In social studies recently we have been learning about how the French claimed the Mississippi River and all rivers that flow into it, which took place when La Salle made the famous claim. Going further, we have learned how his second voyage was a disaster and he even lost his life. Today students created timelines on his second voyage. Next, they will take a position about his voyage and write a persuasive essay about it.
What an amazing class! We have been connecting wild sheep and wildlife conservation to reading, writing, science, and math this week. They truly are experts. Today we held a Town Hall Meeting, where each student had a particular role (pro/con/expert) and played their part in a discussion over reintroducing wild sheep to an area outside of our town of Ridgeview. They played the parts perfectly. We had a discussion afterwards about major issues in our society having two sides (or more) and how important it is to listen to each other and work through disagreements in a civil manner. So many students shared examples of how another student brought into light something they hadn't thought about. I'm so proud. These will be great leaders in our future!
Our "Woodworking 201" project has been advancing well this week. Students learned about table saws and miter saws, hacksaws, and drills. Although the teacher ran the heavy duty power items, students who wished could be helped in learning how to use a drill. Friday will will finish up our project and they will bring them home....all ready to fill with gumballs (or other treats).
The last hands-on science involved remaking a solution of salt and water and calculating how many grams of salt was added to the solution after it dissolved. Students first used a balance to determine that 50 mL of water weighed 50 grams. Then, they put their solution of 50 mL of water with an unknown amount of salt in it on the balance and found its weight. Using math, they came to realize that if they subtract 50 from their total, the answer would be the amount of salt they added. We are now waiting for the solution to evaporate to see if we are able to get back the salt.
To kick off our week of learning about our state animal, the bighorn sheep, students played a game I made called Ovisopoly. They become a wild sheep and learn about positive and negative impacts to sheep throughout their year.
For art this week, we moved into Woodworking 201, a more advanced class that the basic "following directions" and assembling a kit. This week students were posed with the task of taking 2x6x and measuring them to appropriate sizes and then cutting them (with teacher help) into the appropriate sizes for what they needed. They were introduced to miter saw and a table saw. Sanding also took place to remove splinters. Then they followed directions on assembling it. Many had the opportunity to use an electric screwdriver for the first time. We are about half-way done.
