This week we have started learning about the universe. We are breaking the theme into three different sections. They will cover various areas related to outer space and flight. We started with learning about the Solar System and constellations, will move on to the sun and moon, and finish up learning about flight both on earth and in space.

Each day we have been focusing on two planets and learning new information about them. Since we know many pieces of information about Earth, we have been comparing the planets to Earth. We learned that Mercury is very small and that Venus is considered Earth’s “sister planet”. We also learned that Earth is made up mostly of water and that Mars has polar ice caps that contain the water for the planet. The students have hypothesized why they think people do not live on the other planets. One common thing the students have observed is that if the planet is too close to the sun it is too hot to live on!

In Math Workshop we worked on analyzing the results of more surveys. We have been discussing the benefits of knowing how many people participated in a survey, knowing which choice is most popular, and reporting accurate results.

In Writer’s Workshop we have been preparing for our Writer’s Celebration that was on Friday. Each student published their research about Aquarium animals and presented it to their peers and an audience of parents. Not only did the students write for this project, they also had to read and summarize to find the information they decided to include in their writing. The students are very proud of their work and are going to next be able to really use their imaginations to write fiction pieces!

We really became a part of our learning when we redesigned our classroom set-up this week. The students worked together to come up with a blueprint of where we should put the learning areas. The students first realized that they needed to put on the blueprint the objects in the classroom that cannot move (like the doors). Then they brainstormed and discussed where to put everything else. The end result was a classroom with a refreshing new look!

Remember our Field Trip to the Planetarium is Monday, February 11th.