Week 37 Carolina Cafe - Last Week!!!!
That restaurant staff would be the envy of any 5 star restaurant.
We had a busy last week and a half getting ready for the cafe and all the details it took to prepare and present. We had a lot of help from volunteers, cooking the Vidalia Onion Pie, supervising knife wielding 10 year olds, and an expert pie slicer and egg peelers. We felt so lucky to have everyone join us in our celebration of food, North Carolina, and our amazing year. The kids did a great job as young waiters and waitresses and patrons and food critics alike agreed that Carolina Cafe although short lived will go down in history as one of the most creative and delicious eating establishments to hit Durham.
On Tuesday we hit Falls Lake for a full day of water, sun, frisbee, and watermelon. We had a great time despite the unknown high bacteria count and went home tired and happy. On Wednesday we had one last day celebrating our amazing journey this year and all the relationships and memories that have grown out of it. I'm going to miss everyone so much, the kind and creative learners whose curiosity and joy made made my job easy.
On Tuesday we hit Falls Lake for a full day of water, sun, frisbee, and watermelon. We had a great time despite the unknown high bacteria count and went home tired and happy. On Wednesday we had one last day celebrating our amazing journey this year and all the relationships and memories that have grown out of it. I'm going to miss everyone so much, the kind and creative learners whose curiosity and joy made made my job easy.
Week 36 Food and Hot Weather
I think we're all glad to be finished with testing and even with one week of hot weather May turned out to be a great month. We took advantage of the fact that it was not 95 degrees in our classroom to become food scientists. We learned of the different structures that make up foods (starches, glucose, fats) and tested a variety of liquid and solid food products to determine if they contained starches. Most of our hypotheses were supported by test results but we got some surprises that reshaped our definition of what foods have starches.
The students were abuzz with the idea of creating a mini restaurant to share some of the things we've learned about foods and about our home state. We'll be opening our cafe in a little over a week and already the critics are sending out rave reviews. We wrote letters to local chefs for recipe ideas and researched what foods are grown in the different regions. Our hope is to create a menu that showcases the different foods and tastes of our state. We had a lot of fun making envelopes and designing invitations and this week will see a lot of different disciplines rolled into this food extravaganza.
The students were abuzz with the idea of creating a mini restaurant to share some of the things we've learned about foods and about our home state. We'll be opening our cafe in a little over a week and already the critics are sending out rave reviews. We wrote letters to local chefs for recipe ideas and researched what foods are grown in the different regions. Our hope is to create a menu that showcases the different foods and tastes of our state. We had a lot of fun making envelopes and designing invitations and this week will see a lot of different disciplines rolled into this food extravaganza.
Week 35 Spinning Discs and Filling Bubbles
Walking down a hill after hitting up the swimming hole isn't a bad way to end the week. It's even better when three of those days were spent with Ticonderogas, filling in countless bubbles. The students all worked hard on the tests and I think the results will show their effort and skill. After the test each day we exercise different parts of our brain. Kim Moore came in every afternoon and helped all the students get started on knitting projects. I brushed off a few old discs and taught the students a couple techniques for throwing and catching and then we were on to full blown games of ultimate frisbee. I wasn't quite sure how 10 year olds would do with full size discs but they were throwing them 30 yards and diving to catch them by the end of the week. It was great seeing the students work together to pick up a new skill and see them gasp when a frisbee catch was in doubt and shriek with joy when two hands fully stopped the disc from rotating.
Week 34 Measurement and Preparation
It's hard to believe the year is almost over and this week we'll be having one form of assessment that marks some of the things we've accomplished. The students will read lots of questions and fill in lots of bubbles and I'm confident they'll do well on all the different areas. As a teacher it is great getting to see through formal and informal authentic assessment that the students who came into 4th grade have grown in so many skills. Everyone has grown in math and reading and that should show on the EOGs but I am so much more proud of their growth in asking questions and finding out how to work with other people.
This past week we've reviewed vocabulary and talked about strategies and sharpened up our computation by having a few rounds of the Measurement Olympics.
Our garden is beautiful and bountiful (thanks Kim!) and next time you're walking by school you should grab a couple of the sweet snap peas that are just asking to be eaten.
This past week we've reviewed vocabulary and talked about strategies and sharpened up our computation by having a few rounds of the Measurement Olympics.
Our garden is beautiful and bountiful (thanks Kim!) and next time you're walking by school you should grab a couple of the sweet snap peas that are just asking to be eaten.
Week 33 Presentation and Precision
This week if you can you should come upstairs and walk to the end of the hall. You'll find maps created by the students, beautiful watercolors, thoughtful writing, funny writing, and tons of pictures that capture the essence of our trip to the Outer Banks. The kids worked really had preparing the articles for the display but they also worked really hard on the display itself. Lots of focus and precision went into making sure everything was level, lined up, and visually appealing. There aren't many 10 year olds who can accurately man a laminator but we had a crew of 5 putting out really nice finished products.
In math we've been rolling through all sorts of ways to manipulate fractions to get them to do what we want them to do. The students have been really successful building on a solid foundation and understanding and adding a new layer to it almost daily.
In Spanish the students started writing an essay by composing an English version. This week they will be translating their English into Spanish and next week we should have a nice polished version. This week we'll keep playing our dulcimers, make some discoveries about food, and become familiar with what the EOGs will be like for 4th grade.
We are all deep in our book club books and can't wait to see what will happen for the main event. Maybe we'll find out this week!
In math we've been rolling through all sorts of ways to manipulate fractions to get them to do what we want them to do. The students have been really successful building on a solid foundation and understanding and adding a new layer to it almost daily.
In Spanish the students started writing an essay by composing an English version. This week they will be translating their English into Spanish and next week we should have a nice polished version. This week we'll keep playing our dulcimers, make some discoveries about food, and become familiar with what the EOGs will be like for 4th grade.
We are all deep in our book club books and can't wait to see what will happen for the main event. Maybe we'll find out this week!
Week 32 Mixing Up Numbers and Making Obstacles
After shaking all the sand out of our ears and shoes everyone showed up on Monday morning excited to talk about what we had done and learn more about where we'd been. The students wrote personal narratives about running down the hill, taking pictures, and getting cactus spines stuck in their leg. Later in the week we made personalized maps of the places we went.
In math we learned that mixed numbers have an equivalent improper fraction and that it's not that hard to switch in between them.
The dulcimer players in the class have really been learning a lot, mastering "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" and working on "I'll Fly Away." All of our songs this quarter are mountain songs an when we sing them we can imagine Livy Two, the main character in our class book, belting them out along with us.
We were all really glad to get back to book clubs after a week and a half hiatus and find out what is going on with all of our favorite characters. Next week we'll be finishing up the obstacle course and the following week we'll be starting our nutrition and food science exploration.
In math we learned that mixed numbers have an equivalent improper fraction and that it's not that hard to switch in between them.
The dulcimer players in the class have really been learning a lot, mastering "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" and working on "I'll Fly Away." All of our songs this quarter are mountain songs an when we sing them we can imagine Livy Two, the main character in our class book, belting them out along with us.
We were all really glad to get back to book clubs after a week and a half hiatus and find out what is going on with all of our favorite characters. Next week we'll be finishing up the obstacle course and the following week we'll be starting our nutrition and food science exploration.
Week 31 April 18-22 Deep Sands and Protected Lands
15 kids, 7 adults, and lots of sand, burs, salt, and sun. For two days we walked, looked, talked and came away happy to have a place like the Outer Banks and really ready for a shower.
We were really lucky to have all star support from all the parents on the trip who put up tents in 30 mph wind, slapped together PB&J and listened to the conversations of 10 year olds for 15 hours. Without them there would have been no trip.
Before we left we set a class goal of PFP: Positive, Flexible, Patient. This allowed everyone to work together on the photo scavenger hunt, to roll with the punches when we weren't able to climb to the top of Hatteras and wait for the coals of the charcoal to be open for roasting marshmallows.
Looking back at our two goals it's hard to imagine them being met in a more effective way.
1. Connecting students to their learning.
- You should have heard the students squeal as Bodie Island Lighthouse came into sight or when the osprey that someone had studied flew overhead with an eel between its talons. All the research we did before the trip made everything the students saw much deeper and real. We had wondered how the Life Savers were able to shoot the rope to the stranded ships and at Chicamocomico we saw first hand the faking box and rope that took hours to wind.
2. Connecting to the natural world
- At 6 am the boys all zoomed out of their tent to escape the mosquitoes and headed across two dunes to watch the sun rise from the horizon of the Atlantic. Some were dancing in the surf, others skipping shells in the calm troughs, a skate that had washed up. We learned how all of Pea Island is moving several feet a year, how turtles come back to nest within 50 feet of where they were born 5 years before and how migrating birds are adapted for long journeys. These are all things you can talk about in a classroom, but you can't see a flock of sandpipers taking off to their next stop, or fill the wind pushing the sand slowly west. Every place we visited on the trip was protected land at the state or federal level and hopefully after two days there the kids will realize just a little that for our sake and the world's we need to protect grains of sand and drops of water. Check out the pictures of all the different things we did or the videos of us taking on the sand dunes and I hope you get a little taste of the amazing trip we had.
We were really lucky to have all star support from all the parents on the trip who put up tents in 30 mph wind, slapped together PB&J and listened to the conversations of 10 year olds for 15 hours. Without them there would have been no trip.
Before we left we set a class goal of PFP: Positive, Flexible, Patient. This allowed everyone to work together on the photo scavenger hunt, to roll with the punches when we weren't able to climb to the top of Hatteras and wait for the coals of the charcoal to be open for roasting marshmallows.
Looking back at our two goals it's hard to imagine them being met in a more effective way.
1. Connecting students to their learning.
- You should have heard the students squeal as Bodie Island Lighthouse came into sight or when the osprey that someone had studied flew overhead with an eel between its talons. All the research we did before the trip made everything the students saw much deeper and real. We had wondered how the Life Savers were able to shoot the rope to the stranded ships and at Chicamocomico we saw first hand the faking box and rope that took hours to wind.
2. Connecting to the natural world
- At 6 am the boys all zoomed out of their tent to escape the mosquitoes and headed across two dunes to watch the sun rise from the horizon of the Atlantic. Some were dancing in the surf, others skipping shells in the calm troughs, a skate that had washed up. We learned how all of Pea Island is moving several feet a year, how turtles come back to nest within 50 feet of where they were born 5 years before and how migrating birds are adapted for long journeys. These are all things you can talk about in a classroom, but you can't see a flock of sandpipers taking off to their next stop, or fill the wind pushing the sand slowly west. Every place we visited on the trip was protected land at the state or federal level and hopefully after two days there the kids will realize just a little that for our sake and the world's we need to protect grains of sand and drops of water. Check out the pictures of all the different things we did or the videos of us taking on the sand dunes and I hope you get a little taste of the amazing trip we had.
Week 30 April 11-15 Wings and Feathers
We continued working on equivalent fractions and simplifying fractions this past week but let's be honest: Everything came back to our trip to the beach. All of the students chose one bird that they would research and build and so throughout the week we heard all sorts of facts about what birds eat and how they raise their young. We figured out which birds we're going to be most likely to see when we're out at Pea Island and started a map of major bird migration routes in North and South America.
The students practiced their expository writing skills and did a great job of independently producing a detailed composition about their bird. It's been great to see all of the students grow as writers and see them proud of what they produce.
Our whimbrel pal Machi flew 3500 miles this week from Belem, Brazil to Bull Island, South Carolina. Last year Machi stopped near Pea Island this time of year and we're really hoping we might see her out there.
This week we're going to be getting ready for our trip and then we're going!!!
The students practiced their expository writing skills and did a great job of independently producing a detailed composition about their bird. It's been great to see all of the students grow as writers and see them proud of what they produce.
Our whimbrel pal Machi flew 3500 miles this week from Belem, Brazil to Bull Island, South Carolina. Last year Machi stopped near Pea Island this time of year and we're really hoping we might see her out there.
This week we're going to be getting ready for our trip and then we're going!!!
Week 29 April 4-8 In the Mist and Mountains
One week back and we're already up to our necks in birds and Pea Island. I think I speak for the entire class when I say each day we are more excited about our trip.
In math we continued our transition from division to fractions and besides learning terminology and strengthening our concept of part and whole we learned that there are lots of ways to write the same value (equivalent fractions.) We also graphed our bird sightings each day and as a class made a graph of the average number of different species we saw each day and we found that usually in our 15 minutes in front of the school we spotted between 6-7 different bird species.
In writing we wrote stories from the point of view of a migrating bird and discovered all sorts of things that can go wrong or make it hard to migrate. We've been tracking a Whimbrel who is currently wintering in South America and many students thought that it must be hard for the birds to fly with a tracking device. You can see Machi's progress here:http://www.wildlifetracking.org/index.shtml?tag_id=74854&full=1&lang=
In book clubs kids ran away to a museum, discovered Underground Railroad tunnels under their school, and rescued a wedding. Who knows what will happen this week?!
We'll continue learning how bords work and what we might see at Pea Island and students will be researching and writing about individual birds this week.
In math we continued our transition from division to fractions and besides learning terminology and strengthening our concept of part and whole we learned that there are lots of ways to write the same value (equivalent fractions.) We also graphed our bird sightings each day and as a class made a graph of the average number of different species we saw each day and we found that usually in our 15 minutes in front of the school we spotted between 6-7 different bird species.
In writing we wrote stories from the point of view of a migrating bird and discovered all sorts of things that can go wrong or make it hard to migrate. We've been tracking a Whimbrel who is currently wintering in South America and many students thought that it must be hard for the birds to fly with a tracking device. You can see Machi's progress here:http://www.wildlifetracking.org/index.shtml?tag_id=74854&full=1&lang=
In book clubs kids ran away to a museum, discovered Underground Railroad tunnels under their school, and rescued a wedding. Who knows what will happen this week?!
We'll continue learning how bords work and what we might see at Pea Island and students will be researching and writing about individual birds this week.
Week 28 March 7-11 Guardians of Our Coast
Thanks to everyone who came and witnessed the Guardians of the Graveyard in action. The students were so proud of their work and so happy they could show it off.
A lot of the week was spent on painting tubes and fixing circuits but we also finished up our expository writing sample. If you came early you were able to see all the skills the students have learned and all the good research they did to describe their lighthouses.
In math the students created their own lighthouse math problems and figured the percentages of different traits the lighthouses had. On Monday we also started writing our lighthouse song. The students worked in groups and wrote a verse that showed some of their research in rhyme.
We're all excited to continue our learning about the Coastal Plain and climb the 268 steps of Cape Hatteras when we go to the Outer Banks in April.
A lot of the week was spent on painting tubes and fixing circuits but we also finished up our expository writing sample. If you came early you were able to see all the skills the students have learned and all the good research they did to describe their lighthouses.
In math the students created their own lighthouse math problems and figured the percentages of different traits the lighthouses had. On Monday we also started writing our lighthouse song. The students worked in groups and wrote a verse that showed some of their research in rhyme.
We're all excited to continue our learning about the Coastal Plain and climb the 268 steps of Cape Hatteras when we go to the Outer Banks in April.
Week 27 February 28-March 4 Tubes and Towers
We had a really productive week in lots of different areas of class this week. Our lighthouses sprouted up and gained beautiful colors and by the end of the week a few of them had full circuits and lights adorning the top. The kids were also very excited when they got to add a second battery to their circuit.
We practiced a lot with converting fractions to percents and even had our own mock UNC- Duke game (Duke won 53-41) This week we'll be continuing to link fraction values to decimals and percents and building awareness of different values of fractions.
The students have been working really hard on their expository writing about lighthouses and it has been really educational for me to read their rough drafts and reap the rewards of all their research. I've learned North Carolina is home to the 2nd brightest light in the world and that one of the lighthouses doesn't even have stairs.
We finished up book clubs for the quarter and I think almost everyone was a big contributor in discussion and got a lot out of their book. We're all looking forward to choosing exciting books this week for the 4th quarter.
We practiced a lot with converting fractions to percents and even had our own mock UNC- Duke game (Duke won 53-41) This week we'll be continuing to link fraction values to decimals and percents and building awareness of different values of fractions.
The students have been working really hard on their expository writing about lighthouses and it has been really educational for me to read their rough drafts and reap the rewards of all their research. I've learned North Carolina is home to the 2nd brightest light in the world and that one of the lighthouses doesn't even have stairs.
We finished up book clubs for the quarter and I think almost everyone was a big contributor in discussion and got a lot out of their book. We're all looking forward to choosing exciting books this week for the 4th quarter.
Week 26 February 21-25 Circuits and Beacons
It's great seeing things grow from raw materials and this week we saw light come from wires and electrons and lighthouses start to take shape from a simple piece of paper.
The students learned how to convert measurements for creating a 100:1 scale drawing of their lighthouse. Then they found the bottom and top circumference so that they would know how big to make the tube or body of their lighthouse. We learned pretty quickly that large sculpture objects still require a lot of detail work.
In math we learned how to convert fractions to percents and applied this to basketball statistics. On Monday we'll be having a mock Duke/UNC game to see how next weekend's battle will shape up.
The students also began their expository writing about lighthouses and completed the research and planning steps and our moving on to the introduction paragraph. By the end of next week they will have finished a rough draft and be ready to compose poems or a narrative that also reflect their research.
The biggest hit of the week was probably the spin art circuits we made with a motor and some posterbaord. The students were prolific and you can see their fine art in the photos section.
The students learned how to convert measurements for creating a 100:1 scale drawing of their lighthouse. Then they found the bottom and top circumference so that they would know how big to make the tube or body of their lighthouse. We learned pretty quickly that large sculpture objects still require a lot of detail work.
In math we learned how to convert fractions to percents and applied this to basketball statistics. On Monday we'll be having a mock Duke/UNC game to see how next weekend's battle will shape up.
The students also began their expository writing about lighthouses and completed the research and planning steps and our moving on to the introduction paragraph. By the end of next week they will have finished a rough draft and be ready to compose poems or a narrative that also reflect their research.
The biggest hit of the week was probably the spin art circuits we made with a motor and some posterbaord. The students were prolific and you can see their fine art in the photos section.
Week 25 February 14-18 Solar Panels and Syllables
It's exciting when people get together and make great things happen spur of the moment. Thanks to lots of help from volunteers we were able to journey to the SAS Solar Farm and Umstead on a February day when the mercury hit 75 degrees.
We started the morning with a vista of the 10,000 solar panels soaking up the photons and turning them into electrons that Progress Energy pumps to houses. Eric, who works in the operations department at SAS, told us the story of how they were made, what they do, and why they have sheep to mow the grass.
After writing haikus we headed over to Umstead State Park for some recess, movie filming, and a hike to an old mill site. It was a great day outside, thanks to everyone who made it happen.
In other news: We covered partial quotients in math and this helped a lot of the students understand division in a new way. We learned how to draw circuit diagrams and made our own circuits with homemade switches and everything. We started the introduction to our lighthouse project and everyone is excited to get busy researching, writing, and building.
We started the morning with a vista of the 10,000 solar panels soaking up the photons and turning them into electrons that Progress Energy pumps to houses. Eric, who works in the operations department at SAS, told us the story of how they were made, what they do, and why they have sheep to mow the grass.
After writing haikus we headed over to Umstead State Park for some recess, movie filming, and a hike to an old mill site. It was a great day outside, thanks to everyone who made it happen.
In other news: We covered partial quotients in math and this helped a lot of the students understand division in a new way. We learned how to draw circuit diagrams and made our own circuits with homemade switches and everything. We started the introduction to our lighthouse project and everyone is excited to get busy researching, writing, and building.
Week 24 February 7-11 Questions and Answers
Warm weather blew into 208 this week and we had a fun time learning more about magnetism, division, and poetry.
The students wrote two poems, one from the point of view of something in nature and another based on Pablo Neruda's Book of Questions. We have quite a hall of poetry growing outside our door so if you're in the building you should come and check it out.
In science we learned that electrons can be magnetized into order and we made compasses that responded to the magnetic field of the earth. We also learned that metallic materials and materials with a lot of free electrons make good conductors.
In math we continued our journey in long division and learned how to write remainders as fractions and decimals. You can bet the kids were thrilled.
In Storm Warriors, Nathan tried to be brave but ended up blacking out and having to address his hurt pride. We'll have to wait and see if his dreams of being a surfman come true.
The students wrote two poems, one from the point of view of something in nature and another based on Pablo Neruda's Book of Questions. We have quite a hall of poetry growing outside our door so if you're in the building you should come and check it out.
In science we learned that electrons can be magnetized into order and we made compasses that responded to the magnetic field of the earth. We also learned that metallic materials and materials with a lot of free electrons make good conductors.
In math we continued our journey in long division and learned how to write remainders as fractions and decimals. You can bet the kids were thrilled.
In Storm Warriors, Nathan tried to be brave but ended up blacking out and having to address his hurt pride. We'll have to wait and see if his dreams of being a surfman come true.
Week 23 January 31- February 4 Flying Electrons
We started the shortest month with an introduction into that mysterious force that makes thing light up and move. We came up with a class definition of electricity: the flow of electrons and for the rest of the quarter we're going to be exploring how they move.
In writing we used a poem by William Carlos Williams called This Is Just To Say to create our own apology poems and then responses to those poems. We no have a Hall of Apologies outside of our classroom where they are all hanging up, so come check them out if you have a chance.
In Social Studies we read sections from John Lawson's travelogue from 1700 when he explored the interior of our state and will continue our study of Early North Carolina.
The Unnamed performed a rap about the book we read last quarter in class and hopefully we will have a recording soon that we can post on the website.
In writing we used a poem by William Carlos Williams called This Is Just To Say to create our own apology poems and then responses to those poems. We no have a Hall of Apologies outside of our classroom where they are all hanging up, so come check them out if you have a chance.
In Social Studies we read sections from John Lawson's travelogue from 1700 when he explored the interior of our state and will continue our study of Early North Carolina.
The Unnamed performed a rap about the book we read last quarter in class and hopefully we will have a recording soon that we can post on the website.
Week 22 January 24-28 Book Rap and Rock Show
I'm guessing we'll have some students show up hoarse on Monday after crooning it out at Motorco on Friday night. It was great to see half of our class up on that stage and they did a great job at FAM as well. Check out the video setion for evidence of all three groups performing at Motorco.
The students have really gotten into their book club books in the last week with buried bones, runaway slaves, and epic athletic feats keeping the pages turning. We've had great discussions and I think they'll only get more in depth as we move forward.
We had a great conversation with our partner class in Durham England and were joined by three members of the Durham Sister Cities Committee. The students in England were puzzled by the fact that we don't have uniforms and we learned that a lot of the students there go rock climbing. Our visitors brought us tea and scones which made the students wish that we had a few tea times each day.
In Ourstory we learned about the adventurer/explorer/cartographer/ naturalist John Lawson who in 1700 explored much of the interior of North Carolina.
In math we continued working with division and figured out how to break up group and represent leftovers.
The students also created some beautiful concrete poems that should be up on the website in the next few days.
The students have really gotten into their book club books in the last week with buried bones, runaway slaves, and epic athletic feats keeping the pages turning. We've had great discussions and I think they'll only get more in depth as we move forward.
We had a great conversation with our partner class in Durham England and were joined by three members of the Durham Sister Cities Committee. The students in England were puzzled by the fact that we don't have uniforms and we learned that a lot of the students there go rock climbing. Our visitors brought us tea and scones which made the students wish that we had a few tea times each day.
In Ourstory we learned about the adventurer/explorer/cartographer/ naturalist John Lawson who in 1700 explored much of the interior of North Carolina.
In math we continued working with division and figured out how to break up group and represent leftovers.
The students also created some beautiful concrete poems that should be up on the website in the next few days.
Week 21 January 17-21 Founding Towns and Breaking Up Groups
Not having school on Monday gave us a head start on the week but it felt like we got back into the groove after being at the whim of snow and ice. In math we tied division into our study of multiplication and learned about the relationship between the two processes.
In writing we dove into the poetry unit that we'll be working on over the next month and the students composed color poems to represent a shade of their choice. You can check some of them out in the student work section of the website.
We continue to press forward through the early HIStory of North Carolina (we call it Ourstory) and found out that it took 180 years for the Europeans to establish a town in North Carolina after first discovering it in 1524.
We turned the first pages of our class book, Storm Warriors, and were introduced to Nathan, a 12 year old boy living on the Outer Banks in the late 19th century who longs to be part of the life saving crews that protected the Graveyard of the Atlantic.
Many of the students have been participating in the "Making the Band" workshop and are excited to show off their work on Friday January 28th at the Save Our Arts Benefit. Come check it out at Motorco Music Hall.
In writing we dove into the poetry unit that we'll be working on over the next month and the students composed color poems to represent a shade of their choice. You can check some of them out in the student work section of the website.
We continue to press forward through the early HIStory of North Carolina (we call it Ourstory) and found out that it took 180 years for the Europeans to establish a town in North Carolina after first discovering it in 1524.
We turned the first pages of our class book, Storm Warriors, and were introduced to Nathan, a 12 year old boy living on the Outer Banks in the late 19th century who longs to be part of the life saving crews that protected the Graveyard of the Atlantic.
Many of the students have been participating in the "Making the Band" workshop and are excited to show off their work on Friday January 28th at the Save Our Arts Benefit. Come check it out at Motorco Music Hall.
Week 20 January 10-14 A New Year
It was great coming back after a 3 week break having most of our routine and expectations in place. This made it possible to get a lot accomplished even with snow and ice trying to get in our way. The students made stamp collections, place value codes and planned a toy drive to show their understanding of math skills learned in the first semester.
This quarter we'll be talking about life in colonial North Carolina and we learned about Nathaniel Batts, who in 1655 was the first European settler to stay permanently in the land that became North Carolina.
The students worked really hard on the "I Have a Dream" speech and we've got a great response from everyone who has seen it. The message of the speech is a message that is always pertinent and appropriate. Check it out in our videos page.
This quarter we'll be talking about life in colonial North Carolina and we learned about Nathaniel Batts, who in 1655 was the first European settler to stay permanently in the land that became North Carolina.
The students worked really hard on the "I Have a Dream" speech and we've got a great response from everyone who has seen it. The message of the speech is a message that is always pertinent and appropriate. Check it out in our videos page.
Week 19 December 13-17 Breaking Rocks
We had a busy last week of the first semester with snow coming to visit but we were happy to be able to finish everything up before our holiday intersession. Thanks to everyone who came to the class share with all of the schedule changes and the parent conferences the next week. Both were great opportunities for you to see the work your children have been doing and it is great having so much support for the learning community.
All of the groups were able to finish their projects and I think all of them displayed their hard work and team work in a way that really showed a great depth of learning. They learned about life in early North Carolina, but more importantly the students learned how to work with other people to reach a common goal.
We enjoyed several semester ending festivities as well. Our 1st grade book buddies visited our projects and later in the day we had a geode scavenger hunt and then everyone had a chance to break one open and find out what mysterious configuration of minerals lay inside. It's hard to believe the year is already halfway over but we've got great things in store for the next half of the year. Stay tuned to see what unfolds!
All of the groups were able to finish their projects and I think all of them displayed their hard work and team work in a way that really showed a great depth of learning. They learned about life in early North Carolina, but more importantly the students learned how to work with other people to reach a common goal.
We enjoyed several semester ending festivities as well. Our 1st grade book buddies visited our projects and later in the day we had a geode scavenger hunt and then everyone had a chance to break one open and find out what mysterious configuration of minerals lay inside. It's hard to believe the year is already halfway over but we've got great things in store for the next half of the year. Stay tuned to see what unfolds!
Week 18 Dec 6 - 10 Raising Roofs
Watching the projects take shape in our classroom has been like watching seeds break out of their pod and stretch toward the sun. Palisades have been sprouting out of foam, rafters out of discarded sticks and we've all learned a lot about how to make things work and how to work with other people towards one goal.
Our rulers have come in handy setting and keeping the scale for all the work we've been doing and I think everyone feels more comfortable measuring things (and of course it's always more fun when you're doing it with something you made.)
After singing with Chandler a couple of weeks ago everyone became inspired to play like Chandler. That might take a little practice but they are well on their way. We have a symphony of 4 guitars, 3 mandolins, 2 ukeleles, and 1 banjo that have been learning the song we sang, Way Downtown. Come to the class share on Thursday and you'll get to see and hear all we've been working on.
Our rulers have come in handy setting and keeping the scale for all the work we've been doing and I think everyone feels more comfortable measuring things (and of course it's always more fun when you're doing it with something you made.)
After singing with Chandler a couple of weeks ago everyone became inspired to play like Chandler. That might take a little practice but they are well on their way. We have a symphony of 4 guitars, 3 mandolins, 2 ukeleles, and 1 banjo that have been learning the song we sang, Way Downtown. Come to the class share on Thursday and you'll get to see and hear all we've been working on.
Week 17 Nov 29-Dec 3 Mountain Music and Historic Houses
Thanks to everyone who made it to the potsticker party and to the performance of our mountain songs on Friday. After performing with a world class musician it was great to socialize with everyone and have some world class potstickers.
It's hard to believe all the things we cram into a week. On Monday, with the help of Marcia (Lucy's mom,) we dissolved some sediment (sugar) in the hopes that it would crystallize into stalagtites in our Mason jars and form the always in style rock candy. We have brightly colored jars in our room just waiting for us to come in Monday morning and see the progress.
The students were all in research mode as they sought out information about the Native American tribes of North Carolina. The North Carolina Writing System sample this quarter will be an expository composition about the life and culture of one of the tribes.
To tie together everything this quarter the students started group projects that explore the early history of North Carolina. Planning started this week on a Colonial house, Native American longhouse, a Native American village like those painted by John White, and the fort and village at Jamestown. Ideas were flying and we're excited to show you what we come up with at the class share on December 16th.
In math we made rulers from inches to eights of an inch that our going to be really helpful for our projects and study of fractions next quarter.
It's hard to believe all the things we cram into a week. On Monday, with the help of Marcia (Lucy's mom,) we dissolved some sediment (sugar) in the hopes that it would crystallize into stalagtites in our Mason jars and form the always in style rock candy. We have brightly colored jars in our room just waiting for us to come in Monday morning and see the progress.
The students were all in research mode as they sought out information about the Native American tribes of North Carolina. The North Carolina Writing System sample this quarter will be an expository composition about the life and culture of one of the tribes.
To tie together everything this quarter the students started group projects that explore the early history of North Carolina. Planning started this week on a Colonial house, Native American longhouse, a Native American village like those painted by John White, and the fort and village at Jamestown. Ideas were flying and we're excited to show you what we come up with at the class share on December 16th.
In math we made rulers from inches to eights of an inch that our going to be really helpful for our projects and study of fractions next quarter.
Week 16 Nov 22-24 Making and Breaking Bread
Even though we were only in school for a couple of days 208 had a lot of things going on. Thanks to the help of volunteers we were able to make, shape, and bake 46 loaves of bread. Holly (Violet's mom) came in on Tuesday and helped us make the dough and shape our practice loaves. Wednesday morning Fiona (Declan's mom) came in and helped with shaping and slicing and Margot (Rollie's mom) took some students to the Hausman house where they took advantage of the far superior oven. It was quite impressive on Wednesday when there was enough bread to feed an entire school of students, teachers, and parents.
In math we wrapped up our multiplication lessons with the students working in pairs to make a video lesson of the seven different principles we learned over the quarter so far.
We were able to practice with Chandler three songs from the mountains of North Carolina. This Friday we'll be singing all three at FAM so if you can make to school by 2:45 on Friday you'll get to see a great musician and some great singers. Hope to see everyone at the Potsticker Party this Friday at Eno Commons
In math we wrapped up our multiplication lessons with the students working in pairs to make a video lesson of the seven different principles we learned over the quarter so far.
We were able to practice with Chandler three songs from the mountains of North Carolina. This Friday we'll be singing all three at FAM so if you can make to school by 2:45 on Friday you'll get to see a great musician and some great singers. Hope to see everyone at the Potsticker Party this Friday at Eno Commons
Week 15 Nov 15-19 Up The Mountain and Along The River
On Friday our class got to enjoy a beautiful day at Occoneechee Mountain State Park in Hillsborough. For those of you haven't visited it's a great example of why it's worth protecting land even though it's right next to the interstate. The park stretches from ponds and meadows through forests and up to the top of an old pyrophyllite quarry that overlooks fields and trees. We got to see it all, examining pine cones for math, practicing our spear throwing like young Occoneechee might have done.
We were really lucky to have ranger Christopher Griner spend most of the day with us. He told us the geological story of the park and helped us to identify the prevalent quartzite and the rare pyrophyllite crystals that still are being mined nearby. After finishing the two mile loop trail we had our well earned lunch and then spent the rest of our time there helping Ranger Griner clear the leaves out of the water bars along the trail so that the water would drain better. The students worked really hard with the various tools and decided they wanted to clear the entire trail of leaves. If you back now there might be a few leaves that have taken over but they made a valiant effort. Before the trip we had Nina Wu, a student teacher from Duke, in our class to teach a lesson about environmental stewardship and service learning that really set a good foundation for our experience at the park.
In other news we finished up our mineral study and the students used the data they had collected in the various tests. The streak test and hardness tests really gave us a lot of information that wasn't initially apparent.
This week the students also put forth their theories for what happened to the Lost Colony. If you go to the Student Work Tab you'll see the scenarios they came up with. For the rest of the quarter we'll be working on our Native American and Colonial projects which will incorporate alot of what we've learned and will learn through research and questions.
We were really lucky to have ranger Christopher Griner spend most of the day with us. He told us the geological story of the park and helped us to identify the prevalent quartzite and the rare pyrophyllite crystals that still are being mined nearby. After finishing the two mile loop trail we had our well earned lunch and then spent the rest of our time there helping Ranger Griner clear the leaves out of the water bars along the trail so that the water would drain better. The students worked really hard with the various tools and decided they wanted to clear the entire trail of leaves. If you back now there might be a few leaves that have taken over but they made a valiant effort. Before the trip we had Nina Wu, a student teacher from Duke, in our class to teach a lesson about environmental stewardship and service learning that really set a good foundation for our experience at the park.
In other news we finished up our mineral study and the students used the data they had collected in the various tests. The streak test and hardness tests really gave us a lot of information that wasn't initially apparent.
This week the students also put forth their theories for what happened to the Lost Colony. If you go to the Student Work Tab you'll see the scenarios they came up with. For the rest of the quarter we'll be working on our Native American and Colonial projects which will incorporate alot of what we've learned and will learn through research and questions.
Week 14 Nov 8-12 Ahhhh Autumn
This week saw the inhabitants of 208 talking to friends across the Atlantic and finalizing our first round of geological studies. We spoke with our partner class in Durham England for the second time by Skype, learning about why Durham is called Durham (it's a Viking name!) and a little bit about why the cathedral was built. Throughout the year we'll be presenting things about our Durham and what we're learning in class to 4th graders at Gilesgate Primary School in Durham, England.
We've finished measuring the different characteristics of our ten minerals and this week we will use the data we've gathered to classify and name the minerals.
The architects of 208 were busy as students finished up their floorplans in math and we had quite the gamut from cabin to mansion.
Next week the school will be having a Stone Soup celebration so beware that you might be asked to bring in an ingredient. Our class is charged with baking the bread so on Tuesday and Wednesday we'll be making 30-40 loaves of bread.
We've finished measuring the different characteristics of our ten minerals and this week we will use the data we've gathered to classify and name the minerals.
The architects of 208 were busy as students finished up their floorplans in math and we had quite the gamut from cabin to mansion.
Next week the school will be having a Stone Soup celebration so beware that you might be asked to bring in an ingredient. Our class is charged with baking the bread so on Tuesday and Wednesday we'll be making 30-40 loaves of bread.
Week 13 Nov 1-5 Architects and Minerals
Fall arrived abruptly in 208 this week but it seemed like the perfect weather to try out our newly strung lacrosse sticks. We'll be working on new skills the next few weeks before trying to put everything together for a game later in the quarter.
To practice our multi digit multiplication all of the students designed a floor plan for their dream house. They then figured out how many square feet each room was and the overall cost based on different prices of rooms and objects. Good luck if they come home with the plans and demand that you finance their project.
We've tested our minerals for six different properties so far and will conduct two more tests this coming week before classifying them based on the results of our tests.
In our class book, Blood on the River, the Jamestown colonists are having a hard time surviving their first winter and our relying on trading with the Native Americans for food.
This week in music we're going to begin learning some music from the mountains of North Carolina. We're lucky to have Chandler Holt, Chatham County Line banjo player, as a guest artist and instructor.
To practice our multi digit multiplication all of the students designed a floor plan for their dream house. They then figured out how many square feet each room was and the overall cost based on different prices of rooms and objects. Good luck if they come home with the plans and demand that you finance their project.
We've tested our minerals for six different properties so far and will conduct two more tests this coming week before classifying them based on the results of our tests.
In our class book, Blood on the River, the Jamestown colonists are having a hard time surviving their first winter and our relying on trading with the Native Americans for food.
This week in music we're going to begin learning some music from the mountains of North Carolina. We're lucky to have Chandler Holt, Chatham County Line banjo player, as a guest artist and instructor.
Week 12 Oct 25-29 To the Ocean
We had a full week of adventure in 208 from stringing our lacrosse sticks to throwing half a fish into a marsh creek hoping for a blue crab to come back with it. Our field trip on Friday was a huge success thanks to all the support from parents and chaperones. After an early morning we arrived at the Ft. Fisher Aquarium and were able to see all types of sea life ranging from an albino alligator and sharks, to sea anemones we could feel. We also got to talk to a diver in the big tank through a microphone and so we got to get lots of answers to questions about the tank.
I think we all learned a ton about the coastal plain and animals on the boat trip to Masonboro Island. Before we tried catching the crabs we learned all about how they are adapted to their environment, how big they need to be to keep, and how to tell a male and female apart. After casting our lines for crabs we walked around the marsh of the six mile island finding sea pickles and mussels digging in before the tides came back. In the photos you'll see the crabs and small snails that populated the marshy grasses.
Friday wasn't the only full day we had. The students wrote some great stories to practice building suspense. As you'll see in the photo section the lacrosse sticks now have netting and we learned about the villages that John White encountered when he came to North Carolina with the Roanoke Colony.
In science we started learning about different properties of minerals and categorizing ten mineral samples. Over the next couple of weeks we'll use scientific method to classify and order them. In math we moved on from partial product multiplication with two and three digit factors to the standard algorithm.
I think we all learned a ton about the coastal plain and animals on the boat trip to Masonboro Island. Before we tried catching the crabs we learned all about how they are adapted to their environment, how big they need to be to keep, and how to tell a male and female apart. After casting our lines for crabs we walked around the marsh of the six mile island finding sea pickles and mussels digging in before the tides came back. In the photos you'll see the crabs and small snails that populated the marshy grasses.
Friday wasn't the only full day we had. The students wrote some great stories to practice building suspense. As you'll see in the photo section the lacrosse sticks now have netting and we learned about the villages that John White encountered when he came to North Carolina with the Roanoke Colony.
In science we started learning about different properties of minerals and categorizing ten mineral samples. Over the next couple of weeks we'll use scientific method to classify and order them. In math we moved on from partial product multiplication with two and three digit factors to the standard algorithm.
Week 11 Oct 18-22Hot rocks and Stickball
Although it was a short week for the teacher we had another full week in 208. As you can see from the picture we started making our lacrosse sticks. Since we don't have a scheduled movement special this quarter we thought it would be good if we took a page from some of the Native American tribes we're studying. Over the next several weeks we'll be finishing our sticks then learning the rules and the skills needed to play.
In science we learned more about the rock cycle and actually made some igneous "rocks" by melting different kinds of chocolate chips to make the magma which hardened.
We finished up our intersession stories (now posted on the student work page) and moved on to working on writing suspense. After learning how to keep your reader on the edge of their seat we're hoping to write some Spooky Halloween stories.
When the first European colonists came to North Carolina they had lots of interactions with the Coastal Algonquains. Over the next few weeks we'll be looking at some of the John White watercolors to find out how the lives of the early colonists and Native Americans were similar and different. One group was very adapted to their environment, the other wasn't. This Friday we'll be heading to Masonboro Island and the very place where the Algonquains lived.
We still need a few more onion/orange bags for nets so if you have any extra send them in. Thanks!
In science we learned more about the rock cycle and actually made some igneous "rocks" by melting different kinds of chocolate chips to make the magma which hardened.
We finished up our intersession stories (now posted on the student work page) and moved on to working on writing suspense. After learning how to keep your reader on the edge of their seat we're hoping to write some Spooky Halloween stories.
When the first European colonists came to North Carolina they had lots of interactions with the Coastal Algonquains. Over the next few weeks we'll be looking at some of the John White watercolors to find out how the lives of the early colonists and Native Americans were similar and different. One group was very adapted to their environment, the other wasn't. This Friday we'll be heading to Masonboro Island and the very place where the Algonquains lived.
We still need a few more onion/orange bags for nets so if you have any extra send them in. Thanks!
Week 10 Oct 11-15 Back in the saddle
All School Recess at the Old Bulls stadium
With temps back in the upper 80's it seemed like nothing had changed in since we were last in school. Everyone seemed to come back Monday with refilled energy and a smile on their face. We started several new things like our study of rocks, the early history of North Carolina, and book clubs but it was great to come back and have so many of the day to day things already in place.
During our nature shares this week we noticed that preying mantises seem to be very active right now so keep your eyes open to see if they stay active until frost or if it just a short active season.
In writing this week everyone chose one event of their intersession and wrote a personal narrative story about it. They should be up on the student work section of the page in the next couple of days.
In science, we started our investigation into the properties of rocks and minerals by trying to identify what makes a rock a rock. We came up with a pretty good list and then moved on to how the three types of rocks (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic) are formed.
Check out the new Blog section of the website aka the 208 Dispatch. Each week two students will report on the day to day happenings of class. Max and Corey were the bloggers the first week so check out their work and keep checking back throughout the week.
Coming up this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday the Regulator Bookshop will be hosting the CPSC Literary Festival. It is a great event with lots of exciting reading by parents and teachers, snacks, and lots of good books picked out by teachers and students. Thursday is a big day at school as teachers and students will be dressing up as their favorite book characters. I'm bummed because I'll be in California and won't get to see the great costumes but I'll make sure someone gets some good pictures.
Our class book this quarter is Blood on the River by Elisa Carbone. It stars Samuel Collier, an orphan sent to the Jamestown Colony as a servant to a Reverend. It is a great historical fiction book that provides a lot of information about the challenges faced by colonists in the New World as well as a great storyline. Check it at Amazon. There is even an audiobook edition if you want to follow along at home.
During our nature shares this week we noticed that preying mantises seem to be very active right now so keep your eyes open to see if they stay active until frost or if it just a short active season.
In writing this week everyone chose one event of their intersession and wrote a personal narrative story about it. They should be up on the student work section of the page in the next couple of days.
In science, we started our investigation into the properties of rocks and minerals by trying to identify what makes a rock a rock. We came up with a pretty good list and then moved on to how the three types of rocks (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic) are formed.
Check out the new Blog section of the website aka the 208 Dispatch. Each week two students will report on the day to day happenings of class. Max and Corey were the bloggers the first week so check out their work and keep checking back throughout the week.
Coming up this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday the Regulator Bookshop will be hosting the CPSC Literary Festival. It is a great event with lots of exciting reading by parents and teachers, snacks, and lots of good books picked out by teachers and students. Thursday is a big day at school as teachers and students will be dressing up as their favorite book characters. I'm bummed because I'll be in California and won't get to see the great costumes but I'll make sure someone gets some good pictures.
Our class book this quarter is Blood on the River by Elisa Carbone. It stars Samuel Collier, an orphan sent to the Jamestown Colony as a servant to a Reverend. It is a great historical fiction book that provides a lot of information about the challenges faced by colonists in the New World as well as a great storyline. Check it at Amazon. There is even an audiobook edition if you want to follow along at home.
Week 9 Sept 13-17 Wrapping up the quarter
It's hard to believe that we've already been in school for nine weeks but when you look back and see all that we accomplished it seems like we've been here for a year. On Monday we celebrated having Grandparents join us in class and Mateo and Rollie's grandparents joined us for a morning of math activities. It was great for the students to be able to teach the things they've learned and show them all the ins and outs of the Great Depression simulation we were working on.
Tuesday and Wednesday everyone was busy finishing their projects, adding flair and creating advertisements. We had our last cooperative games class with Banks and the students did more hunting for geocaches (artifacts located at specific geographic coordinates) and they all want to keep looking.
Thursday we opened our museum complete with models, newspapers, and theaters. The students really enjoyed being able to show off their hard work and were really proud of their creative products. The rest of the day we spent visiting the bears and wolves and panning for shark teeth at the Museum of Life and Science.
Friday we evaluated the quarter and the projects we just finished and were able to finish Bud, not Buddy. I think we'll all be sad to get advice from Bud next quarter but I think it will be quite hard to stay away from Christopher Paul Curtis for the rest of the year.
Shoe Drive:
We set a pretty high goal of 100 pairs of shoes and in less than two weeks our class collected 135 pairs of shoes. Thanks to everyone who dug through closets and asked neighbors. Your shoes will be a life changer for people in Pakistan and the Triangle area. Thanks to Cathy for organizing everything and coming in to class to count and bundle all the pairs.
Durham England Partner Class
With the help of the Durham sister city council we've established a link with a 4th grade class at Gilesgate Primary School in Durham England. On Friday we had a 20 minute Skype conversation with the class and found out their schedule is pretty similar to ours, they like playing soccer and video games and Harry Potter is popular there like it is here. Throughout the year the students will be teaching them about what life is like in Durham, North Carolina and all the other things that we're working on in class
Tuesday and Wednesday everyone was busy finishing their projects, adding flair and creating advertisements. We had our last cooperative games class with Banks and the students did more hunting for geocaches (artifacts located at specific geographic coordinates) and they all want to keep looking.
Thursday we opened our museum complete with models, newspapers, and theaters. The students really enjoyed being able to show off their hard work and were really proud of their creative products. The rest of the day we spent visiting the bears and wolves and panning for shark teeth at the Museum of Life and Science.
Friday we evaluated the quarter and the projects we just finished and were able to finish Bud, not Buddy. I think we'll all be sad to get advice from Bud next quarter but I think it will be quite hard to stay away from Christopher Paul Curtis for the rest of the year.
Shoe Drive:
We set a pretty high goal of 100 pairs of shoes and in less than two weeks our class collected 135 pairs of shoes. Thanks to everyone who dug through closets and asked neighbors. Your shoes will be a life changer for people in Pakistan and the Triangle area. Thanks to Cathy for organizing everything and coming in to class to count and bundle all the pairs.
Durham England Partner Class
With the help of the Durham sister city council we've established a link with a 4th grade class at Gilesgate Primary School in Durham England. On Friday we had a 20 minute Skype conversation with the class and found out their schedule is pretty similar to ours, they like playing soccer and video games and Harry Potter is popular there like it is here. Throughout the year the students will be teaching them about what life is like in Durham, North Carolina and all the other things that we're working on in class
Week 8 Sept 7-10 Rolling down small hills and building animal heads
Our class was a busy place this week. Animal heads were being constructed, stories were being written, and ants kept on digging.
The big news is that on Friday, October 29th the 4th grade is going to take a trip to the coast and Masonboro Island with Carolina Ocean Studies. We'll head out early in the morning and go to the Aquarium, then hop on a boat and go out to Masonboro Island and study the ecosystem that exists there and throughout the Coastal Plain. It will be a great opportunity to see another part of the state and put all our animal expertise to work. It is an expensive trip and we are looking for ways to reduce the cost so if you know of any organizations or companies that could help, please let me know.
On Wednesday we did a practice writing sample for the North Carolina Writing System. The students wrote for 70 minutes straight about a summer experience and showed off their creative ideas and the skills we've been working on in class.
On Thursday we had a visit from Elizabeth Fudge, a friend of Asa's family, who shared all about her life growing up in Iowa and Illinois during the Great Depression. We are truly lucky to have such a treasure in our community and I think she convinced a lot of the students that they wished they lived 80 years ago. Hopefully I'll have some video up soon so that you can see some of the great stories she shared.
Conference will be Monday and Tuesday of next week and if you haven't signed up yet click the link in the email I sent from VolunteerSpot. Thanks everyone for a great first quarter!
The big news is that on Friday, October 29th the 4th grade is going to take a trip to the coast and Masonboro Island with Carolina Ocean Studies. We'll head out early in the morning and go to the Aquarium, then hop on a boat and go out to Masonboro Island and study the ecosystem that exists there and throughout the Coastal Plain. It will be a great opportunity to see another part of the state and put all our animal expertise to work. It is an expensive trip and we are looking for ways to reduce the cost so if you know of any organizations or companies that could help, please let me know.
On Wednesday we did a practice writing sample for the North Carolina Writing System. The students wrote for 70 minutes straight about a summer experience and showed off their creative ideas and the skills we've been working on in class.
On Thursday we had a visit from Elizabeth Fudge, a friend of Asa's family, who shared all about her life growing up in Iowa and Illinois during the Great Depression. We are truly lucky to have such a treasure in our community and I think she convinced a lot of the students that they wished they lived 80 years ago. Hopefully I'll have some video up soon so that you can see some of the great stories she shared.
Conference will be Monday and Tuesday of next week and if you haven't signed up yet click the link in the email I sent from VolunteerSpot. Thanks everyone for a great first quarter!
Week 7 August 30- Sept 3 Growing Ideas and Make Believe Crops
This week we completed the research and planning part of our animal project and moved to the making. We have a life size baby orca, a platypus theater, and several animals dens joining us in the classroom. The class share will be a great opportunity for you to check everything out.
Three weeks later and our ants are still digging. They haven't seemed to be eating much of anything since they've joined us but they still work continuously.
In Bud, not Buddy our 10 year old hero chased his maple seed idea into a full grown tree travelling from Flint to Grand Rapids in search of his father, Herman E. Calloway. They just met for the first time and this week we'll out the next big problem Bud has to solve.
In math were continuing our look into how multiplication works and specifically how you can use the distributive method to break factors into more manageable pieces. We've also started Part 2 of our Great Depression math game and we're all farmers choosing what crops to plant in our fields and depending on the weather making a a living or going broke.
Share your shoes!!!! Our class is collecting shoes for the Share Our Shoes program which gives used and new shoes to people in Haiti and the Triangle who don't have any. Check your closets and ask your neighbors if they have any. Our class goal is 100 pairs of shoes and we'll be collecting until the end of the quarter.
Three weeks later and our ants are still digging. They haven't seemed to be eating much of anything since they've joined us but they still work continuously.
In Bud, not Buddy our 10 year old hero chased his maple seed idea into a full grown tree travelling from Flint to Grand Rapids in search of his father, Herman E. Calloway. They just met for the first time and this week we'll out the next big problem Bud has to solve.
In math were continuing our look into how multiplication works and specifically how you can use the distributive method to break factors into more manageable pieces. We've also started Part 2 of our Great Depression math game and we're all farmers choosing what crops to plant in our fields and depending on the weather making a a living or going broke.
Share your shoes!!!! Our class is collecting shoes for the Share Our Shoes program which gives used and new shoes to people in Haiti and the Triangle who don't have any. Check your closets and ask your neighbors if they have any. Our class goal is 100 pairs of shoes and we'll be collecting until the end of the quarter.
Week 6 August 23-27 Finding Animals and Tromping Through the River
You know it's a good week when you find a spider that digs into trees and can catch a lizard and some frogs. We had a great trip on Friday to the Eno and between waling to Sennet's Hole and waling through the shallows we found about 20 different animals that are part of that local ecosystem.
One of our ant colonies has completely restructured their habitat. It has been amazing watching them over the last couple of weeks. They work continuously and are always testing their boundaries to see if they can expand their habitat.
In writing this week everyone create their own wild thing from their imagination and bank of descriptive writing skills. They range from hockey monsters to egg shaped visitors. Hopefully we'll have some posted on the website next week.
As we finish up Bud, not Buddy and our exploration of the Great Depression we are looking to find out a little more about the life of children during that time. If you know anyone who grew up during the 30's who would be interested in answering a bunch of questions from 9 year olds please let me know. Thanks!
One of our ant colonies has completely restructured their habitat. It has been amazing watching them over the last couple of weeks. They work continuously and are always testing their boundaries to see if they can expand their habitat.
In writing this week everyone create their own wild thing from their imagination and bank of descriptive writing skills. They range from hockey monsters to egg shaped visitors. Hopefully we'll have some posted on the website next week.
As we finish up Bud, not Buddy and our exploration of the Great Depression we are looking to find out a little more about the life of children during that time. If you know anyone who grew up during the 30's who would be interested in answering a bunch of questions from 9 year olds please let me know. Thanks!
Week 5 August 16-20 Hiking and Digging
We had a really exciting week over on Foster St and away from our base. Monday afternoon we received a special envelope from Utah that contained 50 crawly Harvester ants. On Tuesday we had an adventure getting those fellas into their new homes but on Wednesday we got to see that they had spent the night digging and the three different habitats had three different tunnel patterns. It's been really interesting watching their behaviors and we had to stun them by putting them in the fridge so that we could add some more food on Friday (grass seed.)
On Wednesday we had a day full of fun and mountain air at Hanging Rock. We hiked to to the top of the 2100 ft rock that juts out over the valley and took in the amazing views and cool breezes. We saw the current inhabitants (animals) the past inhabitants (Saura Native American tribe) and the people who built the state park (the CCC) in the museum and then checked out one of the 5 waterfalls within the park. We finished the day off with a swim in the pristine mountain lake before the whole worn out group got back on the bus.
In math we've been studying how multiplication works and this week we'll be focusing on what arrays are and where they are in our lives.
Bud has decided he's going to walk 110 miles to find his father and we used to description to write about Snow Monsters and Scarecrows.
On Wednesday we had a day full of fun and mountain air at Hanging Rock. We hiked to to the top of the 2100 ft rock that juts out over the valley and took in the amazing views and cool breezes. We saw the current inhabitants (animals) the past inhabitants (Saura Native American tribe) and the people who built the state park (the CCC) in the museum and then checked out one of the 5 waterfalls within the park. We finished the day off with a swim in the pristine mountain lake before the whole worn out group got back on the bus.
In math we've been studying how multiplication works and this week we'll be focusing on what arrays are and where they are in our lives.
Bud has decided he's going to walk 110 miles to find his father and we used to description to write about Snow Monsters and Scarecrows.
Week 4 August 9-13 Building homes and going on a hunt
This week we've been so excited about the prospect of the upcoming Hanging Rock trip. We made a great connection to Bud, not Buddy and the Depression Era when we learned that the park was built by the CCC. Just a few days and we'll be standing on top of a mountain, under a waterfall, and in a lake. Not a bad way to spend a Wednesday.
In writing we moved on to the next step after beginnings and are working on how to provide detailed descriptions of story critical characters, settings, and objects. We'll try to have some samples up next week.
We took our study of ants to a new level this week. Using two old CD cases we created a habitat and filled it up with some nice sifted dirt. We wanted to see how some Big field native ants would do under our care and observation. You think it would be easy to find and transplant an ant colony with all the ants that seem to end up on you during the summer time but with valiant searching by 16 of us we couldn't turn up any promising populations. We got a few of the tiny ants and tried them out but they were too small and could sneak out of our habitat. Now we're waiting on some Harvester ants to arrive from Utah. We'll keep you updated.
Next Friday we'll be taking a trip to the Eno to see who populates the forest and the river ecosystem. We're lucky to have this protected resource nearby and can't wait to see who's waiting for us under rocks and in the water.
Upcoming dates:
August 18 - Hanging Rock Field Trip
August 27 - Eno Animal Survey
In writing we moved on to the next step after beginnings and are working on how to provide detailed descriptions of story critical characters, settings, and objects. We'll try to have some samples up next week.
We took our study of ants to a new level this week. Using two old CD cases we created a habitat and filled it up with some nice sifted dirt. We wanted to see how some Big field native ants would do under our care and observation. You think it would be easy to find and transplant an ant colony with all the ants that seem to end up on you during the summer time but with valiant searching by 16 of us we couldn't turn up any promising populations. We got a few of the tiny ants and tried them out but they were too small and could sneak out of our habitat. Now we're waiting on some Harvester ants to arrive from Utah. We'll keep you updated.
Next Friday we'll be taking a trip to the Eno to see who populates the forest and the river ecosystem. We're lucky to have this protected resource nearby and can't wait to see who's waiting for us under rocks and in the water.
Upcoming dates:
August 18 - Hanging Rock Field Trip
August 27 - Eno Animal Survey
Week 3 August 2-6 General Store, mountains and oceans
Feel like the year is flying by. We've had three really productive weeks setting up classroom routines and strengthening our community. A lot of studd has been added to the website so be sure to check out new photos, a video of our performance at FAM, and samples of student writing in the new Student Work page.
This week we started a math simulation that pairs what we've been talking about in our class reading (living during the Great Depression) and adding and subtracting numbers with tenths and hundredths. We add new hoops to jump through everyday and there are always lots of choices about what to buy. We'll have to see what happens when Black Tuesday comes!
On our North Carolina wall we've started our mosaic map and we got as far as coloring the three regions of North Carolina. Hopefully by the end of the year the map will be full of places we've been and things we've learned.
We finished writing beginnings this week and will be moving on to adding detail an elaboration to important parts of stories. I'm really excited about seeing the students learn to use this important writing tool.
The Hanging Rock trip is coming up next week, Wed. the 18th. An information sheet will be coming home on Monday with a permission slip attached. Please send the permission slip back by Friday. We;re all really excited about heading to the "Mountains away from the mountains."
Upcoming dates:
Wed Aug 11th Early Release 1:30
Wed Aug 18th Hanging Rock Trip be at school at 6:45
This week we started a math simulation that pairs what we've been talking about in our class reading (living during the Great Depression) and adding and subtracting numbers with tenths and hundredths. We add new hoops to jump through everyday and there are always lots of choices about what to buy. We'll have to see what happens when Black Tuesday comes!
On our North Carolina wall we've started our mosaic map and we got as far as coloring the three regions of North Carolina. Hopefully by the end of the year the map will be full of places we've been and things we've learned.
We finished writing beginnings this week and will be moving on to adding detail an elaboration to important parts of stories. I'm really excited about seeing the students learn to use this important writing tool.
The Hanging Rock trip is coming up next week, Wed. the 18th. An information sheet will be coming home on Monday with a permission slip attached. Please send the permission slip back by Friday. We;re all really excited about heading to the "Mountains away from the mountains."
Upcoming dates:
Wed Aug 11th Early Release 1:30
Wed Aug 18th Hanging Rock Trip be at school at 6:45
Week 2 July 26-31 Rules, vampire bats, and rainy ponds
We had a really good second week that was full of learning how things work, how things are going to be, and how to get stories started. We got our nature journals set up, learned how to say really big numbers and use graph paper for math. Our big goal for the week was coming up with class rules. We started by discussing why we have rules and determining that games aren't fun without rules and our class needs a few rules to run well. Everyone shared their dreams and goals for the year and then we brainstormed guidelines or rules that would help us all get there. There were 15 rules that rained out of the brainstorm and we condensed and combined until we got down to three overarching guidelines:
1. Have fun in a safe way and contribute positively to the community
2. Always treat others with respect
3. Take responsibility for what you do and the things you use
I think these will be a good starting and reference point throughout the year and will really help our community grow strong.
Bud, not Buddy has gt us all hooked as Christopher Paul Curtis did a great job articulating the fears and thoughts of a 10 year old boy locked in a shed with what he thinks is a vampire bat (but turns out to be a hornet's nest)
Open House Tuesday night 6:30 -7:30
Come check out what is going on in the classroom and how some of the logistical things will work during the year (Writing test, field trips, assessments) Our classroom and ever changing and I'm hoping that you'll stop in often to see what is going on. If you can't make it on Tuesday I'll send any documents by email or post them here.
1. Have fun in a safe way and contribute positively to the community
2. Always treat others with respect
3. Take responsibility for what you do and the things you use
I think these will be a good starting and reference point throughout the year and will really help our community grow strong.
Bud, not Buddy has gt us all hooked as Christopher Paul Curtis did a great job articulating the fears and thoughts of a 10 year old boy locked in a shed with what he thinks is a vampire bat (but turns out to be a hornet's nest)
Open House Tuesday night 6:30 -7:30
Come check out what is going on in the classroom and how some of the logistical things will work during the year (Writing test, field trips, assessments) Our classroom and ever changing and I'm hoping that you'll stop in often to see what is going on. If you can't make it on Tuesday I'll send any documents by email or post them here.
Week 1 July 19-23 Getting to know each other, project work, and making some stamps
So a lot of you are probably wondering why we were carving rubber and making stamps the first week. One of our themes the first week was "Where I come from..." hitting on the idea that we all come from different places and different situations to be together to learn this year. This week I wanted to share a couple things that are part of who I am and so we talked about the holiday of Lempira Day in Honduras and Hanko stamps in Japan.
In Japan when you need to sign a document or get money at the bank you don't provide your signature, you use your hanko stamp which is Japanese characters that represent your name. Japanese uses three different alphabets and we used the Katakana alphabet which is used to phonetically represent non-Japanese words. Very few names sound exactly the same (Aaron sounds like Ah-rown) so the students had a really fun time learning how their name sounds and looks in Japanese.
I wanted to use hankos as an opportunity to introduce project based learning to the new students in the class and refresh the process for returning students. Each day of the week we did one of project steps (Intro, Planning, Create, Display, Evaluate) and when all was said and done we'd learned a new skill, the steps of project work, and lots of important lessons (like you have to carve the design backwards!)
In Japan when you need to sign a document or get money at the bank you don't provide your signature, you use your hanko stamp which is Japanese characters that represent your name. Japanese uses three different alphabets and we used the Katakana alphabet which is used to phonetically represent non-Japanese words. Very few names sound exactly the same (Aaron sounds like Ah-rown) so the students had a really fun time learning how their name sounds and looks in Japanese.
I wanted to use hankos as an opportunity to introduce project based learning to the new students in the class and refresh the process for returning students. Each day of the week we did one of project steps (Intro, Planning, Create, Display, Evaluate) and when all was said and done we'd learned a new skill, the steps of project work, and lots of important lessons (like you have to carve the design backwards!)
Got plants for our garden?
We have a garden bed that is just asking to have some plants in it. We could start plants from seed but that kind of limits our selection. I have several pepper plants that have been overshadowed by our tomatoes and I'll being those in so they can have the sun and water they deserve. We're supposed to have several days of thunderstorms and slightly cooler so if you have any extra or underappreciated plants in your garden we would love to have them. Thanks!
Our class book this quarter: Bud, not Buddy
Every quarter we will read a book together as a class and the students will read another book with their book club. This quarter we're reading Bud, not Buddy about a10 year old orphan boy during the Great Depression. It is a Newberry Award Winner and has lots of great information about Jazz , Michigan, and being on the road. Check it out at Amazon
