Another Accomplishment and "Shout Out" for JDRF!!! :)

I am so very proud to annouce that our school raised the top amount of money for JDRF this year. Congratulations to Kayla and Kelsey as well who received sneaker awards for raising over $1,000!! Wowzer, what an accomplishment for this entire JDRF team!! Thanks again for all those who donated their time and helped raise money with us this year. :)

Welcome Ms. Guinn!!

We are so excited to have Ms. Guinn join our classroom this semester. She is a USC student teacher and she will slowly be taking over responsiblity and teaching of this classroom. The students have loved getting to know her, and we are all very excited to have her with us until April. :)

Mock Rock Investigation

I explained that geologists use special tools such as picks to take apart rocks to observe what they are made of. We used a nail and explain that served as their geologist's pick in this activity. We discussed the difference between a rock and a mineral. The kids had a blast and couldn't wait to take home their baggies of what they discovered. :)










They start with observations because when they test the rock, the rocks is usually changed in some way, and geologists want to be able to compare the change with the rock before the test. I explained that Mrs. P had made a simulation of real rocks. Their challenge was to describe the rock in detail so that later, if the rock was changed in any way, they will have a record to refer to. We made surface observations and magnified our observations using magnifying glasses. Our next challenge was to separate and identify as many of the ingredients as we could inside our mock rocks.



In order for the students to understand who geologists are and how they study the materials that make up planet Earth, I introduced them to mock rocks. I made the rocks before Christmas break to ensure they would be dry and hardened for this lab. I explained to the students that geologists make detailed observations of the rocks they want to study.

Geometry Fun

Students were able to practice making angles their own acute, right, and obtuse angles in groups this week. We have been reinforcing these terms and even played the "Making Turns" game.

"YUMMY" Sedimentary Rocks

We finished up our last rock this week by making one large sedimentary rock cookie. We added layers of sugar cookie dough, m&m's, white and dark chocolate chips, raisins and sprinkles. :)

Bring on the New Year!!

Happy New Year!! I hope you and your family enjoyed a nice long winter break, and are feeling refreshed and revived.