2.15.15

“Today at Brunch, we played Pirates on the playground. Max was our captain. I played with Julia, Omi, Ronan, Otis, Marley, Samantha, Maya, Max and Layla. Max kept dying and coming back alive,” explained Somanna.

Jamie, Denise and I drove up to San Francisco over the Presidents’ Day weekend to scope out the Exploratorium, and it was so fun! All the teachers will meet Wednesday after school to plan activities for chaperones and students to share on next Tuesday’s all school field trip. The MCB has offered to subsidize admission fees for this trip, so we are requesting that families contribute $10 per student. As usual, the teachers ask that drivers refrain from purchasing snacks or other treats on the trip, for equity’s sake. Also, we ask that chaperones help support the students by not entering the museum store or snack bars.

There are approximately six weeks left of the trimester, so the Sea class is taking a week to explore each of the six simple machines: levers, pulleys, inclined planes, screws, wheels and axles, and wedges. We are finding that simple machines make work like lifting or moving heavy things more easily. This week is Pulley Week! We will work with Single Fixed Pulleys and Single Movable Pulleys; Single Fixed Pulleys and Single Movable Pulleys together; and Double Fixed and Double Movable Pulleys, as well as spring scales to measure effort measured in Newtons. Fun!

Fun with Levers!

 

Last week Sea Class students checked in on their Social Goals in preparation for Student-Led Conferences, held March 16-18. Students will be released at 12:30 that Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Teachers and students will begin working together to choose work samples representative of their best work in writing, science, reading, and art. They will share their impressions of the enrichment activities they’ve been doing, as well as reporting on their progress with accomplishing their annual academic and social goals.

Here are the plans for the next four days:

Tuesday - February 16, 2016

Morning Meeting:

Kids on the Block for 3rd graders

Theme:

Read Aloud Hugo Cabret

Show pulley, scale, support, string, weight. Show how to measure effort on the scale using camera and projector with assistant

5-10 min. Free explore with setting it up

Help if needed to set up single fixed and single moveable

Experiment with Single Fixed Pulleys and Single Movable Pulleys

What do you notice about the effort needed to lift the rocks?

Communication Workshop:

Agenda and Agreements

WML: Introduce planning sheets

WW: talk with 12:00 partner about what you will write today

Author Share

RML: Introduce that handwriting will now be in the RW rotation

RW:

Math Workshop:

Agenda and Agreements

ML: Teach Roll-a-Square            

End: finish king’s 10s

Citizen Science:

Give students time to visit the TBG website and explain to them how they will be citizen scientists who help us on our scientific mission to use photography to collect data on life overlooked, and to help others appreciate the special life that is in their own area.

Allow students to explore other student photos on iNaturalist and help them understand that this is a scientific database. Be sure they understand that will be collecting valuable data that scientists can then use to better understand and perhaps preserve the variety of wildlife found in backyards all around the world! For example, in the area of the Sonoran Desert that surrounds TBG’s office it is believed that living here is the elusive and endangered Tucson Shovel Nosed Snake. However, none has ever been scientifically documented... yet. Imagine if one of the local school students here was out taking photos for Biodiversity PEEK and took a photo of a strange, burrowing, colorfully banded snake and uploaded it onto iNaturalist with the GPS coordinates! Not only could that student be scientifically appreciated for the discovery of a range extension, but any new habitat-destroying development such as open-pit mining or a new housing development would then be halted due to the Endangered Species Act. Wow! This is real science for real change and the kids should feel that they are an important part of it.

Guide students to find the Biodiversity PEEK at Monarch Community School project on the website. Closing Question: How did you learn at your best pace today?

Wednesday - February 17, 2016

Morning Meeting

Citizen Science:

Head over to B40 creek to find and practice Eye Spot

Library with Jolene

Parcours

Community Meeting

Thursday - February 18, 2016

Morning Meeting

Theme:

Read Aloud Hugo Cabret

Experiment with Single Fixed Pulleys and Single Movable Pulleys together AND Double Fixed and Double Movable Pulleys

What do you notice about the effort needed to lift the rocks?

Communication Workshop:

Agenda and Agreements

WML: Researching facts and ensuring text accuracy

WW: talk with 12:00 partner about what you will write today

Author Share

RML: Advantages and disadvantages of honoring your group's agreements

RW:

Math Workshop:

Agenda and Agreements

ML: timed addition test

Choice

Blog: Zuki

Cards: Yarbrough

Pet: Somanna

Friday - February 19, 2016

Morning Meeting

Theme:

Read Aloud Hugo Cabret

Experiment with other pulley arrangements and lifting the rocks

Which arrangement took the least amount of effort?

Communication Workshop:

Agenda and Agreements

WML: Punctuating with paragraphs

WW: talk with 12:00 partner about what you will write today

Author Share

RML: What are the advantages of rereading?

RW:

Math Workshop:

Agenda and Agreements

ML: Good question re: time

End: Play sums to 20 concentration

Friday Courses:

Blog: Zuki

Cards: Zimmerman

Pet: Jasper