Geometry with Candy and QR Codes

We have been working on a geometry unit in math class!

Students learned about lines, rays and angles and got to demonstrate what each was using toothpicks, marshmallows and candy corn. 

Later in the unit, students used an iPad to scan assorted QR Codes. Each QR Code brought them to different information about a shape including an image of the shape, the definition of the shape and properties of the shape. Each student created a chart of all the different shapes we learned and included all of this information. 

Osmosis With Gummy Worms

What better way to learn about osmosis than with gummy worms?

Each student worked with a partner, observing and recording data about their gummy worm. 

We measured them, traced them and drew pictures of them. Then, we soaked them in a bowl of water overnight.

The next day, we were so surprised to see how much our gummy worms had grown! They were huge!

We measured them again and they had doubled in size!

Why did this happen? Water molecules always move from an area where there is a lot of water molecules to an area where there are fewer molecules. In this experiment, the water in the bowl of water wanted to move inside the gummy worm because there isn't that much water in a gelatin based candy. The movement of water molecules into the gummy worm results in its increase in size. This process is called osmosis!

Back to School Selfies

Last week was Parent Curriculum Night, and I always like to have some sort of student created project on every desk for the parents to admire while they are waiting for the presentation to begin.

I tried something new this year, having each student take a selfie and edit it using a fun photo editing app called PicCollage, adding the hashtag of their current grade. 

We discussed what a hashtag was and why someone might use one, although many of the students already knew all about hashtags since we used Twitter in class quite a bit last year.

Once each student created and edited their selfie, they emailed it to themselves via pvLearners. From there, they added it to a Google doc, made the doc public, copied the link and went to my favorite URL shortener and QR Code creator, goo.gl.

From goo.gl, they created a QR Code, which they then pasted into another Google doc. They made sure to label their QR Code with their name, since QR Codes all look very similar, and had fun experimenting with different fonts. We printed the QR Codes and mounted them to a piece of construction paper so they were waiting for parents when they walked in on Curriculum Night. 

There were a lot of steps to this project, but most students impressed me with their ability to handle the project with ease. I especially enjoyed watching many of my returning students assist the new students. It was exciting to witness such fantastic communication and collaboration skills!

Quick recap of skills learned and demonstrated during this fun back to school project: using the camera of an iPad, photo editing, adding an appropriate hashtag, emailing, Google docs, URL shortening, QR Code creation, collaboration, communication, and creativity. We hit three out of the "Four C's!"

It's going to be a fabulous year!

Curriculum Night Presentation

Place Value

We recently began a unit on place value and number sense.

Students created a chart listing and labeling place value.

The chart will be graded according to a rubric, which was thoroughly explained before we began the project. 

Fabulous First Week!

The week began the night before the first day of school, with students sprinkling "Planet Powder" under their pillows to get the jitters out.

On the first day of school each student participated in a scavenger hunt looking for another student in the class who...can count to 10 in a foreign language, has a dog, has brown eyes, left the country this summer, is on a team, etc. This was a fun way for students to get to know each other!

Homework the first day of school was to decorate and fill a "Getting To Know You" bag. 

Throughout the rest of the week each student got a chance to present his or her bag to the rest of the class. It was fascinating to learn about each student! This year in our class we have chess champions, math maniacs, baseball stars, rock climbers, super swimmers, amazing dancers plus lots more! 

We also worked on a glyph about pizza and a craft about apples. Along with creating the craft, each student had to scan various QR codes to learn facts about apples to include with their project. 

QR Codes are one of my favorite learning tools and we will be using them a lot this year.

On Thursday students literally clapped and cheered when I told them we would be "Buddies" with Mrs. Bird's 5/6 self-contained class again this year. Each student was matched with a buddy who they then interviewed and then later we played a game as a large group.

We wrapped up our fast paced week on Friday with a little "Mystery Science." Students worked collaboratively to create play-dough out of flour, oil, water and salt. Each team also got to choose a color to dye their dough.

Once each team was finished making their dough, they participated in some challenges like creating an animal out of dough, a musical instrument, something you eat, etc. 

We had a fabulous first week with a wonderful group of students! I am so excited about this coming week and the rest of the year!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back! As I am sure you all know, the 2014-15 school year kicks off on Tuesday, August 12. There is an open house in the classroom from 3:00 to 3:40 this Friday, followed by an ice-cream social in the cafeteria. Thanks so much for taking a few minutes to complete the form below to help me maximize the learning and potential of your child this year!