Back To Teaching

PSSAs are over!! YES!!!!! And, the afternoon fun and games, also, are over. OH, YEAH!!!!!!!! I hate that part. However, the Brain Show on Friday was really good.

Doin' Mathematics In Science
All that data we collected on Monday to find the Percentage of Oxygen in the Atmosphere, was organized, today.

Without going into particulars. Click this link to see the project. The Atmosphere: What Is It?

So, we determined the average volume of oxygen, per group, and calculated the measurements into decimal form. Mrs. Antonacci will be proud of me, I had the munchkins read the numbers as zero decimal point blah, blah, blah. She hates when I don't use that word decimal.

We finished today's lesson with all the equations and data tables filled-in and labeled, correctly. On Monday, we learn to use Microsoft Excel to create a bar graph.

New Social Studies Group
Well, I've got the last of the sixth graders in my social studies class. We do the Bill of Right and map skills. The only nice part is that with nice weather, we will go outside to learn about orienteering. Don't know orienteering? It's a primative version of GPS.

Student Achievers
Today, we awarded our student achiever awards for marking period 3. Felicity got mine for social studies. She really got into volunteering to read, pass out papers and materials, etc. Her enthusiasm in my class was inspirational. Thanks, Felicity. My science achiever is Anisha. Doggone it, she has not received an award, all year. I guess since a kid can only get one award per year, the other teachers must have been holding off for the final marking period. That is why I snatched her up for the third marking period. Anisha could teach my science. I should be able to sit in the back of the room drinking coffee and eating donuts and let her teach her class. I've got some really sharp kids, this year. I don't care what their PSSA scores show, this sixth grade can think and reason and will do fine in the outside world.

Hug your kid - NOW! Have a great weekend, folks.

Big Fire, Little Candle

The cherubs were engrossed in performing an experiment that will eventually lead to finding the percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere. To do this, kiddoes substituted water for air and measured the volume of a test tube. Then, they placed the test tube over a lit candle, resting in a dish of water. The result, fire goes out and the expelled oxygen is replaced by water sucked-up into the test tube. All very melo-dramatic.