My daughter found these eggs in the mountains last weekend. She was entranced by them and frankly, so was I! I split them with her and half made the journey to school. When sharing them with my classes, I received lots of requests to keep them and watch them grow into frogs. Hence, I have obtained an aquarium, (thank you Mrs. McConnell!) and am currently preparing it for the frogs. Two students from my 5th grade class offered to clean the aquarium and add the water. Stay tuned for more pictures as the eggs begin to change! At our house, we had the Gainesville Winter Olympics. My kids and our neighbor came up with the idea to build a luge in our very own backyard! They took two runs each and I had to time them. After videoing this event, they arranged for an awards ceremony. What did you do at your house during our snow week? I can't wait to read your responses!!! One of the options on the "big kid's" choice menu was to create a comic strip to relay a safety rule that we have reviewed in class. We watched a video of a cartoon artist who explained a "rough" (a rough draft of a cartoon). Don't be surprised if your student wants to read the Sunday comics from now on! :)
My Backyard (1st-2nd grade) We have had a lot of fun discovering new things in our unit “My Backyard”! We have hunted for pillbugs (roly polys) outside and taken a nature walk wearing a sock over one shoe! Some of us picked up a few seeds on the sock, which we shoved in a milk carton and watered. You will be surprised to see the results! We have studied various backyard critters including pillbugs, ladybugs, and hummingbirds. The students have learned a lot of new and interesting vocabulary. Some of the fascinating facts that they have learned include: Flight agility frequency iridescence Nectar proboscis pollinate Species migrate exoskeleton Arthropod crustacean molting Predators dehydration wood lice Compost beetle metamorphosis Larva pupa imago Hibernation image CLASSROOM CAMPGROUND (3RD-5TH GRADE) The big kids have just finished up a Choice Menu that was focused on using technology. They typed in Microsoft Word, learned how to insert a table and type in it, and how that was useful to organize their information. Some got practice using mapquest.com to find the route from their home to their chosen campground while others chose to check the weather for the week on weather.com. Many forgot that their campground wasn’t in Gainesville and had to learn where to enter in the campground’s city to find out the weather for the week. There were many other ways to use technology embedded in the menu. When it arrives home-check it out! This week, the kids have been working on a different Choice Menu, which was designed with the multiple intelligences in mind. One activity involved a water station where they learned firsthand about muscle control and how it’s affected in really cold water. Most kids were surprised to learn that after keeping their hand in ice water for a minute, it was hard to pick up 3-4 coins with their fingers! MPACT has begun! We are starting our second week and kids are excited about getting started! The 3rd-5th graders have gotten into camping groups, selected team leaders, and are ready to begin their assignments. First up: analyzing our state map and selecting a campground to visit. Teams will have to work together to determine mileage, highways to travel, which cities they will drive through, and what they will need when they get there. As always, safety will be stressed! The 1st and 2nd graders have taken a walk in the Smartville Garden and recorded all that they saw. We talked about and put to practice the scientific method as we hypothesized, observed, and recorded information. Yesterday the kids went on a walk through the school yard and hopefully collected some seeds while wearing a white sock over one shoe. What fun! We will practice patience as we watch for any seeds collected to grow. (The socks were moistened, placed into milk cartons, and placed in the window.) *Please note: The other MPACT classes may be a day behind or ahead of me, depending on what the kidsA. Romberg As I was digging out old papers to send home with the kids, I found the papers they wrote in the beginning of the year, stating what "Mighty Things" they might dare to do. Please take the time to find these papers in your child's backpacks, as they are very sweet and offer a glimpse into their persona. Theodore Roosevelt gave a speech in Paris, in 1910, entitled "Dare Mighty Things." In today's terminology it states: It is not the person who complains that counts; or the one who points out the strong person who messes up, or the person who does good things that could have done it better. The pat on the back belongs to the person who is doing things; who gets dirty and sweaty but doesn't care; who messes up and then tries again and again, because nothing is going to happen without errors and doing things wrong; who does try hard to do good things; who is inspired, devoted, and spends time doing things that matter; who reaches for the stars; and at worst if he or she fails, at least they tried. It's much better to dare to do great (mighty) things, to experience success even through many failed attempts, than to be put into the group who couldn't or wouldn't try at all because they hang out in the dead zone experiencing neither wins or losses. Mrs. Romberg |
Mrs. Romberg
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February 2016
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