Bash Classroom Creation

BIG THANKS TO ALLISON LEVINE FOR ALL HER HARD WORK!!!! THE TRAY IS BEAUTIFUL!!!!

All about Character Traits

This week in reading, students were asked to find character traits they were not familiar with and create 4 vocabulary cards for a character trait show and tell. Later, we worked on our character books. Each student picked a character from the book City of Ember, and had to analyze it, create a portrait of their chosen character, describe their character traits, discuss both inner and outer conflicts the character faces, as well as the change he/she goes through.

Sound and Light

Big Thanks to Dr. Levitt for coming over Thursday and sharing his knowledge with us.
The presentation was great! The kids learned so much, and got to experience more light and sound hands-on.

Physical Science Week

We started the week exploring sound and light in our classroom.

Students worked in groups of 4 to become knowledgeable and prepare presentations on the different topics. The requirement was that as the experts in their field, students had the responsibility to teach the class and share that knowledge. One group explored how sound is created, a different group worked on how sound travels, while another explored high pitch vs. low pitch sounds. The kids that explored light delved into refraction, Laser light, prisms and light primary colors. The products varied, we had some kids acting it out, while others demonstrating and leading the kids through hands on experiences. Each learning style was honored and the kids were able to shine as they shared their knowledge using their talents and gifts.

On Friday, we had a wonderful physical science rotation day. The students rotated around all 5Th grade classes. In Mrs. Hicks's class they learned more about light. In Mrs. Hernandez's class they explored electrical circuits further. Mrs. Gomez prepared a lesson about force and motion, while in Mrs. Daniel's class they traced appliances to their original energy sources. Last, in our class they explored sound some more.

Hands on Probability

This week we explored probability. Our math investigations included a deck of cards, dominoes, scramble tiles, coins, and colored tiles. We also discussed theoretical probability vs. experimental probability. What does it mean to beat the odds? Why do some families have 4 girls when there is a 50:50 chance of having a girl or a boy? Why do we get heads or tails uneven times, when a coin has exactly two sides, and therefore a 50:50 chance of landing on either one....

Testing for Conductivity

Friday afternoon we played with electric circuits. Once we had them set up, we used it to test different objects (materials) for conductivity. Plastic straws, spoons, Popsicles sticks, and screws were all put to the test. If the light bulb turned on our objects was announced as a conductor, while no light indicated insulators.

Ryan the Radish

As you may know, our plan to eat a fresh garden salad during the holiday party did not work. Even though we worked hard on preparing the garden bed, sowing the seeds, and watering every day, our vegetables refused to grow except for..... Ryan the radish who survived the poor soil and hard freeze. Now that we know what the problem is, we'll plan on adding nutrients to the soil and trying again :)