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.