Wednesday, February 28, 2018

PRIMARY PERFORMERS PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS 
Our remaining first and second grade classes performed Tuesday evening and promoted environmental awareness.  Students encouraged others to protect our surroundings through their artwork, song and dance.  We thank our students for an entertaining and important evening.  We also thank Ms. Warner, Mrs. Petty and Ms. Dazzio for preparing students. 






GOOGLE EXPEDITIONS
Students in grades 2-5 had fun experimenting with Google's augmented reality.  Students were able to explore objects virtually that tied to grade level science units.  Students learning about severe weather, for example, traveled inside volcanos, hurricanes and tornadoes.  Students learning about the body systems went inside a human heart and digestive system.  Students loved this hands on experience!  Students reflected on the guiding inquiry questions shown below as they explored different virtual objects/events.  They also noted how their background knowledge, or schema, changed after their experience.  Click here to learn more about Google expeditions.  We thank our technology teacher, Mrs. Fleet, fro bringing this opportunity to GRE.









STUDENTS WRITE LIKE SCIENTISTS 
Students in several grade levels are immersed in informational writing, or writing that teaches readers different things about a subject matter.  Students in grades K-5 study informational writing in addition to narrative and persuasive writing genres.  Students are learning how to organize similar information and determine the most important information gained through research and/or experimentation.  They are also learning how to paraphrase facts and data.

In this current unit second graders are writing like scientists.  They are recording guiding questions, their hypothesis, procedures, results and conclusions while engaging in several force and motion experiments.  One experiment required students to test if cars sent down a ramp moved farther on the carpet or tile.  Students used their background knowledge, or schema, of friction and force and motion to describe their initial hypothesis and findings.  Students will move on to change multiple variables, such as the type of car, ramp and surface, and describe their experience through this integrated science and literacy unit.


"If we change one plastic car to a metal Hot Wheels car we think that it will be fast and it will pick up more speed and not flip over and fall off the ramp.  Hypothesis:  I think that it will go two feet because it is a Hot Wheels and it has some weight and the brand Hot Wheels are good cars and fast."


SPRING CONFERENCES
Spring conferences will be held on March 8 and March 15.  We believe that conferences are an opportunity to celebrate your child's progress and continue to collaborate on his/her goals.  Our electronic sign up is open.  Please click here for the link to Canyon Creek Online Scheduler.  The password is digger.

UPCOMING EVENTS
* March 8: Spring Conferences
* March 12-16: Spring Book Fair
* March 15: Spring Conferences
* March 19-23: Spring Break