Grade 5 - Experimental Design and Conquering Towers

While I was away on the Ozark Mountains expedition with Grade 6 the learning did not stop in science class. We are lucky to have Derik Howell as my sub consistently throughout the year and he and I plan the same lessons that I would do if I was in the building. While I was away, the students put our preparatory work around experimental design into practice and completed a class experiment around the effect of size on the distance flown by a paper airplane. They prototyped different design models and selected ten different sized papers. Their conclusions showed that the smallest and largest planes flew the least distance, but there was little variance between their middle sized planes.

Grade 5 also had their first expedition of the year this week.  We headed to Camp Wyman to test our climbing abilities on the high challenge course.  These boys have had a number of tree climbing experiences with me last year and they are quite skilled, but scaling a 45ft tower on a cave ladder definitely tested their mettle.

Prepping for the climb

Teambuilding at it's finest.  Students belaying students.

After the climb we talked about how we can transfer the feeling of overcoming the challenges on the ropes course to putting in the hard work and overcoming challenges in other areas of our lives.  It was a great day and I couldn't be more proud of 5th grade boys!

Big thanks to Ashley Carr and Tom Cordes for chaperoning the event.  I loved when the staff members said to me, "It's pretty cool that all the adults with your group are climbing with the kids.  That's really rare around here."  WE ARE CDS! 

Back at School

Our focus is now squarely on completing experiments surrounding our favorite terrestrial crustaceans... pill bugs!  Technically we are studying pill bugs AND sow bugs, but either way you probably know them as roly-polies.  We started by observing our specimens closely and then completing labeled, technical drawings of them in our STEAM journals.

Now the students are using choice chambers to investigate pill bug preferences like moist vs dry, light vs dark, color preferences, and even calculating the speed of the different species and comparing this to the size of the organism.

The students will be working on their independent investigations over the course of the next two weeks and then creating powerpoint presentations that shares their findings.  They will do a formal presentation of their findings to the class and I will video these and post them on YouTube to share with families.  They have really loved this project so far and I know they will be excited to share all of their experiments with you soon.  Until then!

Grade 6 - Ozark Mountains Expedition

Grade 6's inaugural Ozark Mountains expedition was a huge success and we are so excited to share what we learned, comparisons to our Smoky Mountains expedition last spring, reflections on our adventures, photographs, and artistic expressions over the coming weeks!

But first, I would like to send a big THANK YOU to our chaperones on the trip...  Alexis Mićić, Deanna Kuhlmann-Leavitt, Corrie Marks, Mike Taetz, David Fitzler, Matt Rollo, Josh Mandell, and Darren Haskell! Without them this expedition would not have been possible and I am so grateful for the time and energy they spent making sure all of our students were safe, fed, and engaged in the learning throughout the trip.  

THANK YOU also to all of our Ozark partners:

• Wyatt Layman (Missouri Department of Conservation)
• Dave Tobey (National Park Service)
• Josh Chilton (National Park Service)
• May Ann Mutrux (retired, MO State)
• Jim Newberry and Renee Greenshields (Echo Bluff Lodge)
• Rick Mansfield (storyteller)
• Ryan Chilton and The Faretheewells
• Twin Pines Nature Center (Winona, MO)

To recap, our 6th grade students spent the first five weeks of the school year preparing for this expedition.  They learned how to conduct various aquatic experiments, researched background information on the history of logging in Missouri, and how to physically and mentally prepare for an expedition of this magnitude.  

Now that we have returned from the trip, the next phase of the project is for the students to analyze their experimental data, write post-trip reflections, and compose narratives on what they learned.  Then they will use these artifacts to produce a mural display that will also showcase their art reflection pieces and a plethora of photos that will tell the story of our adventure.  

They will also share ecological comparisons they learned on the Smoky Mountains expedition and how these trips influenced their perspective on the world around them.  We are very excited to announce that this display will be unveiled on Monday, Nov 7.  We will also have the Green Schools Are Better display at our school that week.  This is a paneled, chalkboard display that the CDS community will be invited to write on throughout the week, so please be sure to stop by and see the students' work and add to the board why YOU believe in Green Schools.

As far as the trip recap... I won't get into a lot of details here in the blog, as not to take the steam away from the students' mural presentation, but I'd like to share a small chronological glimpse into our expedition.  A story told in only pictures... for more info visit CDS the week of Nov 7!

Drip, drip... GUSH!

Greetings from 4-5-6 Science! 

If you attended Back to school night you probably heard me reference my communication style as "drip, drip... gush!"  Creating a new science curriculum using experiential and problem-based methodologies is very exciting, but extremely time-consuming.  For example, the 6th grade is getting a lot of my attention right now as we prepare for our weeklong Ozark Mountains expedition.  There are so many details and logistics and things we need to do in class to make sure this trip is successful.  I appreciate everyone's patience as I try to balance teaching, leading expeditions, and communicating information to parents in a timely fashion, but please know that my number one concern is making sure our daily classroom experience is valuable and meaningful.  Right now I have enough time to design/implement new curriculum for our students on a daily basis and still do a ton more work around planning our expeditions and that's about all.  I've even realized how much less I've been tweeting this year and it is a direct result of how busy we are school right now (in a good way!)  When I've got four different student groups, planning four different independent investigations for their aquatic experiments there is so much great work happening, but we're all so engaged that I never even take out my phone to snap a picture of it!  I rather enjoy living in the moment with the kids and making the most of our classroom time together, but the downside is you're about to get a massive, and long overdue, update from 4-5-6 Science!  GUSH!

4th Grade Update

Our 4th grade students started the year by exploring basic principles of the metric system.  Students learned how to measure lengths, masses, and volumes using scientific tools.  We also spent time learning how to convert between metric measurements.  They learned the difference between quantitative and qualitative data and had a chance to practice collecting both kinds of data.  This foundational work will be built upon all year as the students complete their own scientific investigations. 

                 

After our foray into the metric system, the students began to prepare for their first overnight expedition of the year at Shaw Nature Reserve.  We talked a lot in class about the mission of Shaw Nature Reserve to promote stewardship through educational experiences and how we can transfer that same mission to our daily behaviors at school and how we interact with the world.

Our first day at Shaw was H-O-T.  The sweltering heat didn't stop us from learning though as we headed to Brushy Creek for a stream investigation.  The students began to understand that there is much more living in the water than one would think upon first glance and were amazed at the amount and diversity of indicator species we were able to find. This is a great jumping off point for our 4th grade students who are going to study Missouri ecosystems this fall and then aquatic ecology in the spring.

We also had a chance to experience some of the trials and tribulations pioneers and settlers went through as they had to work the land to form new homes and lives.  In the evening we went on a night hike and learned how animals have adapted to life at night and how our own senses are heightened when our vision is limited.

The next day we had a different obstacle to overcome... rain.  Rain is probably my least favorite weather condition.  The students were troopers and did a great job of keeping a positive attitude as we modified and adjusted the schedule to work around the weather.  We were able to go on a hike to the wetlands to listen for frog species and we still got in our fishing program, although we were pretty soggy by the time it was all said and done!

On our third and final day, the plan was to go canoeing at Simpson Lake to learn water safety and basic paddling strokes.  This calm water experience was meant to prepare the students for their moving water experience this spring when we float 5-miles on our Aquatic Ecology overnight in April.  Once again the weather gods were not on our side.  The forecast for our third day was looking worse than the weather we experienced on the second day.  The forecast called for more severe storms and extreme wind.  Not ideal conditions for students to be in metal canoes on water...

Therefore, we once again modified our plans and with the help of the wonderful staff at Climb So iLL, we were able to take the students rock climbing.  Climbing is yet another skill that we will build upon over the course of the 4-5-6 science curriculum.  4th graders will tree climb this year and also use both forms of climbing during their 5th grade year during our study of physics/force and motion.  After two days of intense weather the kids all seemed pretty jazzed that they got the day off from dealing with weather systems and just got to enjoy climbing with friends.

Thanks to Mr. Mićić for helping us at the gym!  We are CDS!

We have some pretty impressive climbers in this group!

Climb So iLL is located in Lafayette Square at 1419 Carroll St, St. Louis, MO 63104.
Visit www.climbsoill.com for more information.

5th Grade Update

Our 5th grade students started the year by taking ownership of the recycled bottled greenhouse that last year's 5th graders created for the Green Schools Quest.  A summer of weed growth and wind storms had left our greenhouse looking pretty shabby, so our first task was to clean her up. After a day of maintenance the greenhouse was well on it's way to returning to her former glory.  Structurally the greenhouse is in great condition... besides for the roof that was removed by wind microbursts. This became our first project for the year.

We talked about a variety of ways we could repair the roof. One idea was to create a Spanish tile-style roof out of some of the remaining 2-liter bottles from last year's collection drive.  We spent a few days working with the materials and realized that the weight of the bottles was not going to make a sustainable solution to this problem.  We shifted gears and decided to cover the roof in plastic sheeting again, and use the leftover bottles to create two gutters to capture the runoff from the roof and deliver it to a rain barrel.

After a few days of prototyping and revising, we finally found what seemed to be a viable option and installed the two gutters on the greenhouse.  After we installed the gutters we came to the conclusion that our design might work okay, but that it doesn't look like it will hold up for any length of time.  We've decided to keep an eye on it for now, but will most likely create a new design later that is one continuous piece that will better transport the water.  Green Schools Quest looms around the corner, so this may be a piece of this year's submission or it may be something we tackle in the spring.  If anyone has an old rain barrel they would like to get rid of please let me know! 

5th grade students are now learning the foundations of experimental design.  This week we spent our time learning about independent, dependent, and control variables.  The students were able to practice identifying these variables independently and will now move into writing testable questions, forming hypotheses, writing procedures, data collection, and graphing.  This will be the bulk of our work over the next several weeks.

On Friday, October 7, the boys and I will be going to Camp Wyman for the day to use the high ropes challenge course.  We will be using this climb to unpack the variables that go into climbing/belaying and designing potential experiments that could be conducted on an alpine tower.  If any parents would like to attend, please let me know!

6th Grade Update

The Ozark Mountains expedition is right around the corner!  We've been working on preparing for this trip since the first day of school and all of that work is about to payoff.  We spent extensive time researching and learning about the history of Missouri forests and the timber and logging industries that decimated the area 100 years ago.  We've learned how this destruction also paved the way for improved forestry practices and sustainable land management.  

This week, the students have focused on chemical water testing as part of their independently designed aquatic experiments.  Students will be collecting abiotic data by measuring pH, nitrates, phosphates, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen.  Students will be working in pairs during their canoeing trip to collect this data and compare it to some other variable of their choice.  Other examples of variables they have chosen to collect are velocity, the discharge/flow, and macroinvertebrate life.

 

STEAM journals

As you have probably heard from your students, this year I am introducing something new to 4-5-6 science... STEAM journals.  STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, ART, and math.  The students have all been given a kit of art supplies that includes watercolors, mechanical pencils, artist quality markers and a high quality sketchbook.  Our science notebooks will be used to collect facts and raw data while out STEAM journals are a place for us to reflect and synthesize information.  I was originally going to pilot these journals with only the 6th grade this year, but then I realized that if we want our future 6th graders to be producing high quality work that shows layers of understandings via creative expression, then our 4th and 5th graders need to start journaling now.  

I could not be happier with the early results and have been blessed to have Derik Howell (art teacher trained) assisting me with equipping the students with the art skills they need to have to create these science and art mashups.  The students LOVE working in these journals.  They request it on an almost daily basis and when they are working you could hear a pin drop in the room they are so focused and engaged in their work.

Hudson's technical drawing of a crayfish

5th grade students' technical drawings of a mealworms.

4th grade students adding color to their notes about ecosystem interactions

Science in the CDS community

I love it when I get emails and texts from parents showing me examples of things we are studying in class that they see in their yards and neighborhoods!  The Leavitt's sent me a picture of their pollinator plants attracting monarch butterflies and caterpillars.  The Rollo's sent me video of a barred owl hooting in their backyard and a great horned owl perched on their basketball hoop.  

These bottom two pictures are from my own pollinator garden which is thriving 

with plants we grew in our greenhouse last year!

Pedal the Cause

If back to school wasn't a crazy enough time, I've also been continuing to ride my bike 2-3 times a week to prepare for the Pedal the Cause charity ride at the end of the month.  This year I'll be doing the 55-mile course, but we will also be riding there and back to make it a 100-mile day.  I've been training all summer long and have logged 880 miles this summer.  My goal was to reach 1000 miles by the end of September and I should eclipse that mark while riding the Pedal the Cause course.  

I must be a glutton for punishment because this ride is the day before I lead the weeklong Ozark Mountains expedition!  This week I rode to CDS and every time I do I secretly hope to see an owl sitting on the greenhouse as I loop around the upper parking lot... no luck yet!

If you would like to donate to my Pedal the Cause ride please visit this link:

http://stlouis.pedalthecause.org/riders_profile.jsp?MemberID=62130

You can expect another blog update in October where I can not wait to share with you our experiences from the Ozark Mountains expedition.  Until then!