chloride (NaCl).  Feel free to ask your child to explain what these items are. You can even ask your child to pass you the sodium chloride or NaCl at the dinner table and you should be passed the salt.  However, your child might ask you this before you get the chance.

Archaeology Dig

The first week of school came and went, with success.  Besides the usual procedure practice the first week, the school participated in a walking fieldtrip of the school.  During this time, students were reminded of the rules for every location at the school.  They were also introduced to the new Bear Paw reward system that the school has put in place. 

Social studies was kicked off with a bang as students ventured to the sand pit, which had been transformed into an archaeology dig site.  Groups of students excavated their site for artifacts.  As they dug up an item, they photographed it, recorded its location on a map, and wrote a basic description. After returning to the classroom, students began piecing together the clues from the artifacts. On Friday, students completed an archaeology form for their "supervisor"  which discussed their findings and assumptions of the people's culture.

Welcome to 5th Grade and the 2011-2012 School Year

Welcome back from another summer vacation.  I hope you enjoyed your time off and at the same time were able to expand your horizons through recent life experiences.  This year holds many exciting opportunities. Be ready for a firm handshake the first day of school as I welcome you to the beginning of your 5th grade year on August 29th.

End of the Year

We are quickly approaching the end of the school year. My how time flies.  In an effort to drive academic instruction to the final days, we will be incorporating multiple disciplines we have learned this year to carry out a variety of projects.

The week-long project we are currently working on involves collecting data involving automobiles.  Yesterday we discussed how companies do in-depth research before sinking funds into making products.  The challenge this week for math, science, art, and writing is to develop a new car or truck based upon the characteristics of the most commonly seen automobiles.  We collected a variety of data on vehicles that drove by the school yesterday on Plumb Lane.  Today students will calculate percents on the vehicle's characteristics (on the many, many cars we saw in 15 minutes).  Later this week students will transform these percents into accurate circle graphs to display the information.  They will then design their own car based upon the most commonly seen traits and create an advertisement which persuades others to purchase it, while at the same time backing up their claims with data they collected.

In social studies, students are narrowing down the top 15 events from U.S. history and designing an accurate time line to display the events they feel had the most impact on American history.

In science, a variety of small labs/lessons will be carried out. One lesson will focus on germs, using a special dust that glows under UV light.  Students will see how quickly germs can spread.  Another lab will challenge students to discover if the size of a ball effects its speed as it rolls down a ramp.  We will also be investaging some new materails I collected this year on wind energy and solar energy.  We have had the wind, we just need to have a little sun too for this lab.

Next Tuesday, June 6th, is our field day for the first two hours of school.  Students will rotate around to a variety of stations around the school.  This is also when we will have a little celebration during lunch time.  Thanks for all those who will help contribute food for this.

That afternoon students will fill out some information, which is exactly the same as the Time Capsule they filled out the first few days of school.  They will then get their original Time Capsule back that they filled out and compare their answers to see how they have changed (and stayed the same with certain likes/dislikes).  It is always a fun time. 

Our last day of school will be on June 8th.  Thank you so much for such a wonderful year.  This has been an amazing class!

To Infinity and Beyond!

We have recently been studying space science.  The last couple of weeks we explored how big (or small, depending on how you look at it) our solar system is by walking a 100 meter scaled model of it on the playground.  We then built our Milky Way Galaxy out of paper and visualized where our solar system fit inside that model and tried to visualize our galaxy as one of 30 galaxies in the Local Group, just a few galaxies in the universe.

We continued to dig into science standard E5B4 to understand the cyclical patterns of observable objects in the solar system by having a guest speaker visit to talk about meteors and asteroids.  Ask your child what he or she thought of the guest speaker, as he was quite different.  Students then created a model of the surface of a planet with flour and grape drink mix and explored impact crators.

Museum Day was a Success!

After a month of preparation, Museum Day was a huge success.  Students wrote the best three-minute speeches using research from three different sources.  Their memorization of the speech, along with their amazing costumes was outstanding.  They presented twice throughout the day, with the showing at 2:15 being the busiest.  Many students said they only had five or ten seconds of not talking between presentations during that showing.  I am very proud of all my students.

Museum Day, Art BBQ, and Book Report

This Friday, May 6th the school is holding its art and picnic BBQ.  Families are welcomed to attend.  Students' artwork will be displayed outside each classroom.  You are welcome to purchase the BBQ food from the school or bring your own picnic lunch.

Next Tuesday, May 10th is the 5th grade Museum Day.  We have been working hard researching historical figures, using internet, encyclopedias, and books to put together a three minute speech about the character.  We will begin dress rehearsals Friday.  Please help your child create a costume to fit their character.  Their homework this week is to begin practice memorizing their speech.  They will also have time Thursday, Friday, and Monday to work on memorizing it and practicing it.  You are welcome to attend the showing on Tuesday.  We will have one showing from 9:30-10:00 and one from 2:15-2:45.

Our next book report is due on May 20th.  Students can choose any genre they like.  There are two components to this book report. First, fill out the standard book report form.  The second component is to create a board game using the characters, setting, plot, etc. from the book.  Criteria is attached to the book report form.  These games will be played in class on May 20th, so they need to be designed so that anyone can play them, even if they haven't read the book.

Reading Week ROCKS!

The week before spring break celebrated Reading Week.  Our class participated in themed events each day.  The last day many students dressed up for a final finale to our "Reading Rocks" theme.

Other activities this week included Poem in a Pocket, guessing passages from books, and more.

It didn't stop us from learning though.  We have been working on a novel titled "Dreamsong".  We will finish the book after spring break.  In social studies, we are moving into understanding the reasons the nation became divided in the 1800's leading up to the Civil War.  In science, we are beginning to conclude our unit on mixtures and solutions.  Today students will compare solubility between a saturated solution of salt water and a saturated solution of powdered citric acid and water.  They are all becoming very good at the metric system and using graduated cylinders to measure liquids.  After the break, Monday will start out with Star Lab, followed by a big unit on space science.  Writing is focusing on research.  We have learned about bibliography pages and have begun researching our characters for the book report and Museum Day.

Students are now going to continue this research on their own for their book report book, using the notecard process learned in class.  At the completion of their book report, we will research in class using two other sources and take notes on those as well.  Museum Day will be a great success!

Museum Day

We will begin working on a large scale report on a person who is an American hero, either someone who was an American or greatly influenced America.  Starting this week, students will sign up for the person they want to research and eventually become.  Our book report for the next 3 weeks will be a biography on their person.  Later this week they will learn how to take notes on notecards on important information as they read their book.  These notes, along with the book report, will become the first source for their big report.  Following the book report, which is due April 29th, students will continue researching using one internet site and an encyclopedia.  Creating a well written bibliography page to go along with the report is part of the assignment, as well as citing sources if using quotations.

Finally, the end finale is Museum Day.  On May 10th (times to be determined later by the 5th grades), parents are invited to tour our "museum".  Students will be dressed up their costume representing their person in history.  Simply pushing a "button" on their arm will activate a 3 minute, memorized oral background of the person.  Over 75 fifth graders presenting America's influential people...what a great time that will be!

We began checking out biographies last week in library.  We will continue to do so Wednesday of this week.
The public library is also a great resource.

St. Patrick's Day Math/Reading/Science

In the afternoon of March 17th, we broke into groups to become specialists with different topics related to St. Patrick's Day.  After reading and sorting through information, students presented the information to the rest of the class.

Next, we built off of the information about the potato famine in Ireland in the mid-1800's.  We explored what part of a potato is "edible", considering that most people peel potatos for cooking.  Through the process, students also discovered why the mass of their peels added to the mass of their pulp didn't equal the original mass of the potato.

We finished the day by turning regular copper pennies into "gold".  Students cleaned their pennies in an acidic solution (Taco Bell sauce).  Next, they watched as Dr. Brock galvanized the pennies in zinc.  They soon held a zinc coated penny in their hand.  Finally, Dr. Brock circulated around the room so students could watch as their penny became the alloy brass (when zinc and copper are heated they create brass).  The brass pennies were now shinny, gold colored.

Happy Pi Day

March 14th was Pi Day (3.14). After measuring many different baked pies in the classroom (diameter and circumference) and discovering that Pi= circumference/diameter, we reversed the process and found circumference of different circles using the formula C=Pi/diameter. We also found the area of circles using pi.

Overall, it was a successful, math filled day.  A wonderful way to spend an afternoon after CRTs.