Science Fair Projects!

Last Thursday, our class brought in science projects and they were fantastic!!  We set up a science fair in our room.  Students were split into 2 groups.  One group set up there projects around the room and were the presenters. The other group walked around, listened to the presentations, took notes, and asked questions.  Prior to starting, we spent a small amount of time discussing science fair etiquette (how to behave, what types of questions to ask, etc).  I was amazed at how well both the presenters and observers did.  The presenters did a great job discussing their projects and the steps that they followed in the scientific method.  The observers asked great questions!  This turned out to be a very fun project!  Thanks so much for all of your help at home!

Helicopter Experiment

It’s been awhile since I have updated, but we have been very busy doing lots of fun and exciting things.  We just wrapped up our first science unit.  For my class that was the Unit on Scientific Investigation and Matter. As we began studying the process of Scientific Investigation we did an experiment where we investigated what would happen to the descent of a paper helicopter, as the wings became shorter.  Students chose a partner, created their helicopter, and began working.  Students had to create a hypothesis, list their steps, and then conduct the experiment.  One student was responsible for dropping the plane, while the other timed the descent and recorded the data.  At the end, students wrote a conclusion.  Most of the data concluded that the shorter the wings the faster the descent.

FOOD MAPS

As part of our Geography of Virginia review (students learned this in 4th grade) we created Food Maps.  The food on these maps represented the types of land in each region (flat, mountains, plateaus, etc.) The students had a great time working together on these.  They turned out fantastic!

The Flag Project

Our first project, which we started on the first day of school, was the Flag Project. This project was very cool on many levels. It not only told me about what  characteristics students thought were important to them, but also taught me a lot about how they work and how they learn.  Students had to measure and decide how to break up their flag, they had to cut out at least 40 words that describe themselves, and they had to paint.  They also had to work together to share materials. These turned out very nice! 

 

A new year and a new school!

After much hard work and a few emotional moments, I am officially a teacher in my hometown.  It has always been a dream of mine to teach here in Crozet where I grew up.  I am so grateful for this opportunity and look forward to the many adventures that I will encounter in my new school.