HANDS - on Learning

The students indulged me in an activity for place value in math...

using paper tens and ones,

they created their name and figured out how much it was worth!

Continuing in our Rocks and Minerals investigation, the students attempted to find out the hardness of the minerals...

very soft if you could scratch it with your fingernail..

soft if you could scratch it with a penny...

and medium if the nail scratched it.  If it couldn't scratch it with one of those, they considered it hard.  Probably not what the geologist, Mohs, had in mind, but a learning experience none the less.

 

Place Value

Just before we begin adding and subtracting large numbers, the students are demonstrating their understanding of large numbers.  The curriculum asks them to be able to use numbers up to 1000.

Using place value blocks, the students were saying a number with three digits and then their partner was creating it.

If your child has not mastered basic addition and subtraction facts, now would be the time to start reviewing and working towards 'knowing them by heart."  It will make a huge difference as they work through larger numbers.

Such a great field trip deserves this many pictures!

If you haven't been to the Royal Alberta Museum in a while, it's time for a visit with your family.  As busy as we were, we did not get to see every exhibit, and the students were so interested in all there was to see and do!  We spent the morning in a Mineral Investigation led by this woman who is employed by the museum.  

In pairs, the students tried to figure out their Mystery Mineral, using seven different tests that geologists would use in the field.

In these next three photos, these girls are trying to determine how many minerals they can see in a sample of the rock, granite.

Here, with the help of one of the mom volunteers, these young scientists are testing the mineral to see if it carbonates. (If bubbles appear when acid is put on...don't worry...lots of safety precautions were taken!)

This is the hardness test, invented by Mohs of Germany. 

 Hardest mineral on Earth?  Ask your child, or look on your ring finger!

Working with a partner is always reason to smile!

This scientist in the making is seeing if the mineral sample that he has, conducts electricity.

They really enjoyed their investigations and took it seriously.

There are such amazing samples and displays to inspire the students to make further investigations.

Petrified wood...

...and a rock that does not look earthly!

After lunch we participated in a self guided tour of some other areas of the museum, including my favourite, the dioramas with life size animals of Alberta, such as beaver,

pelicans,

caribou,

coyotes,

moose, and

grouse.

We spent time in the display of Aboriginal culture

reading,

taking notes of what interested us,

and discussing with others.

The students were in awe of the life size dinosaur models,

and the fossils we could touch,

and sometimes, they just wanted to sit and wonder about life so long ago.

I was SOOOO impressed with their great work ethic, that I hated to say that it was time to move on,

when they hadn't finished their own investigations.

The bug room was a hit!  Who knew that those tiny creepy crawlies would be so interesting?

The students loved finding them,

pointing out their features,

and watching them crawl around.

Really, the day was a grand success!  When you are wondering what to do on a lazy Saturday, you can bet your child would love to visit the museum again!

"Beary" cute!

Our study of Rocks and Minerals has been very well received!  The students are making connections.  I loved when this young man ran over to tell me that the lead of his pencil was actually a mineral...graphite and then....

this young man discovered that only one of our samples was magnetic.  

The field trip to the Provincial Museum on Monday will be just perfect as their interest is peaked!

We worked together, to follow the directions and step by step,

a white sock and some rice became a polar bear.

The students are now able to follow 5 or 6 steps correctly and most are able to do so independently.

They were enjoying watching as each of the steps revealed the bear within the sock!

Adding paws,

...and eyes and nose....

..and finally the ears!

So "beary" cute!

The idea was found at a blog by aupairinamerica.com

What do you call a gathering of polar bears, do you suppose?

Thank you for the invitation to come and listen to this lovely gal as she played piano at her Winter Recital.  It was wonderful to see her out of the classroom, demonstrating her learning in a completely different way!

What a treat!  Dad played a duet with her and it was splendid. 

With about a week's notice, I would love to attend some special event in each of my student's 'other' lives!