Target

3rd grade River Corridor Study

This adventure will soon be here!  Jerry Hightower grew up exploring the section of river we will be rafting and has an incredible amount of knowledge.  He often has hikes along the river, if you ever have the opportunity to do one with him- it is worth the time!

How the students dress will depend on the weather.  Sun screen is a definite, that will need to on the students before they come to school with some more in their backpack to use during the day.  Lunches will need to be packed in containers that can be recycled or thrown away.  Water only needs to be packed in a refillable water bottle.  We will stop for lunch at a spot that has a rest room and water to refill the bottles.  Comfortable shoes that can get wet need to be worn.  The students will be wearing life jackets all the time we are on the river.  One hike into a creek to look for macros will be the only time the life jackets are taken off. 

It is very important that all the students listen and follow directions without question as they will be working as part of a team in the rafts.  If your child is fearful of water, it is best for them to stay at school and not get to the river and tell us they are afraid in the rafts- if that does happen, I will call you to come get them.  This has not happened, but I would rather you to have that conversation at home prior to the trip.  If you have any questions, please e-mail me!  I do not mean to be a nay-sayer, but safety is my main concern with this experience and the ability to learn as much as they can. 

Under the sea...

Around the CRCT testing we will be involved in a quick study of scuba diving and the coral reefs. We will be learning about dive tables and the dangers to our coral reefs around the world.  This is a continuation of the water theme that we have a focus on in Target.  Do you know someone who is a scuba diver and would be willing to come and talk to the students? 

The math involved in this unit is high level, but there are plenty of clues to help them along the way.  We are learning about air and water pressure.  The students will be introduced to a dive table and how to calculate air and time they can stay submerged.  I have been snorkling, but not scuba diving.  Not sure if I want that adventure- I prefer to be on the surface of the water.  Please ask your son or daughter about this unit.  See what they can tell you about air and water pressure on the body.

Row, row, row your boat-3rd grade

Our River Corridor Study trip is a go!!!  We did need to change the date to the 5th due to bus conflicts.  Paper work will be coming home tomorrow.  Please be on the lookout for this.  The cover will be ORANGE!!!!  Several forms need to be completed and returned.  The final cost is $30.00. The monies are due by next Wednesday.  This covers the cost of the raft and bus.  Students will be responsible for providing their lunch and water to drink in refillable water bottle. Students who choose not to go will remain in the regular classroom. I would like to invite parents to help- but I am limited in the number that can come along (2)- at the same cost as the students.  This will need to be a first come process. This is a fabulous trip with Jerry Hightower, a National Park Ranger and nationally recognized environmental educator. 

I am looking forward to this special learning opportunity with your children!

Sharks at Nicholson/5th Grade

Wow!! Are the shark models fabulous.  If you have an opportunity to visit our gallery of sharks, please do so.

On line Survey 3-4-5

Click on the link to open the survey:

http://www.cobbk12.org/Departments/SS/SSPreventionIntervention/

Technology

Australia website http://www.enchantedlearning.com/school/Australia/

Technology

Australia website http://www.enchantedlearning.com/school/Australia/

Reporting In/5th

The shark reports look great!  Our students have learned all about their personal writing "voice", and found that in an informational piece of writing the voice is not so "loud".  The bibliography format was not followed by many, this will be reviewed with me and in their ongoing rth grade research project. 

The flip chart is coming back home with many.  This was a high level of understanding assignment and needs more work.  On each category of the classification of their particular shark, I am looking for specific information about why the shark fits in that category.  What characteristics make it placed there.  Is it the number of gill slits?where it lives? the shape of the pectoral fins? nictitating eye lids? and so on.  This info can be found, wikipedia is a good place to start, after googling for their shark followed with +classification in the search box.

I will post a sample in the next two days for more clarity.

Dissection will take place on April 1st- no joke!  I have several volunteers to help, thank you in advance. 

Shark models are also due on April 1st.  Any other outstanding work is due next week.

Getting closer..to sharks

My students took their third assessment toward the shark dissection today. We are closer to meeting our goals of 100%!!  Way to go 5th graders!! Friday morning will be the last opportunity to re-test or make up tests missed.  Those students who need to take advantage of that opportunity have been told.  I am very proud of the studying that has been evident- as I have been saying this unit is a most challenging one with very high expectations!!  It will pay off in the long run with good study skills in place before Middle school.  Having "been there, done that" with two daughters, this really lays the foundation for the rest of the students school years.  If they are not in place, now it is difficult to catch up with the increasingly rigorous academics most of the Target students will encounter through Middle school and High School.

No question of the week with all the work the students have to do with the research project!!!

Please check the wiki for the time line!!  Also part of the project is the dichotomous key.  The shark model really needs to be started and the size should not be any longer than their arms, but bigger than their hands.  A sheet went home explaining the parameters for this project.  The students have a time line, you should have one and it is posted on the wiki:  www.sharkspredatorsoftheaquaticbiome@pbwiki.com  The rough draft is due in class next week.  Some time will be given to continue to work on the flip dichotomous key chart.

I am not sure if your child has mentioned that we know have a bird feeder in our "cottage" window.  We are seeing all kinds of birds, even an occasional squirrel tries to get to the seed.  I am looking for some donations of seed to fill it up.  I use the cardinal mix, as we have many cardinals, chickadees, bluebirds, finches, and an occasional pileated woodpecker!  The food would be greatly appreciated by our feathered friends!

Macros in 3rd grade

Many thanks for the families who were able to attend the Cobb Watershed Festival last evening.  I know that our lives can be busy and even more so when our children are young!!  The tour of the laboratory was interesting- I had not had the opportunity see the labs before- and we could see our water money being put to work, and we have fairly cheap water!  Our children did a great job representing Nicholson!

I would like to ask if any of the families have multiple rain gauges and you know you will only put one to work at your house, if you would be willing to donate them to our schoolyard habitats that are in the process of being developed.  My intent is to have several in place that students can use to gather data and put their maths skills to work.  They would be appreciated!!

We started a macro invertebrate field guide today.  The students are using the class wiki: www.lifeisariver.pbwiki.com to find information on 10 different macros.  They started a word document that was saved to their thumb drive.  The homework is to have 3 macros thoroughly researched using the sites on the wiki.  When all ten (three from each category of sensitivity with and additional free choice) have been researched, the material will be put into paragraph form and sketches completed on field guide forms.  Please let me know if you have any questions about this assignment.  It is fairly complicated, but all the students were able to maneuver around between the word document and the web sites.  Remember, all the sites they need to use are found on the wiki.  This assignment will take several weeks.  This assignment combines research and technology standards for third grade.