Surface Tension With Bubble Windows

We learned about surface tension by creating bubble windows in Science Class!

Students created the bubble solution using dish soap, water and corn syrup and then they worked with a small group to build a tool that would display the window using straws and string. Then each student took turns creating a "window" and recording observations with their group.

We learned that water is made up of lots of tiny molecules. The molecules are attracted to each other and stick together very closely to create a force called surface tension.

When we finished with the bubble window part of the experiment, each student took a turn blowing some traditional bubbles with a wand. We discussed the differences between the two forms of bubbles.

Testing Week

This week will be very different than all our other weeks so I wanted to give everyone an idea of what to expect. 

First of all there will be NO HOMEWORK all week. Yes, you heard me right - no homework!
The desks have been rearranged for the week and students will be sitting in traditional rows. Any "helpful" posters on the wall that explain anything of an academic nature will be covered or taken down.
We will not be starting any new concepts this week. Tomorrow we will continue to review and will also spend some time talking about test-taking strategies and tips. This is the first big standardized test most (if not all) of the students have taken so I want to make sure they are adequately prepared. Already a few students have expressed how nervous and worried they are so I am going to talk about ways to stay calm and put their minds at ease. 
Our testing days are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. AIMS testing also begins this week so it is important for us to be quiet in the classroom, in the hallway and at lunch. Students will be expected to behave appropriately during SAT 10 testing and there will be little leeway for a student that decides to test the limits. We will discuss this thoroughly in class! Following is a video a class I had a few years ago created with some helpful testing tips.

Tips for home...
*Make sure your student gets a good night of sleep the nights before the tests.
*Make sure your student has a good, hearty breakfast that day. We will still be having our morning snack, so send a good one! Fruit, cheese, something with protein - all excellent choices! 
*Get to school in plenty of time that day. This is not a good day to miss the bus or arrive at school late. If a student arrives after we have started the testing he or she will not be allowed in the classroom until we are finished and will have to make up the test on another day, in a different classroom with another teacher. 
*If your student has a dentist, doctor, etc. appointment on testing days, please reschedule if possible! If a student is dismissed during the day, he or she will not be allowed back in the classroom that day and will have to make up the test. 
*Keep the morning as smooth and stress free as possible. 
I think that's everything! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. 
Have a super week!

YouTube In The Classroom

Celebrating Pi Day

 We celebrated Pi Day by creating bracelets with beads representing each digit of pi (and a small, black bead to represent the decimal point.) 

We worked with our 5th and 6th grade buddy class during this project because they are truly experts on pi and were able to teach us a lot! We had a class discussion about this magical number and talked about that it is a transcendental number and also an irrational number. 

After creating a Pi Bracelet, pairs of buddies worked together using the Tellegami app to create a video about pi. 

Last but certainly not least, we measured the circumference of several pies, sang happy birthday to pi and enjoyed a delicious slice of pie! 

Dr. Seuss Doors

The culminating activity to our week of Dr. Seuss celebrations was touring the school and admiring all the Seusstastical doors!

Students guessed what book each door was representing and logged it. We compared doors of the books expressing the same title and even scanned a few Seuss QR Codes.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! We enjoyed celebrating you! 

Reading Across America (Literally!)

In honor of "Read Across America" week and Dr. Seuss' birthday, my class read across America, doing a reader's theater with our pen-pal class in Massachusetts. We performed Green Eggs and Ham through a video-conference. My class had the role of "Friend" while our pen-pal class portrayed "Sam-I-Am."

This was a very unique 21st century learning experience and the students enjoyed seeing and chatting with their pen-pals for a few minutes after the reader's theater. A brief clip can be viewed here.  We really enjoyed reading across America!

Celebrating the Birthday of Dr. Seuss

Today we celebrated what would have been the 110th birthday of Dr. Seuss!

We welcomed celebrity reader Robin Nash from trending radio hot 97.5 and 103.9 to read aloud to us. 

After the book, she took some time to do some Q&A with us answering questions ranging from how to become a radio deejay to what her favorite Dr. Seuss books are. This celebrity reader was a fun way to kick-off a week long of Seussical activities to celebrate reading!