Today we continued to work with the ideas of concentration, dilution and volume. To help with this, we created an experiment in which students manipulated solutions to determine the effects on volume and mass. Ultimately, this experiment not only built greater understanding with the Next Generation Science Standards but also proved a terrific introduction to volume.
Today we got another visit from art teacher Joy Brackney. Mrs. Brackney shared with the students how to mix mediums with a Halloween themed piece of art.
Today we set-up our Google Classroom. Our first project involved using Google Docs to help us with taking our draft pieces of writing through the writing process and into publishing. Google Classroom also helped us with greater classroom flexibility and differentiation.
Students all have secure usernames and passwords and can continue working on their writing at any time. (This includes at home!) Moreover, I will always have access to what they are doing and I will be able to provide feedback.
Today we visited the 2nd Judicial District Court to put on a mock trial. This was followed by learning more about the work of a court, information about jails and prisons, and a chance to “meet an inmate.”
The day included a lot of learning and a lot of fun. This was best exemplified by the cased we tried and adjudicated. Ultimately, the students found Curly Pig liable for damages in the case brought by B.B. Wolf.
Today we shared some of our writing during Author’s Chair. Over the last six weeks, we have been putting an emphasis on clearly establishing a situation/topic/problem with a strong introduction, well-sequenced events, and a satisfying conclusion.
The Author’s Chair is an opportunity to share writing and receive positive feedback from classmates.
Today students started their investigation into saturation. In this case, students added salt to water until the solution became saturated. Students then used a balance to determine the amount of salt that went into the solution.
This investigation is just beginning and we will learn about citric acid and how to compare crystals in the coming days.
We are establishing our peer editing process in which we sit in a circle, pass our Writing Journals to each other, and identify strengths in what we are reading from colleagues. This is a strategy first introduced to me by Kitty Gillette, a 4th grade teacher at Westergard Elementary, and it has proven to be a great way of building classroom community. Moreover, it helps everyone become better writers.
Today the students used the strategy “Keep It or Junk It” to help us get ready for Kids Court and our Mock Trial. The Keep It or Junk It strategy has students working in small groups to identify key vocabulary from a text. This is followed by students working as a class to negotiate what the key vocabulary is and why. Words that are important are kept while words that are not, are junked.
The list of words will be used for writing an argumentative essay.
From time-to-time, students will complete a Math Write. This is a chance for students to share their math thinking and support a claim using the vocabulary of math. The focus has been on place value, the addition and subtraction of decimals and soon the multiplication of whole numbers.
Students got to engage in Philosophical Chairs today. They had to position themselves on a “Philosophical Spectrum” to express if they agreed, disagreed or were neutral on the topic of whether having classroom pets was more positive than negative. Students then took the hot seat to share their claims and the evidence, from middle school texts, they had collected to support their claims. Throughout the experience, students were encouraged to move as their opinion changed based on what their peers were sharing.
The students proved quite adept at the technique and we will be doing this again while we are studying American history.
Room 360 