Rollerblading

   3rd through 5th grade enjoyed rollerblading in P.E. this week!  They learned balance, skating skills, and stopping skills. 

Let the Research Begin!

   Mrs. Hagene kicked off our country research for World's Fair today!  Since we have a lot of background knowledge in Geography, we began with an Atlas to gather some location facts for our research!  We will be collecting research in our research notebooks!  Many students checked out books on their country today also! 

Taking On Challenges through Problem Solving

   Each chapter in math, we focus on Problem Solving and perseverance using the skills and strategies students learned from the chapter!  Today, we began by asking for a definition of "challenge" and then a plan for taking on at least one challenging problem in math.  Students used multiplication and division to work through some grueling problems today!

Air Schuh

   Students were delighted to receive their country destinations for the World's Fair project! I revealed their country by handing them a plane ticket on Air Schuh to one of the 5 countries they chose earlier this week.  

   We will begin researching at school next week and this project will continue through May!

Measuring length

   Today we used our measurement skills and knowledge of US Customary units to measure small objects and large distances.  We extended our learning to convert meaurements of inches to feet to yards!

Character Study

   Happy Snow Day!  I'm updating our blog for yesterday, Tuesday, Jan. 19.  We began a new unit in reading focused on character studies.  We will read and discuss Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate Di Camillo together.  Each student received their own copy of the book yesterday!  I tried to capture their excitement when I handed out the book!  I hear comments such as "I've always wanted to read this book!" and "This is going to be so cool!"  I absolutely love the energy this class has around reading!  It is a joy to read alongside them!

Non Fiction Reading Groups Presentation Day!

   As a celebration of our work in reading non-fiction, we wrapped up our unit with a day to learn from and teach others!  Each group began with a topic they were interested in, began reading about this topic, and then formed an inquiry question to focus their reading and conversations! Here is how each book club presented their learning:

How do athletes defy the odds?
This energetic group each chose athletes who defied odds to read about and share with their group.  As they discussed these athletes in their book club meetings, they realized there were some common themes.  The group chose to focus on Jackie Robinson for a very well written skit.  They ended the skit sharing about other athletes such as the first woman to play in the NHL-Manon Rheaume, a current deaf NFL player on the Seahawks-Derrick Coleman, a lacrosse player who was 90% deaf- Paul Rabil, and the first black player in the NHL-Willie O'Ree.  What an inspiring topic!

Why does the U.S. participate in war?
This group planned a seminar with a visual explaining the various wars the United States has participate in.  They read Non-fiction books about these wars and explained to the class that the US wanted to gain land, protect other people, or was attacked in some way.  They gave specific examples of attacks such as Pearl Harbor and September 11th.

How did technology change the world?
Our technology group chose to create a timeline focused on technology and then used this visual to aid their seminar.  They spoke about technology through time with a focus on how we have continually improved in our technology.  One specific example they focused on was the improvement of the car.  This group ended on the big idea that technology has greatly improved our every day life!

What is causing global warming?
These two environmentalists focused on the human impact and natural impact on global warming.  They created an adorable skit- with backdrops and all!  They even shared ideas on how we can improve and practices to try!

How do animals communicate with other species?  
What a fun extension of our learning from Structures of Life!  This group planned a wonderful and informative skit on how animals communicate!  They focused on four different animals- badger, cheetah, monkey, and wolf.  They even included their audience in the skit!  The group was very engaged and excited about this learning!  One student even connected their learning to how humans who speak other languages communicate!