Archaeology

Today was our archaeology dig. Each team had a quadrant to dig in, and many young archaeologists brought in tools and gloves to do so. The goal was to allow the fifth graders to understand that much of our history is based on what is discovered from ancient civilizations and we don't always have a complete picture. Each team, upon discovering and artifact had to record where it was found in the quadrant and then photograph the artifact. Once returning to the classroom students worked as a team to complete an archaeology dig report, where they analyzed the artifacts and the civilization(s) they came from. Groups who found limited artifacts had less "clues" in understanding their civilization(s).

Building Teamwork

This year, teamwork will be an essential asset to possess in our class. Journeys Outdoor School, our overnight trip, will have one day focused to building teamwork. In class the first week we began the foundation for working together this year. Having 6 cups, teams had to use a string and rubber band to manipulate the cups into different positions. Looking easy at first, the entire team had to work together in order to be successful.

Importance of Observations

We had our first science lab, which stressed the importance of detailed observations. Each student received a stick, which looked similar in all ways to the other 27 sticks in class. As students wrote down observations, mini lessons occurred that reminded them of key concepts while writing observations (scaled drawings, labels, measure accurately in the metric system, detailed shading or coloring, weighing, having multiple drawings of different angles, etc.). All sticks were collected and the following morning students reviewed their lab book notes. All sticks were spread out and students, had to find their own stick and PROVE it was theirs using their notes. This was very successful and done within 8 minutes. Next, we discussed how often times other people utilize notes that scientists write. These need to be detailed enough and legible so others know what the scientist is talking about. Students clarified their notes and then had a challenge. They had to switch notebooks and only rely on the notebook to help them find a peer's stick. Much more difficult, yet it set a stage for the importance of putting down all information in a detailed way so others (mainly me while I am grading their labs this year) know ALL of the information that is inside each of their heads. A very successful lab to start with.

Welcome Back!

I am so excited for this new school year to begin. I have so many exciting learning activities planned. In addition, there are a few new additions to the playground to be excited about. First, the blacktop has been resurfaced and new lines painted. It looks great. Second, a few new pieces of playground equipment have been added to the playground. I look forward to seeing everyone on August 10th! Parents, feel free to "subscribe" to this blog. Just add your email address to the "subscribe" box on the right. You will receive an email, which you will have to confirm wanting to be a subscriber. This often goes to a JUNK MAIL box, so look there. If you don't confirm, you won't get updates emailed to you. By subscribing, each time I update the blog it will send you what I post. It makes it easy to stay updated with what is going on, especially visually, in the classroom. At any time you can unsubscribe and at the end of the school year I even unsubscribe you so you won't receive posts next year.

Humongous Hero

We walked into our classroom this morning with desks and chairs all turned over. We were not sure what had happened until we remembered and told some stories of Humongous Hero, who in the past had visited and scared away "criminals" from our classroom, making it a better place. After realizing he (or she) had visited, we moved into math and began using proportions to calculate his height, as he must be HUGE based on the hand print he left. Next, we began using proportions of body features (arm length, head length and width, etc) to have a list of all major body dimensions of our hero. Tomorrow we will draw our hero (who is appearing to be slightly over 10 meters high) to scale on a piece of paper.

Curvature of a Lens

Today we observed six different curvatures of glass lenses to help us categorize how the shape of the lens impacts what is seen. Focus was placed on convex and concave terms. We also experimented with light through glass prisms, understanding how light is refracted and what white light is made up of.

Living History Museum

What a performance! Over the past month, each student researched an American hero in depth. Learning the basics of research, including: using note cards for each source, the introductory components of the APA style of research for their biographies and quotes, and how to evaluate sources, the students compiled a 2-3 page typed, first-person point of view research paper. Next, the paper was memorized. Today was the celebration. Students lined the blacktop and gave their presentations to families and the rest of the school for over an hour. Travis, who kept track of his speeches, said he said his speech twenty-four times! They all did an amazing job.