Fourth and Fifth Grade
This is Mr. Hill and one of his frogs. He was awesome. Our field trip to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens was a huge success! All the students reported that they had learned something new about frogs. Mr. Hill was an excellent tour guide and had indepth knowledge about all kinds of frogs. Students were able to go into the lab where froglets are being raised and protected. We even had to step into a solution before entering, to make sure we did not bring any bacteria or fungus in on the bottom of our shoes. As students viewed the different water areas of the Gardens, frogs, froglets, and tadpoles were spotted. It was also a great opportunity for the students to see many flora species that they had never seen before. A big hit was the Orchid House!
Next week is dissection and the following week is our unit celebration.
We want to thank all of our chaperones. Without you, the trip would not have been a success.
Homework: None
Second and Third Grade
The day began with the students completing an activity where they had to decide if citizens, government, or both should make important decisions like how schools are run, when roads should be repaired, and if there should be a park. This was followed by sorting imports and exports into categories of natural resources such as oil, farm products such as wheat, and factory-made goods such as cell phones. We then discussed why countries have imports and exports.
Next it was back to bill paying, where each student made decisions about the affordability of cable TV and phone service. It was encouraging to see so many young minds thinking about what they could and could not afford. Our consumers, also, had to purchase groceries and clothing items for their families. Again, smart choices were made and therefore, all students managed to save $50.00 in their checkbooks to spend on the entertainment for next week.
The students participated in a simulation that taught them about three different types of economies -market, mixed, and command. They were able to see how each economy works and the pros and cons of each. They learned that the United States has a mixed economy, where the government makes the rules or laws, but the citizens have the opportunity to create wealth by working hard and making good business decisions.
We ended our day looking at how countries are interdepedendent on one another. This means that countries have to rely on each other to meet their needs and wants. Through a simulation with a ball of yarn, we saw how countries all are connected to each other in some way. We also learned what happens when there is an embargo on another country and how that can break the global connections and cause countries to not have all their needs met.
Next week is the last week of our Money Matters unit. We look forward to our celebration and all of the items we will be purchasing. Thank you in advance for your donations.
Homework: None, but students should make sure to bring their checkbook and register to write a final check to "Our Town Movie Theater" in the amount $50 for entertainment.
First Grade
First graders took a trip over the rainbow to explore the science behind and poetry of the colors of the spectrum. Our day began by imagining what things are like on the other side of the rainbow. Miss Frizzle and the Magic School Bus introduced us to the concept of light refraction and we experimented with what happens when light passes through a medium like water. (It bends.) Our first graders wrote poems about a color of the rainbow using their 5 senses. Some of our students wrote... Red is like a sunburn. Green makes me feel envious. Orange is the smell of a bonfire burning. Next week we will illustrate our poems. At the end of the day, we used our critical thinking skills to complete a Rainbow Racers Logic Puzzle. Our first graders are getting very good at logic puzzles and convergent thinking.
Homework: None, but please remember to check your student's folder for a letter explaining our celebration and final activity on May 20th. We will not have Target next week due to our participation in Field Day.
Until next week....
Lynn, David, and Karen
