Mr. DeJohn's Landforms Project

Last week our class began studying landforms on our Earth. They researched and drew pictures of several types of landforms. From there, I had them create all the landforms using Play-Dough. I had them form their favorite landform out of Play-Dough to end that activity. Last Friday, they made Salt Dough and then created their favorite landform out of the salt dough. It took several days for the dough to dry completed. Today, they put the finishing touches on by painting their creations! We used a water based paint so no one ruined their clothes or our room. The kids did great! They worked together, helping each other throughout the project.

Check out the video I put together of the entire project.

Halloween Party and Parade!

We had our annual Halloween party and parade today! The class did an awesome job today and man can they eat snacks! 

Thank you to all of our parents who donated snacks and drinks.  Check out our photos below.  Happy Halloween!

Math Talk

Today during math, RE (abbreviations must be used for students) told our class how he knows a number is even.  He hit it right on the head!  Great job kiddo

Reading Outside

For the last few days we have spent fifteen minutes reading outside under the tree in front of the school.  It is so great to have nice weather and a good book.  I have encouraged all our kids to get outside this next weekend and read.  Pick a quiet place and get lost in a book.  Check out our little people enjoying reading.

Spelling Bee

 

 Today we had Mr. DeJohn Annual Spelling Bee.  Each year I take a list of all the review chapters and combine that into one humongous spelling bee!  Kids received a list of 90 words on Monday.  They have learned every word on the list and used this week to sharpen up on a few that still game them trouble--that was T R O U B L E.

 

Here is what we had left after round 3!  The saddened young people at their chairs were the round one and two casualities.  Most of the kids missing their words by only a letter.  I tried to lessen their tramas by explaining that I too was a casuality of a spelling bee.  It was me and this kid Kevin and my word was BOLOGNA.  Yes I lost on the word BOLOGNA.  Call it nerves or call it for what it was...bologna! To this day I can't go to the deli at Wegmans without shaking my fist at the bologna sign.  Ask you child what word kicked them out of this competition.  (Mr. DeJohn cannot be held responsible for any tramas, bills for psychologists or night sweats.  Parents, remember the forms you signed at the beginning of the year).

Here are our champions!!  Third place RV!  Second place AV!  and First place SG!  Each kiddo won a super cool prize and for SG--You have won the title of Mr. DeJohn's Annual Spelling Bee Champion! Congratulations!!!

Final Non-Fiction Writing Project and Inquiry Project

We are combining our final non-fiction writing piece and our last project for our Sharing the Planet unit of inquiry.  The sub-heading the kids will be exploring through research are:

• Select any habitat you would like to study.  Identify the living and non-living things in that ecosystem.  Give detailed information about that habitat (temperature, features, challenges)
• Select an animal (you may do several) from your eco-system and describe how those animals have adapted to their habitat. 
• Identify a food chain from your habitat and how it works.

Optional part (for extra credit)

• Describe one man-made problem within your ecosystem
• Tell how the man-made problem has impacted the habitat
• Describe one way you think the ecosystem could be restored.

Resources
Use the follow websites to research any of the habitats.  You may also use these sites to look up animals from your habitat by entering animals you are interested in learning about in their search boxes.

Enchanted Learning- ecosystems/biomes
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/

National Geographic- Habitats
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/

BrainPop Jr. Habitats (might need our password)
http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/habitats/

WWF-Habitats
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/ecoregions/about/habitat_types/habitats/

Specific Habitats

 

Prairies/Grasslands

The National Conservatory- Prairies/grasslands
http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/habitats/grasslands/index.htm

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grassland

Defenders of Wildlife
https://www.defenders.org/grasslands/basic-facts

Tropical Islands (Hawaii or Fiji)





WWF- Ocean Islands
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/ecoregions/about/habitat_types/habitats/oceanic_islands/

Wikipedia- (Hawaii or Fiji)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii

Caves

Journey Into Amazing Caves
http://www.amazingcaves.com/set_learn_ecology.html

Cave Life
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/webcasts/caves/habitat_zones.phtml

Cave- Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave

Swamps

Swamp Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swamp

Georgia Habitat
http://www.lilburnes.org/Students/Habitats/okefenokee.htm

Mangrove Swamps
http://inchinapinch.com/hab_pgs/marine/mangrove/mangrove.htm

Birds of the Swamp
http://www.whatbird.com/browse/objs/All/birds_na_147/113/Habitat/2081/Marshes,%20Swamps/default.aspx

Wetlands
http://www.hamiltonnature.org/habitats/wetland/wetland_animals.htm

National Wildlife Federation- Everglades
http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wild-places/everglades.aspx


Students will be writing a non-fiction paper and creating a project to display interesting information they have learned.  All work for this will be done in school.  Presentations will be the last week in school!!

Rainforest Mini Research Project, Non Fiction Writing

Last week we begin our non-fiction writing unit.  I had our students learn the process of writing non-fiction writing pieces by writing about a subject they knew a lot about.  This week I will be teaching them how to do research and take notes on a subject.  They will all have the same topic, doing research on the same information and using the same resources to do research. 

The topic of our papers this week will be rainforests.  The kids must find information on...

What is a rainforest?

Animals of the rainforest?

Humans living in rainforests?

Our students will have  websites and videos that I will teach them how to read and pull information from.  I am also providing them with a short non-fiction reading on rainforests they may also use as a resource. 

Their goal is to read and pull out information for each sub-heading above.  They will then take their notes and write their non-fiction reports.

Resources to use

Enchanted learning Rainforests
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/rainforest/

Wikipedia Rainforests
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainforest

Amazon Rainforest Slideshare
http://www.slideshare.net/aquadante/rainforest-interactive-for-3rd-grade

Kids Mongabay-Rainforests
http://kids.mongabay.com/

National Geographic-Rainforests
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/rainforest-profile/

NeoK12
Great set of short videos!
http://www.neok12.com/Forests.htm