To return after a vacation week demands enthusiasm--there are approximately ten big weeks of teaching ahead, and we want those weeks to be worthwhile and memorable.
What will the first week back bring?
Students will begin by getting organized with sharpened color pencils and then leading our school assembly--that will help everyone get back on track.
Then they'll have some time for recess, and after that we'll dive into fraction problem solving and model making. Throughout the rest of the day, I'll teach that fraction lesson a couple times more, meet with both grade-level and school-wide colleagues and give students some time to work on their biography project reading and research.
The rest of the week will find me working with students to problem solve utilizing concepts including order of operations and volume.
Students will also spend time studying science via a Bill Nye wetlands video, observing conservation of mass, and physical vs chemical change. For conservation of mass we'll find the mass of ice and then see how that mass does not change when it melts to water. We'll also notice that this is a physical change since there was only a phase change not a property change. Students will create a graphic model to show that change and record the mass. To demonstrate the chemical change students will blow up balloons with water and vinegar. They'll find the mass of all objects before and after to show the conservation of mass. They'll also mix a variety of matter to create a physical change as they make bouncy balls too. They'll notice the property changes that occur during this change.
At the end of the week, I'll administer the ELA MCAS tests to students.
Professional learning will find me working on the science/math exploration prep as well as the Junior River Ranger booklet. As always, it will be a busy week, and the overall focus will be to support children with as much positive care and attention as possible.
