We have started working on our end of the year art projects!! They are going to be AMAZING!!!!
Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition Demo
We used sand, rocks, and water to demonstrate what weathering, erosion, and deposition do to rocks along a river. We had varying results and compared/contrasted the different things that happened in our demos.
The Starburst Rock Cycle
We used starbursts to demonstrate the rock cycle. We began by cutting the starbursts into sediment. We then put the sediment together to create a sedimentary rock. We applied heat and pressure from our hands and heavy books to create a metamorphic rock, and finally we melted the starburst rock and let it cool to create an igneous rock. Side note – melting starbursts smells delicious!
The Free Book Bus
Brownsville Students (and teachers!) were lucky enough to have the Free Book Bus visit us! All students and teachers got a free book to keep! The excitement when choosing books and then reading the new books made me so happy. Some students knew right away what they wanted, while others needed some time to look before deciding. In the end, everyone was happy!
Our first indoor recess – hybrid style
We had to get creative since many of our typical indoor recess games include shared materials. We made it work! A few kids worked with Snap Circuits (each had their own set that was disinfected afterward), some read a good book, and a few learned to make paper airplanes and made a target to throw them at! Very creative!
You light up my life!
We made our lightbulbs glow by experimenting with circuits! We all decided that this would definitely not be nearly as fun if we were still virtual!
Welcome Back!
A great way to welcome us back to school! Kindness in chalk! One of my absolute favorite Brownsville traditions.
Minecraft Math!
This week we created a design in either a 10 x 10 or 20 x 20 block of squares. First students drew these out and colored them. Next, students recorded how many of each color they used on their chart. These numbers were then changed into fractions, decimals, and percents. Finally, if this was complete, students went to Ms. Shaffer’s zoom to create their design in Minecraft. They turned out amazing!
Morning Meeting Activity
We tried a fun morning meeting activity yesterday called “Say what you mean” In this activity, one student gives directions on how to draw something. Students aren’t supposed to ask questions, but the idea is that you have to give very specific and clear directions. The kids loved this activity and it made us laugh A LOT. Here is one example of what was supposed to be a chicken. We learned quickly that this is much harder than it appears. This activity is often used in beginning coding classes as a way to show how important it is to have clear and precise steps. This morning we also took a virtual field trip to the Smithsonian. We were going to play “I Spy” there, but instead most of us just wanted to explore. The Cafe was a popular place, as students discussed which foods they would buy. Too funny! I showed students how to bookmark the site, but in case they need/want the link again:
https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour
View from the Chalkboard 