We started the week with a follow up to our flood design challenge from the previous week. We talked about what it meant to be a successful design. We tested our model homes by placing them in a tub with a ring of rocks to act as a sort of foundation, and poured water into the tub to act like the flowing water of a flood. We also made sure to mark the tub so that it was 1.5″, as we had originally stipulated the water would go up to.
To view the videos of the Flood Design Challenge tests, use the password: TemescalCreek!
We noticed that the houses that had stilts spread out to have a wider base seemed more sturdy. Some fell over onto the other house, and that affected the other house’s result as well. This reflects what would happen in neighborhoods with flooding.
To wrap up our study of fractions, we applied our choices for pie to make a bar graph as well as a pie chart. We discussed when a bar graph would be used versus when a pie chart would be used. Bar graphs are often used to show popularity quickly and comparisons can be done at a glance whereas pie charts show percentages. We also had an end of unit assessment on fractions and worked together to make corrections. We take the time during the day for Temescalians to make corrections so that they can see what is expected as well as learn from their mistakes. We continue to emphasize with Temescalians that speed does not mean being “smart” in math. We look for accuracy and efficiency while showing that thinking in a clear and organized manner.
We started a new unit that is circling back to multiplication and division. We started by thinking about things that come in groups and writing multiplication sentences about them first, and then the inverse division number sentence about them. Continue practicing multiplication facts at home as automaticity with the facts will form a solid foundation as we start looking at division, the inverse of multiplication.
In Writing Workshop, we learned more figurative language: onomatopoeia and personification. For the onomatopoeia lesson, we had them define it, find examples of onomatopoeia in a published poem, and then write their own poems about nature with onomatopoeia. For the personification lesson, defined it and then looked for examples of personification in published poems. In pairs, their partners gave them 4 objects that they had to figure out how to use in personification. This form of ad-libs made for a fun way to approach personification.
A reading skill that we often talk about is inferencing. This concept is often mixed up with predictions. So we broke it down into a chart. Predictions are something that you think will happen and you can check whether your prediction was right or wrong. Inferences need evidence to back up what you think, and are often about a character’s unseen traits. Talk about your Temescalian about the difference between a prediction and an inference see if you can do either/both as you read together!
Afsaneh, a member of our ExDay staff, came in to talk to us about Nowruz, the Persian New Year. She shared stories about kings from long ago, as well as the symbols and meanings behind them during the presentation. It’s always so interesting to see and notice the similarities and differences between how different cultures celebrate holidays.
We finished the week with a field trip to Coyote Hills regional park to visit the Tribune Ohlone Village site. We were so lucky with the weather! It had been forecast to rain on Friday, and while it did rain, it held off the three hours that we were outside! Making the connection between all of the things that we have been learning from books inside the class and actually being in the land where the Ohlone used to live is so impactful. We have been talking about wetlands, but to actually walk on a boardwalk amongst tall grasses is so different. To be in nature and actually see the local plants and animals that the Ohlone people may have encountered long ago helps Temescalians’ understanding of a guiding question: How does where you live affect how you live? Our naturalist talked about different roles males and females had in the village, as well as how they would dress. We also got to see a detailed diorama of an Ohlone village from long ago. When we walked out to the Tribune Ohlone Village site, our naturalist talked about the history of the site and how ancestors were exhumed and re-buried, and how we needed to be respectful of the space. The sweat lodge, shade covering, and pit house were modern recreations of what these structures might have looked like long ago. Along the way, our naturalist also pointed out different aspects of the plants and animals of the area. For example, poison oak has oils that are harmful when the plant is mature and red. However, as babies, Ohlone children are fed the young green leaves as a sort of inoculation against the harmful effects of the plant and they become immune to the irritating oils on the leaves. He also pointed out cattails and their uses as a kindling material. After our walk to the village site, we came back and had lunch and saw two black tailed does grazing just beyond where we were eating. We also had the chance to examine the detailed diorama scenes of nature in the Visitors Center.
Naturalist, Francis, also showed us a technique for stripping willow branches that an Ohlone elder shared with naturalists. Francis shared that this technique is only really useful at this time of year, when the sap is still withdrawn from the branches. (To view the video, use the password: TemescalCreek! )
In science, we built upon what we know about ecosystems and biomes and talked about food chains and food webs. Ask your Temescalian if they can explain the difference between the two. To put our understanding of food chains, we selected a local ecosystem and named primary and secondary consumers from it. Then we played a version of “Red Rover” where those with a certain adaptation were safe but those who didn’t had to run across and try not to get tagged by “acts of nature” or previously tagged rooted detritus. For example, we selected the coast/bay and listed creatures like crabs, sharks, sea otters, mussels, seals, salmon, jelly fish. We called out that things with a shell were safe so the creatures that didn’t have a shell had to run across! We went back and forth until there were only a few creatures left.
We celebrated a birthday! We love seeing pictures of the birthday Temescalian as a younger person and asking questions about firsts & favorites is always a great way to get to know our community members better!
A few other glimpses from the week:
To prepare for our Book Week, we’re collecting books for our annual K-8 Book Swap now through Tuesday, April 2. Please consider donating your gently-used, K-8 appropriate books! You can hand your donation to the administrator on morning duty or drop them off in the office. Though all children will get the opportunity to choose a book to take from the swap regardless of whether or not they brought one from home, this is a great time to clean out those bookshelves and bring in books with which your family is ready to part. It’s also a great time to talk about the reciprocity of a swap and that the more books that people bring in to share, the more books from which we’ll have to choose!
Upcoming Events:
March
25 – April 2 Book Swap donations
29 – Assembly
April
3 – Book Swap
5 – Readathon (Family Reading from 8:30 – 9:00am. Please let us know if you have time to join us at other times throughout the day and would like to share a favorite book or poem! We love having guest readers join us!)
8 to 12 Spring Break (no school, check with Catherine DeVuono about childcare that week)
19 – Buddies
26 – Family Reading (8:30 – 9:00am)
