Cat-tail Investigations and Wolf Presentations!

We had another week of good times learning about Life Science!  That pretty much wraps up our unit, and we’ll start learning about Explorers next week.  We will also be doing a little moving around.  Our class will be headed to Mrs. Greshaw’s room to learn more about our solar system in the afternoon.   

The cat-tail investigation was interesting and yes we did try and eat some of this amazing edible plant. The shoots are quite tasty, don’t worry we washed them before we sampled.  Have the kids tell you where to find them on the plant, in case your ever in need of survival you can find some cat-tails! 

Our wolf presenters did an amazing job helping us learn more about this beautiful animal, it’s structural, and behavioral characteristics that help it to survive in the wild. 

I can…    Use sensory details, internal stories, flashbacks, strong leads, and effective conclusions in my personal narratives.

Describe Non Fiction and Fiction Retelling Strategies.

Interpret a fraction as division of the numerator by the denominator.

Identify the causes and consequences of European exploration and colonization.

Invertebrates and Gold Fish Lab!

This past week took a specific look at what type of invertebrates are in our wetland here at school.  We began brainstorming some driving questions for our school wetland.  For example, “Is our wetland healthy, and what biological indicators should we see in our wetland to determine it’s health?  We are planning to collect many different sets of data throughout the year that we can present to the fourth graders at the end of the school year to prep them for continuing what we did this year.  We also had a big dream to present to the Macatawa Watershed Council about what we are doing learning in our little part of the greater watershed.  If you know anyone that I could get in touch with please email or call me when you get a chance.

Gold Fish Lab:  We will observe the breathing gill rates of goldfish in different water temperatures! I will be looking for a few good homes for about 6-10 gold fish.  Let me know if your interested!

I can…    Use strong leads and effective conclusions in my personal narratives.

Describe Non Fiction and Fiction Retelling Strategies.

Compare, add, and subtract decimal numbers into the thousandths place.

Describe animal and plant adaptation of characteristics. 

Life Science in the Pond and our Lake Sturgeon+ Halloween

Friends Goodwill Sailing Trip last week!  What an amazing day!

It’s been another busy week here in 5th grade!  Our lake sturgeon arrived last Friday and is doing great!  We have been testing the water for Ammonia, Nitrate, and PH.  All levels are stabilizing and our fish is eating nicely.  We also have some aquatic friends that we caught in the wetland this week.  We continue to learn about life processes, physical and behavioral characteristics of the organisms we catch. 

Please look for the Halloween pumpkin carving note that will be coming home.   Please read the note carefully.  I will be looking for some supplies to donate for the Halloween party. 

DNR Living Resource Patch Competition.  Michigan celebrates its 40th year of the endangered species act.  They are looking 4, 5 , and 6th graders to design a patch to commemorate.  We of course would love to have a Lake Sturgeon Patch in our honor!  Go Artists Go!  Look for the info sheet to come home.

I can…    Use an flashback and flash forwards in my personal narratives.

Describe Non Fiction and Fiction Retelling Strategies.

Compare, add and subtract decimal numbers to the thousandths.

Describe animal physical and behavioral characteristics and their life processes.

Bike Trip, Native American Museum, and Friends Goodwill

What a great past couple of days!  The kids did a fantastic job presenting their Native American projects to the fourth graders.  It was the first time to showcase our projects out in the wetland area and the afternoon was beautiful.

We also had a gorgeous day for our bike trip and all went well.  Thanks again for all the parent helpers, we couldn’t have done it without you!

Next week Wednesday will be our Tall Ship Cruise on the Friends Goodwill out of South Haven.  Please stay tuned, if the weather looks bad we will postpone the trip.  I will make the call about 24 hours prior so be looking for the we go, or don’t go email to come through. 

I can…

Use an internal story  and flashback beginnings in my personal narratives.

Describe Non Fiction and Fiction Retelling Strategies.

Add and Subtract Fractions with like and unlike least common denominators and ungroup when necessary.

Describe animal physical and behavioral characteristics