Sharing, Thinking, Talking, Adjectives about Each Other in Morning Meeting

 Morning Meeting-- adding adjectives

 Since we are a bit past half way through our year together, I thought it would be fun to have the kids share adjectives, and thus, reinforce the concept that we have worked on all year. We did it as a snowball activity with their names on one side of the page. They were to write one adjective to describe their classmate and then put a math multiplication fact on the other. 

Looking for just the right word

 The thingswas, this took soooo long! We never got to practice the math as they were so caught up in describing each other and then reading what the another wrote. My goal was to use the Thesauruses so that they could but some better descriptions into their Science Reports. It was a very interesting morning.

Finding adjectives that they liked learning and ones that surprised them. It was a good experience about perspectives

Synonyms  and Antonyms

Ms. Sanders, Licensed Massage Therapist teaches about the body systems

Add caption

Dance Partners from Morning Meeting-- we are learning the art and skill of dance and conversation-- then the kids had these partners for work throughout the day. Here they kids are sharing the notes they took about their body systems.  First they worked with the people in their body system.They are checking facts so that they can write the body paragraphs

 Then the kids were partnered up and had to talk about what they knew about their body system with someone else who doesn't have that one. The goal was to make sure they had details and explanations and/or examples. That way they have full body paragraphs.

Here is Ms. Sanders talking with great expertise about the body.She became a therapist after getting good care form a car wreck that  hurt her neck when she was a teenager. She has studied sports and medical techniques that help people heal. She showed the kids different techniques to help them relax. She used two stickers that the kids put on their bodies to find their satorius, the longest muscle. The time went fast and the kids were able to ask her questions and once again having parents come in is so great. Thank you!

Announcing the 51st Lionel Hampton Jazz Poster Class Winners :)

    The five kids in the picture when the blog comes up were voted by their classmates as having the best posters for the next Jazz Festival based on our study of posters and specifically, the Lionel Hampton Jazz Posters that were at the 3rd Street Gallery.

The voting was secret and these five stood out. Everyone learned much about how to publicize an event and the importance of clear communication, symmetry, originality, and how the tone of event must be conveyed. We listened to the legends of jazz and the kids learned the history of jazz through a terrific map that showed how it started in New Orleans and then migrated through out the country.

I contacted the UI Jazz Festival People and suggested that for next year that it would be cool for students of all ages and schools that participate around the region to be able to compete in a Poster Contest.  I sent this picture with the kids and their work. I don't know if that has been part of the past, but I would love to see the kids be able to compete with graphic art. The people at the office said they were thinking about the idea--hope it gets some legs.

Writing a Research Paper and another Body Systems Expert, Nurse Mickey from Latah County Health District

Graphic Organizer to help the kids visualize the parts of the paper. We have been reading example texts. The books from the library are their sources and they are gathering and citing information.  

Add caption

Each student chose for a list of 6 body systems. They are Skeletal, Muscular, Digestive, Nervous, Respiratory, and Circulatory. It has been funny to listen to them gross out!  I have heard a few gag--really. They have really learned quite a bit so and when we have Nurse Mickey in again, they will ask her more questions. We are focusing on how the systems work.

I scribe notes while Nurse Mickey teaches. Learning to take notes is hard and is a skill that takes time. We read over them again and make sure they are clear. 

 The absolute best part of Nurse Mickey visiting the first time and is when the kids get to hear their heart beats through the stethoscope. We teach them to count and figure out how to multiply to get the beats per minute. After Spring Break, we will do set up an experiment and get them to chart their changes.

Is it really there? I did find it---whew!!

 Eyes pop when they find it. It was so cool to hear the strength of everyone's heart! Healthy kids!

Taking in the Jazz Festival Posters and Finding lots of books to read!

Off we go again!

Discussing what they like and didn't about the posters at the 3rd Street Gallery on the second floor of City Hall. The kids had a criteria list to use and then they were using what they saw and  judged to help them revise the work they had started. They are designing a poster for nexr year's festival as our class project. We have spent time looking at posters for Jazz Festivals and the one here and noticing what is being communicated.

On the third floor, there was an array of 15 famous musicians that have performed here in Moscow. The kids picked one to write a narrative about. We did lots of 'Weird' Thinking. Be sure to ask them the word origin of that word--then  this all makes sense. :) 

On to the library to pick up books that I had put on hold about Body Systems that we will use for research and for them to read and have time to browse.

This is right after we got back all the books that they checked out! They loved using the new kiosk to check out books too.

Human Body Systems Overview by Ms. Styhl, C.C.R.N and Makeala'a Mom

We got off to an interesting start with Ms. Styhl telling about her education, interest, passion, and daily professional responsibilities. The kids had tons of questions. I kept redirecting so we could get through the material she had prepared for them. It is always so great to have an expert in class!

Demonstrating how to help someone and decide if they need CPR was what the top pic is. The lessons about the 6 body systems that they will be researching so so carefully planned. She took the time to talk about  how things work at the hospital, who does what, and how they deal with emergencies. It had the kids captivated--she was very good at instilling confidence in people that become involved in health care careers.