"Out Of This World" Visit

Second grade had an "out of this world" visit from one of our Upper School science teachers, Jordan Burkey. Jordan brought in moon rocks and talked to us about the moon. In the process we learned about the different phases of the moon such as half moon, full moon, waxing gibbous and waning gibbous, crescent. Jordan explained that the surface of the moon was a powder consistency almost like flour but you could still walk on it. There is a famous boot print that was left on the moon and it was left by Buzz Aldrin. A lot of people may think that it was Neil Armstrong but it was not! Apollo 11 was the first mission to land on the moon carrying three astronauts, Neil and Buzz got to walk on the moon and Michaels stayed in the spaceship and orbited the moon till they were finished. They landed on July 20, 1969 which was 50 years ago! We also learned about some more famous astronauts such as Mae Jemison and Yuri Gagarin.

We learned when a rocket launches the rocket becomes smaller and smaller becuase sections of the rocket detaches because this allows the rocket to travel more quickly through space and to use less fuel.  The astronauts sit in the very front piece of the rocket called a cone. He also went on to explain the process of retrieving the Lunar Lander also getting the astronauts off the moon.

Lastly, we were able to see real moon rocks! One of the rocks was made out of lava, the white rock is from the mountains, the brownish white  were made out of soil. Jordan also shared with us that there is nothing on the earth that is as old as the rocks that we saw. The rocks were believe to be around 4.5 billion years old. We also learned that they rocks were really expensive! They were worth 10 Million dollars.  The rocks were encased in glass because they were never touched by human hands because of the oils and they were not exposed to the air in fear that they would be damaged.

"I really enjoyed the moon rocks because we have never seen any thing as cool as that. We have only read about it!"

"I enjoyed it because i didn't know that much about the moon now I know more about the different astronauts and rocket ships.

"I thought that Jordan did a really good job at teaching because he made me feel really curious and want to keep learning! "

3º Grado diseñan su país / 3rd Graders design their country

An interest to create their own fictitious country prompted a study of lugares (places) in third grade. The students were provided with plenty of interactive activities that exposed them to the vocabulary for places in the community such casa (house), oficina de correo (post office), escuela (school), tienda (store), cine (theatre) parque (park), museo (museum) and much, much more.

As a culminating activity, the third graders were invited to design their own país (country) to include nombre, capital, líder, locación, población, clima, fiesta nacional (National Holidays), and bandera (flag). Then, they drew a picture of a particular ciudad (city) or barrio (neighborhood) in their country, labeling all major buildings in both inglés y español.

Using a script to introduce particulars to the class, each student got the chance to share their country’s name, special places to visit, most popular dishes and other information they’d like so as to persuade the audience to visit their país.

In collaboration with our astounding art teacher, Amanda offered the third graders the opportunity to design a city using recycle and craft items. The students were encouraged to label their building in both inglés y español. Their incredible work will be displayed during our STEAM Night coming soon. Make sure to look for them!

¡Adios amigas y amigos!

Measuring in Kindergarten

“Why do we measure things?”   We posed this question to the kindergarteners  during one of our combined math classes  recently.   It sparked an interesting conversation.   We soon realized that having the ability to measure things is actually quite important. One student remarked that there would be no way to put a roof on our classroom if the builders didn’t know how big to make it. 

We begin this unit of measurement using non-standard  measurement tools such as paper clips, dominoes, magnatiles, and counting cubes.   They begin measuring each other, and then we guided them into measuring specific objects around the classroom.  When two people measured the same thing, but got very different answers, we all  tried to figure out  The mystery of this discrepancy.   We soon realized that one of them was using   Big square magnatiles,  while the other child was using much smaller counting cubes to measure.   Needless to say, this provided a good segue into discussion of standard measurement,  which our  curious and industrious kindergartners are now busy exploring and practicing!

Voices of the Heart

Third grade is exploring the book Voices of the Heart by Ed Young. This unique book "uncovers the layers of meanings for words such as joy and sorrow, respect and rudeness." Students were invited to explore the book and choose one word they would like to delve into more deeply on a personal layer. The students took some time to wrestle with the meaning as shared by Ed Young and then shared what the word meant to them in their own life. Students then explained why they chose the word. Presently students are creating their own artistic representation of the word in the same style as Ed Young. This project invites students to ponder words and the meanings of words. Students are pushed to expand what the word means to them, and reflect on how words convey concepts. The artistic component is a path for students to think of concepts and words from a symbolic perspective. For many students this was a challenge. Thinking outside of right and wrong and instead conveying an idea that is personal in their own world. This opened the conversation of how everyone learns differently and what might come easily for some takes more work for others. We discussed how everyone has something that comes easier for them and how pushing through academic challenges grows the brain. The students will finish this project in the coming week, look for their amazing work to be displayed.

First Grade Measurement

First grade builds on the foundation of early measurement skills to ensure that students will have future success as measuring skills become more complex. The metric system is important, but measuring objects with nonstandard units is important too.  Experiences using nonstandard units to measure length and width help children connect measurement with everyday objects. It prepares them for using standard measurement tools and units. In first grade we make sure that there are many experiences measuring with nonstandard units.  This is extremely important because these experiences will help students understand the sizes of things they encounter in the real world. They also anchor their thinking in understanding the steps and process needed to measure accurately.

 One of the activities we did using nonstandard measurements was tracing our bodies and using different objects (blocks, markers and erasers) to measure different parts of our bodies.  For example, how many markers long is the length of my leg?  First, each student had a partner trace their body on long paper.  Then, they made different lines on their traced body to measure length and width.  Once these lines were in place they chose which object they were going to use to measure.  They wrote that at the bottom of their paper: unit- block.  Then they began measuring.  It was very important for the first graders to learn that in order to get an accurate measurement they needed to make sure they used the same object, that they lined their object up one right after another or made a dot so they knew where to place the object as they continued measuring.  This lesson had us very busy and not only was it loads of fun, we learned a lot about the use of nonstandard measurement and how to work together with partners.      

Lessons that have a scaffold approach help students to develop an understanding of the concepts. With the next lesson, we learned about inches and centimeters. Then we took out our traced bodies and measured those same lines using inches and centimeters.  It was fascinating to look at the different measurements me made.  Now we can look at our data and discuss what we learned.   

Kindergarteners Become Stewards of the Earth

Our kindergarten "snow" seeds

The spring time is a fascinating time for kindergartners as they truly take notice of all of the growth and beauty in the outside world. Flowers are blooming, leaves are unfurling, insects re-appear, and our students are right there immersed in all the changes that surround them. Screams of "Look at this!" or "I found a worm!" are daily utterances and each day the excitement is as big as the day before!

One day in early spring, a kindergartner in our class exclaimed it was snowing! All the children gathered together and noticed soft fluttering seeds floating through the air. It was snowing seeds! The seeds quickly became a desired collection and the "catching" of flying seeds began. The class gathered a bucket full and an interest in seeds emerged. Our kindergarten class began to collect other seeds and discussions began about the seeds they wanted to plant in class.

Planting flower and vegetable seeds

 Our kindergarten class decided on a combination of vegetable and flower seeds including pumpkins, sunflowers, beans, carrots and petunias. New vocabulary was learned as we talked about seed "coats," roots, stems and soil. An emergent study of the growing earth outside had begun to form!

Look how the seeds have grown

Spring and Earth Day is also the perfect time to share Dr. Seuss' The Lorax as it connects to the Earth and how we can care for it. The children were very concerned about the trees, flowers and animals and how just a few polluted the water and air, and cut down all of the trees. The kindergartners were excited to think about how they could help the Lorax and were eager to come up with plans to change what they saw happening in the book and what they sometimes see outside in our world!

Helping the Lorax kid writing drawing

 Using creative ideas, fine motor skills to draw and print letters, and strengthening letter and sound connections, the students shared how they would help the Lorax:

• We could plant seeds
• Pick up trash
• Use both sides of the paper
• Don't waste water
• We could plant more trees
• We could care for all the creatures on Earth
• We could learn more about the Earth and tell others about how important it is
• Teach others about stewardship because everyone can help

Another way to help the Lorax is to care for the Earth's creatures

Building upon the current deep interest in seeds, dirt, trees and insects, the kindergarten classes have looked more closely at the Quaker testimony of stewardship. As we learn more, more questions naturally arise:

What does stewardship mean? How can we be stewards? How can we get others to help? 

Animals Featured in Fairy Tales:Research in First Grade

Our nonfiction reading project this spring in first grade is "Animals Featured in Fairy Tales." In preparation for this project, the students have been reading different versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs. The animals featured in these tales are the bear, wolf and the pig.

This first grade research project begins with the study of the American Black Bear. This is the most common bear in North America and is the kind of bear featured in Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Students brainstormed questions that they had about the Black Bear and a teacher recorded their questions on a chart. As they found answers to their questions during the research about the animal, a check was placed next to that question.

Students then gained knowledge through listening to a teacher read a book aloud about this kind of bear, watching videos about the bear and read and highlighted information of interest in articles. Students had many opportunities to share their knowledge and questions with a partner and then with the whole group. 

 

Students then wrote information of interest gained from these different sources into their research packet organized into the categories of habitat, body, diet, life cycle, communication and interesting facts. Pictures of the bear were shared with the class and each student chose a photo that reflected one of their facts and used the photo as a guide to create their own illustration for the cover of their research packet. They also chose facts that they considered important to include in a poster for each animal along with additional pictures that matched their facts. Their poster will then be used to help teach the community about their animal. 

This process is repeated for both the study of the wolf and the pig. Each student will share their research knowledge at our “Author’s Celebration” on the morning of June 4th with their families. 

The following are links to three of the videos about the American Black Bear shown to our first grade researchers:

Black Bears National Park Animals for Kids

Black Bear Mother and Two Cubs Prepare for Hibernation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijIePq9gGfo Bears in Yosemite National

The Unseen World- May 24th Book Club selection for Adults

Join us for our next Lower School Book Club for adults led by Ann Botel-Barnard, our Language Arts Specialist. We are excited to come together to share a love for a great story!

The Unseen World by Liz Moore

 

Location: Lower School Library from 8-9am

Date: May 24, 2019

Enjoy a light breakfast and great conversation as we discuss what we loved about the book, what we had questions about and what we could connect to. Feel free to join us even if you have not read the entire book. You will still have a lot to contribute and the discussion will enhance your reading of the book. You are welcome to bring adult friends and relatives that are also interested in discussing this book. RSVP: abotel-barnard@abingtonfriends.net