As we continue to settle more into the routine of the school year, we are able to deepen our activities and discussions, which leads to better learning. This was on display during our science lab investigating "unknown" mixtures and using the properties of matter to categorize and classify. Luckily for us, our unknown substances turned out to be delicious, as well!
We finished reading The Fourteenth Goldfish this week (and began our next Brixton Brothers book). The novel is written by Jennifer Holm, who is probably best known by our students for her Babymouse series. This book is a perfect one to share as we have been working through the scientific method and scientific thinking. We learned about several real scientists while laughing at a science-fiction story that imagines a grandpa reversing the aging process and going back to middle school. We were able to have some great discussions on what makes something a "good" discovery. I love experiencing a new book with a class, and I thoroughly enjoyed a beautiful metaphor involving a jellyfish -- ask your reader about it.
Band lessons began this week - and I am thankful everyday to Mrs. Anderson for her ears of steel. I'm sure some of our parents can relate! All joking aside, we are incredibly lucky to have Mrs. Anderson in our building, and I am very grateful our kids are able to have such a wonderful introduction to the world of instrumental music.
We also participated today in our first "speed-booking" of the year. This is an opportunity for the kids to share one of the best books they've read recently in a one-on-one format with another student. Each child gets one minute to talk before moving on to their next partner. We made some great additions to our "to read" lists!
In honor of the upcoming Iowa vs. Iowa State football game, we are representing our favorite team today. While I'm saddened to see only a few Hawkeye shirts in my room this year, I love that our kids are excited about the friendly (we're focusing on that word) rivalry.
We finished reading The Fourteenth Goldfish this week (and began our next Brixton Brothers book). The novel is written by Jennifer Holm, who is probably best known by our students for her Babymouse series. This book is a perfect one to share as we have been working through the scientific method and scientific thinking. We learned about several real scientists while laughing at a science-fiction story that imagines a grandpa reversing the aging process and going back to middle school. We were able to have some great discussions on what makes something a "good" discovery. I love experiencing a new book with a class, and I thoroughly enjoyed a beautiful metaphor involving a jellyfish -- ask your reader about it.
Band lessons began this week - and I am thankful everyday to Mrs. Anderson for her ears of steel. I'm sure some of our parents can relate! All joking aside, we are incredibly lucky to have Mrs. Anderson in our building, and I am very grateful our kids are able to have such a wonderful introduction to the world of instrumental music.
We also participated today in our first "speed-booking" of the year. This is an opportunity for the kids to share one of the best books they've read recently in a one-on-one format with another student. Each child gets one minute to talk before moving on to their next partner. We made some great additions to our "to read" lists!
In honor of the upcoming Iowa vs. Iowa State football game, we are representing our favorite team today. While I'm saddened to see only a few Hawkeye shirts in my room this year, I love that our kids are excited about the friendly (we're focusing on that word) rivalry.