Show Good Character - Say No to Drugs!

The above title was our class theme for Red Ribbon Week.  Our week ended with our annual parade (although this year we just marched around the recess field).  We enjoyed dressing up as our favorite book characters (notice Cat in the Hat, Clementine, Harry Potter, Annie from The Magic Tree House, and even Junie B. Jones), and we had a great time eating fun snacks in the classroom.  Here are some pictures of our recent Friday fun...

Building Electromagnets

After studying series and parallel circuits, I issued the kids a challenge.  Turn a steel rivet into a temporary magnet.  I gave teams of scientists a battery, switch, 150cm wire, small washers, and a steel rivet.  After 10 minutes or so, one team experimented with wrapping the wire around the rivet (with electricity flowing through the wire).  The other teams quickly revised their own approaches, and soon each team in the class had created their own electromagnet.  I was proud of the way our kids experimented with their thinking - trying out ideas, revising their ideas, listening and building off each other's thinking.  Unfortunately, some of the batteries provided by our district were weak, so some teams weren't able to pick up a lot of the washers.  But that was OK - it just led to another investigation exploring how to strengthen an electromagnet. 

My favorite part of the following video is the very end.  You can hear our principal begin making the afternoon announcements, and Will lets out a "Aaarrggh" in disappointment - our science time is over.  I wish everyday ended like that - sighs of disappointment that our class time is over for the day. 

Multiplying Large Numbers

We learned several different algorithms for multiplying multi-digit numbers - partial products, lattice, and the traditional approach.  But I want my students to go beyond learning the algorithm.  I want them to really understand what is happening when we multiply these large numbers.  When our study of multiplication began, we spent a lot of time exploring repeated addition and arrays.  So I built on this knowledge and asked our kids to build BIG arrays - like 23 x 34 - using base ten blocks.  We then were able to connect the array to the 4 partial products we made when using the partial products algorithm.  Our kids were actually able to see what happens when we multiply large numbers together. 

In the video below, you'll see kids solving problems using the partial products algorithm and "building" the array using base-ten blocks.  But the important step comes after creating the array.  You'll see kids making a connection between the numbers on their white boards and the actual base ten blocks. 

Studycast - Electricity and Magnets

Click here to listen to our studycast on Electricity and Magnets.  The test is Friday, October 22nd, and the study guide came home on Monday, August 18th.  If you have any questions about the material, please leave me a comment below this post or send me an email.  Good luck!

Studycast Correction

It was brought to my attention that I may have left out some information on the Social Studies Chapter 3-4 studycast.  The last two questions on your study guide ask about encomiendas.  You can read about this on page 148 in your textbook (and we covered it in class today).  An encomienda is a large piece of land owned by a peninsulare (a person born in Spain).  The peninsulare controlled all of the Native Americans living on his land.  The Native Americans were forced to work for the land owner and give him the crops they grew or goods they produced.  Often times the Native Americans were also forced to convert to the Catholic faith and give up their own customs and culture. 

Hope this information helps! 

Studycast - Social Studies Chapters 3&4

Click here to listen to the studycast for our upcoming social studies test on chapters 3-4.  The focus of this test is the early explorers - from Marco Polo to DeSoto.  The study guide was sent out this past Wednesday, and the test will be on Wednesday, October 13th.  If you need an extra copy of the study guide, please visit the homework page on our classroom website.  If you have any questions, leave me a comment below or send me an email.  Hope this studycast helps - good luck!

Native American Tableaus

To review everything we learned about Native Americans, small groups of students created tableaus for each Native American cultural group.  Each group had to answer these questions with their tableaus:

• What is their environment like?
• What kinds of homes do they live in?
• What is their greatest resource?
• How do they get food?
• Explain something about their culture. 

As we shared these tableaus with the class, I was so impressed with how our students used their new learning to interpret each scene.  They did an amazing job. 

Switching On a Motor

After learning about circuits, we continued our investigation by figuring out how to make a motor run.  Our students quickly got their motors running, and then I extended the challenge - How could you use a switch to turn your motor on and off?  Once again, our students quickly discovered how to open and close a circuit.  Some of our students connected a switch to the idea of a drawbridge.  When the bridge is closed, the cars (or electricity) can flow.  If the bridge is opened, the cars (or electricity) cannot flow.  What brilliant thinkers!

Building Circuits

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How Do You Light a Bulb?

This was the question I posed the kids.  I gave them one battery, two wires, and one small light bulb.  Our students soon learned that electricity must flow in a complete circuit - from negative to positive.  The light bulb acts as a receiver, and the path of electricity must flow all the way from one side of the battery to the other.  This was a brand new concept to the majority of our kids, and they did an incredible job developing plans, trying out their theories, revising their thinking, and working with their partner.  I was proud of their persistence and critical thinking.  Here is a video of our scientists at work...

Retelling Stories

We want to be readers who are actively engaged with the text.  We don't want to be curmudgeon readers - readers who don't really care and read on auto-pilot.  We want to be readers who dive into our stories and really experience them.  One strategy that can help us do this is retelling.  If we're able to retell what we've read, we have to be able to think about the big events and important parts of the story.  Retelling actually helps us understand the story in new ways.  When we're retelling with a friend, new ideas about the plot have a chance to grow.  I showed the kids how to retell their stories by literally taking "big steps" as they told the big ideas.  The kids really got into it, and I was able to capture some video footage of the kids retelling their stories with their partners.