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: