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: