Happy New Year

Evidence of Salt
After an extended break due to snow days we finally got back to our science unit.  Before we left for winter break, students were investigating mock rocks to determine which minerals composed their rock.  We found evidence of red and blue gravel, shells, flour and sand.  Students mixed the base of their mock rock with water into a vial in order to separate the flour and sand.

After the water settled students saw clear, distinct layers, one sand and one flour. They drew their observations in their science notebooks.

We suspected that salt was one of the minerals in the mock so students poured the water from vial into evaporation dishes.  After the water evaporated this is what we saw:

Students drew their observation in their science notebook and then used a crystal identification key to determine the type of crystal.

Using the key, students noted that there was indeed salt in the mock rock and that the type of salt was kosher salt.

Poetry Tea - Rescheduled
Today, we celebrated our student poets with a fabulous poetry tea.  All our poets shared at least 2 of their poems with the family members who were able to join us.  We also had an amazing assortment of treats to eat after the readings were complete.  Thank you all who were able to attend and for sending in the delicious treats!

Comic Unit
Our new writing unit is a comic unit!  The news was greeted with excitement and anticipation.  Students began this new unit by looking at comics, first reading them as a reader and then reading them through the lens of a writer.  Pairs wrote observation in their writing notebooks.

This week the process of writing comics is being scaffolded.  Student pairs were given a 4-panel comic with characters drawn in but blank speech bubbles.  The partners made up their own dialogue and then the comics were shared with the class.

The next step for students was to use a pre-drawn comic and a predetermined plot line and create the dialogue that would tell that story.

Our final step was for students to create the plot line and the dialogue for a pre-drawn comic.

This week's homework was for students to create a superhero or supervillain to star in their own comic strip.  These comics will be created next week.

Finding the Line of Symmetry
Students used pattern blocks, mirrors and geoboards to find lines of symmetry for shapes they created. Some shapes had one line of symmetry and others had multiple lines.

Friday, Dance Day
On Friday, Ms. Wimmler lead the kids through a dance activity.  Here it is!

Thanks all and have a great weekend!