Whales

This post is overdue, but I had to include some photos and notes about our whale lesson two weeks ago!

Whales were the first marine animal we studied as part of our oceanography unit. The lesson began with a PowerPoint covering main characteristics of all whale species. We specifically talked about why whales are mammals. We also learned that whales can be classified as toothed or having baleen.

Then we dove (no pun intended :) into six specific kinds of whales - Great Blue, Humpback, Gray, Beluga, Killer, and Sperm. Whale information sheets were placed at each table, and students rotated around and answered questions. Each info sheet focused on one kind of whale, and included pictures and facts. I think the class had fun with this part. They would call out to me, "Ms. Spencer, did you know that _____??" It was great!

As students finished their questions, several of them decided to do "calculations" using their recently acquired knowledge about whale lengths. This proved to be an exciting part of the class as we discovered how long our classroom was in comparison to different types of whales. (We figured out that a large Blue Whale would not even fit down the long hallway of our school!)

I am including a video of Greta and Kathryn explaining some of their calculations. (Hopefully it works.)

Finally, we finished off the day by making clay whale models. Students chose a type of whale to represent in clay. I was impressed by the details so many of them included in their models. Here are some fun photos showing the variety of products:

Zones of the Ocean

Our Oceanography lesson last week focused on the zones of the ocean. In groups, we read facts about each level and viewed pictures of resident animals. Then each group taught the rest of the class what they had learned as we constructed a diagram on the board.

I was very impressed by the way the older students worked with the younger students in their groups. We really have a wonderful group of students!

Here are some photos from the lesson:

BONUS PHOTO: Here's our thankful books we made during art on the same day! Just a fun little lesson on one bookmaking technique.

Jamestown fort models

We spent about three days learning about the first settlements at Jamestown in the early 1600s. We discussed the problems the original colonists faced, the leadership of John Smith, and the role of the Virginia Company in funding explorations and settlements in the New World (this was a fun lesson learning the basic idea of how a stock company works). As a final project, we built models of the triangular Jamestown fort. This provided opportunities to discuss guiding principles of building models and tackling architectural challenges. :) I couldn't resist taking photos of each student's fort - everyone put in full effort and did an excellent job!

Fall Festival!

I think our whole class would agree that our Fall Festival was a memorable highlight of the year so far. The "dressing-up" element made things exciting right from the start. We also enjoyed other highlights including learning a Halloween song, decorating sugar cookies, and an involved lesson on pumpkins.

The pumpkin lesson was quite possibly the best part of the day! We read a great book called "Pumpkin Jack", tying in things we learned in our Botany unit with the life cycle of a pumpkin.

We then discussed the classifications of plants under the overarching name of "squash".

This led to filling in observation charts for four varieties of squash in pairs.

The final experience of the lesson was tasting each kind of squash (first plain, then with sugar and spices if desired). I think all of us, including myself, truly had a fun and meaningful learning experience!

Highlights from Age of Exploration Unit (Sept-Oct)

• The Vikings

This was an exciting lesson in which we searched for "clues"around the room to help us determine who may have been the first Europeans in North America. (These were actual clues that historians used - they revealed evidence of Viking activity and settlement in Newfoundland around the year 986 B.C.). Each clue fit into one of the following categories: archaeology, literature, anthropology, and zoology. In addition to discussing what the actual clues implied, we discussed these overarching categories of "clues" and how they help historians and scientists piece together the past.

• Christopher Columbus - with book "Follow the Dream"
• Journey of Magellan's crew - "The Straits of Ma-Jello" activity (see older post for pictures!)
• The Fall of Tenochtitlan - viewed models and paintings of the city, drew pictures, discussed events surrounding the fall of the Aztec Empire with Cortez
• The impact of germs - bread experiment with normal hands, dirtied hands, and cleaned hands (the students had memorable reactions to the disgusting mold, to say the least!)
• Possible pros and cons of Spanish conquests in the New World
• Flags on the map - illustrating general areas of exploration and settlement for Spain and France, ways that France tried to get her share of the New World's riches and land

This lesson generated a stimulating discussion on the ethics of European exploration and settlement.

• Acting out the story of the Lost Colony - drawing and writing about what may have happened to them
• Our Early American Timeline - putting it up for the first time!

Highlights from Native American Unit (Aug-Sept)

Here is a brief list of lessons/highlights from our Native American unit (unfortunately I had not gotten in the habit of bringing my camera to school yet):

• Making our class time machine! (this was on the first day of school)
• Making salt dough 3D maps of the United States
• Cherokee Harvest Festival and Native American occupations (hunter, gatherer, farmer, artisan)
• Learning traditional Iroquois dances (smoke dance and stomp dance)
• Discussing the lives of the cliff-dwelling Anasazi, making clay pots
• The significance of Native American symbols - carving soap (petroglyphs) and painting rocks (pictographs)
• Making our own snow goggles - the lifestyle of the Inuit people

Pumpkin Painting

Pumpkin painting proved to be a fun alternative to carving. It was a great excuse to simultaneously enjoy the spirit of the fall season and practice our painting skills!

"The Straits of Ma-Jello"

Mapping the journey of Magellan's crew across a jello-and-whipped-cream world proved to be one of our most memorable history lessons so far!

Vascular and Nonvascular plants

One of our first Botany lessons involved exploring the difference between vascular and nonvascular plants. Here are the graphic organizers the students created in pairs!