Reading

In Room 3, we learned that there are multiple ways to read! We had a lesson on all the different ways that we can read. We were allowed to borrow some electronic reading devices to help us with reading. Listening to books can help you get a better image of the book. You can sound out or learn new words. When you are listening, it uses expression and feelings. It might help you read more fluently. One way is using a book on CD. It's better if you read the book AND listen to it. Another tool we used are some "Play aways." They are from a public library in Amesbury. Some students have even tried reading on Kindles. We can also go on to the Amesbury Public Library website and listen and view books using a program called Tumble Readers. Some people got to use iPads to read.

Using technology and listening to books makes us want to read more. It helps us follow along in a story better. Jack says, "It helps me read better." According to Bailey, "It kind of helps us understand more in our book when you wouldn't really understand a part if you were just reading it." Dylan says, "When they are speaking in a book, listening helps you understand how that person is feeling in that moment. If a person is speaking on a CD, you are going to hear them showing a lot of expression and that explains how they feel." Ethan believes that listening to books may help you form better images in your head about the book and it helps you understand. Jason thinks that you can understand more what the characters sound like - either with a high pitch or a low pitch. It helps you understand their personality better.

We hope you enjoyed learning about our reading. There are lots of ways to access books!

Solar System Walk

Last Tuesday, we went to the park to make a model of the planets. We used our steps to represent HUGE distances in the solar system. It helped us learn how BIG the solar system really is. We learned that the planets are really very far away from each other, even if they look really close in illustrations. We learned how big the asteroid belt is and how far away it is.

Our class used cones and placed them in specific places where we thought planets would go. We pretended that each step we took was really 10 billion kilometers in space. Cones represented planets and their distances from the sun. After we placed each one, we looked back to see if we could see the sun. Our class got a better image of how big the space between planets really is. We walked as far as Saturn (because the ground was too wet) and we wouldn't have been able to reach where the other planets would be. If we did try to reach the other planets, we would have walked over 300 steps! Using our model, the closest star to our sun would be in San Francisco!

Brady and JoJo picked up all the cones when we were finished. We went to play at the park. The park had a playground and it was Bialek Park. While we were at the playground, we were the models!

We all had a blast!

A Walk in the Forest

Welcome to the jungle! On Tuesday, October 25th, our class took a walk to look at a forest. We were talking about ecosystems, and were examining the forest so that we can compare it to the marsh (if we EVER get to go there!!).

Our class examined lots of parts of the ecosystem. We saw many bugs. We found some tiny waterfalls, saw a lot of trees, some broken trees, and we saw all sorts of creatures like snails and worms. Other parts of the ecosystem we examined were the soil (and some of us got surprised by some bugs), evidence of animals (like their holes or hollow logs), and water. We found a little moss and some short grass (but not a lot of that at all). Ethan and Brady found a stick that was lined with potato beetles.

Hopefully we'll be able to head to the marsh next week to compare what the ecosystems are like. Anna predicts that at the marsh there will be more grass than there was in the forest. Alan predicts that there won't be any trees at the marsh. Michael predicts that there will be tons of mud at the marsh. Not as many insects, thinks Brady. Jack thinks that we're going to get a lot messier on marsh day. Abbi thinks that the marsh will be a lot colder. We'll have to wait and see!

Science Day!

Friday, October 7th was Science Day! We got to make our own habitats to show that different animals have different habitats. Our class made our "wild selves" on the computer using a website and that shows how animals are different because of what they have on their bodies. We built habitats for different animals online to show that different animals have different needs and different things in their habitats. We collected leaves in the front of the school and examined them. Then, we found out what type of tree the leaves came from on our computer. Our leaves came to art with us and we drew them using scientific observation skills.

We tested the density of ocean, river and tap water and we discovered that ocean water is the most dense. We think that ocean water is the most dense because it is the most salty. Each science group set up an experiment by getting two cups of water and put one in the shade and one in the sun to see if there was a difference in the temperature. Throughout the day, the temperature of the water changed in the two different cups.

Today, Science Day was very fun! We hope you enjoyed learning about Science Day. Let's hope there's another one again soon.

Moon Observations

We've been studying the moon. The moon has phases. We learned that the moon looks smaller sometimes and sometimes gets bigger. Occasionally, we go outside to observe the moon and we draw how it looks and record data about it. Other times, we look at an image of the moon on the large screen in our classroom and we record observations in our science notebooks by adding a picture and information to a calendar.

Our observations have shown us that the moon goes through phases and can be waxing or waning. The moon looks different at different times of the month. It has been really fun learning about the moon!

Welcome!

Welcome to a brand-new school year! As we learn together, this space will help us share with our families and friends. I look forward to filling it with images and words that tell of the great adventures we undertake!

Feel free to leave a comment.

I look forward to seeing you on the first day of school!