Float a Boat

The sixth graders are studying density in science.  We have learned that the density of water is 1.0 g/ml.  That means anything with a density larger than 1.0 g/ml will sink and smaller will float.  Today each student made a foil boat and floated it to see how many pennies it could hold.  We will talk about buoyancy and which boat shape is the most successful.

Observational Drawing

One of my most favorite fall activities is our Observational Drawing unit.  We do a lot of drawing in life science.  I expect my students to be able to replicate objects pretty accurately.  In order to do this, we must practice.

We start by copying a design.  Then we work on contour drawings of plants.  We spend some time on color blending, and then our final activity is to wander outside, find a plant and draw it as accurately as possible.  The students do an amazing job of this.  They are focused and quiet (usually).  And their drawings are full of details down to the smallest leaf or petal.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Our first writing assignment of the year was to write an essay entitled, "How I Spent My Summer Vacation."  Now before you start thinking, "How original, Mrs. Magner," this assignment had a twist.

 I read the class the book "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" by Mark Teague.  In the book, the boy exaggerates a bit as he shares his summer adventures.  He is captured by cowboys and saves a town from a wild cow stampede (or something like that).  In their writing, my students had to lie.  Nothing in the essays could be true.

We had adventures including aliens, being captured by Mickey Mouse and/or pirates, encounters with famous people, and giant fish being caught on Hill Lake.  These kids sure love to write and I had a blast reading their tall tales.

Phenology

Most of the students in my class live and play in or near the woods.  My goal for science class is for my students to gain an appreciation and knowledge of the nature that is right outside their front doors. In order to accomplish this goal, we spend a lot of time outside in the woods near the school.

A big part of our science is the study of phenology.  Phenology is the study of changes in nature over time due to climate.  We take temperature information each day.  We observe the birds and insects as they migrate south for the winter.  We watch the trees and other plants as they also prepare for the cold months ahead.

John Latimer is a rural mail carrier who has a radio show on KAXE (91.7 fm) in Grand Rapids.  He has been watching phenology for the past 30 years and reports on his findings each Tuesday morning.  We have been a part of his phenology report for at least the last 10 years.  Today John came to our class to talk about phenology and to share what we need to look for this fall.  He also took us out into the woods to see what we can find.  We found insect eggs on a branch, a very friendly spider and we learned some new information about the trees and plants right at the edge of the forest near the playground.

John will be coming back at least two more times this year - one in the winter and one in the spring.  If you want to hear our reports, tune in to KAXE on Tuesday mornings at 6:50 a.m. or listen on line at KAXE.org.

Reader's Workshop

Most of our reading instruction is completed in a Reader's Workshop approach.  This means that the students read books of their own choosing at their own level.  I teach a mini-lesson on important reading topics and then the students work with these topics in their own reading.  Each student has a book box created out of an inside-out cereal box (a big thank you goes out to all the parents who brought in boxes for us!)  In this book box the students keep the books they are reading or want to read, post-it notes and a pencil.  Each student also has a reading notebook. The notebook contains a record of their reading as well as reading response activities.  I have a great bunch of readers this year and I can't wait to see what they are going to accomplish!

5th Grade: By the Numbers

Our first math project of the year is a mathematical poster.  The students need to create posters creating math facts that tell us about their lives.  Above are two examples.  Today the class got an information sheet, paper and a photograph.  Posters are due on Monday, September 16.  Posters should include drawings and color.  Thanks for your help on this fun project!

A Piece of the Puzzle

Today we put together a puzzle.  But it wasn't just any puzzle, it was a puzzle created by the class.  Miss Nelson gave each student a puzzle piece to decorate.  We had elaborate drawings, super-cute bubble letter names, and lots of great colors.  Then we had to put the puzzle together as a team.  She talked about how we are all very different, yet we fit together as one big happy 5th grade class.  Next time you are at school, take a look at the puzzle hanging outside our classroom.

First Day of School Science

Back in the olden days (during my first years of teaching) I used to spend the first day of school going over rules, regulations and procedures.  Sure, we would play a few games or maybe do a little art project, but it was basically Mrs. Magner yacking away all day long.  I still talk a lot on the first day of school, but I really love jumping right into a few subjects.  The kids are excited to get going!

Science is my favorite subject, so the logical place to start is with a crowd-pleasing science activity.  This year I decided to do a Gall Inquiry Study with the kids.  A gall is that little round ball you see on goldenrod stems.  It is made when a Goldenrod Gall Fly lays her eggs on the stem of the plant.  The maggot then burrows into the stem, producing a chemical that makes the goldenrod plant produce a ball around the little worm.  Eventually the maggot becomes a pupa and then hatches out as an adult fly.  The fly emerges from the gall, mates, lays eggs and the cycle begins again.  It's all pretty fascinating, if you ask me.

Today each student received a gall.  They were to draw it, make observations and ask five questions.  After much anticipation, the galls were cut open to reveal a little white maggot.  Then the students drew and wrote observations about the inside of the gall.  Finally, we went out to the school forest to go find some galls of our own.  I always consider a science lesson successful when the kids talk about it at home.  Hopefully my students shared what they learned at the dinner table that night. (But, sorry it had to be about maggots - not exactly the best dinner time conversation.)

Meet Miss Nelson

We have a special guest in our classroom this fall and early winter.  Carley Nelson will be student teaching with me until December and I am so excited!  I have mentored two other student teachers earlier in my career, but it has been awhile.  Carley is enthusiastic and full of ideas.  She might actually end of teaching me more than I teach her!

Getting Ready

I have been busy cleaning and setting up my room the last few weeks.  We had two official teacher workshop days last week, but I had to go to Eagan on one of those days to attend a funeral.  Fortunately I have a student teacher this fall, and she took care of a lot of the little projects that needed to be done.  I still ended up going to school on Sunday and was surprised to see four other teachers there.  Hill City sure has a dedicated staff!

Anyway, here is a little tour of my 5th grade classroom.

 This is "Grandma's Chair."  My grandmother gave me that chair 28 years ago and it is a favorite place for kids to sit and read.  My mother made the insect quilt hanging above it.  The rack behind the chair contains all the extra credit opportunities the students can do if they want. Extra credit is a part of our classroom economy - students earn Magner Dollars for doing extra credit.  These dollars can be spent in our classroom store that I call "MagnerMart."

 This is our Help Wanted board.  The students can apply for one of nine jobs each month.  The jobs include Maintenance Manager, Zookeeper, File Clerk, Technology Assistant, Counselor, Mail Carrier, Milk/Lunch Money Clerk, and Librarian.  They are paid in "Magner Dollars" which is also a part of our classroom economy.

 5th graders don't usually read a lot of picture books, but I use them a lot in my reading and writing mini-lessons.

 Our classroom library contains well over 1000 books.  Most of them I have purchased at garage sales and with Scholastic Book Club bonus points.  Each summer I have to go through and get rid of some of the older books to make room for all the new ones I have purchased.  It's funny how kids can tell if a book is "out of style" just based on the cover.  We also have six shelves of non-fiction on the other side of the room.

This is where I display all the cool science artifacts the kids bring in. Last week I threw away a whole pail of beehives, nests, cool leaves, dried up mushrooms and other items that have been on this bulletin board for awhile.  I have to make room for all the new things that will be brought in this year.

Our information bulletin board is new this year.  I knew it was time to change it when I got a comment from a former student that he remembered that bulletin board from when he was a 5th grader - and he is currently 28 years old!  I cover all my boards in fabric, so they will last for years and years.  This board has the lunch menu, the birthday list, schedules, calendars and a place for no-name papers, plus comics and quotes that make me smile.

 Another new feature of my classroom are these boxes.  I used to have kids hand in their work to a crate and then I would have to sort through everything to try to get it in order.  Hopefully these drawers will work better.  I also had fun with my turquoise spray paint this summer.  My pencil pails and marker caddy got a new coat of shiny paint.

 This is my teacher area.  I found a desk for my student teacher, so we have a nice place to sit and collaborate after school.

 The students use this area to sign up for milk and it has our sign out board.  When a student leaves the room, he/she places a student number stick in the appropriate pocket on the quilted wall hanging.

Here is the classroom all neat and tidy and ready to go.  It even smells clean!  It won't be long until it loses that nice "fresh as a daisy"atmosphere, but that's okay.  The kids are the reason we are here!