These Kids Rock!

The NeSA testing has begun. Fifth graders will click hundreds of bubbles during this testing season. 

To get excited or help others get jazzed about the tests, students were reminded of their hard work and encouraged, 

"You Rock!"  

The class had fun with edible rocks!  

Parents can help a child prepare for testing by doing the following:

• Make sure your child gets a good night's sleep before a test, and make sure your child eats properly the day of a test.
• Maintain a pleasant home environment and avoid unnecessary conflicts. Try to make the morning of the test a pleasant one. Do not add to your child’s stress.
• Make sure your child has taken any needed medication.
• Ensure that your child is present during testing (children generally perform better when taking tests in their groups rather than at a make-up time).
• Get your child to school on time the day of the test. (We start testing at 8:10)
• Wish your child good luck each morning of the test. Tell your child that he/she is special and that you believe in him/her!
• Remind your child the test is important. Encourage him/her to do his/her best.

April Test Dates

Monday, April 13 through Thursday, April 16

Monday April 20 through Thursday, April 23

Seriously, are some rocks edible? 

I am so proud of the students and the progress they have shown this year. They will ROCK this test!

Thank you to Shannon @ Sweet Blessing Blog for sharing the "You Rock" label.

100th Lesson

Today's 100^th lesson in Saxon math was center stage. There was plenty of sillliness as students entered the classroom through our decorated door. We started the morning with a trail mix recipe. Each student brought 100 food items. We mixed all the "ingredients" together and this bowl of goodies was a fun treat for a morning of munching.  Thanks, parents, for contributing.

Our project for the day combined math and art. Students created mosaics.  A mosaic is an art form made with small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. Individual pieces are called tesserae. The pieces fit together to form a design.  To celebrate our 100^th math lesson, the students were given 1-inch paper tiles and the task of creating a mosaic person. They then calculated the ratios and percentages of tiles used to create the mosaic. 

Click through the slideshow and meet our Fraction People.

Don't Be S-s-scared!

Here's a speaker for the real reptile lover . . . Scott Wessel.

Students discover the truth about snakes. The speaker addressed life science standards on animal life cycles, behaviors, habitats, and adaptation. Students learned how a snake grows, how it interacts with its environment through its senses, how its habitat provides for its basic needs, and how its physical features and behaviors help it adapt to its environment. 

 The audience participation and response to this speaker were outstanding.

Water Days

Students celebrated Water Days at Northeast's Lifelong Learning Center. Students wrestled with the content, a raft of skills, and some pretty compelling experiments. It was fabulous! Water Days consists of four 30-minute classroom sessions featuring hands-on learning. Natural Resources District is the festival sponsor. 

One core session that is always among the students’ favorites is the water rocket launch. Water rockets are used to help students understand the principles of aeronautics. Two-Liter Pop Bottle Rockets may well be the greatest physical science teaching tool ever created! Middle grade students can manipulate and control variables and see their hypotheses verified or refuted.

In the “Edible Aquifer” session, students constructed model aquifers with cereal, ice cream, and pop. This activity was a fun and easy way to understand the geology of an aquifer.  

And there’s the icky “Garbage-ology” activity that has students sort through garbage and make garbage pizza discs. “Kids tend to like this trash talk,” Mrs. Miller, Keep Norfolk Beautiful, said with a laugh. “It’s very educational and a fun way to show kids what a landfill is.” Play My Garbology at home to learn how to reduce the amount you and your family throw away each and every day.

CLICK to visit site

Students participated in a Jeopardy game which proved the Water Days festival greatly improved participants’ water knowledge. Any session that gets children moving is popular and provides an opportunity to incorporate education. After all, education is the NRD's mission.

A big thanks to the middle school science teachers who organized and registered students for this field trip.