Wonder of the Week

Our Wonder this week asks us to consider the following questions: Does the Olympic Flame ever go out? What does the Olympic Flame symbolize (stand for)?

We think...

I think the Olympic flame never goes out because I think that the stand that holds it is hard and it will never melt. I think the Olympic Flame stands for the Olympics. - Bradyn

I think that the Olympic Flame never goes out because when they light it, the flame goes up and it never goes out because it's strong. I think the Olympic Flame stands for the opening ceremony and the different countries competing. - Tucker

I think that the Olympic Flame will not go out because it means that the Olympics is starting. I think the Olympic Flame stands for the Olympics. - Addison

I think that the Olympic flame never goes out because when they hold it, the people around them could get hurt. I think the Olympic Flame stands for the Olympic sports. - Nicole

Wonder of the Week

Time for Kids - Winter Olympic Events

Our wonder this week asks us - What are the Olympics? What do you know about the Winter Olympics? What is one sport that is played in the Winter Olympics? What do you know about this sport?

We know:

I know that the Olympics are taking place in Russia. Last night I watched the figure skating. I liked that they did cool tricks like "Triple Axels." - Selena

I know that the Olympics have ice racing where they race on skates. I watched the racing yesterday. Also, the Olympics happen every four years. - Nick

I know that the Olympics have lots of games where people can win medals. One Winter Olympics game is ski jumping. In ski jumping they go down this big ramp and jump really far in the air! It is really cool to watch. Also, last night I watched ice skating. - Jayden

Science Notebooking!

This week in Science we began our Science Notebooking Unit! This unit combines Writing and Science to help students practice detailed and descriptive writing. Through this unit we will be exploring States of Matter, a topic that most children are relatively familiar with from first grade. So far we have introduced the different states of matter (solids, liquids and gases) and have begun describing different objects by discussing their properties (texture, shape, color etc). Students are very excited to continue to explore these concepts through experiments and writing!

Wrapping Up Book Clubs

Sadly, this was our last week of Book Clubs. The students have been doing an incredible job with this unit! It has been wonderful to watch the groups take ownership of their book clubs and conduct respectful, thorough book talks. This week we have learned about ‘in the book’ versus ‘in my head’ questions and how to discuss and find the answers to both of these types of questions. We also had an extremely powerful lesson where we discussed disagreeing politely and how using nice words and a kind voice helps us share our differing opinions and thoughts.

Today as a culminating activity for Book Clubs we are focusing on how to wrap up a book discussion. We are also treating the students to a book club snack because we know as adults, sometimes the snacks are the best part of a Book Club!

Although we are sad to see Book Clubs wrapping up, we are very excited for our next unit which focuses on character traits and reading in a series. Look for more information to come about this in the Sunday email!

Wonder of the Week

Our Wonder this week asks us to consider: What is the difference between solids, liquids and gases?

We think...

I think a solid is a solid thing like a solid pipe. I think liquids are things that you can't have very often. An example of a liquid is something that you drink that kids can't. I think gas is a thing that helps a car run. - Bradyn M.

I think a solid is something that if you put it in a shape, like a bowl, it doesn't take the shape of the bowl it leaves some space. An example of a solid is an ice cube. I think a liquid is something that fills up what it has been poured in and it can be used for different things or different problems. An example of a liquid is water. I think gas is water that has evaporated from the sun's heat and goes up into the air. - Tucker F.

I think a solid is a liquid that moves very slowly. An example of a solid is maple syrup, it moves very slowly. I think a liquid is something that moves very fast. An example of a liquid is water. Air is a type of gas. - Sawyer A.