We know it's been a while since our last post. There are always so many great things happening here at school. We hope that your kiddo comes home and shares at least some of it. If not, the topics and pictures below can be a great springboard into a conversation about their learning! Thanks to all of you who have turned in the paperwork for the Winter Program at Sugarbush. The paperwork is due this Friday!
Here's what we've been up to lately...
Language Arts
The students recently completed their final projects for the book we just finished, The Only Road. They did a spectacular job with their projects. Students had LOTS of choices in how they could demonstrate their learning. We had everything from Google Earth presentations to sketchbooks. I love the way that the students could create such different projects and yet all of them got at the important plot elements.
We just started our next book, March: Book One which is John Lewis's Memoir about the Civil Rights Movement. More to come on that topic!
Social Studies
We recently switched groups. So my first group completed their final projects right before the recent break. They had to consolidate their learning into a "One-Pager" to answer the essential question of the unit which was, "What were the most important turning points in human evolution?"
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The second group just participated in Ms. Michael's Middle School Museum. Each student brought in an artifact to put on display. The students practiced being historians and archeologists by studying these artifacts and documents to determine what they tell us about the owner.
Math
We just finished our first of two units learning about ratios. During this unit students defined ratios, found equivalent ratios, learned the concept of unit rates, used efficient strategies to compare ratios and solved problems using their newly acquired ratio reasoning. One of my favorite problems this year is when students solve a Fermi Question. These types of questions are big questions that are typically too large to collect data on so students apply ratio reasoning. A good example of a Fermi question might be "How many times does your heart beat in a lifetime?". Students came up with the question and answered multiple smaller questions that would allow them to arrive at a reasonable answer. Students also created a slideshow and presented it to their class. Ask your student to share their presentation with you. For our next project we will be investigating the sugar content of drinks by applying ratio reasoning. This is a highly engaging and educational lesson as many students are shocked by how much sugar their drinks contain. Be on the lookout as students are bringing all of our last unit work home in their backpacks on Monday 12/4.
Science
Our current science unit answers the student created question, "How does the solar system and its objects affect life on Earth?". We are investigating a variety of aspects of this question but the big learning is around modeling to explain the reason for moon phases, seasons, and eclipses. Students who began the year with social studies are now learning science with Ms. Anderman. This unit is especially fun this year with the upcoming total solar eclipse here in VT on April 8. Below are some images from the first group when they were figuring out what is happening with the Earth, moon and sun when we experience and eclipse.
Fun on Team Wizards
Your students continue to bring joy to us and each other. The recent snow has changed the daily recess routines and made for a lot of fun.
Whole School Assembly
At the recent assembly, several of our students were honored for being Curious, Caring, and Connected.
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