I hope you've all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  I'm sorry for the late post...it slipped my mind Tuesday afternoon.

We had a great pre-Thanksgiving STRIDE day.  Our morning began with students sharing what they learned about Pythagoras with each other and adding Latin words to their dictionaries.  We watched a video clip about "Museum Rules" and went over EVERYTHING they need to know for the field trip.  Students have a list of reminders with them to share with you.  Our Creative Expression lesson today focused on "the power of art" in preparation for our field trip.  I'm so excited!!

Next we spent some time in math.  We reviewed Archimedes and practiced finding the circumference of circles.  Students tried following direction for a "cut and cover" challenge to prove the Pythagorean Theorem.  We paused for MOG, completing the class chart together with all students learned.  They did awesome for homework!  We checked their "Secret Club" homework, learned about square roots and practiced finding them using a calculator.  Finally we used this knowledge and the Pythagorean Theorem to solve some problems.  Students did great!

In Economics we played Econ, first with students using terms and then one final round without them.

The only homework this week is to share the reminders with you and be ready for the field trip on Tuesday, December 1st.  Be sure to watch the weather and dress appropriately!  

Finally...students filled up their Marble Jar today!  They are so excited.  They would like to watch a movie and have some snacks.  I have to fill out the approval form so we will finalize this on our next STRIDE Day.

See below for some November STRIDE pictures!

Today we began with Creative Expression.  Students shared what they learned about da Vinci and Escher, processed this information and recorded it on their MOG charts. Next they used the Chromebooks to view video clips in the Google Classroom to learn even more.  Later in the day we completed our class MOG chart and I was SO pleased with students' work.  

We spent much of our time in science focused on columns and domes in Construction Concepts. Students worked together in science groups to create and test paper columns using weights.  The results were somewhat contradictory but it was a great lesson in how to analyze and draw conclusions from data as well as determine what factors might have influenced the differences in our results.  Great scientific and mathematical thinking!  Ask your child what his/her group discovered.  I demonstrated tubular girders and we predicted and tested various materials and diameters.  Don't be surprised if your child came home and asked for some eggs.  We used them today to explore the strength of the dome shape through a few demonstrations.  We also looked at the use of domes in architecture and watched a few video clips to show the amazing strength of the double domed egg. I also showed a cool website to investigate domes further.  It is posted in the Google Classroom.

In MOH we talked about "owning" our learning.  Students shared the lists they made for homework, then I shared my "master" list of what we should consider before saying, "I'm through"  They already know what to do, of course, but I hope this discussion about taking responsibility for our learning and doing EVERYTHING with excellence will encourage a deeper awareness.  I've placed reminders on all our tables and each student has a copy in the homework section.  We're all going to hold each other accountable!

We ended today by taking a quick look at circles including radius, diameter, circumference and their relationships discovered by Archimedes.  We will practice finding the circumference of circles next week, then move on to the next mathematician.

Homework this week is all about Pythagoras!
1. Read about Pythagoras's Secret Club and do the math/answer the questions.
2. Complete the puzzle on the secret club.
3. Complete your MOG chart on Pythagoras using the websites in the Google Classroom (and other resources as allowed.)

We WILL have STRIDE next Tuesday.  Final reminders about our December 1st field trip will come home then.   

Though our time was short, we certainly made the most of it!

Our morning began with students checking each other's ECON! cards to be sure they were completed correctly.  Next they shared their MOG information on Archimedes with each other.  We spent most of time today on math.  First we reviewed how to use the Chinese abacus and learned to add. In some ways it's easy and in others it's tricky. Like anything else, the more you do it, the more you understand it.  Students practiced several problems, manipulating the beads to solve and using the Kids Abacus app as well.  Students brought them home today. They were very excited!  Ask your child to show you what he/she learned.   I challenged them to learn subtraction, multiplication, and/or division on their own and teach it to us during a future Franklin Findings time.  I hope someone will accept the challenge!  

Next we viewed a clip about the History of Math to bridge what we've learned with where we're going next.  We checked students' Archimedes homework, learned even MORE about him, and completed our class MOG chart.  Next time we will practice using pi and finding circumference.

We ended with just a little bit of science, reviewing what we've learned and getting directions for our next investigation involving columns.  However, there just wasn't time to get started. :( But we're ready for next week for sure!  Expect lots of science next time.

We also did a tiny bit of Latin, learning four new words and practicing speaking them.  I also modeled how students will record these in their dictionaries next week.

Finally, I have exciting news about the field trip.  The director of the NCMA has seen to it that all of the students will get to see the two special exhibits that are there right now involving daVinci's Codex and the work of M. C. Escher.  I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!  We learn about da Vinci during our Architecture unit second semester, and for us to be able to see some of the actual pages from his notebooks is beyond awesome.  This is a ticketed event but the director is seeing to it that all our students see it for free!  You can find out more by HERE.

For homework this week students will investigate da Vinci and Escher.  I have posted some sites in the Google Classroom for them to use but they are welcome to go elsewhere with your permission.  They will also make a list of things they should be sure to do before saying, "I'm through."  This is in preparation for a MOH lesson.

See below for some STRIDE pictures from October. 

Our day began with Creative Expression.  We had our own art museum exhibit and walked around viewing everyone's van Gogh artwork.  Some students chose to take their canvas home today; others decided to leave it to place on display in the media center.  Next students shared their Shakespeare homework at their tables.  I heard lots of great evidence to support fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration.  I introduced directions for several Shakespeare stations to help students go deeper with their knowledge of Shakespeare.  

Then we moved into math where students learned about the abacus.  We learned when, where, why, and how and viewed different kinds from different cultures.  Students practice at the SMART Board and using "Kids Abacus" on the iTouches.  Next students worked to construct their own Chinese abacus using beads, skewers, and popsicle sticks.  While they waited for the "Glue Master" to use the hot glue gun to put it together they worked on reading the abacus and placing the beads on a handout, then moved into the Shakespeare stations.  There was A LOT going on in our STRIDE room but students handled it beautifully and were very efficient with our time.  We checked the math handouts together and I kept the abacuses for our next math block.

We ended our day in Money working with checks and ledgers.  First we reviewed check writing and I gave feedback on common problems from last week.  Next each student got a ledger, six checks, and $5,000 and we had a checking account bonanza!  Students spun a spinner at the SMART Board and then recorded the result in their ledgers writing checks as appropriate.  We had a lot of visits to the vet and car repairs!  Ask your child how his/her account ended up.

Students have the permission slip for our NCMA field trip on December 1st.  If you would like to chaperone, there's a place to check.  There are only a few chaperone slots available, as several schools are going on one day and the museum has given us a limit.  

For homework this week:
1. Math: Archimedes-solve the puzzles and read to learn more
2. MOG: Fill in as much as you can about Archimedes
3. Money: Create your ECON! card by writing one vocabulary term in each box.  Term only.  (You will use most of them but not all.) Read over all of the definitions. 
4. Permission slip completed



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