Fractured Fairy Tales

We are in the middle of a fun writing unit.  Students heard two versions of The 3 Little Pigs, the more traditional version as told by a narrator and The True Story of The 3 Little Pigs as told by the Wolf.  We analyzed the two version seeing what was similar and what was different.  We also analyzed how point of view can change a story and how humor can add to a story.

Students then chose a different well known Fairy Tale (Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Goldilocks and the Three Bears or The Three Billy Goats Gruff), read the story with a small group, and then recorded the characters and sequence of events.  They then decided from whose point of view the story would be told and then came up with a timeline for their NEW story.

We have some incredibly creative versions and I cannot wait for them to share the stories with the class!

 Does This Come From a Plant?

To kick-off our plant unit students examined many items and tried to determine if these products came from a plant or not.  Displayed were items such as aspirin, Coca Cola, chocolate, wooden spoons, a cork, wool gloves, a cotton cloth, plastic, and a rubber band just to name a few. 

A few of the objects were harder to decide than others.

 Bean Seeds

Our next task in our plant unit was to observe and dissect a bean seed (one that was soaked and one that was not.)

We looked at the various parts of a seed (the seed coat, the food storage, and the embryo) and made observations.  We then put our beans in plastic bags with a wet paper towel and waited.

Every few days the students observed the plants.  By this past Friday, only a bit over a week from when we placed the beans in the bags, students were amazed at the growth.  They saw roots, the seed leaves and the diminishing  food storage.)

 Dissecting a Flower

Last Friday, students dissected a Lily and named and identified the various parts of the flower.

 Planting Kitchen Scraps and Plant Experimentation

I posed a question to the students: Do you think a seed is the only way that we can start a new plant? After much spirited discussion we decided that, no, there were probably other ways.  I then produced some scraps from my kitchen: the base of a celery stalk, the tops of carrots, a potato, a clove of garlic and an avocado pit.  Students were charged with coming up with a way to propagate these scraps using water.

We were amazed with what we saw after a week: the celery was already sprouting new leaves, the garlic had a ton of roots, the carrots were just forming tiny roots and the avocado and the potato were still yet to produce much.  

We will continue to observe these over the next several weeks.

Plant Experiments

Students selected to conduct an experiment with plants.  They were given a choice of creating a Plant Maze (to see if a plant could follow a maze they created in a box as it seeks the light), or create an experiment with growing plants and changing a variable such as type of "soil", type of "water" or access to different light.  

We set up our experiments on Friday and will be making weekly observations.

 Dirt Cups

Given the slow start to spring, we have delayed our Earth Day clean up to some afternoon in May.  In the meantime, we celebrated Earth Day by eating Dirt Cups complete with worms!

Saying Farewell to Miss Mimier 

We were sad to say goodbye to our practicum student, Julia Mimier.  She was a wonderful addition to our learning community and we appreciated all that she brought to us through her teaching.  We wish her all the best as she prepares to student teach in the fall!

 Upcoming Events

• Tuesday our class joins Miss Miller's class on a trip to Olbrich.  Thank you to all the parents who have agreed to join us.  I will send a note tomorrow confirming the time to be at school.  If you are riding on the bus with us, please arrive by 9:30.  If you are meeting us at Olbrich, we should be there by 10:00.

• Friday, May 10 is our big Urban Adventure Field Trip.  This trip will not cost the students anything but I will need several volunteers for this trip.  Basically it is a big scavenger hunt in and around the UW and downtown Madison.  Small groups of students do a separate adventure (with an adult chaperone) and we all meet at the Memorial Union to celebrate and head back to school This is an all day commitment so please check your schedules.  Thanks!