Toddler Class
In October, the toddler class enjoyed throwing bags full of autumn leaves in the air and watching them drift to the floor-inside the classroom! They listened to a rendition of Autumn Leaves as sung by Nat King Cole as they created leaf collages using Mod Page to preserve the brilliant colors. For the Thanksgiving Celebration, the students baked Pumpkin Sunflower bread, using wheat that was grown in the PJS garden. They took a nature walk around the school grounds, looking for animal homes. We discovered that a groundhog had taken up residence under the garden shed and had dug quite a hole. We also discovered a network of vole trails and a cozy nest that they had constructed from dried grasses and cattail fluff. The Toddler class had fun with the unit on Light. First we read " I See Myself" and then conducted explorations into how you can see yourself. We used aluminum foil, mirrors, a dark room with no light, and flashlights. A black light introduced the students to ultraviolet light. Bowls of water glowed when fluorescent paint was mixed in, a glow in the dark volcano erupted, and the students squished and smushed Glowing Goo in the eerie black light. For a pre holiday treat, the class made pancakes, using wheat from the garden. They topped them with honey and sauteed apples. Yum!
Pre K
The Preschool bid goodbye to the autumn leaves with a nature walk around the school grounds.The students enjoyed jumping in piles of leaves and tossing them in the air. They listened to Nat King Cole sing Autumn Leaves as they created collages with the brilliantly colored leaves . For the Thanksgiving Celebration, the class baked Carrot Honey bread, using wheat grown in the PJS Garden. We spent three classes exploring Light to coordinate with the classroom IB unit "Light is essential to the life and well being of living things". First we read I Can See Myself and then conducted activities that explored how we can see ourselves. We used aluminum foil, mirrors, a room with no light, and flashlights. Students discovered how light can be broken into the colors of the rainbow with a prism, and how light can be bent when it travels through water. To determine if plants need light to grow, the Pre K class planted bean seeds, placing half of the pots in light and half in a closed box. The initial results were surprising! A black light introduced the students to ultraviolet light. Bowls of water glowed when fluorescent painted was added, a glow in the dark volcano erupted, and the students smushed and mixed Glowing Goo in the eerie black light. Finally, in response to numerous requests for Learning through Pancakes class, the preK class made pancakes, using wheat grown in the garden. They topped their pancakes with honey and sauteed apples. In Learning through Pancakes class, the students learned where the ingredients for the pancakes originated, how pancakes puff up when they cook, and that pancakes can be a healthy food.
Kindergarten
The Kindergarten class wrapped up the growing season with a harvest of the potatoes and a garden clean up. Then the students planted the rye that will be harvested next July. They learned how to thresh the grains, winnow , and grind them. The class took a nature walk, matching fallen leaves to their trees and looking for insects under decomposing logs. After reading The Giving Tree, students drew an illustration of their favorite part of the story. For the Thanksgiving Celebration, Kindergarten baked Pumpkin Corn Bread, using wheat grown in the PJS garden. They also made mozzarella cheese following their visit to Cherry Grove Farm.
Next the class began a unit on The States of Matter. First the students packed together in a tight group, then they spread out a bit, finally they spread throughout the room to demonstrate how molecules are distributed in solids, liquids, and gasses. We "fried" ice to show how matter can change state. We mixed a solid and a liquid to make gas. The students conducted explorations with the states of matter, discovering that solids can have the same size and shape but different weights ( density); air has weight and mass; and liquids take the shape of the container they are in. A final activity used a mixture of peroxide, yeast, and soap that erupted into a mountain of warm squishy foam (an exothermic reaction).
The students learned about " My Plate" which is a guide to healthy eating. They cut pictures from supermarket flyers and pasted them on the plate to show a healthy meal. They used the technology room to play "My Plate Blast Off " Game. Students had to choose healthy foods for their meals that didn't exceed the daily calorie count for their age group and included 60 minutes of activity in order to "blast off". Finally, they made a Healthy Popcorn snack. First we popped some samples of store bought popcorn and PJS grown popcorn and voted on the favorite. Students favored the popcorn from our garden,saying it had more flavor. Next we made some sunbutter by chopping sunflower seeds into a paste in a food processor. Then we mixed the sunbutter, soybutter , and some vanilla , heated it, and poured it over a big bowl of popped corn. It was delicious!
Next the class began a unit on The States of Matter. First the students packed together in a tight group, then they spread out a bit, finally they spread throughout the room to demonstrate how molecules are distributed in solids, liquids, and gasses. We "fried" ice to show how matter can change state. We mixed a solid and a liquid to make gas. The students conducted explorations with the states of matter, discovering that solids can have the same size and shape but different weights ( density); air has weight and mass; and liquids take the shape of the container they are in. A final activity used a mixture of peroxide, yeast, and soap that erupted into a mountain of warm squishy foam (an exothermic reaction).
The students learned about " My Plate" which is a guide to healthy eating. They cut pictures from supermarket flyers and pasted them on the plate to show a healthy meal. They used the technology room to play "My Plate Blast Off " Game. Students had to choose healthy foods for their meals that didn't exceed the daily calorie count for their age group and included 60 minutes of activity in order to "blast off". Finally, they made a Healthy Popcorn snack. First we popped some samples of store bought popcorn and PJS grown popcorn and voted on the favorite. Students favored the popcorn from our garden,saying it had more flavor. Next we made some sunbutter by chopping sunflower seeds into a paste in a food processor. Then we mixed the sunbutter, soybutter , and some vanilla , heated it, and poured it over a big bowl of popped corn. It was delicious!
Grade 1
Grade 1 wrapped up the growing season by harvesting the potatoes and composting the remaining garden plants. Then the students planted the wheat that will be harvested next July. They learned how to thresh the grains, shell Anasazi beans, and make applesauce using only one ingredient-apples! The class bid goodbye to the autumn leaves with a nature walk. They matched fallen leaves to the trees they fell from and looked for hibernating insects under logs. After reading The Giving Tree, students drew illustrations of their favorite part of the story. For the Thanksgiving Celebration, Grade 1 baked Ms D's Gluten and Dairy Free bread. Amaranth flour, coconut flour, and garbanzo flour were some of the ingredients. Following their visit to Cherry Grove Farm, the students made mozzarella cheese topped with sweet cherry tomatoes from the PJS garden.
Next the class began a unit on The States of Matter. First the students packed together in a group, then they spread out a bit, finally they spread throughout the room to demonstrate how the atoms are distributed in solids, liquids, and gasses. We "fried" ice to show how matter can change state. We mixed a solid and a liquid to make a gas. The students conducted explorations with the states of matter, discovering that solids can have the same size and shape but can have a different weight (density); liquids take the shape of the container that they are in; and air has weight and mass. A final activity involved the combination of yeast, peroxide, and soap which produced a mountain of warm, squishy foam.
The class learned about healthy eating with "My Plate" which is a guide to a nutritious daily diet. They drew pictures on their plate to show a healthy meal. They played" My Plate Blast Off Game" in the technology room. Students were required to choose healthy foods for three meals and a snack that didn't exceed the daily calorie count for their age group. They also had to include 60 minutes of activity. Students who were successful were awarded certificates for their wise choices. Finally, for a pre-holiday treat, Grade 1 made healthy Popcorn Balls, using honey, peanut butter, vanilla, and air-popped popcorn.
Next the class began a unit on The States of Matter. First the students packed together in a group, then they spread out a bit, finally they spread throughout the room to demonstrate how the atoms are distributed in solids, liquids, and gasses. We "fried" ice to show how matter can change state. We mixed a solid and a liquid to make a gas. The students conducted explorations with the states of matter, discovering that solids can have the same size and shape but can have a different weight (density); liquids take the shape of the container that they are in; and air has weight and mass. A final activity involved the combination of yeast, peroxide, and soap which produced a mountain of warm, squishy foam.
The class learned about healthy eating with "My Plate" which is a guide to a nutritious daily diet. They drew pictures on their plate to show a healthy meal. They played" My Plate Blast Off Game" in the technology room. Students were required to choose healthy foods for three meals and a snack that didn't exceed the daily calorie count for their age group. They also had to include 60 minutes of activity. Students who were successful were awarded certificates for their wise choices. Finally, for a pre-holiday treat, Grade 1 made healthy Popcorn Balls, using honey, peanut butter, vanilla, and air-popped popcorn.
Grade 2
Grade 2 began a unit on Sound to complement the classroom IB POI "Sound is a tool for communication and creative expression". First the class made Sound Maps. Outside they found a spot to individually sit for three minutes, while they observed the sounds all around them. Then they placed an "X" in the middle of a sheet of paper to indicate their location on the map. They drew illustrations or symbols of the sounds at the appropriate position and distance from their observation spot. Students then shared their observations as recorded from the different locations. In the LTL classroom students rotated through a Sound Lab that consisted of 10 stations. Each station was equipped with instructions and materials for the sound activity The activities demonstrated how sound is a form of energy that travels in waves known as compressional waves, sound is caused by vibrations, and vibrations travel at different speeds through different mediums. Students were required to complete a Sound Waves activity sheet at each station. Finally the students used a variety of "homemade" musical instruments to experiment with the properties of sound.
Next Grade 2 began a unit on Motion, another form of energy. They learned about potential and kinetic energy. The book Sheep in a Jeep was used to illustrate different forms of forces and motion. Students made up sentences that described the forces and motion in the book using a selection of words. The class played "Forces and Motion" charades. Each student was given a card that included an illustration of a person using energy to perform a motion and classmates had to guess what the person on the card was doing. Students will be conducting explorations of forces and energy in the coming weeks.
Next Grade 2 began a unit on Motion, another form of energy. They learned about potential and kinetic energy. The book Sheep in a Jeep was used to illustrate different forms of forces and motion. Students made up sentences that described the forces and motion in the book using a selection of words. The class played "Forces and Motion" charades. Each student was given a card that included an illustration of a person using energy to perform a motion and classmates had to guess what the person on the card was doing. Students will be conducting explorations of forces and energy in the coming weeks.
Grade 3
Grade 3 completed their projects on the Endangered Birds of the U.S. Each student wrote a report on the bird he or she was studying that included information about the characteristics and habitat of the bird and the reason(s) the bird is endangered. They each sewed a beautiful felt model of their bird. For the Thanksgiving Celebration, Grade 3 baked Harvest Pumpkin Apple bread, using wheat grown in the PJS garden. A unit on Sound followed, to complement the classroom IB POI "Sound is a tool for communication and creative expression". The students rotated through a Sound Lab that consisted of 10 stations. Each station was equipped with instructions and materials for the activity. These activities demonstrated how sound is a form of energy that travels in waves known as compressional waves, sound is caused by vibrations, and vibrations travel through different mediums at different speeds. Finally the students used "homemade" instruments to experiment with the different properties of sound.
Next Grade 3 began a unit on Energy, Forces, and Motion. The students read the book Sheep in a Jeep which illustrates many forces and motion. They constructed Coffee Can Racers that clearly demonstrated potential and kinetic energy. Next the class conducted Ramp Trials with Hot Wheels cars. The variable for the first trial was ramp height. Students will also be exploring the effects of friction on speed and distance when they add different surface textures to the ramps.
Next Grade 3 began a unit on Energy, Forces, and Motion. The students read the book Sheep in a Jeep which illustrates many forces and motion. They constructed Coffee Can Racers that clearly demonstrated potential and kinetic energy. Next the class conducted Ramp Trials with Hot Wheels cars. The variable for the first trial was ramp height. Students will also be exploring the effects of friction on speed and distance when they add different surface textures to the ramps.
Grade 4
Grade 4 completed a unit on Bridges. The students researched information about loads, forces, building materials, and types of bridges. Each student compiled the information into a "flip book". Then they used their knowledge to make their own bridges using craft sticks. For the Thanksgiving Celebration, Grade 4 baked Cranberry Brown bread, using wheat and rye grown in the PJS garden. Next the class began a unit of inquiry on the Ocean to complement the classroom IB unit. The students first learned about plate tectonics and how they create both land forms and sea floor features. Next they completed a diagram of the sea floor, which illustrated how tectonic plate movement creates underwater ridges, trenches, guyots, and islands. Finally, they used sonar readings to graph a profile of the Atlantic Ocean sea floor at 34 degrees N latitude, from Cape May , NJ to Cape Roca, Portugal. Students were assigned a Marine Animal project which is due on January 14, 2015.
Grade 5
Before they bid "adieu" to the autumn leaves, Grade 5 learned why and how leaves change color in autumn. The students completed a chromatography activity which revealed the pigments that are masked by chlorophyll and the colors that form in response to autumnal events. They finished the Plant unit by looking at Plant Processes (photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration) and Tropisms. For the Thanksgiving Celebration, Grade 5 made Russian Black bread, using wheat and rye grown in the PJS garden.
The silkworms finally emerged from their gossamer cocoons, mated, and laid eggs. A few of the cocoons were golden yellow, rather than white. We hope to raise more silkworms in the spring, when the mulberry leaves emerge. Some of the students expressed a curiosity about kimchi, a Korean dish that is often mentioned in the book Project Mulberry. So we made a batch of it using cabbage, garlic, ginger, radishes, and scallions. After allowing the mixture to ferment for one week, some culinary adventurous students tasted the dish. Their reactions were swift, some loving it and some declaring it the worst thing they had ever tasted. They will probably never forget how they made kimchi in fifth grade!
The silkworms finally emerged from their gossamer cocoons, mated, and laid eggs. A few of the cocoons were golden yellow, rather than white. We hope to raise more silkworms in the spring, when the mulberry leaves emerge. Some of the students expressed a curiosity about kimchi, a Korean dish that is often mentioned in the book Project Mulberry. So we made a batch of it using cabbage, garlic, ginger, radishes, and scallions. After allowing the mixture to ferment for one week, some culinary adventurous students tasted the dish. Their reactions were swift, some loving it and some declaring it the worst thing they had ever tasted. They will probably never forget how they made kimchi in fifth grade!