Secret Message

Recently we have been reading books after recess that have a positive message in them.  These messages help us think about our values and how we might think or behave.  We have talked about how we determine the "Secret Message" in each story.  We have also been talking about retelling a story.  See if your child can retell these stories pictured below.  As an added bonus, see if they can tell you the "Secret Message."

The Results Are In!

We did not have enough time to completely finish our Banana study on Friday, so we did a quick wrap up today. 

Today, we started our results section of the experiment and lab book.  We described the experiment, our observations and which method we found to be best for keeping a banana fresh.  It was interesting, the plastic bag kept the banana fresh.  The banana had very little change as the week went on. 

Which banana would you eat?

We cut them open to see how they looked inside.

The Results!

March for Others and The Great Banana Experiment

Today was a great way to end the week!

This afternoon we had our March for Others Assembly.  As a class, we collected 45 items to donate.  As a school we collected 1,809 items!  That is about 800 more than last year.  At the assembly, we each got to place our items on the table in the middle of the gym.  It was awesome to see the generosity of  our Brimhall Community!

This afternoon we also did our final observation of our bananas for The Great Banana Experiment.

Can you tell which banana has been kept where?

Each student has been keeping an official Banana Lab Book throughout the experiment.  Today, they had to write their observation and do the illustration on their own.  We have been working on becoming good observers of things.  Our observations include details in the writing and drawing and do not include things like opinions. 

Marvelous Meteorologists

We have some fabulous meteorologists in our class!

We are finished with our weather research.  Each student wrote a paragraph about one topic within the type of weather they researched with other students.  Then each student illustrated a picture of their weather along with creating a picture of themselves as a weather person presenting the weather.   Last, with the help of some U of M practicum students the second graders recorded their paragraph and Ms. Zbacnik combined their recordings with their illustrations into these short video clips.

They all did a wonderful job working hard and it really shows in their final weather reports!  Awesome job!


Here is a link to the weather reports:

http://weatheranderson.blogspot.com/


Thank you to Ms. Z and the practicum students for their help!

Literacy Workshop

Each day students spend about 30 minutes doing independent Literacy work.  At the beginning of the year we practiced all of the activities including the spelling work, work on writing and read to self.  Each day I assign students different tasks to compete.   I am meeting with small groups, so it is very important for all students to be doing their best on these tasks.   Some days, it is so quiet and everyone is working very hard!

Here are a few samples:

Working on Writing

Spelling work - Illustrate 8

Read to Self

Work on Writing

Small group working on their task!

The Great Banana Experiment

This week we are working on thinking and writing like scientists.  Yesterday, we started The Great Banana Experiment.  I posed this question to the class, "How can I keep a banana fresh for a long period of time?"

In groups, students brainstormed different possibilities.  They came up with many things including wrap in tinfoil or plastic wrap, put it in the freezer or just leave it on the counter.

Each group had one banana to decide which method to try to keep it fresh.  Here is what they  decided:
Banana 1:  Fridge
Banana 2: Freezer
Banana 3:  Plastic Bag

Control Banana:  Counter

As scientists, we created a question, made a prediction and wrote a hypothesis.   Today, we will practice observing and writing about out thinking using descriptive words and drawings.  Ask your child about which banana they are working on.  

Bananas!

The fridge banana.

The freezer banana.

The Cat in the Hat

Before Spring break we read many books by Dr. Seuss.  We especially loved The Cat in the Hat.  He was funny and had a helpful cleaning up machine. 

We wrote about our feelings about having the Cat over to play on a rainy day.  We had to decide if we thought it would be a good idea or not so good idea to have him over and explain why we felt that way.  We did a guided drawing of the Cat in the Hat to go with our writing.   

Jump Rope for Heart

Thursday was Jump Rope for Heart!  It is an annual event to raise awareness and money for Heart Disease through the American Heart Association.  We got the be there with the 5th graders.  It was lots of fun and some of us even won prizes.  It was a good activity to get our hearts pumping.  Thank you
Mrs. Brink and Mr. DePrez for organizing and running such a fun event!  Thank you to Mr. Moore and Ms. Liadova for helping run the event!  

Thursday Fun!

Today was a very busy day! 

Here is a recap:
 - We had Hat Day!
 - It was Fancy Lunch Day and we had Skittles as a special dessert at lunch!  We celebrated making our reading goal for February!
 - It was Jump Rope For Heart!  (Look for a post tomorrow about that.)
 - We did a special Dr. Seuss writing and made a portrait of Cat in the Hat.
 - We did a daffodil art project!
 - We had Recess Stick winners for being super helpful!

6th Grade Play

Today we had the opportunity to see the Sixth Grade Play!  It was called "The Rocking Tale of Snow White."

It was outstanding and captivated the audience from beginning to end.  There was acting, singing and dancing.  It was amazing!

Here are some thoughts from students:
-"It was funny because of the voices they used."  D.

- "The family that was reading the story acted like real siblings."  K.

- " I liked the part with the devil and angel trying to convince him to do
 either something good or bad." A.

- "I loved the rapping mirror!." A.

- "I liked the King posing."  J

- "I liked how the kids acted like there was a real poison apple."  M.

- "The Ladies in Waiting and the DNR Ranger were my favorite!"  E.

- "The Evil Queen arguing with the mirror about who is the fairest was the best part."  E

One of the students in our class has a big sister in the play!  She was the Evil Queen!  Nice Job!

Bowling Fun!

Yesterday in Phy. Ed. Mrs. Brink taught students about bowling.  The learned about how to hold the ball, set up the pins, and some important vocabulary such as strike and spare.  In teams of three, students practiced bowling.    It sure looked like fun!

The pin setter.

Waiting patiently for a turn.

Squiggle Writing

From time to time students have a chance to write a Squiggle Story.  This can be a made up or real story and is a chance for some creative writing. 

It starts with a blank piece of paper with a squiggle line.  Students create the picture using the squiggle. 

After completing the drawing, students write a story.  There are no rules or limits on the story.  It is always fun to see what they write.  We will be doing more of these as the year continues.

Here are a few samples: