Classroom Blog
Students went on their third trip to the rice paddies as Mr. Mason as their guest teacher who took them! During this trip, the students learned about raking the fields to prepare for planting. Each student got a chance to ride on the rake. The learned why they need to have their body weight on the rake. There were also some great discussions connecting to our new UOI on simple machines. Students talked about the different forces at work when raking. Besides learning about raking, students also got to see the effects of the drought first hand. The fields they were visiting should have been filled with water, or very muddy. But they were completely dry and plants are not growing. We talked about how this affects the farmer's income as well as his family. We are waiting on rain to plan our next trip to the paddies!
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Before Christmas break, there were a few different activities our class took part in. First, our class performed in the Holiday Concert! Everyone did a great job, both singing and playing instruments. Students also got the opportunity to check out the Book Fair! Students got to browse many different books and purchase the ones they wanted to take home. The PTO does a great job with the Book Fair each year. Lastly, right before break, we had a holiday rotation for different activities. Kindergarten through grade 3 were seperated into different groups and rotated to different classes for activities. They included, games, reading holiday books, singing songs, and a craft. In our classroom, students made a melted snowman craft. We also played Pin the Heart on the Grinch in our classroom after they read it with Mrs. Danielle.
Over the weeks before Christmas break, students were working on our Rice in Madagascar Unit of Inquiry. We completed many different activities. One area we focused on was the effect rice production has on the environment. We talked about how rice production, and agriculture in general, can have both positive and negative effects on the environment. A lot of it is determined by the farmers actions when growing their crops. After learning about this topic, students individually picked what they felt was the most important problem for them to help solve. They decided between chemical use, overproduction, loss of natural habitats, and over-use of water. They were then put into groups and brainstormed a machine or tool that they could invent to help with their chosen issue. It was great to see everyone working well in their group and engaged with their project. Once they completed their machine, they presented it to the class, stating it's name, the purpose, and how it worked. Everyone was very creative and did a great job with this project. The last part of our UOI was focused on water, more specifically, where water is found on earth. Students started off with an exploration of what happens to a raindrop when it lands on different surfaces, such as grass, sand, rocks, and another body of water. Students then started learning about surface water, both salt water and fresh water. We learned about different types of surface water, such as lakes, rivers, channels, streams, etc. We used maps of the United States to look for different examples of surface water. Next, students learned about groundwater. To help with their understanding of groundwater, students made models in groups. After groundwater, students learned about evaporation and condensation. They learned that even though it counts for a small percentage, water is present in the air on earth. We had a demonstration for both evaporation and condensation in our classroom. To finish off our unit, students made water cycle models within large plastic containers with lids. It was a great unit for students to explore all the different types of water found on earth.
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