Healthy Foods From Healthy Soils April 8 - May 13, 2013
Every year our entire third grade class participates in this unit. It involves learning about plants, plant cycles, recycling, composting, soils, and trees. The first part of the unit involves classes at school, indoors and out. It will be taught by myself, Mr. McKibben, and Mrs. Boucher. The most fun part, however, and the most experiential part is when we all go to farm school!
For a week, students pack into our school buses and we head to Wolfe's Neck Farm in Freeport to spend each day with farm staff. Children learn about life cycles, animal cycles, growing cycles, different ecosystems, foor webs and so much more. The highlight for everyone of course is the animals. Everyone will help care for the different animals and do the farm chores for the day. We'll also include journal writing. Stay tuned for more.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
The Microscopic World
The Microscopic World March 18 - April 4, 201
To begin this unit, students discovered some unusual ways to magnify tiny objects. They experimented with different transparent objects with different shapes to see if they would magnify-- cubes, cylinders, jars of water, prisms, even a water drop. Then they took a close look at common objects to uncover a few until now unseen parts. Students got out hand lenses and practiced drawing exactly what they saw. Not an easy task! Discussion about about just what the difference is between an observation, an opinion, and an inference helped when it came time for them to write clear descriptions of what they were looking at through the lens.
Our compound microscopes then were used to learn about different kinds of cells, bacteria, and other living microscopic organisms. What are these microbes, where are they, and what do they do? Everyone saw some of the differences between plant (onion) and animal (their own inner cheek) cells. Students learned to make wet and dry mount microscope slides to observe living and non-living specimen.
By peering down the microscope, students even were be able to help solve a crime! Given several suspects and the incriminating evidence, the class determined who the culprit was in the 'famous' Coin of Uniti heist.
To end the unit, a visitor from Midcoast Hospital's Community Health came to the class to discuss what germs are and how we spread them to ourselves and others.
To begin this unit, students discovered some unusual ways to magnify tiny objects. They experimented with different transparent objects with different shapes to see if they would magnify-- cubes, cylinders, jars of water, prisms, even a water drop. Then they took a close look at common objects to uncover a few until now unseen parts. Students got out hand lenses and practiced drawing exactly what they saw. Not an easy task! Discussion about about just what the difference is between an observation, an opinion, and an inference helped when it came time for them to write clear descriptions of what they were looking at through the lens.
Our compound microscopes then were used to learn about different kinds of cells, bacteria, and other living microscopic organisms. What are these microbes, where are they, and what do they do? Everyone saw some of the differences between plant (onion) and animal (their own inner cheek) cells. Students learned to make wet and dry mount microscope slides to observe living and non-living specimen.
By peering down the microscope, students even were be able to help solve a crime! Given several suspects and the incriminating evidence, the class determined who the culprit was in the 'famous' Coin of Uniti heist.
To end the unit, a visitor from Midcoast Hospital's Community Health came to the class to discuss what germs are and how we spread them to ourselves and others.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Crystals, Rocks and Minerals
Crystals, Rocks and Minerals February 12 - March 14, 2013
The rock hounds in this unit learned all about what makes a rock and how they can be formed.
They studied the inside of the earth and the changes deep within that create different minerals, crystals and rocks.
They also learned about the rock cycle, and about the properties of rocks to help identify them.
They even got to "grow" their own crystals.
A guest speaker, Mr. Ritchie, who is an amazing rock enthusiast, was invited to class to discuss his own rock collection and how he became a rock hound.
He inspired students to start collecting their own specimen too. And he invited everyone to the soon-to-open rock and mineral museum in Bethel, Maine, of which he is a board member. Thank you, Mr. Ritchie!
The rock hounds in this unit learned all about what makes a rock and how they can be formed.
They studied the inside of the earth and the changes deep within that create different minerals, crystals and rocks.They also learned about the rock cycle, and about the properties of rocks to help identify them.
They even got to "grow" their own crystals.
A guest speaker, Mr. Ritchie, who is an amazing rock enthusiast, was invited to class to discuss his own rock collection and how he became a rock hound.
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| Parent of student assists our visitor. |
He inspired students to start collecting their own specimen too. And he invited everyone to the soon-to-open rock and mineral museum in Bethel, Maine, of which he is a board member. Thank you, Mr. Ritchie!
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