Grade 3 Plans a Inquiry Experiences with the Buffalo Zoo

The Grade 3 team of teachers has begun planning with the educational staff at the Buffalo Zoo to develop an interdisciplinary project that will include ELA, Social Studies, Math, and of course, Science.  Students will be learning about habitats and will ultimately design an enrichment for an animal in the zoo.  To do this they must use observational research of their designated animal.  Video conferencing , computer and on-site zoo research about geographical area of their assigned habitat.

Grade 5 Solar Cooker Assembly Begins!

Students begin to use the materials that they tested during the experimental phase to build the solar cookers from their designs (the materials are listed on the letter from the U.N. they received at the beginning of this project).

These students were asked why they were putting black paper on their solar cooker, and this is their explanation:

These students altered their original design, which included four legs.  This new design has a platform, which the girls said was more stable.

Grade 5 Second Drafts of Solar Cooker Designs

Students were directed to present their first drafts to their group members.  Each group would them create a second draft that would incorporate the best ideas from each of the first drafts.

Group #1

Student A – “The sun in the diagram is to heat the cooker.”

Student B – “But what happens the sun moves?”

Student C – “Maybe we could put something on the outside to angle the sun back into the box.”

Group #2

Arianna says, "I think this [solar cooker] will work because the sun will reflect onto the aluminum foil from the styrofoam."

Brandy says, "The sun will reflect on the aluminum foil to get to the pan to make the hot dog cook.”

Teacher – “How will the aluminum foil reflect the rays?”

Dolores says, “Because it converted the most heat.”

Is the box open or closed?

Shalenid says, "open"

Teacher – “Does your diagram show that?”

“Shalenid says, “We should put that on our diagram.”

Group #3

Teacher, “Explain to me your design.”

Samantha –“We are going to have legs, so if people are tall people don't have to bend over so much and it keep it safe from children.”

Meya- “We are going to have cakes on the flap and aluminum foil in the corners.”

Lateiona – “The cake pan will angle will angle to hit the different flaps then that flap will hit directly onto the food.”

Teacher – “What is inside the box?”

Latifah – “aluminum foil is on all sides.”

Meya – “We better label that.”

Samantha – “Maybe we could put 2 cake pans in.”

Meya – “So we will need to get a bigger box.  what food would the people in Africa eat?”

Latifah – “I think vegetables.”

Lateiona- “For the legs to keep it standing you want to put a lot of duct tape on the sides.”

Grade 5 First Draft Design Phase of Solar Cookers

Below are the 1st drafts of solar cooker designs drawn by grade 5 students:
Each student was directed to draw a design that they would present to their group.

Grades 7 & 8 Planning Authentic Learning

Ms. Atten is currently planning an authentic learning experience for her ESL students.  Students will take on a local cause, possibly become pen pals with people associated with that cause, and develop their own campaign to raise funding and awareness.  Collaboration and teamwork, Problem solving, Flexibility and adaptability, Information literacy, Civic literacy and citizenship, Oral and written communication skills, Social responsibility and ethics, Initiative, Interpersonal skills, Accountability, and Productivity are just some of the 21st century skills encouraged in this project.

Mr. Simpson is planning an 8th grade inquiry learning experience that will also be rich with 21st century skill building.  Students will be learning about Westward Expansion due to the railroad and all the jobs that were created in the west due to the development of the new frontier.  Resume building, interviewing, script writing, and oral presentation will be some of the skills embedded into this project.

*Check this blog for updates on the planning and implementation of these projects.

Gr. 6 Designing Math Problems

Dr. Giovinazzo's 6th grade class has been creating a taxonomy for their math vocabulary.  Students then created their own math questions, which are displayed in the classroom.