Grant Monroe - White Sox Minor League Pitcher

Chicago White Sox minor league pitcher, Grant Monroe, made an inspirational visit to our classroom today!   A very special thank you to the Ensign family for this awesome "show and tell!"

Change Over Time - Fall

Fall Tree

Signs of Fall
As summer turns to fall, what changes can you see and feel?  Fall days are shorter and cooler.  Some days can be windy and cold.  In our town leaves on trees begin to change color.  Fall is the harvest season. Farmers harvest crops such as potatoes, apples, and pumpkins. Children are busy at school during the fall.

Plants in Fall 
Plants are getting ready for winter.  Deciduous trees lose their leaves.  First the leaves change color.  Green leaves change to yellow, orange, red, or brown.  Then the leaves fall.  Some plants die after dropping their seeds.  Many others only look like they are dead.  The bulbs and roots of these plants are still alive underground.

In the Garden
Many plants drop their seeds in fall.  Annual plants live for just one year.  These plants grow, drop their seeds and then die.  Their seeds may grow into new plants next year.  Many vegetables are annual plants. Carrots, pumpkins, lettuce, and onions are all annuals.

Fall Food
Pumpkins and apples are fall foods.  In fall, many vegetables, such as pumpkins, and carrots, are sweet and ready to eat.  Some kinds of mushrooms grown in forests and fields.  Apples and some pears are picked in fall.  They are fresh and delicious.

People in Fall
People spend more time indoors in fall.  In fall people wear sweaters, jackets, and long pants.  Children are working hard at school.  Fall festivals celebrate the end of the farming year.  Thanksgiving is a fall holiday.

Animals In Fall
Some animals need to prepare for the coming winter.  Animals such as bears and foxes grow thicker coats. Squirrels, mice, and beavers store food for winter.  Large flocks of migrating birds fly away from the cold. They will spend the winter in a warmer place.  In spring they will return to their summer home.

Air Exploration Day

During our Air Exploration morning the students looked for evidence of moving air.  They constructed pinwheels, paper airplanes, and whirligigs.  Our scientists discovered properties of air by observing interactions of air with objects.  They observed bubbles under water and learned about air and its relationship to weather.

Our scientists learned that:

•    Air is a gas and is all around us.
•    Air is matter and takes up space.
•    Air makes objects move.
•    Air moves from place to place. Moving air is wind.
•    Air resistance affects how things move.
•    Weather describes conditions in the air outside.
•    Wind is moving air.
•    Wind can lift objects up into the sky.
•    Bubbles are air underwater.

Air Exploration Bags

Air Exploration Bags

Air Under Water

Bubbles 

Whirligigs

Whirligigs

Pinwheels

Pinwheels

Paper Airplanes

Clear the Board

This is a great game for teaching probability, as well as practicing addition facts!  Each child has a board and 10 unifix cubes.  If playing at home, you can also use oyster crackers, small pieces of cereal, M&M's, or Skittles.  Each child places the 10 cubes (markers) above the numbers they predict they are going to roll.  Then each child takes turns rolling 2 dice and adds the numbers together.  If they roll a number that has a cube above it, the child removes one cube above that number.  If the player does not have a cube above the number he/she rolled, his/her turn is over.  Then the other child goes. Play continues until one player "Clears the Board."  You can enjoy playing this game at home, by clicking on the link below and printing off some game mats!

Clear the Board Game Mat

Inferring

Observations occur when we can see something happening. In contrast, inferences are what we figure out based on an experience. Helping students understand when information is implied, or not directly stated, will improve their skill in drawing conclusions and making inferences. These skills will be needed for all sorts of school assignments, including reading, science and social studies. Inferential thinking is a complex skill that will develop over time and with experience.

Why teach inferring?

• Inferring is a complex skill that can be taught through explicit instruction in inferential strategies.
• Inferring requires higher order thinking skills, which makes it a difficult skill for many students.

How to teach inferring?

One simplified model for teaching inference includes the following assumptions:

• We need to find clues to get some answers.
• We need to add those clues to what we already know or have read.
• There can be more than one correct answer.
• We need to be able to support inferences.

Teachers and parents can also pose four questions to students to facilitate a discussion about inferences.

• What is my inference?
  This question helps students become aware that they may have just made an inference by filling in information that wasn't directly presented.

• What information did I use to make this inference?
  It is important for students to understand the various types of information they use to make inferences. This may include information presented in the text, or it may be background knowledge that a student brings to the learning setting.

• How good was my thinking?
  Once students have identified the premises on which they've based their inferences, they can engage in the most powerful part of the process — examining the validity of their thinking. 

• Do I need to change my thinking?
  
  The final step in the process is for students to consider possible changes in their thinking.The point here is not to invalidate students' original inferences, but rather to help them develop the habit of continually updating their thinking as they gather new information.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Royal Oak Farm

Enjoy the amazing pictures from our

 perfect trip to Royal Oak Farm!

Pattern Blocks

Pattern blocks are a type of mathematical  manipulative.  They allow children to see how shapes can be decomposed into other shapes. Pattern Blocks are tools that students use to build patterns, create and solve critical thinking problems, and explore geometric shapes.  Pattern Blocks allow students to build compound shapes, explore symmetry and transformations, and use geometric models to solve problems in other areas of mathematics.  The standard pattern blocks are divided into two different sets. In the first set, the shapes can all be built out of the green equilateral triangle. This set contains:

• Equilateral Triangle (Green)
• Regular Rhombus (Blue)
• Trapezoid (Red)
• Hexagon (Yellow)

The second set contains shapes that can't be built out of the green triangle, but can still be used in tiling patterns

• Square (Orange)
• Small Rhombus (Beige)

Pattern blocks are not only just for mathematics, they can also be used to build pictures including animals, flowers, boats and ships, rockets and planes, cars, trains, and many others. A lot of graphic designers use pattern blocks for artistic purposes.