Hi there. We are halfway through!!!!! Tomorrow we will finish math and reading tests. Then Friday, we have one science test left. Thank you for perfect attendance two days in a row!!!!! Kids are loving the $100 rewards. Let's go for the trifecta tomorrow.
Thank you too for better bedtime homework. We had almost 100% in bed asleep by 9:00. I could tell that the kids felt more relaxed and rested today. By the sounds of it, there were also a lot of protein breakfasts this morning. The mind is such a powerful thing. If kids believe they have done all that they can to be ready, they are ready! We are what we think!
In science, we have ventured on to how to tell how old a fossil is. Since none of us were around a million years ago, we have to use rocks and fossils to help us figure out when, where, how, why the world was the way it is. Our last unit talks about how fossils got where they are. It talks about the idea of Pangea. When we talk Pangea (all continents put together as one), we also talk about how volcanoes are formed. When we talk about volcanoes being formed, then we drag out the pop bottles and have to blow them up...literally. Information sheets and how tos will be coming home. Each student will get to build an active volcano and then blow its top at school. Fun!!!!!!
In SS, we started our tour of the SW states. We went to the deserts of Arizona today and figured out why the Hoover Dam was built the way it was and how. Ask your child to explain to you how the engineers got rid of the water in order to build the dam. If they can tell you, write HOOVER in the planner for $20. Also ask them how long it took to dry the concrete, how much concrete it took, and how they got it to dry so quickly. If they can tell you all of that, then write CONCRETE in the planner for another $20. Pretty fun stuff. We also saw that there are a lot of sedimentary rocks in this region, along with American Indians. Cool stuff.
Speaking of American Indians, one of our students is blessed with being a Crow Indian. His grandfather is eager to come and talk to the class about that culture. I will be arranging it soon. I can't wait to add some more cool facts about this culture into our MT History notebooks.
I think that about sums it up. Have a great night! Thanks for supporting those kids. They have great attitudes about testing and I know that your support is helping. Night!
