Newsletter: December 6, 2012

What's that man doing up on that table? Well, dropping balls of paper, of course.  This week we began an exploration into motion. We observed, questioned, hypothesized, and experimented. On our chart titled "What do you think about motion?" the kids responded:

* Some shapes roll better than others.
* Balls with less air do not bounce as well as ones with plenty of air.
* Smooth balls roll faster than round or bumpy balls.
* Heavier objects bounce better.
* Heavy objects are louder when they bounce.
* Ping pong balls bounce high even though they are light.
* Light objects kind of float to the ground - like a piece of paper or a feather.
* The shape of an object effects how it might fall.
* More force (like throwing) makes things fall or travel faster.
* When things move quickly they look blurry.
* Crumpled paper falls faster than flat paper.
* Balls bounce better on hard surfaces.

From these initial ideas we created a list of questions to explore together...

* How and why do things bounce?
* Why do some objects fall faster and slower?
* Why do balls bounce better on some surfaces?
* Does everything in the world have motion?
* Why do some balls bounce better than others?
* What would happen if you filled a ball with helium?
* Why do really light objects travel slower?
* Why do helium balloons go up but oxygen balloons go down?
* Why don't rocks bounce?

I gave the kids a sheet of paper and told them to try to make it fall as quickly as possible. They were allowed to change the shape but not the weight. Many created balls. Others made folds. A few rolled theirs into a tight coil. We found that the smaller the surface area the quicker it seemed to fall. To test this I took several sheets of paper and folded the in 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, and 1/32. Standing on the science table, I dropped them in pairs while the kids recorded the outcomes. We found that the smaller ones fell faster every single time. The kids hypothesized into why this might be. They had some great theories. We discussed the fact that anything scientists have ever learned has come from a series of hypotheses that were tested over and over again. The majority of these were wrong. However, we NEED wrong answers to help guide us to the right ones. Why did the smaller bits of paper fall faster? Less surface area to catch the air resistance.

Today we explored the kids' question as to why balls bounce better on some surfaces than others. We began by testing to see if this was even true. Each group worked with a ball, a meter stick, and their science journal to collect data. They bounced their balls on concrete, tile, carpet, and wood. Everything was kept the same other than the type of surface they were bouncing on. One of the kids said "What if we get bad answers that aren't accurate?" To solve this potential problem the groups made ten drops on each surface, recorded them, and declared the mode (the measurement coming up most often) as the most accurate measurement.

In math this week we continued our work around measurement. We revisited how to calculate the perimeter and area of polygons.

We also learned about drawing things to scale.

 We are still working to design a nature garden for the playground and used this as an opportunity to develop scale drawings that would help us decide what sort of layout we want for the garden as well as how much space we will have for all the garden boxes, digging areas, etc. This morning the kids went out to the playground to collect some measurements of the picnic table, bushes, and storage shed (which we're using as a model for a possible fort).

Some of the kids measured in inches and were then challenged to figure out how this would convert to feet. How many feet are in 168 inches? There has to be a strategy to find out!

Tomorrow we'll use these measurements to draw the proposed garden items onto grid paper. We'll figure out the perimeter and area of each (just to review) and then cut them out and begin thinking about possible layouts for the garden. Mrs. Gattman is bringing in a map of the playground next week. When we find out what the scale is for this map we'll adjust our models and put together an official plan for the nature garden. From there we'll begin preparing a formal presentation to pitch to Dr. Mueller in hopes of securing funds for our project.

We are working to see what size garden boxes we would like.

In reading this week we've been working with photography. I have shared a variety of photographs and asked the kids to read them just as they would anything else - a book, a commerical, a conversation. Reading is all about making sense of a text. We traditionally think of texts as books, magazines, and other collections of words. However, a text can be anything. Think of all the things we read:  the body language of a stranger, the vibe of  a room, the theme of a movie. For each of these we take in what information is available and work to figure out what it means, what's there.

What do you make of this photograph?

With the photographs we began by making observations. What do you see that does not require any guesswork? Next, we considered what might be happening, what may have happened just before this photo was taken, and what might happen next. The kids worked in small groups and there was a great deal of  meaning negotiation going on.


"It's a bull."
"No, it's a cow."
"No it's not, That's a bull - he's riding it."
"But bulls have horns and that doesn't have any horns. He's riding a cow."
"Is there a difference?"


We also considered whether any of these photos tell a story.  Are they sending us a message?

Is this just an innocent photo or is it meant to elicit an emotional or political response?

Very soon we'll be working to take our own photos that others can read. Not snapshots of our smiling faces but photos that capture an idea of some sort. This may be a photo that really captures something special about ourselves  or it could be photos that show how power is shared within our classroom and our school. We'll be using photography as a means for collecting data, seeing what we found, and sharing these ideas out with a larger crowd. I know there are all sorts of cool internet resources these days that organize and share  photo collections. If anyone is experienced with any of them and would like to come in and teach us how to use them we would greatly appreciate it!

Lastly, we said goodbye today to Ms. Ruff. The kids each shared a bit of advice, "Buy loads of great books!", and shared some heartfelt reflections, "I want to grow up to be a teacher just like you", before giving her our gifts. We bought her a book from the book fair and signed the inside cover, delivered the appreciations the kids created a few weeks back, and presented her with a $50 gift card for the bookstore. She was very grateful. We were also so thankful - she brought in pizzas for a lunch celebration. When Winter Break concludes she will move on to Mr. Johnson's 4th grade classroom. We wish her well!

Enjoy the warm weather this weekend,
Chris