Rivers, Lakes and Streams

Hi All,

This week we've been working on an activity based on the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889, where thousands of settlers lined up to stake their claim on a piece of free land. In the Calvert Land Rush of 2009 dozens of 6th graders staked their claim on waterfront property on the stream table in Room 110 and watched as the meandering river either eroded their homestead away or deposited more land in their claim, the best of all possible deals. Students quickly learned the power of water and its ability to build & destroy. One of the highlights was watching students cheer as "Industrialist Bob" built dams that changed the course of the river, always to the detriment of the best laid plans (nothing brings good cheer like watching your neighbors farm get flooded).

In addition, we took our first vocabulary quiz of the year, and most of us did quite well. I'll be sending grade reports home at the end of next week. We will also have our first chapter test in about a week and a half. I'm aiming for Wednesday, September 30. In the meantime, students can keep working on their flashcards and review their notes.

Properties of Water

Wow, that was a quick week. We started off by reviewing last week's "Drops on a Penny" lab, then took some notes over the properties of water. I introduced the students to a KWL+ chart, a graphic organizer that helps them with reading new material and reflecting back on what was important. There are lots of ways to make sure a student has pulled out the important concepts in a reading without "answering questions 1-10 in complete sentences" (Not that there isn't a time and a place for questions and answers - almost all the time, almost everywhere). Hopefully students will be exposed to a lot of new strategies this year in all their classes. At the end of the week we worked on a lab that illustrated the concept of specific heat, one of the toughest concepts students learn in 6th grade science. Water has a very high specific heat capacity, which gives it some unique properties. It's a tough concept because it's very abstract. Hopefully calculating that number will help the concept become real.
Click to see the schedules for sports that started Wednesday. Finally, we all have the option of an after-school outlet for all that nervous energy that builds up over the course of the day. In the past I've found that school life gets much better when sports are in the mix. I coach girl's soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, and baseball in the spring, and I know that I appreciate the chance to get out and interact with students on a different level than in the classroom or at lunch. Sports give teachers and students a more well-rounded view of the folks they come into contact with every day.
Finally, this afternoon is the first 6th grade mixer at Skateland. "What schools are going to be there?" "Do I have to go?" "Will there be a lot of girls?" "Will there be boys?" "Will I have to talk to them?" So many questions. So many concerns. So little time...

Happy New Year! (Or something like that)

We've kicked off the new school year and I am ecstatic about the days we have ahead of us. It's science 2.0. A new look, new features, and a brand new interface. The lab is a blank slate waiting to be decorated by the things we learn and do together.
Students have heard quite a bit about what is to come but I'll explain here for the benefit of parents whose children don't run home and immediately repeat every word that Mr. Ewen said to them over the course of the week.

There are three electronic features that are different from 5th grade. The first is this blog. The blog is primarily a place for communication between me and y'all. For the most part, if it is written here students have already heard/experienced it. I'll write about upcoming events, post resources that I find, and recap highlights.

The second feature is a space that's primarily for students. In a week or so they'll be getting their laptops back and I'll provide them with student accounts for our classroom wiki. A wiki is a webpage that can be edited by members. Below is a short video by CommonCraft that explains its use better than I can.

The 3rd feature your students may not have had in a class before is access to class podcasts. Podcasts are free audio recordings that can be listened to from their laptop or downloaded from a service like iTunes. I'll be podcasting notes, directions, and other important info for students who just need to hear it one or two more times. Sometimes notes just aren't enough.

I really look forward to seeing you all at parent night and answering some of your questions about what's in store for us this year. If you have questions before then, feel free to leave me a voicemail @ ext 283, or email me at work. JE