The Astronauts love reading to their Book Buddies but many told teachers that they wanted to play with them. Luckily, there was time in the schedule for the Astronauts to do both. The two classrooms spent time reading to their book buddies and then spent time on the roof playing with them. The Astronauts are great role models when reading to the younger students but they also are great role models for how to play on the roof. Teachers noticed the Astronauts teaching the younger students how to play tag, have races, ride scooters and bikes, and take turns playing. The Astronauts love seeing their Book Buddies in the hallways every day at GBS. The Astronauts just finished an exciting Science unit on volume. The students really enjoyed using water to discover the definition of volume and how to measure it. The was a great unit to show how responsible and independent the Astronauts have become. Each Astronaut did a great job working as partners to measure water and to keep the desks clean when using bins of water. When the Astronauts reach a Pride Point goal or finish a unit in math, social studies, or read aloud, they love celebrating with a book cook! Below are some pictures from two of the class' most recent book cooks. The first was in celebration of finishing the book Hour of the Olympics in read aloud; the Astronauts chopped up and combined ingredients for an "Ancient Greek Salad" paired with homemade dressing. It was delicious! After completing their unit on fractions in math as well as earning 150 Pride Points, the Astronauts read the book Pizza Counting and had a "Fractions Pizza Party!" First, they listened to the story, then they made a plan for their pizza. Some students chose to divide their pizza into halves, others chose to divide theirs into fourths. After, they chopped up toppings to make their delicious pizzas! Ask the Astronauts about these two tasty treats! The Astronauts have been learning about Earth Day and why it is important to take care of our planet. The class read an article on recycling and learned about what happens to the cans and bottles we recycle everyday. The Astronauts were surprised to learn that a recycled plastic water bottle will eventually get re-created into a carpet or even a piece of clothing! The Astronauts also looked at different pictures of pollution in the environment and discussed the reasons why this might be a problem for Earth.
The Astronauts have been picking their brains with idioms during read aloud and created a class idiom book filled with their favorite phrases. Some of the idioms displayed in the book are; "on cloud nine", "spilling the beans", "couch potato", "It's raining cats and dogs!" , and many others! The students continue to use these idioms throughout the day while talking to their classmates, and also have noticed other idioms that are used in the books they read. The Astronauts will continue to "have a blast" with idioms! In social studies, the Astronauts have been seeking to answer the question, "How and why do communities develop differently?" At home, each Astronaut created his/her very own urban, rural, or suburban community. At school, the students described their community's population, transportation, job opportunities, and homes/buildings in writing. The Astronauts excitedly displayed their hard work at a Community Gala where they invited other GBS students and staff to view their work. The students are very proud of their projects and were gracious hosts! Great work Astronauts! The Astronauts had the unique opportunity to bring Science and Art together. To end the Science unit on simple machines, the students built battery-operated cars with Braque. The Astronauts used vocabulary such as: wheel and axel, push and pull and circuit. The students pieced together a motor that was attached to a wooden plank with plastic wheels. After they created the cars, the Astronauts got to design them. Kate brought out special paint for wood, metal and plastic during Art. They had an amazing time creating the cars and painting them! The Astronauts were thrilled to know that they each get to keep their cars with the motors! The Astronauts have been working on flexible thinking and following group plans during Social Group. The class has defined flexible thinking as having an understanding and accepting a change of plans. The Astronauts have demonstrated their flexible thinking during community games and Asphalt Green, as well as other parts of the school day. In order to follow a group plan and be successful, the Astronauts have to be flexible with their ideas and open to other classmates' ideas. During Social Group, the Astronauts were challenged to build a tower of cups that were all connected. The class was broken up into groups and each group had to create a plan before building their tower. Each member of the group shared different ideas, and collectively came up with an overall plan. The Astronauts were very flexible during this activity and were able to successfully create some awesome cup towers! Recently, the Astronauts have been learning about the link between movement and art with Kate. As a part of this art unit, Kate brought the class to the MOMA. The Astronauts took a bus down to the museum and meet a MOMA educator. She brought the students to see a few of the paintings and sculptures on the fourth and fifth floor of the museum. At each artwork, the students did an activity; they sketched pictures, pretended to paint while laying on the floor and even reenacted a statue. The Astronauts enjoyed seeing some classic paintings from the MOMA's permanent collection and modern art from a visiting exhibition. The MOMA gave the students Family Passes to go back to the MOMA so that they can be the educators to their families as they explore more of the museum. Can you believe that the Astronauts have been in school for 100 days? Throughout the day the Astronauts did many activities that had to do with the number 100. Some of the activities included writing about what they would like to have 100 of, and what things they would not want 100 of, doing 100 exercises in the classroom, dancing and counting to GoNoodle, and making 100 days of school crowns. Can't wait to see what the next 100 days has in store for the Astronauts! |