Designing a Decomposition Experiment

This past week, students had been designing an experiment that tested an idea of their own dealing with decomposition of carrots. The experiment involved students creating scientific teams where each scientist had an experimental bag as well as a control. Yesterday we set up the experiment. For the next month, we will weigh the carrots each week to determine some of the factors that impact (or don't) decomposition of carrots. Some of the experiments involve: different temperatures, including worms in one bag, adding grass clippings to one bag, burying the carrot at different depths, adding lemon juice to one bag, adding soda to one bag, and more. With each team having 4 or more students, we have several trials of the same experiment and several controls as well. New tools of graduated cylinders and syringes were utilized as well as math (averaging their groups' carrot weight for both control and experimental bags).

Art and Jr. Achievement

Today was our first official art lesson in class, led by a parent. The class learned about perspective of things up close and in the distance. A watercolor painting was done using the new elements learned. Any parents who would like to help on future art lessons on Mondays, please let us know. Our second lesson of Jr. Achievement, led by Mr. Palmer, was a fun success today as well. Students learned about what an entrepreneur is and then groups became entrepreneurs, creating a new product and commercial to market that product.

Mindful Seeing

This week, our class connected our Mindful Seeing lesson (our ability to visually distinguish details) with a science activity. Students were given a small stick and encouraged to record down as many rich and descriptive observations in their lab book as they could. Throughout their observations, the teacher identified students who were recording observations that might be helpful to the class. This included: using tools to assist (rulers to measure length and scales to measure mass), descriptive sentences and bullet points, drawings (both to scale drawings and enlarging a drawing to get more detail), diagrams, and more. The first challenge was each student had to turn in their stick. These sticks were placed on a table and each child had to find their stick. The had to PROVE, using evidence in their lab book, why that stick was theirs. Students who believed the same stick belonged to both of them took on conversations using their evidence to discover whose stick it actually was. Finally, students added more details in their own lab book and then switch books with another scientist. The real challenge had them use another's notes and details to find the other person's stick. This demonstrated to students how important distinguishing those details are, not just for themselves, but for others.