Costume Parade and Fall Fun

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Our week was filled with fall fun and authentic learning opportunities. On Monday our mathematicians brainstormed a list of mathematical questions involving our pumpkins. We made predictions about how many seeds were in each pumpkin. Some students predicted that the largest pumpkin would have the most seeds, while others predicted that the smallest pumpkin would have the most seeds. On Tuesday students worked in teams to determine how many seeds were each in pumpkin. Students had to work together to determine the best way to count all their seeds. Some teams sorted the seeds into groups of ten and then hundreds to make counting quick and accurate. Most of us were surprised to discover that one of our medium sized pumpkins had the most seeds- over 600! Later in the week we roasted the seeds and split the total into thirds. We seasoned one third of the seeds with cinnamon and sugar. We seasoned another third with salt, and we seasoned the third group with pumpkin pie spice. Then we roasted the seeds and had fun tasting the different flavored seeds. We voted on our favorite seed seasoning and created a math graph to show our results. The vast majority of students preferred the seeds with salt! This week during project time several students painted their pumpkin or used remeda materials to create fun fall art pieces. Outside this week we relished getting to play in fall leaves and during our music time with Ms. McKenzie we sang a song called Pass the Pumpkin. On Thursday we had our annual ELC costume parade. We loved getting to admire each others’ costumes. On Friday we created a memory book page about our Halloween adventures. This week we’ve been calculating the temperature units in our fish tank to determine when our fish might hatch. Today we calculated that our tank is around 837 TUs and the fish typically begin to hatch around 850 TUs. Three fish hatched early and we are predicting that many more will hatch this weekend.

Zephyr Farm Adventures

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On Monday we took a field trip to Zephyr Farm to learn more about the crops that grow in Oregon. Farmer Bryan gave us a tour of his farm and allowed students to examine and taste a wide variety of crops. We got to try fennel, watermelon, black radishes, strawberries, broccoli, kale, ground cherries, bell peppers, poblano peppers, and leeks. I was impressed with students’ willingness to try new foods. Each student also got to pick a pumpkin to bring back to school for some upcoming science, art, and math explorations. A huge thank you to Mark for documenting our farm adventures and to Farmer Bryan for hosting us!

Fish Eggs and Sun Prints

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We’ve been busy learning all about Oregon! Students shared more of their Flat Stanley photos from around Oregon. Last week we took a virtual field trip to TMK Creamery. We learned about Oregon dairy farms and got to see different kinds of cows being milked. This week, we had a visit from Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife. They brought us approximately 200 salmon eggs that we get to raise in a fish tank in our classroom. We sketched the eggs and recorded our observations in our thinking books so that we can document how the salmon change over time. Salmon are one of Oregon’s keystone species and we can’t wait to learn more about these interesting creatures. We did an art project that depicted birch trees in autumn. Birch trees are one of the many trees that are native to Oregon. Ms. Fern came in to teach us about a huge Oregon employer and research center: OHSU. Mr. Derrick came in to talk to us about Nike, another of Oregon’s important employers. Mr. Derrick talked about the importance of following your dreams and showed students some innovative new shoe technology. This week we took advantage of a sunny, fall day to create sun prints with Ms. Libby. Students worked both individually and in groups to arrange nature and loose parts to create these sun print art pieces. Nine students had an opportunity to participate in this project so far and the rest will have an opportunity in the coming days. Other highlights over the last couple of weeks were our music making with Ms. McKenzie, our outdoor explorations, and our engineering endeavors. Our October has been packed with fun and learning so far. It’s hard to believe that it’s almost the end of the month already…

Celebration of Community

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Last Thursday evening we had our annual fall Celebration of Community. Our students had an opportunity to lead their families around the classroom. Students were able to showcase their art pieces, published stories, science explorations, and classroom routines. It was a wonderful time of connection with families and community members. Our students were simply glowing with pride. Thank you, Mr. Mark, for documenting this time of togetherness.

Music Making with Ms. McKenzie

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This week was filled with Flat Stanley adventures and musical fun! Students had an opportunity to share their Flat Stanleys’ adventures around Oregon. Our flat people discovered so many Oregon places, crops, vegetation, animals, activities, and businesses. Students got to be experts for their classmates as they shared their photos from around Oregon. We had many interesting conversations about what makes Oregon interesting and unique. This week Razah’s mom, Cynthia, came in to share about our Oregon capitol building and how the adults in government work together to make laws for Oregon. We got to take a virtual tour of the capitol building. On Wednesday we had our first music making session with Ms. McKenzie. We sang new songs, learned some music terminology, danced with scarves, and played some instruments. She also gave each student a beautiful song book full of songs. Students will get to take home these books at the end of the term.  In literacy this week we learned to read and recite a poem called Come Little Leaves. We also met in our reading groups and worked on learning new spelling patterns. Some students are working with Sea Lion helpers on a literacy program called Read Naturally. Asayo’s mom, Casey, came in to teach us how to play a math game called Knock Out. Hudson’s grandma, Linda, came in to start a sewing project with students. Students are learning how to use a sewing machine to sew book bags. We sure love getting to learn from our parents, grandparents, and other community members.