Explorers in the Undergrowth: 5th Grade Nature Trek

Mrs. Moss's gifted 5th graders traded their desks for the great outdoors today, hitting the school’s nature trail for some fresh air and fun. Students are beginning an Eco-Art project and today's goal was to collect natural materials.

Along our journey, students discovered numerous unique plants, fungi, and insects! They even found a very large turtle chilling in the edge of the pond! Another student found a fort made out of branches! Another unique find were the tree roots that had adapted and began growing upwards. This happened when the pond water level was much higher. Now that much of the pond has dried up, the root system is more visible. Really neat!
Science isn't just in books; sometimes, it’s under a leaf or hanging from a branch!














Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fun with Forensics!

Image
Last week we completed our Intro to Forensics unit. We started by learning how to be good observers. This was much more difficult than many expected! Next, we learned to lift fingerprints and identify them as loop, whorl, or arch. Then, we learned the importance of Forensic Odontology. Candy made this lesson sweet! Finally, we learned how to take a cast of a footprint left at the "scene." We then compared the cast to a few suspects' shoe impressions. We hope to revisit this unit at a later date, where we will learn about fiber/hair analysis, evidence collection, handwriting analysis, and secret messages, as well as how to use a black light at the scene.  
Read more

Quest Game Designers!

Image
Mrs. Moss's 5th grade Quest class is currently working on a game making unit. Students had the choice to either work with a partner to construct a unique board game, or to work independently to create an online game using a coding site. Students are required to incorporate strategy, setbacks/penalties, 3D and moving parts, as well as write thoughtful directions that would allow any player to easily understand the game play rules. Messes are being made...but I think more fun is being had! I cannot wait to see the final products next week!
Read more

Mosaic and Pointillism Art!

Image
 Last week, students learned about two different art styles.  They learned about Pointillism and Mosaic art.  They had to select one of their favorite cartoon characters, or any coloring page, that they liked to show different types of art.  Most say pointillism is the hardest because it took so much time, but they all look fantastic!
Read more