Friday, March 7, 2014

How do You Evaluate

Describe how you use PBEMDAS to evaluate expressions and equations.  This week you need to write one equation that includes 6 of the 7 rules in the order of operations and explain step by step how you solve the problem.  You may use one of the math problems from this week's homework.  Remember to explain where you are in the steps and what you did to solve it.  Put your name at the end.


Thursday, March 6, 2014

Hey, Did You HEAR That?

Mr. Musselman came for a visit today to review some grade three sound science and extend our thinking to some harder fifth grade ideas.  Sounds start as vibrations through matter (solid, liquid or gas) as sound waves and our ears take in the sounds for our brains to interpret.
When we push out sounds, we are pushing air particles which are spread apart.  These spread out particles hit each other creating a sound wave.  Waves move more successfully through liquids and solids because the particles are more densely packed so they all hit and bump further out.  The best conductor of sound would be a solid.  

But, where is the proof?  Mr. Musselman used a horn and his own voice to demonstrate how sound can be heard above water even if it is made in the water.  It works but it is muffled: here's why.  Both the instrument and human voices use air to create the push of air molecules to make a sound wave.  The air molecules' spread out push does not have a huge impact on the water's more densely packed molecules causing the muffled sound.  Simply put we are not made to most effectively make sound in water.





Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Let the Experiments Begin


The Scientific Method


Question
Information
Hypothesis
Experiment
Record and Study Data
Draw a Conclusion



















We  began most experiments today.  Plans were complete, measurements, charts and supplies in place and the children were eager to go.  There were paper airplanes flying, balls bouncing and rolling, ice cream melting, paper towels being tested for strength and sponges for absorbency.  The activity was robust and the scientists were bursting with enthusiasm.  Experiments should conclude next week with still more to go.  We still have graphs to make, evidence to explain and conclusions to draw.  Can't wait to see what is on the horizon.




Saturday, March 1, 2014

Curiosity Club: BEF Grant put to Good Use

Weighing and Measuring, Oh My


So, the materials have been purchased and distributed.  The children have written their questions and set up a plan and some even put them out to be ready for next week.  Next week comes the real experiments but let's see where they are at right now!


These two ladies will be measuring what different salts do to ice cream in a certain amount of time






This due is building a runway for different size and weight balls.  They want to know how far the fan can blow the balls and which speed will blow the balls the furthest.  This will be allot of measuring Tuesday.









But of course no amount of experiments is complete without the age old question, "Which sponge holds the most water?"  The world may never know.  We can't wait to report out about the actual experiments next week.  Stay tuned for our completed experiments!

Happy Dr. Seuss Day



Our new ELA tradition continues with our Cat in the Hat Scavenger Hunt.  Let's see what the children had to offer for clues in Seussical form!



Thing 1 and Thing 2
Have scattered some clues
We have fluffy blue hair
And pop out of nowhere
Even though we are crazy, clumsy and messy too
Come out of your office, we want to play with you
Go to each place and collect a new clue
The clue you will find; it’s clear what to do
Each item you find you must wear til you’re through








Go to the brooms and mops.
You will be really close to Mr.Marsh.
There is a lot of slarsh.
This person cleans up messes, while doing his task.



Behind the panda 
A place full of quietness 
Next to the stanzas 
A place full of facts 
It always has peacefulness 
You can always relax 




With carts filled
With smarts
Where you can type 
And you can skype 
A place to refill your tea and 
No chance to get stung by a bee
A place to search the web 
You're head can go KABLEB!
It's set on a marathoner's table 
That's attached to a cable




Where dinosaurs take over every year,
There are a lot of seats with numbers,
And possibly Thing one and Thing two will hide in row L and seat 13,
And this is where people gain lots of fear.

It's the place where you use forks
Where you see a lot of windows
And you eat lots of porks
With some one-handed shmimbose
It's under the 5th grade tables 
Where there's probably a lot of clabels





Near the gym, this room is fun.
It is as fun as playing in the sun.
In this room you will hear no sound.
Unless everybody is jumping around.
You will go past a room of things.
And these things are called swings.
You might find this clue in a pit.
Just so you won't throw a fit.

Where sport players are born 
And records are broken 
where there is only one court
and checkers will never be played 
it does not matter if you are short 
all that matters is how good you are at a sport
there is also some very encouraging signs 
go to the place where it says fw a couple of times 


Go to a place where two teachers teach
Don't be surprised if you run into a sneech 
Go and find where storage is kept 
Where music is their only quest 
Where seats sit one by one 
Where music and work gets done 

The kindergarten hallway 
Has a lot of doorways 
Where the rainforest project began 
This classroom collected cans 
This classroom is near the cafeteria 
And it is a media 
This classroom is near the library 
Which has a lot of dairies.





PEMDAS

PEMDAS

Can you write me an equation one way and change the solution by adding or taking out parentheses? Show it both ways with the answers. Work it out step by step and line by line just like we do in class. Make sure to put your first name at the end of your post. Be sure to show EVERY step!




Example:  6*10+4=64                or               6(10+4)=84
                60+4=64                                      6(14)=84