"Kids in Black" on Black Out Day

Today at CCES was black out day- a day where all the kids wore black for Kindergarten because they're learning their colors. It was also a day where we used no worksheets, technology, or electricity in our classrooms! Sounds like a challenge, doesn't it?

Since our classroom is "STUDIO 214", I wanted to put a little spin on our black-out day and make it into a movie theme. So instead of doing "Men in Black", we did "Kids in Black" and we were detectives trying to solve math, reading, and science mysteries. Check out our movie poster!

Friction Experiment

Elijah helped us test three levels of friction using this friction board. We discussed what happened on our roadways when our tires are worn out and it rains and what happens when we have new tires and it rains. The block on the far right was the area with the least amount of friction. Elijah did a great job!

Missoula Play @ CCES

Students at CCES were given a treat on Thursday of this week when the workers of the Missoula Performance Company came and performed some skits for us. They discussed Aesop's Fables and picked students from the audience to come join them on stage. There were talking monkeys and trees! It was really funny and a great experience for all of us!

iPods!

21st Century has purchased two classroom sets of iPods to use in our classrooms during and after school. We are using these tools to research, record video footage, and practice new concepts by downloading apps for our students. We are so excited about having these at CCES! This picture was taken in the class I'm teaching after school during 21st Century.

Student Work

We are very fortunate to have a document in our classroom that is connected to our projector. We use this resource every single day to model work and display student work. Recently, students were given a problem solving question that included multiple steps. Students volunteered to come share how they arrived at their answers. There were several students who shared with us that day! They were the teachers for that lesson!

Formative Assessment- White Boards

Throughout times throughout each week, we use dry-erase markers boards to practice new material in class. It is an easy way for me to quickly see how has mastered a given concept and who needs extra practice later on during the day.

The Water Cycle Bag

We have been studying the water cycle and have had this ziplock bag hanging in our window watching what happens as heat is added or taken away. Condensation is formed inside the bag and runs down the sides (precipitation) and then accumulates with the water in the bottom of the bag. We have also noticed a drop in the water in the bag, which means evaporation is taken place as well. It is awesome to watch the stages of the water cycle come to life!