Mission Possible

The seventh and eighth graders have been building Rube Goldberg like devices. What's a Rube Goldberg device? Well, think of that old game "mousetrap" and you got a Rube Goldberg device. Their device is not to capture a mouse but rather pop a balloon. I like doing this project with the older students because it forces them to employ problem solving skills.
The fifth and sixth graders are finishing up their water bottle rockets. Their rockets has to have fins and a nose cone. They also needed to have a parachute system in their rockets. Tuesday's class got to launch their rockets. The students had a great time. By next Monday, we should be done with our rockets, and we'll start planning for a next project. Shhhhhh, can't tell you yet, it's a secret.

Discrete Mathematics

The seventh and eighth graders are studying discrete mathematics. So far we have gone over Euler and Hamiltonian paths and circuits. The students really enjoy these sorts of problems because of the real world applications. This week they are going to learn about game theory. They will have to figure out the reason why they win and lose games.
In science they are building Rube Goldberg devices. The students like the planing and construction phases. I think they will really like the devices when they are activated and run through their various steps.

Math & Science

The animation projects are finished. They were fun but required a lot of time and energy. If I see another piece of clay, it'll be too soon. I'm now teaching math and science to the fifth through eighth graders for the next six weeks. I'll be working hand-in-hand with Mrs. Iniquez.
In math fifth and sixth graders are working on geometric shapes and a nifty little program called "Logopaths". "Logopaths" allows students to write a routine that directs a turtle to move and draw on the computer screen. We're using the program with the knowledge of geometric shapes and running our turtles through its paces. As their work becomes available, I'll post some of them.
In science the fifth and sixth graders are building water bottle rockets. We hope to launch right after Thanksgiving break. In this project the student have to keep their rocket aloft for the longest period of time. As a result they've got to build a parachute recovery system. They also have to measure how high their rockets went. For that they had to learn a little bit of trig. For my next posting I'll let you know what my seventh and eighth graders are doing in math and science.

Another Animation Project

Cristian and Xavier decided to exercise their funny bones.

An Example of an Animation Project

Here's an example of one of the student teams that did a really good job at animation. Way to go Michael & Ryan!!!

Stop Motion Animation

Eighth grade students working on their animation. The students are using legos in their project.

Gotta Love Those Eighth Graders

One of my concerns this year was how the older students would react to having the younger students on campus with them. Well, I gotta tell you. My worries were nothing. Today at lunch I watched the students play dodge ball. The oldest and youngest students were having a ball (no pun intended). It was great to watch the older students look out for the younger ones. One of the eighth grade boys when he was throwing the ball always took extra care not to throw the ball too hard at the little ones. It was very sweet to see his concern. He was also making sure none of the older students threw the ball to hard at the younger students. This kind of behavior wasn't an isolated incidence. It's been the norm. I think the younger and older students have a lot to teach each other. I'm very glad to be able to witness this behavior.

Progress Reports

Well, the team has just finished up the progress reports for this trimester. We're sending them out to let parents know if there are any problems developing and need attention or just to let parents know how well their child is doing. I delivered the progress reports this afternoon to the three schools that I liaison with. Those three schools are Kenilworth, Emerson, and Whittier. I know Mrs Iniquez, Mrs. Rentz, and Mrs. Kwan were also busy delivering ALPS progress reports this afternoon. If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know. We are always available to talk to.

Short Week

Well it's been a short week. We didn't have students on Monday because of Labor Day and next week will be another short week because of Parent-Teacher Conferences. The first and second graders got to do some experimentation. They were looking for their taste buds and filling out a tongue map to show where they had found them. We used salt in water for the salty taste. Juice was used for the sweet taste. Lemon juice made a great sour taste. For the bitter taste I used tonic water. Next week we'll experiment on how taste and smell work together. The third through eighth graders continue to work hard on their animation projects. Hopefully by next week they will start filming them.

Week Four of ALPS

The third through eighth grade groups have started their animation projects in earnest. Last week they worked on their scripts and storyboards. They'll finish those up this week if they haven't already and start making their characters, the props and backgrounds.
The first and second grade groups got to experiment with roller coasters. They built roller coasters out of pipe insulation tubes. The learned the importance that gravity and centrifugal force plays in the construction of roller coasters. We all agreed that if we could, we would love to take a field trip to Six Flags to see one up close and personal. Maybe even ride one! This week we plan to map the tongue and its taste buds...yummy!!!

2009-2010 ALPS Team

*Mrs. Howell is no longer with us. She's the reading specialist for Kenilworth Elementary.

1st Project of the Year

I love teaching!!! This week I got to start the first project of the year with my class. They are going to be doing animation. Mrs. Iniguez and I have teamed up on this project. Her part of the project is to have the students do the research for the animation topic. I get to show the student how to actually do animation. This week I talked and showed the students a brief history of animation. I got to show them some very old black and white animations that were over a hundred years old and boy, did that shock them. I also talked to them about the various kinds of animation and show them short animated clips to illustrate my point. Next week I will show them the essential elements that are needed to make a good animation piece.

Classroom Rules and Expectations

I've printed below my classroom rules and expectations. I have them posted in my room and this last week I made it a point to go over them.
-Be prepared to learn
-Be responsible for your own actions
-Be considerate when others are speaking
-Be respectful of other people's property
-Be aware of your own personal space
-If in doubt, ask

First Week Over

Wow!!! The first week is over and I'm beat tired. It's so good to have the students back. We spent this opening week getting to know each other. We did a variety of ice breaking activities. My favorite was called "clumping". This activity had the students coming together based on certain attributes. It was fun watching them figuring out whether or not they belong to a certain group. This week also allowed me to discuss what my expectations are for this year and what I expect of them in the classroom. I'm using this weekend to recharge and I'm looking forward to week two.

Koi Pond

Added a new gadget to my blog...it's a Koi pond. I have the same app on my iphone and absolutely love it. It helps to relax the mind :-)

ALPS Starting

Well, ALPS starts this coming Monday. I'm so excited about it. This year will be a little different. Instead of having the grade levels coming on a specific day, schools will be coming on a set day. This is very different from last year and yes it's new but it shouldn't be feared. Mrs. Harris and I will be with the at different schools to make sure that the ALPS students get on the bus. Make sure to fill out your "welcome back" packets. Have a nice weekend and I really look forward to seeing you next week.

Back at Work

It's really good to be back at work! The last several days the ALPS team has been meeting together and working on this year's projects. We plan to make social studies our focal point of study this year in ALPS. We're planning on cover the topics of community and immigration.
Our first day with the students will be Monday, August 17th. Rest assured until then we are working very hard to have everything in place for a successful year.

Keys to Instructional Excellence

Last week's in-service was excellent!!! I really learned a lot. The title of the in-service was "Keys to Instructional Excellence: What Effective Teachers Know, Do, and Understand." The basic aim of the two day workshop was to show teachers how to be better teachers and to create a plan to ensure a highly successful classroom based on three keys. Those keys were: a) managing your classroom, b) planning for instruction, and c) teaching and assessing for learning. It didn't matter if you were a rookie or vetern. The workshop offered something for everyone. I feel very fortunate that I work for a district that takes professional develop of its teaching staff seriously.

Mindset

I realize that I don't have to report back to school until next week but that week before reporting back is always important. It's the time that I start getting my mind back into gear for the coming school year. I start to get into the habit of going to bed early, getting up early and start gathering those necessary classroom supplies. There's a part of me that hates to go back to work and another part that just can't wait to be teaching kids again. Actually if i had a three week vacation in June, I'd be ready to teach again in July. Looking forward to the new school year and the great students in the Phoenix Elementary School District!

Summer Musings

Summer is going well. This time always allows me the time to charge up for the next school year. I've been going over new lesson plans for the coming year. Next week I'll be going to an in-service for new teachers in the district. Remember this is going to be my second year here in the Phoenix Elementary School District. It's a great district and I still can learn a lot.