Science Fair

Have you ever wondered if alcohol can erode a liver faster than cola?  This was just one of the many questions we received answers to in our Science Fair.  This week we finished our projects to enter in the science fair.  We learned about the scientific process.  The first step is to have a problem or question.  Then we had to develop a hypothesis.  After that we did experiments and recorded our observations and data.  We collected our results and made conclusions.  Finally, we decided what we would do next time.  Our class learned that the process never ends.

Snow Day

Burr!!!  It was so cold on Wednesday.  We did not have school  because the roads were covered in ice.  There were icicles hanging from trees and plants.  Many people's car doors were frozen shut.  It was so cold even the grass was frozen.   Most of us stayed home and did not leave the house.  Some of us went outside to play on the ice.  We had fun on this day.  However, we are disappointed that we missed doing writing rotations this week because of the snow day.  Writing rotations are where we rotate to other teachers and learn about the writing traits.  The ones we have learned so far are ideas and organization.  By the end of the day, all the snow was melted and we were ready for school on Thursday.

Symmetry in Nature

This week in Mrs. Nelson's class we learned about symmetry in nature.    Symmetry in math is perfectly congruent however symmetry in nature is not always perfect.   We made butterflies that showed symmetry by the colors of their wings.  We used markers, coffee filters, water, and Wikki stix.  This was a nice break after working hard on the Writing Benchmark on Wednesday.

Fiddler Crabs

Wow!  The wait is finally over.  Our fiddler crabs have arrived.   First, we put them in their new habitat.  The crabs habitat is made up of salt water and a humus and sand mixture.   Next, we fed the crabs plankton and dog pellets.  Some of our class observed them eating the dog pellet.  Finally, we recorded observations and characteristics that we noticed.  For example, we observed that they moved from side to side.  We also thought they were exploring their new habitat.  All of us are excited to be able to observe them in the weeks to come.

African Clawed Frogs

This week in Mrs. Nelson's class we got new frogs because our old ones died.  We received African Clawed Frogs.  These frogs are bigger, fatter, and heartier than the African Dwarf Frog.  We learned that the females are longer and wider than the males.  Also, we observed that they swim fast because of there webbed feet.   We are excited to have new frogs to study.

The Greensheet

Have you ever wanted to have your story published?  We attended a program this week that gives us an opportunity to have our stories published in the local Greensheet.  We were asked to write a story about where we would go on Christmas break and why.  If you want yours to be published you had to hook your reader by asking a question, giving a quote, or starting in the middle of the action.  Our school has the honor of being featured in the December 12th issue of the Greensheet.  Be sure to pick up one and check out our creative stories.

Twiggy the Amazing Skiing Squirrel

This week in Mrs. Nelson's class we learned about cause and effect.    First, we previewed the text.  When we did this we thought it was fiction because we saw a picture with a skiing squirrel.  As we read, we stopped to think and write a little.   We were amazed that this was really nonfiction. The story was about a squirrel named Twiggy that can ski.   Chuck and Lou Ann Best rescued a squirrel from a storm.  They taught the squirrel how to water ski.  After we answered questions, Mrs. Nelson showed us a video that had Twiggy skiing.  The video was hilarous.  You should go watch it at www.skiingsquirrel.com.