A little more snow-work

On right is a graphic taken from the NY Times comparing snow totals for Mid-Atlantic cities from last year and this year against the average. It's amazing how a 2-3 degree shift in the temperature can turn an inch of rain into 15-20 inches of snow, and a normal workweek into a second winter break.

I now have 37/46 responses to the review assignment I posted on Tuesday. I'm impressed. I've thought of using this format for homework in the past, but for some reason I thought it might be too difficult to manage for students. Now I see that even under the most trying of circumstances you all responded well. So that little experiment pays off and I can put it in my back pocket for another day.

Since school will be closed until Tuesday, I'm going to post one more assignment on the homework page to make sure we all stay in the swing of things. It's an outline assignment for Chapter 2. You can use your textbook, notes, the newest podcast, and/or the internet to complete this assignment. It would be great if everyone were done with this one in time for class on Tuesday, but I understand there are extenuating circumstances.

There are a few students who are waiting to retake our most recent test. That retake will happen on Wednesday during study hall. I can take questions regarding that retest between now and then, via email or in school on Tuesday (assuming yet another record-defying blizzard does not develop and bury all of Baltimore in the ultimate "snow-pocalypse").

snOMG

Hi all,

Hope everyone is toasty and warm in their homes, or out on a ski hill somewhere. Quite the weather we're having. Considering that we're missing several days in a row of school, Ms Herrity encouraged teachers to assign some work to keep students mentally agile. 6th graders are currently studying space exploration, so I took the liberty of putting together a review assignment. Just click on the following link to see a homework form that can be done online - no paper needed.

http://tinyurl.com/yzv7uuk

The link is also posted on the homework page. Please use the electronic textbook on MyCalvert to complete the assignment if the paper text isn't available. Some of the questions are straight from the book, and others require some internet research.

Good luck,

MrE

Rocket Scientists

Hello!
Here's a quick update on upcoming events in the science classroom. This week students aremaking and launching water and air powered rockets made from plastic bottles. We brainstormed a list of requirements (fins and a nosecone) and possible supplies (seemingly endless possibilities) in class and we build on Thursday. I made it clear that these are extra items from around the house, not a shopping list for mom and dad. I'm hoping to see a new Calvert record out of this hard working and competitive group. They have a lot of neat ideas and this is always a fun day. We're hoping to launch on Friday, if there's no snow day.

On Friday, February 5th we have the privilege of hosting Dr Don Thomas,

a former astronaut and current Director of Hackerman Academy of Mathematics and Science at Towson University. Dr Thomas comes highly recommended from Makayla G-P, who volunteers with Dr Thomas every other weekend at Saturday Morning Science (SMC),at TU. SMC is a series of programs suitable for all ages, focusing on all kinds of awesome topics. I can't wait to hear about his experiences on shuttle missions, and aboard the International Space Station.

It's an action-packed couple of weeks, and the big International Space Station quarter project is coming up soon as well. I'll also be returning our most recent test here in a couple of days.

MrE

Cow Eye Dissection

5th graders dissected eyes on Monday. I sense a few future surgeons...

Happy New Year

Hi All,

Welcome to 2010! This year has some great things in store for us - a new topic of study (Astronomy) and some fun new classroom tools. We're finally going to start using our classroom wiki, and we'll be making better use of the podcasts as well.

Our major project in the astronomy unit is building a space station. Students will learn

about the International Space Station by writing a short research paper, then they will demonstrate their knowledge by creating a model space station in small groups. The space stations are among my favorite models that students build - they have a few required parts, but the rest is up to to the imagination. In past years I've had built-in Starbucks, paintball courses, shopping malls, grocery stores, and a host of other extra rooms they feel a flying clubhouse just "has to have." We end up hanging them from the ceiling of the science room and dodging the parts as they fall off for the rest of the year. It's a blast - but we won't be starting that process for a few weeks.

We also get the chance to visit the Luetkemeyer Planetarium a few times. Since it was revamped a couple of summers ago it gives us a great chance to fly around the solar system, visit other stars and galaxies, and to get an idea of just how vast and wonderful our universe is. I love planetarium days.

Finally, before we move forward we have to take a quick look at our past. We'll spend a couple of days reviewing the mid-term exam and discussing how we prepared for it. Overall scores were excellent and we'll see what we can learn from this test that will help us prepare for exams in the future.

MrE

PS - I had to share a photo of the Ewen House during that snowstorm at the beginning of Winter Break.

Cavalier Cafe

Students are about to embark on a set of mini-projects between now and exam review week. Those projects have been thinly veiled as menu items. Students are able to choose a certain number of items that add up to a fixed price. Some items are appetizers, some are entrees and others are desserts. Desserts and appetizers are meant to be shared, but can be completed on an individual basis. Examples of the appetizers are creating podcasts for chapter sections, or filming a short demonstration. Entree options are a research paper, a re-written textbook entry, or a building project. Entrees are solely individual. The desserts are a Song & Dance written and performed by a group of students, or a lab completed in small groups.





By then end each student will have completed several small to large projects, some on their own, others with friends. They will have surveyed the chapter and covered most of the main concepts. Hopefully it will be a little bit fun as well.
It is one of my favorite projects of the year- I know many of the students will enjoy it as well.

All right! Chapter two test is here tomorrow. Hope everyone took advantage of the extra time to study and we're not looking at too much cramming tonight.

After our test tomorrow we'll have a special week. Mrs. Frederick will be coming down to the science room for one day to help 6th graders get ready for our big distance-learning day on December 4th. And (drumroll) Mrs. Merwin will be in the lab for a couple of days to talk about (continue drumroll) gender differences and growing up. 6th grade is the first time we're all combined for this little talk, so it's especially exciting. Woo Hoo!

Big week! Get ready!

Test next Tuesday!

We'll have a test over chapter 2 of the Earth's Waters book on 11/17. Between now and then students should be working with a plan to spread out their studying. My suggestion:

• Wednesday: complete homework for tonight and play flashcard games for 10-15 minutes.
• Thursday: complete homework for tonight and listen to first two podcasts.
  
• Friday: re-read chapter 2 notes for 10-15 minutes, clarify notes with the textbook where necessary
  
• Saturday: none (listen to podcasts if necessary)
  
• Sunday: flashcard games for 5-10 minutes, review updated notes for 15 -20 minutes.
• Monday: complete chapter review on page 89-90. Try not to use the book whenever possible.
  

Try to limit the studying to 20-30 minutes per night at most. It's important to have organized study materials at home, so students don't spend too much time looking for things to study. It's also important to study earlier in the day.

Good luck!

Community Outreach Tree Planting

Hi All,

It's been a busy last few weeks. 6th graders have wrapped up portfolios, planted trees, conducted experiments, and gone on field trips. I've had a lot of fun, and I'm sure they have too.

Below is a set of pictures from our Fall tree planting trip. Not all of the students attended, and those who didn't will get another chance in the Spring. Enjoy!

Echo Hill Preparation

Hi All,

This week 6th graders took their first science test of the year. I haven't yet graded them because I've been hard at work coordinating medications, assigning tents, and getting supplies together for next week's big trip to Echo Hill Outdoor School. At first glance though, the tests look pretty good. No one ran out of time, and almost every blank on every test has an attempted answer in it. Good signs.

On to Echo Hill. On Friday I sent home another packing list; this one had an "x" next to necessary items. With the weather forecast now in sight we can answer some more questions that the 6th graders were asking this week.

1. Will the same faculty members be there all week? No, Mr. Ewen, Mr. Skeen, and Mrs. Kamp will be there from Monday until Wednesday. Ms. Herrity, Mr. Rossi, and Mr. Broy will be there from Wednesday until Friday. Mrs. Lears will be there Tuesday and Wednesday.
   
2. Do I really need rain pants? No. A rain jacket is a necessity, but bring at least one pair of pants that will dry out easily - nylon jogging pants work very well.
3. What about shoes? One pair of sneakers/hiking boots and a pair of plastic sandals, like flip flops or crocs, should do it. Maybe another pair of old sneakers if your child tends to get super-muddy.
   
4. How cold is it going to get? 70s in the day and upper 40s at night - bring a warm sleeping bag and sweats to sleep in.
5. Do I need a sweatshirt and a sweater? No, a sweatshirt should be sufficient.
   
6. Must I have waterproof/rain boots? It's not worth going out and buying them, but if you have a pair bring them.
7. What about cameras? Cameras are encouraged. The cheapest cameras are best. There's a big bay out there hungry for electronics.
   
8. What time are we leaving and returning? The bus leaves Calvert at 8:45 on Monday and returns at about 2:30 on Friday.
9. Souvenirs? There are t-shirts and steel water bottles available for about $15.00 each.
10. Can't I just borrow bug spray? No, we have students with allergies to various active ingredients in repellent along, so be sure to bring your own.
11. Is there really going to be swimming? It isn't required, but the Bay is there and it is handy to have a bathing suit because of all the activities/classes where students have a 100% chance of getting some part of them wet. Better to soak the swim trunks than that one pair of favorite shorts that a 12 year boy will live in for 5 days straight.
    
12. Is there anything I need that isn't on the list? YES--BRING A COUPLE OF LARGE PLASTIC TRASH BAGS. They come in handy for dirty clothes, wet clothes, trash, emergency ponchos, backpack covers, waterproof socks, and all kinds of other things. And they're cheap. And they're really small. And everyone probably already has them at home.
13. Do I really need a flashlight? Be sure to bring a flashlight or headlamp, and extra batteries for your light. Nothing is more annoying than running out of batteries on Tuesday night at 8:15.
14. How big a water bottle should I bring? It doesn't really matter as long as you have one. There are water fountains, but they aren't always in the most accessible of places.
    
15. Can I bring food? They're joking about the no candy policy, right? Nope. No joke. Candy and other food attracts animals. And not the animals you want to see. Nothing says fun like finding a small gray visitor in your bag helping itself to a buffet of skittles and snickers bars. Nothing ruins a trip like finding out that a "cat" with one white stripe down its back sneaked into your tent while you were on a night hike.

If you have any questions, just contact me: jewen at calvertschool dot org

Time to go pack a bag...

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

Shark Attack!

The classroom was invaded by Spiny Dogfish Sharks last week. Luckily, the 6th graders used their knowledge of scalpels, scissors, and fish anatomy to fend them off. On the first day the students explored the exterior anatomy of the fish, learning the structure and functions of the different fins and about placoid scales. On day two they took their shark outside in order to open them up and examine the organs and tissues.



Mrs. Williams 9th age girls also joined us to check out what was going on. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed the dissection

Getting 5th Graders Into the Flow...

Mrs. Merwin took some fabulous video clips of 5th graders just the other day and I can't resist sharing them.



This one is great too!




Looks like I'm going to have to copy Mrs. Merwin, again...

Earth Day

April 22nd is Earth Day. There are all kinds of festivities going on all over the place, and we're jumping into the fray. St. Paul's School for Girls is hosting the first annual Earth Day Symposium for students in grades 5-12. There will be ton of exhibits and workshops, hands-on activities presented by experts in their fields, and presentations by students. A few weeks ago I announced this to our middle school students in an assembly and I'm pleased that a number of them will be going along. They've picked out sessions they'd like to attend, from Environmental Crime Investigations to Organic Farming and Cooking.

I can't wait to participate, and to hear what the students learn. It's a wonderful chance to get out of the classroom and see what's going on in the world.

Giving Back

This Wednesday the 6th graders (and a few 7th graders) who planted trees on March 25 are hosting a bake sale to try and repay the Herring Run Watershed Association for the cost of the trees we planted.

Students have volunteered to bring in cookies, brownies, cupcakes, eclairs, cannolis, cheesecake, plates, napkins, and most importantly, fudge.

I realize that by volunteering, they have actually volunteered their parents to go to the store, buy the ingredients, supervise the baking, package the food and remind them to bring it to school Wednesday morning.

Thank you.

Tree Planting 2009

Last Wednesday a group of 6th and 7th graders went around the corner to Dewees Park and planted trees with guidance from members of the Herring Run Watershed Association. In a little over 2 hours they planted 30 trees. What was really impressive wasn't the number, but the spirit. If there was something to be done, our students did it. They learned all of the most important steps in planting a young tree in an urban area. They dug an appropriate sized hole, amended the soil with a drought aid, teased out the roots, backfilled, watered, mulched, pounded posts, and staked the saplings out. They even did a little upkeep on some pre-existing trees that needed some help.



It might be my faulty memory, but I don't recall hearing a single complaint. We had students working from tree to tree using a pick to break up rocks and hard soil. We had students assigned to picking up all the trash we generated. Students checked each others plantings for mistakes and helped haul water in buckets from the hose to their sapling. They shoveled mulch into buckets and carried it across the park in bags. I'm sure there were blisters and scrapes and broken nails. I was impressed with their labor, as were the folks from the Watershed Association.

Quick plug: If you live in or near the Jones Falls Watershed, or the Herring Run Watershed, they are constantly in need of volunteers for all kinds of activities. Both are easy to work with and have dates posted on their websites (see links above) for stream cleanups, tree plantings, rain barrel workshops, and other opportunities. It would be a great way to serve the community as a family, or on your own.

We had one injured student who offered to serve as our photographer for the day. (She didn't get injured by the pick; her arm was already in a cast :) Here's a sampling of the shots she took. Look for your student in action.

3 - 2 - 1 - Blastoff!

Today we launched the rockets and collected data about the hang time, the amount of fuel, and the mass of the rocket. It was a lot of fun! Oh, and we learned things too.

Here are the pictures from 1st Period.



Here are the pictures from 3rd period.



Finally, 6th period. They all did a wonderful job. The rocket with the longest flight time was from 6th period--I think they had the benefit of the experience of the earlier classes.

Water Rocket Construction Day

While students are writing and sketching and diligently working outside of class, we're making water rockets!



Tomorrow we launch!