Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Week 7 Our First Field Trip and Run for the Arts.



Children's Theater Field Trip
We had a delightful first outing to the Northwest Children's Theater downtown.  Thanks to all of the families members who were able to come along.  The students were excited by the beautiful theater as much as the play!  

We chose the Sherlock Holmes play because it fits nicely into our focus on mysteries in Reading. By reading lots of mysteries and discussing their features we hope students will not only become fans of the genre but transfer some of the skills and strategies of being a mystery reader to their broader reading life.  We are focusing explicitly on making inferences.  This can be a challenge for younger readers but the practice of looking for clues, divining motive and keeping track of suspects makes inferential thinking very concrete.

We also had the good fortune to have Ms. Kathleen lead us in an experiment on plant transpiration.  Students put plastic bags around different plants all around the building and left them overnight.  When we returned the plants in the shade had produced very little moisture into the bag while the ones in the sun yielded more than a cup!  Our class is in the midst of making posters to explain this process.


Run for the Arts looked like it might have to get postponed due to rain but in the end it turned out to be a perfect day.  Thanks to everyone who was able to run with kids or cheer them on.  As a class we tallied our laps and calculated that we ran over 52 miles!  Way to go Room 5!

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Week 6 Notes

Lots going on in Room 5, right now!  We are continuing our study of matter by examining phase changes.  How and why does ice melt?  What makes water evaporate? What are some changes reversible and others aren't?  By observing and exploring various interactions and changes over the coming week, we will come to some new understanding about the physical properties and forces at work.

Our students have also been learning about how to use the classroom computers and are now really smart about logging in, creating new documents and using teacher feedback.  We have a really great tool called Hapara, which allows me to view student work in progress and interact with them while they use the computer.  Coming up next is how to locate information on the internet in way that makes sense.

This Friday, 10/17, we will go on our first field trip, to the Children's Theater production of "Sherlock Holmes." Students will eat their lunches a little early so we can board the bus at 11.  We will return well before dismissal with some time to reflect on the trip and the play.