Tour of the Planets

As the students in our class began studying the solar system, we wanted to create a project to showcase our new learning. Instead of presenting normal reports, our class decided to create a "Tour of the Planets." We would transform our classroom into a solar sytem touring spaceship, become tour guides (as well as visiting scientists and resident aliens), and give a first-rate tour of our solar system. Students formed teams and researched their planet, quickly becoming experts. Our students wrote very creative skits for their tour guides - many involving interviews with aliens from each planet. The final part of this project was creating powerpoints (How good can a tour be without incredible visuals?).

We handed out tickets (free, of course) and were extremely pleased with our turnout. Our spaceship was packed! The video below contains pictures from our tour. You may want to pay attention to some of the food served - Milky Ways, Moon pies, and Tang (most of our students didn't get that last joke). Some of our wonderful homeroom moms also carried on the tradition of a Mr. Brown facecake - this may be the best one yet. The Tour of the Planets is one of my favorite projects of the year. It involves research, science, writing, drama, reading, technology, and teamwork.

I was so pleased with the creativity of our kids. Their voices and humor shone through each part of their presentation. We hope you enjoy!

Click To Play

Poetry Friday Podcast - March 14

During our last Poetry Friday, some students decided to publish their poems on a podcast. Click here to listen to a few poems written by the poets of Room 241. You can also download the podcast by right clicking on "here" and choosing "Save Target As." Choose the location on your computer where you want to save the file, and you can download it.

If you like the poems, leave a comment for our poets. I'm sure they'd love to receive your feedback.

Poetry Friday - March 14th

We had another wonderful poetry Friday on March 14th. We had kids reading poetry, writing poetry, and publishing poetry. We created another class poem where several students contributed. Enjoy!

Nature's Way
The thick green grass beneath my toes
Walking,
Walking towards...
The oak tree.
I see the Great Lake behind Old Oak.
The sun is shining and smiling down on me!
The silent wind whooshing through my hair
whoosh
whoosh
whoosh
Birds flying above me
Squirrels nickering, grabbing, darting away from me!
I feel something I have never felt before
wondering
wondering
what could it be?
It's a wonderful, excellent feeling
As I walk through the field
I feel the leaves trickling my back
The wind wrapping me, keeping
that soft breeze that is familiar on me.
I hear the sound that the beautiful animals make
I smell the scent of the crisp
crisp
crisp air
I twirl while listening to
nature's way of communication

Studycast - Social Studies Chapter 9

Click here to listen to a studycast for Social Studies Chapter 9. The test is Monday, March 17th. The study guide came home last week, but if you need an extra copy, you can download one from the classroom website's Homework page. There's a link on the blog's sidebar.

Please feel free to leave comments to this posting. What are your questions? Did the studycast help? What can I do to improve? Enjoy!

Solar System Studycast

Click here to listen to a studycast on the solar system. If you want to download the studycast to your computer, right click on "here" and choose "Save Target As." You can then choose the folder where you want to save it.

The class test will be Friday, March 14th. There is a lot of material covered in this test, so don't wait until the last minute to study! You can also use your science textbook and science notebook to review concepts. The study guide came home on Thursday, March 6th. If you need an extra copy, you can access the study guide to the test by clicking here. This link will take you to the Homework page on our classroom website.

If you used the studycast, leave a comment below. What did you like? What do I need to change? Your feedback is appreciated.