September update

The crows have been working really hard in math and science. In addition to practicing place value, students have solved real world math problems, and math related puzzles. Third and fourth graders are practicing adding, subtracting and rounding numbers up to ten thousands and hundred thousands. Fifth and six graders are working with numbers up to millions, and were also introduced to negative numbers and exponents.

Please note that I am starting a new system to help students and families keep up with math homework. As mentioned during back to school night, students are expected to finish whatever work they don't complete at school at home. Whenever a student has math work to finish at home, I will make sure that  s/he will put their math book in her/his backpack and I will highlight the pages that they need to complete at home.

In science, third and fourth graders are studying ecology. We started this unit discussing what ecology is, and what ecologists do. We spent a week studying soil ecology - students learned that fungi, bacteria and invertebrates are important decomposers. They studied the school's compost and also learned about the importance of mycorrhizae fungi for plant health.

Last week the kids started making a 3D map of California illustrating the different biomes that are found in our state. We will be studying the different biomes in more depth in the near future. Next week we have a guest speaker: Andrew J. McElrone, Peregrine parent and ecologist at UC Davis, and we are also going on a short field trip on Friday.

Fifth and six graders are studying geology. We also started this unit by discussing what geology is and what geologists do. After that, students learned about the rock cycle and did a hands on lab using crayons to simulate the different types of rocks and the processes that form them. Last Monday we visited the geology department on campus. We got a tour of the rock yard, and had the opportunity to see some fossils in the paleobiology lab. Fifth and sixth graders also started to work on a 3D model of CA - their models summarize the different geomorphic regions of our state.

On Friday, September 16th, Tabatha Yang  visited Peregrine elementary. She brought a lot of interesting insects for the kids to see and hold, and she also showed the crows how to organize their insect collections.

                            

New school year - Fall 2016

     I started the school year talking to the kids about what scientists do. We had a few good discussions in each classroom. My emphasis was on the fact that scientists are always asking questions, trying to understand things. The kids had to think about potential questions that scientists could be trying to answer in a few pictures that I brought to class, and they also had to generate a list of questions (about anything) of their own.
     On the following classes I brought two tasks for the kids. They were botanists during one class and engineers in the next. As botanists students had to identify native plants in the school's native area and mark them with flags. This will help us when we weed that area. As engineers the kids were given 30 popsicle sticks and 3 feet of tape and they had to build a bridge connecting two blocks or crates that were located 1 foot apart. The bridges had to hold weight and look aesthetically pleasant.
     After that each class started to focus on the field of science that they will be studying this trimester. Third and fourth graders are studying ecology, while fifth and sixth graders are studying geology - both with a focus on California, and more specifically Yosemite. Both classes have also started their independent research project. On the first day they were asked to find science books at the school and look for things that called their attention. And on the second day students were asked to find a science article (from sources that were written for their age group). These are the sources that I shared with the fifth and sixth graders: http://tweentribune.com/ ,  http://youngzine.org/ ,  http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/ . I will preselect some articles for the third and fourth graders.
     During the next weeks students will continue their independent research project and their ecology/geology study. The focus for third and fourth graders will be on energy flow underground, in water and above ground. Fifth and sixth graders will be learning Earth's structure (including formation and plate tectonics) and the rock cycle.
     Last week I was able to schedule our first field trip of the year. Fifth and sixth graders will tour the geology department on Monday, September 19th from 9:30 to 11 AM. I am hoping to take 3rd and 4th graders to Putah creek the following Monday (September 26th) but this field trip is pending since I don't have any parent chaperone/driver yet.

     I haven't officially started the math program yet since on the first week of school my focus was on letting kids have fun with math, and last week they had their assessments. During the first week students made math puzzles about themselves, and measured different parts of their bodies to try to find patterns. The kids also learned about the fibonacci sequence, and had a chance to look for patterns in nature.
     I have ordered students' math books, and you will be charged for your child's book in the near future (Kathy will bill your account). As soon as your child's book arrives I will make a plan with her/him and let you know. Students will have a certain amount of math to complete in a week and will need to take home whatever they don't finish at school.

Here are some pictures of students building the bridges: