What a busy few weeks! It was so nice to have a week off! I heard about the fabulous vacations that the kids went on and loved hearing about the relaxing ¨staycations" as well. My husband worked so the boys and I did little day trips and I did a lot of touch up painting all around my house and decided to repaint my stairwell and bathroom - very scary but it looks great.
I´m sure you all have heard about our fantastic trip to Gillette. I want to thank all of the chaperones for joining us and braving the rain. I tried to run around and get as many pictures as I could - check them out!
I´m sure you all have heard about our fantastic trip to Gillette. I want to thank all of the chaperones for joining us and braving the rain. I tried to run around and get as many pictures as I could - check them out!
Science
In this science unit, our focus question is ¨What happens to earth materials when they are exposed to sunlight?¨ In our first experiment, students had two cups full of earth materials, water and soil. They recorded the temperature every 3 minutes for 15 minutes to monitor the rate of temperature increase in sunshine and temperature decrease in the shade. We graphed our data points and discovered that the soil heats up faster than the water and also cools down at a faster rate. Our conclusion was that earth´s materials heat unevenly. Ask your child about which Earth materials they interact with that the energy from the sun heats up so much that it affects them. They should tell you the sand at the beach!
In our second experiment, the class worked in teams of two. They were given a vial, a cup, and two thermometers. They had to fill the vial with cold clear water and the cup half full with hot red water. Then they had to measure and record the temperatures of both water samples. They were then challenged to figure out how to warm the cold clear water without mixing it with the hot red water. They had the task to try to warm the cold clear water to a temperature of 30°C and then bring it down to the starting temp of 10°C. They did such a great job and were so creative. Ask your child to tell you what their results were!
In this science unit, our focus question is ¨What happens to earth materials when they are exposed to sunlight?¨ In our first experiment, students had two cups full of earth materials, water and soil. They recorded the temperature every 3 minutes for 15 minutes to monitor the rate of temperature increase in sunshine and temperature decrease in the shade. We graphed our data points and discovered that the soil heats up faster than the water and also cools down at a faster rate. Our conclusion was that earth´s materials heat unevenly. Ask your child about which Earth materials they interact with that the energy from the sun heats up so much that it affects them. They should tell you the sand at the beach!
In our second experiment, the class worked in teams of two. They were given a vial, a cup, and two thermometers. They had to fill the vial with cold clear water and the cup half full with hot red water. Then they had to measure and record the temperatures of both water samples. They were then challenged to figure out how to warm the cold clear water without mixing it with the hot red water. They had the task to try to warm the cold clear water to a temperature of 30°C and then bring it down to the starting temp of 10°C. They did such a great job and were so creative. Ask your child to tell you what their results were!
Right before February vacation, players from the high school baseball team came to LaPerche to help with a project for Color A Smile. This is a nonprofit organization that distributes cheerful drawings to senior citizens, our troops overseas, and anyone in need of a smile. The kids had so much fun coloring and were excited at the fact that their art can put a smile on someone´s face who needs it! I also loved catching up with my former 3rd grade students, Matt, Chris and John!
Yesterday was our last day of February social inclusion. We will be back in April, but will continue being reading buddies with our friends in Mrs. Hayward and Ms. Feeleyś rooms on Fridays. The students played volleyball and were amazing role models and friends as usual.
Math
We are almost finished with Chapter 9 in our My Math series. This chapter taught us skills such as adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers, both with like and unlike denominators. The class had to draw upon skills taught last year; like how to convert an improper fraction to a mixed number. I had to take an extra day to reteach this, as many had forgotten the rules. Now that they had a refresher lesson, they are well on their way. Our chapter test will be on Tuesday and then our next chapter will have us multiplying and dividing fractions. I can wait! :)
We are almost finished with Chapter 9 in our My Math series. This chapter taught us skills such as adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers, both with like and unlike denominators. The class had to draw upon skills taught last year; like how to convert an improper fraction to a mixed number. I had to take an extra day to reteach this, as many had forgotten the rules. Now that they had a refresher lesson, they are well on their way. Our chapter test will be on Tuesday and then our next chapter will have us multiplying and dividing fractions. I can wait! :)
In writing, we are completing our second research project, which was to research about a future career. The kids absolutely loved this assignment. It began by having the students answer questions to 3 different quizzes that were all about them and their likes and dislikes. This put them in categorizes like investigative, artistic, social, and enterprising. From there, they were directed to a list of possible careers that fit their personality. Almost all of the students'choice of careers were exactly matched to their personalities. It was so cool! They then had to research many different components to their possible careers and create a 22 slide Google Slide show. The criteria included, what kind of degree do you need? Which colleges offer this degree? What is the tuition and requirements to get into this college? Will they work inside or outside? Will they work alone or is it more group work? They learned so much and so did I, realizing I need to put more money away for my sons´ college tuition! AAAAAHHHH!!! The students are presenting their projects tomorrow and you will be able to see their slideshows on your home computers. I will also print a hard copy for you. Here are a few examples of the slides in their projects!