May
5
This year we were paired with the 8th graders as a Buddy Class. Students met up several times throughout the year and did a variety of activities with their buddies including some engineering design challenges, shared writing, and reading. Today they met for the final time and shared a project they completed in Spanish class with the book called El Viejo Arbol. Please see their video project below.
Feb
5
Sound Wave Models
Today we completed the content in our science unit about waves. We started by exploring sound vibrations, compared pitch and volume, and observed how sound travels through solids, liquids, and air. Students also made models of sound waves at the end of the module. They used wire to represent low and high pitched sounds with soft or loud amplification. They turned out great!
Next, we explored the properties of water, and investigated how water can be used to do work by making a water wheel that would lift a weight.
Through the many investigations we have been conducting over the last three weeks students have been working in partnerships. These partnerships have developed and grown through the course of the unit. Therefore, students will continue to work in the same pairs to complete their Science Fair Projects. As you know, all of the work pertaining to the project will be done in school this year. All teams will approach the same problem:
Design a machine that uses water to do work.
Students will use the skills they learned in our nonfiction reading unit to do research, take notes, and become an expert on their topic. Then they will follow the steps of the scientific method to complete their projects. In addition to completing the project, they will also rehearse a short presentation of their learning for the actual event on February 21, 2015 from 10:00-10:30 am in the tennis courts. I cannot wait to see the outcome of these–ideas are already being discussed around the room in hushed tones!
Sep
30
We have been discussing why it’s important to be assertive. Being assertive helps you communicate what you need or want in a respectful way. We also role played what passive and aggressive communication look and sound like. Below is a list of assertive statements that we collaboratively assembled on the padlet site.
