We are developing as scientists! After working in pairs, then designing and conducting a whole class experiment, AND THEN redesigning the experiment to conduct it one last time, WE HAVE FINALLY GOTTEN SOME COSISTENT and DEFENDABLE RESULTS in our paper towel absorbency experiments. Below are copies of the data from each class's "Take 2" of the whole class absorbency experimentation. (Ask your child what it has taken for us to get these results . . . it's taken a lot of persistence, thoughtfulness, and precision.
As we saw a consistent pattern emerge from our data, we began to get a clear picture of how our 4 brands stacked up against each other for absorbency. In the weeks after the break, we'll be examining the wet strength of our products on our way to determining an overall "best value" recommendation. The final recommendation will also take into consideration the products' cost and how much paper towel comes on each roll. Stay tuned, we're moving into the exciting part of the unit, but we've still got a lot of hard work ahead of us.
4th Grade SAGE
The 4th graders are gaining a good handle on the attributes and costs of the 6 polygons we're using to construct our cities. Each class determined the areas of each polygon, and from that information has determined the cost of each one. The equilateral triangle and the regular pentagon were the trickiest to determine area for.
The cost of each square unit is $26.25. Students used this figure to determine the costs of each polygon. This is the first time they've been able to get an idea of how big they can build their buildings, since they now know the cost of each piece. The budget of $50,000 per student for two buildings just came into a better focus for many of our students.
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| We determined the formula for determining the area of triangles. |
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| The regular pentagon |
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| Can you figure the area of the equilateral triangle? |
Our third graders are well on their way to telling the Chief Investigator (me) their theories for who they believed borrowed Mr. Bear. Their final project is a memo from themselves to me outlining the reasons they believe one or more people borrowed the bear.
To help them organized their thinking, they are using a PowerPoint template. To finalize their memo, they will transfew their thoughts to the memo and then edit them for grammar, spelling, and transitions. Here's a few samples of student writing.
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