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Spooky Stop Motion Success in Mrs. Moss's class!... better late than never :)

This past Halloween, my gifted 5th graders didn't just dress up—they became filmmakers! We challenged them to create a spooky, Halloween-themed stop motion animation using Google Slides, and they absolutely crushed it! From haunted houses to dancing skeletons, each group brought their unique vision to life, frame by frame. The collaboration and problem-solving skills they used were just as important as their final product. Each student was required to create a minimum of 50 slides. But many enjoyed the activity so much, that they continued working on it well after the end of class. A few came back the next day and had continued their film with over 200 slides! Check out a few of their amazing creations below!
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Mrs. Moss's Masterminds at Work: Our 5th Graders' Amazing Rube Goldberg Machines!

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Over the last week or so, our gifted 5th-grade classes transformed into a hub of innovation and engineering! Students have been working in teams to design and build their very own Rube Goldberg machines. A Rube Goldberg machine is a deliberately complex contraption that uses a chain reaction to perform a simple task in an elaborate, roundabout way. The creativity and ingenuity on display were absolutely incredible! We started our learning journey on the Qweebi website which has an INCREDIBLE interactive lesson on simple machines and Rube Goldberg machines. More Than Just Fun This project wasn't just about fun—it was a deep dive into serious STEM concepts: Simple Machines:  Students incorporated levers, pulleys, ramps, and more into their designs. Problem Solving:  The machines rarely worked on the first try! Our students demonstrated amazing resilience, troubleshooting their designs, and practicing flexibility as they refined each step. Teamwork:  Collaboration was key. S...
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Passion Projects in Mrs. Moss's class are complete!

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  We just wrapped up our annual Passion Project presentations in Mrs. Moss's classroom, and our gifted 5th graders did not disappoint! Students spent the past few weeks exploring topics they are genuinely passionate about. The final showcase was a fantastic display of their hard work, creativity, and determination. We saw everything from sports museums to sports fields; from Star Wars battle gear to hunting history; and from student drawn art to an extra deep study into pets. Like I tell my students, "No one can know everything about everything. We all can learn something new!" And I must say, I learned a LOT from these students as they presented their projects. A huge congratulations to all our young researchers for a job well done!
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Game on!! Mrs. Moss's class makes their own board games!

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Recently , our 5th graders went from students to game designers, creating and building their very own board games! This project was a fantastic way to review academic topics, but with a twist—the students were the ones calling the shots. Working in small groups, they had to tackle every step of the creative process: Brainstorming:  What's the theme? What are the rules? Design:  From drawing their own game boards to crafting unique characters, their creativity was on full display. Writing:  The rules and game cards had to be clear, testing their ability to write precise, easy-to-understand instructions. Play-testing:  Before the big reveal, students played each other's games to find any confusing rules and make improvements. Seeing the teamwork, imagination, and critical thinking that went into each unique game was inspiring. Kudos to our 5th-grade class for this tremendous and engaging project!
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