Thursday, August 29, 2013

Curriculum Night

Thanks so much for attending Curriculum Night this evening. If you were unable to attend, or need to reference my presentation, it can be viewed here

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Oobleck!

 We have been studying the states of matter in Science class, so this week we made Oobleck! We started this lesson by reading Bartholemew and the Oobleck by Dr. Suess.
Next, each small group added half a cup of cornstarch to half a cup of water. We also added a couple of drops of green food coloring so our Oobleck looked like real Oobleck! Once it was mixed, we quickly discovered that if we poked firmly on the Oobleck, it felt hard and solid. If we let it sit in our hands or touched it gently, it felt watery like a liquid. 
Is Oobleck a solid or a liquid? It is actually a Non-Newtonian Fluid, meaning the behavior of this fluid changes under stress. If you apply force the atoms in the fluid rearrange so it behaves like a solid. If you remove that force, or stress and it will return to its earlier state. Watch the video clip below to watch our Oobleck Investigation in action! 

Friday, August 23, 2013

Winners!

Congratulations to my class for being the first primary grade to return all student emergency cards! Students were presented with a keychain, a pencil, a SPARK sticker and a popsicle party! Great teamwork, everyone!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

States of Matter

Is This A Solid Or a Liquid?
We have been learning about the states of matter in Science class! We had lots of messy fun mixing a Borax solution with white glue to create Goofy Putty!
It's Slimy and Gooey!
Some key vocabulary so far in this unit has been solid, liquid, gas, solution, mixture, compound and molecule. 
What messy, hands on, investigation will we do next to learn more about the states of matter? Check back to this blog soon to find out!

Sunday, August 18, 2013

A Few Of Our Favorite Things...

Every student brought in a colorfully decorated "Getting to Know You" bag this week. Throughout the week students presented their bag and its contents to the class. Students were eager to show everyone what prized possessions they had brought in to share. I love this project because it gives everyone a chance to share a piece of themselves and we all get to know each other a little bit better.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Classroom Salad

Earlier this week we made a "Classroom Salad." All of the ingredients symbolized something in the classroom. We talked about how even just one ingredient impacts everything and can make a big difference.

Friday, August 9, 2013

T-Shirt Glyphs

As part of our "getting to know you" process, we created some T-shirt glyphs in class today. This was a fun way for us to present some information about ourselves and see what different classmates had in common. 
I have some other fun "getting to know you" activities planned for next week!

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Planet Powder

'Twas the night before the first day of school...
I hope all of my students remembered to open their Planet Powder on the night before the first day of school and followed the enclosed instructions!
I am looking forward to a fantastic school year!