with Leigh Ann Yoder Lunar Module DesignThis week in class students were challenged to design and build a model of a lunar landing module. Just as real manned spacecraft must be designed to land softly on the surface of the moon or earth, students were required to create a "spacecraft" that could be dropped to the floor without harming the "astronauts" inside. Students could choose to work individually or in pairs and each design needed to incorporate the following components: A cup (for the cockpit), secured to A cardboard square (for the platform), and 2 mini marshmallows (representing the astronauts) Additional supplies included index cards, tape, rubber bands, drinking straws, cotton balls, and scissors. Students were instructed to use these materials in any way they could imagine to design a spacecraft that would absorb the shock of impact and make a soft landing. The only design restriction was that astronauts (mini marshmallows) were not allowed to be constrained inside the module - they needed to be allowed to fall out if the module tipped over or landed too hard on the surface. Students had a great time designing their modules! No two designs were the same and the variety of mechanisms they developed for air resistance and shock absorption were very impressive. I hope those that took their designs home had a chance to explain them to you and test them again at your house! Lunar Landings!We tested the modules first in the classroom beginning at a height of 2 feet. The excitement built as each and every module made a successful landing from 3 feet, 4 feet, 5 feet,... all the way up to ceiling height (8 ft)! At that point, one student had the brilliant suggestion of launching the modules from the classroom's second story window to see if they could successfully land, without ejecting the astronauts, on the ground below. Guess what? They did! I think we may have some future NASA engineers on our hands! HomeworkRequired:
ECA Chapter 8 Moon Log Continue Studying for the Game Show Optional: JK Chap 3 NB pg 87, 88, 89, 90, 94, 97
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with Michelle Cameron Setting Sail, Farewell!Today was our last day spending time on our voyages. The kids still have some work to do at home – please do have them finish up whatever stage they’re currently in. More below. We started off today by sharing our transportation words – everything from submarines to time travel! Next week we’ll be using all the words we’ve been collecting, creating stories from them. We caught up with additions to our voyage stories, including all the great postcards they created. Then it was time to re-embark on our stories. Those students who had already completed their stories were given comic blanks. There’s more than one way to tell a story – and the idea was to illustrate, in comic book form, what had occurred from packing their bags through the three days until arrival, and then what happened while they were at their destination. Comics are a great way to tell a story with fewer words, while still encouraging sequential thinking. Any time your writer balks at a long story, asking them to write a comic is a great way to get the creative juices flowing. And besides – they light up at the idea! HomeworkAgain, for homework this week, please have them finish whatever stage they’re in. Not everyone is going to get to the end of this voyage, but that’s perfectly fine. In fact, in several cases I’ve been encouraging students to slow down and take the time it requires to write well – not just be done. That’s a hard concept for them, but an important one! We’re thinking BIG with this week’s words – anything to do with the solar system! Next week we’re going to use our words to make some new stories. with Angela Harris First, let me say how delighted I am to be back as "facilitator" (albeit on-line) for Mosaic Freeschool. While I've continued to manage Mosaic Minutes and the website over the past year and a half, the last time I posted my own class summary was March of 2013! It's been wonderful re-connecting with our high school students, and I look forward to continuing our journey into quality modern literature this school year. Intro to The ChosenWe kicked off Session I of Interpreting Literature by introducing a variety of new terms and concepts. We looked at maps of New York and Brooklyn, defined yeshiva, Talmud, Torah, Tanakh, and Hasidic (all should be added to your vocabulary glossaries for The Chosen) and discussed an overview of Book One. Please be sure to follow the reading and essay assignments from the syllabus, and not the Glencoe Study Guide. We are taking four weeks to read the book, instead of three, and answering different questions for our five-hundred word essays. Any questions, please be sure to ask! Journal Questions Every week we will be responding to a question that I ask that will relate topics in the reading to our personal experiences. This is an important component in preparing for exploratory essay writing as this type of essay writing encompasses aspects of journaling and relating experiences, or research, about a particular topic. These journals should be kept private so the students can feel free to express themselves in as much detail as possible. We will be doing a timed five-minute write each week in our "journals." The Torah and Folk Tales I posted a handout related to the Torah to the Gathering Ink Community Page (a private Google+ forum for registered students and their families) and we read through some interesting facts together, for instance, did you know that if the Torah is dropped in the synagogue, the entire congregation may be required to fast for 40 days? The Judaic faith features heavily in our book, The Chosen, and I want to take this opportunity to explore different aspects of Judaism within our class. So far, I think it's been very interesting (for me, too!). We then talked about the Jewish autumn festival of Sukkot (October 8-15) and I read aloud a folk tale normally told during this time. If you would like to read it, it is here: The Reward. Exploratory Essay Writing We will only be writing exploratory (open) essays during this session (four essays plus one final project which can be creative or informative). We will not be sharing our opinions in our essays or proving or defending, only exploring all sides of an issue. The purpose is to get you to research a topic with an open mind, approaching the topic with curiosity to discover new information and solutions. Exploratory essay writing is an introduction to the argumentative essay. You will undoubtedly need to conduct research over and above just reading the book, although you certainly may relate events in the book to your essay as well as to your own personal experiences or those of a friend or family member (although my guess is you will have limited personal experiences to draw upon when answering these questions). Regardless, please reference your sources within the essay (we are not worrying about citing our sources as footnotes at this point in our class). You should be able to write 500-words easily, that is the required word count for now. Here is a structure you can follow:
Important Note: I have posted a sample essay on the Community Page written by one of my students in our class here in Texas. You will do yourselves a big favor by reading it in advance of writing your own! If you're stumped about how to turn our question this week into an essay which does not express an opinion, this essay will give you an idea of how to do it, although I expect you may find completely different research on the topic (in fact, you should). You may also want to review our handout on Open and Closed Essay Writing. We are only writing open essays for this session. The handout is also on the Community Page. HomeworkHomework is detailed on the syllabus, please read it carefully. One note about the questions on GSG pgs. 14-15: Because we are reading the book more slowly than the Glencoe Guide suggests, you might not be able to answer questions 2-3 yet on pg. 14--you may skip them and only answer question 1, however you should be able to answer questions 4 or 5 on pg. 15. Any confusion/problems...let me know! See you all on-line next week. Session II Starts Jan 7, 2015 If all this sounds intriguing, our second on-line six-week session will begin Jan. 7, 2015. We'll be taking on the Jack London classic, Call of the Wild, and reading a short story by Rudyard Kipling. We'll also be taking side-trips to Alaska and the Yukon (history, geography) and writing a combination of personal response and exploratory essays. We have one or two spots available and you may register on-line. with Kim Rodgers The Rise of IslamOur focus in class on Monday was the rise of Islam and how it became an empire. We read about Muhammad’s life and what led him to begin leading people towards Allah, “the one true God”. We discussed the five pillars of the Islamic faith; faith, prayer, giving, fasting, and pilgrimage and why these things were important for following the Islamic faith. We went on to read about how Islam spread even after the death of Muhammad, with Muhammad’s friend Abu Bakr as their leader. As they conquered surrounding lands they took with them the Islamic faith and won many followers. During class we came up with symbols to remind us of the five pillars and included them in our notebooks. We also played a game where the students needed to remember details from our readings in pairs as they progressed through the board. We didn’t get a chance to finish, so we’ll take some time during class next week to conclude our game. Coming Up: China!Next week our focus is on The Great Dynasties of China. For homework the students have their notebooking page and two maps. There is a sub-heading on the notebooking page about Sinbad. We didn’t get to that story, so please feel free to put a line through that and use the page to summarize what we talked about. There are two maps because we covered two chapters this week. If you have any questions please let me know.
See you next week! with Leigh Ann Yoder Virtual Tour of the MoonRanger Bob took the class on a stunning "virtual tour of the Moon" this week, sharing with us a version of his presentation from the International Observe the Moon Night, 2012. He began by discussing some important scientific Moon facts. Many scientists now believe that the Moon was formed some 4.6 billion years ago when an object several times the mass of Mars collided with young Earth. The massive impact ejected a huge amount of debris into space, which was pulled into orbit by the Earth's gravity, forming the Moon - our own natural satellite. We learned that we've been mistakenly led to believe that the Moon is far larger than it actually is (relative to the size of the Earth). Additionally, the Moon is farther away than we would assume from standard textbook diagrams. If we use a basketball to represent a scale model of the Earth, the Moon would be approximately the size of a tennis ball, and the distance between the two balls would need to be a full 23 feet to accurately represent the distance between the Earth and the Moon. We took a mini "field trip" to the basement of the church building where Ranger Bob used a single light source to illustrate the different concepts of Earth-Sun system and Earth-Moon system relationships. He also provided a demonstration of the phases of the moon, illustrating that the phases we see are a function of our location on the earth in relation to the moon-sun orientation. The new moon occurs when the moon is positioned between the earth and sun, and the three objects are in approximate alignment. The entire illuminated portion of the moon is on the back side of the moon; the half that we cannot see. At a full moon, the earth, moon, and sun are in approximate alignment, just as the new moon, but the moon is on the opposite side of the earth, so the entire sunlit part of the moon is facing us. The shadowed portion is entirely hidden from view. One important concept to remember is that exactly one half of the moon is always illuminated by the sun. Back in the classroom, Ranger Bob shared some of the cultural connections we have with the moon and how these both sustain and inspire us - tides/fishing, industry, art, literature, and Native American culture to name just a few. He concluded our virtual tour of the moon by showing some incredible imagery taken from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which photographs from just 30 miles above the moon's surface. We observed impact craters, rilles and graben, volcanoes and domes, mare (sea), mountains, and lava flows. Spectacular! HomeworkMandatory:
ECA Chapter 7 Moon Log **Prepare for Game Show Day/mid-term*** Study pages 173-174 of ECA (Chapters 1-7) Study all highlighted vocabulary words in Chapters 1-7 of ECA Optional: JK Chapter 2 NB - pg. 76, 77, 78, 82, 84 with Michelle Cameron Setting Sail, Day 3 We started off today by sharing our holiday words. Looks like everyone’s ready for the holiday season! Then we listened to two stories students brought in – both of which were finished. It’s a delight to see them so excited about having a beginning, middle, and end to their stories! This is going to be a pretty short recap, as the kids are immersed in their voyages and are making progress at different rates. Many of them have already arrived at their destination and spent some time “seeing” what was there and writing about it. Each one has a “postcard” that they are supposed to illustrate – they took those home with them. For homework this week, please ask them to finish wherever they are – whether that be still in their Captain’s Logs or in the report of what they find at their destination. Have they achieved what they set out on this journey to achieve? Why or why not? They voted and agreed – unanimously and with much arm waving! – to continue their journeys next week. We’ll definitely be bringing them to a close then. And since we are on a journey, this week’s words are travel or transportation words. with Kim Rodgers Journey to Medieval India!We moved on to the Medieval Indian Empire in class on Monday. We learned about the Gupta dynasty and the Golden Age of India. The Gupta dynasty kept peace in the land by banding the people together to drive out the barbarian Huns from their lands. Although they were eventually successful, India was left poor and vulnerable. We learned about Buddha and the monks who attempted to live out his teachings. They lived in the Ajanta Caves, which they sculpted out of the cliffs using a technique in which they chiseled trenches in the rock, added pieces of wood, water, and waited for the wood to swell and break the rock. There were small rooms within the caves, called cells, where the monks could be alone. The cells opened up to wide rooms where they added sculptures and paintings painted on fresh plaster. The paint melded with the plaster to form pictures telling stories from Buddha’s life. Hundreds of years later two hunters came upon the caves, which were in superb condition. Can you imagine discovering such an interesting place? The students and I talked about what images people would find on cave walls depicting our lifestyle. Pizza, cars, and cell phones were mentioned. We then discussed what would be on our own personal cave wall. What would be painted as a reflection of each of our own selves? With that in mind, each student practiced painting their own picture with watercolors on paper. Once they were done they took a tray of plaster and waited for it to harden a little bit so there was a firm surface. They painted their picture on the plaster. You should have seen these come home on Monday. Homework!Next week we will be looking at The Rise of Islam, where we will learn the five pillars of the faith. For homework there is mapwork and notebooking. See you next week!
with Jayne Besjak The State of Fable vs. JackNews Flash Jack Jones charged with murder and robbery! It is alleged that Jack Jones, on the 27th day of September in the year 2014 in the State of Fable, did murder Arthur Giant. It is also alleged that on that same day Jack Jones did enter the house of Arthur and Martha Giant, situated at Cloudland and then, in said house, did steal certain goods, the property of the said Arthur and Martha Giant, to wit, one goose and one golden egg. Preparing for TrialStudents have been working hard the past two weeks to prepare to bring this case to trial. Prosecution and Defense Attorneys have been writing opening statements, building their theories of the case, taking statements from witnesses to file affidavits with the court, and prepare direct examination questions. Witnesses have been studying an original version of the fairy tale of Jack and the Beanstalk to prepare to give honest statements and testimony as to what they saw, heard, and did. Our Bailiff and Jury Members have been learning about the important responsibility and duty of serving on a jury, and stretching their critical thinking skills by solving mini-mysteries. Homework!We will use the first part of class next week to finish all preparations and hope to at least begin the trial. We will not begin the trial until each side is ready to go. Here are the homework responsibilities for this week:
Bailiff: Learn your script for swearing in the jury and witnesses. You do not need to memorize it completely, but you should be familiar enough with the wording that your part helps the trial flow smoothly and keeps the Judge happy. (: Jurors: Re-read the Jury Instructions letter I provided in class. Come to class with a notebook for taking notes during the trial. Remember - it is your job to be objective and render a verdict based strictly on the evidence presented at trail, not on your own interpretation of the fairy tale. Witnesses: Re-read the fairy tale and be certain you know the facts regarding what your character did and saw so that you can testify honestly. As soon as I have received and finished editing the witness affidavits, I will be sending them to you for verification. Remember - these are your official statements as to what you know, so be sure that you have provided your attorney the entire extent of your knowledge. Also, be thinking about what questions the opposing side might ask during cross-examination and discuss these with your attorney. Finally, come in costume to the trial! Attorneys:
All Students: Review the Objections that will be allowed during trial and know how to identify them. This aspect of the trial can sometimes be confusing and difficult to track when there are so many other things going on around you, but you will all become more familiar with the rules regarding objections as we conduct more trials. If you have any questions or need help making your final preparations, please contact me so that I can give you guidance. with Leigh Ann Yoder A Walk with GalileoRanger Bob WOWED us once again! His classes are gripping, entertaining, and highly educational. Please be certain to ask your students what they learned this week. Below I will share some of the highlights. He began class by sharing a photo of today's sun. We were able to see a huge sunspot that is perhaps 8-10 times as wide as the Earth! For those interested he recommended the following website: www.spaceweather.com (Check it out!) Next we transported ourselves back to the year 1610 to reveal startling findings regarding the four largest natural satellites of Jupiter (Galilean Moons) just like Galileo did. He reminded the students that they were now acting like true scientists by making predictions, collecting non-biased data, drawing conclusions, and then asking more questions. He emphasized that in science one hypothesis leads to another, and another, and another, ad infinitum. Science is a process where questions lead to more questions and truths unfold slowly. By Jupiter!Our first observation regarding the objects surrounding Jupiter were that they were lined up. This attribute alone would lead one to believe that they were not stars. We then tracked the four objects over a nine night period. Galileo tracked them for years, but in our short sample we were able to reveal that these four objects revolved around Jupiter--concluding they were moons. We were also able to accurately determine their rate of revolution based on our observations. Of course Ranger Bob awed us with his fabulous photos of the Galilean moons. He recommended we look at the work of astrophotographer Christopher Go. You can see some of his work here. He also reminded us that in the year 2016 the Juno Mission will be exploring Jupiter. As usual, Ranger Bob offered us a pleuthura of information. Some facts that stood out to me were:
Sharing more of his time, he set up his specialized telescope during lunch, so we could again view the sun today. We were easily able to see the huge sunspot he shared at the beginning of class! The students truly enjoy their time with Ranger Bob and I know they are all excited that he will be with us again next week as we learn about the Moon. Please remember to have students arrive no later than 9:55 next week. Below I have also included information regarding Solar Week. There are some great activities that the students can participate in. HomeworkMandatory: ECA Chapter 6 Lending Library Book Moon Log (Continue) Optional: Johannas Kepler Chapter 1 NB - pg. 64, 65, 66, 70, 73 Solar Week Activities (See Below) Solar WeekCelebrate Solar Week -- Fall 2014
Interact live with solar scientists during Solar Week, Oct. 27-31, 2014. Solar Week provides a weeklong series of Web-based educational classroom activities and games with a focus on the Sun-Earth connection. Students in grades 5-9 can learn about solar careers, sunspots, solar energy and solar storms through a series of activities, games and lessons. Solar Week is ideal for students studying the solar system, the stars or astronomy in general. Many lessons are suitable for fun computer lab activities as well. After doing the activities, students can interact on the bulletin board with leading scientists at the forefront of Sun-Earth research. Solar Week is great for learning about our nearest star, the Sun. To learn more and to register to participate, visit http://www.solarweek.org/. with Michelle Cameron Setting Sail, Day 2 & Spooky WordsWe started off today by sharing our spooky words and using them in a round robin story. Everyone took a word that was not their own, and used it in the next sentence in the story. Thanks to Kim for scribing what we came up with – and for reading it out in a spooky voice!
Day One was all about observation. What did the scenery about them look like? How could they use their senses (and many of them did a fantastic job with this) to describe what they were seeing? What was the weather like? Did they see any animals around them? Was it a good day? After making their observations, they started a Captain’s Log, which described their Day 1 on their journey. Day Two was a day of conflict. Something had to go wrong. Was it a storm? Did someone come and attack them? A gang of brigands, perhaps, or a wild beast? How did they feel about this? I asked that they use dialogue in Day Two to help make the story come alive. Following this day, they recorded the story as Day 2 in their Captain’s Log. Finally, some of the students began Day 3. Day 3 is a day of victory – it’s when our intrepid travelers reach their destination. They should make sure that they include how they feel, particularly after the terrors and worries of the day before, in the 3rd entry of their Captain’s Log. Next week we’ll complete our journeys. For homework, please have your students finish or start the log for the next day on their travels, either Day 1, 2, or 3.
With Halloween this Friday starting the holiday season, this week’s word collection should be holidays! |
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