General News
It’s hard to believe we are so close to the end of the year! We are starting final projects, finishing books, and beginning to brainstorm for POP committees! Check the calendar for important dates about summer unbirthdays, POP, the talent show, and more!
ELA
We had a lively week of debate in ELA! As we started forming our opinions about the future of colonizing Mars, there were plenty of strong opinions (middle schoolers are known for this 🙂)! Some people think humans have no business leaving Earth – after all it was perfectly designed for us. Others think the problems on Earth should be fixed before we consider moving humans into outer space, but that we should go someday. Still others think that the scientific opportunities, tech, and potential for colonizing Mars are ready and we should be doing this ASAP. It was a lot of fun to hear people’s different opinions and their reasons to back them up as we started writing and got to practice hearing different opinions with respect. We also did a fair amount of research this week to back up our opinions and writing by looking into current problems on Earth (trash, population, resources, etc.that might contribute to push factors for Mars colonization), solutions for problems on Earth, and the technology that exists currently that might help us get to Mars (pull factors for colonization).
Math
The Deltas have been busy working on math projects this week! The first year Deltas finished up the quadrilateral design project that they started last week, adding color and completing a key that highlights the different types of quadrilaterals used in their projects. When the projects were finished, the Deltas paired up to play a quadrilateral board game and to challenge their understanding of quadrilateral attributes with a card sort activity. On Thursday, we started our next unit, measurement conversions, with a Google Classroom activity about converting between customary units.
The Year 2 students continued working on volume of 3-D shapes. We learned the formulas for the volume of cylinders and pyramids, which led us to finding the area of circles and learning about the famous 𝜋mathematical constant, 𝜋. We finished the week with a project where we designed robots using 3-D shapes, and calculated the total volume of our robot designs. The Year 2 Deltas used objects found around the home (and in the recycling bin!) to create their designs, then measured the key dimensions of each piece, applied the correct volume formula for each 3-D shape, then added the volume of each piece to determine the total volume of their robot. We can’t wait to show you what they created at PoP!
Theme
This week in Theme class, students explored Earth’s changing processes through creative storytelling and hands-on investigation. As part of their study of the Rock Cycle, students wrote imaginative stories about rocks that lived full “lives” from their creation to their eventual transformation into new rock types. These stories highlighted how igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks form and change over time through heat, pressure, cooling, compaction, and other natural processes. The Deltas proudly shared their finished stories by reading them aloud to the Alpha, Beta, and Gammas classes, practicing communication skills while teaching science concepts in an engaging way.
Students also investigated the effects of Weathering and Erosion through a hands-on lab experiment using sugar cubes as model rocks. They tested how different substances and conditions affected the rate of weathering, observing which materials caused the cubes to break down more quickly. Through this activity, students learned how water, abrasion, and chemical changes can gradually wear away rock over time. By combining creativity, experimentation, and leadership opportunities, students deepened their understanding of how Earth’s surface is constantly changing.
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