Filming Movies

After learning about the gold rush of 1849, students wrote movie scripts for a historical fiction (or documentary) about the gold rush. Today, students begin filming their stop-motion movies.

Olympian David Wise Visits

Jessie Beck had an assembly with THE David Wise today. At the end, students were able to give him each a high five and even touch his gold medal!

Gold Panning and the Science of Gold!

As we learn about the California gold rush to gain information in creating stop-motion movie about it, we learned a little of the science behind how a gold pan actually works. Students were able to dry pan for gold using Cocoa Puffs (dirt) and gold colored mints (gold). Also, we have a tub of water and sand with heavy BBs where students will take turns throughout the week actually using a real pan.

Living Museum

The school was transported back in time on Wednesday, as students morphed into American history characters from the past. For the past 5 weeks, students have researched multiple sources, wrote a report with a bibliography page and cited all their sources, and memorized their 2-3 minute biography. Wednesday students spread themselves apart outside and came to life when their on button was pushed. The museum was packed with parents and many classes who came to learn about these great people who had a part in shaping America history.

Reaction Rockets

We saw Newton's law of "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction" while launching our reaction rockets Tuesday. Students compiled data on how high each rocket flew after being dropped from different distances. Next, students will find averages, plot on a coordinate grid, and analyze results....looking for patterns.

Nevada Historical Society and Planetarium

Thursday we had a great day on our field experience. We started at the Nevada Historical Society Museum at UNR. Our class was split into two groups, which each had a specialist lead the tour. We learned so much, and reinforced so much about our learning in school. Next, we watched an educational film about the Maya people and the astronomy they used. This connected to earlier learning this year as well. Finally, the director of the Fleishmann Planetarium came out and personally gave us a talk about astronomy and what could be seen in our night sky (although it rained Thursday night). The rain stayed away and we were able to eat a picnic lunch out on the grass, taking turns seeing the amazing sun dial there that is accurate to the minute (although it was 2 minutes off).

Kids Court

Today was a huge success while at the court house for our out of school learning experience. The entire class furthered their learning about the justice system through a mock trial. Half the class was the jury while half the class put on skit involving the trial of Curly Pig. Based on the story of the three little pigs, the wolf had brought Curly Pig to court for causing him harm and medical bills. Students surely know the aspects of a civil case now.