The Power of AIR CANNONS

While teaming up with a communications course at UNR, engineering students visited our class Friday with a challenge to build an air cannon.  Various materials were  chosen by groups of students and then they set to work developing their air firing machine.  Although we could have used more time for the competitions regarding cannon with most force, furthest distance, and quickest firing, everyone had a chance to blow out a candle using their air-zooka.

Soccer Game- By Christine

Written by Christine:

Last Friday, 3-23-12, we had a soccer game at Jessie Beck Elementary. It was the Bears V.S. Panthers. We were the Bears of course.  The panthers had their own cheerleaders, but most of the fans of the bears cheered. One of the cheers was, “Come on Bears you can do it, put a little muscle in it!”  The Bears lost 1 to 4 but we still did a good job and I bet next time we will win. J

Museum Day

Written by Mason:

For our blog I am writing about Museum Day. We all dressed up as a famous person in history that we studied. We said our speeches when one of the kids pushed our button. We had one session from 11:00-11:25 and another one at 2:15-3:00. Some of the people were Mark Twain, Leonardo DaVinci, Ronald Regan, and Walt Disney. We found our research in an encyclopedia, a book, and the internet for this project.

Living History Museum

The 5th Grade Living History Museum was a success!  After five weeks of research, combing notes to write an original biography, citing sources on a bibliography page, and memorizing the page in a half long speech, the show was well prepared for.

Crazy Mathematicians!

What mathematicians!  In the classroom challenge, five students soared in memorizing the first several (actually more) digits of pi.  In one night, these students memorized more than twenty digits of the irrational number.  Fourth place memorized 24 digits.  Third place memorized 30 digits.  Second place memorized 34 digits, while two students tied for first place memorizing and astonishing 105 digits in the correct order!  Simply AMAZING!

Pi Day TWENTY TWELVE

March 14, 2012
(3.14.12)

Today 5th graders learned about pi through the process of reverse engineering.  They measured the circumference of many pies (thanks to everyone who sent one in) and then each pie's diameter.  Using this data, they divided the circumference of the pie by its diameter to realize that the circumference of a circle is a little over three times its diameter.  After calculating averages of their pi data, students saw how close they got to 3.14.   We then had some dessert of pies for lunch, while listining to a Pi song.

Later in the afternoon, students in several intervention groups read about the history of pi and how past mathematicians made errors in their work, although their calculations were quite close.  Working on high-level reading skills while focusing on a hot topic of the day kept kids engaged.

In math intervention, students applied their new knowledge of pi and calculated the circumference and area of circles using pi in formulas.  Following this, they became engaged into a challenge of memorizing as many places of pi as they can in one day (for fun, not a grade) by watching a music video off a spoof of Lose Yourself.

The goal of today for me was to excite the children about pi, but also put an event and activity with the meaning of pi for future math lessons in later grades (I had many 6th graders come by and wish me Happy Pi Day today).

So......Happy Pi Day!

Reproduction Parts of Plants

Today was quite exciting in plants, and perhaps the students will never look at a flower again in the same way.  We dissected flowers and discovered what all the parts inside are called and their function.  From pistils to stamens, from anthers to stigmas, and from pollen (what is really is) to seeds...the class now has a broad understanding of how plants reproduce.