Elementary

K/1st: Week of Jan 29

Oceans This week we dove deeper into the ocean – 600 feet down to the beginning of the Disphotic or Twilight zone. Very little light reaches this deep. Disphotic gets its name from being a region where photosynthesis cannot occur and plants can’t grow. To understand the differences between the two zones for the living organisms that live there we looked at sperm whales and giant squid. Alphas learned that Sperm whales are incredibly unique mammals. In some form of evolution they have been on earth 20 million years or more, can dive the deepest of any mammal (2,000-10,000 feet), […]

K/1st: Week of Jan 29 Read More »

Kindergarten student holds hands-on project at part time school.

2nd/3rd: Week of Jan 29

Math – Ms. Andrea’s math group measured the room! We talked about standard units of measurement and put our rulers, measuring tape and yard stick to work. We compared lengths! The Beta 1’s were challenged to order themselves by height – silently! They rose to the challenge. We practiced our measuring skills while pivoting between inches and centimeters. On Tuesday the crew practiced addition and subtraction facts – both one and two digit! Thursday, we did a smorgasbord of measuring activities! From measuring items from a junk drawer, to partnering and answering discussion questions and solving measurement challenges! Ms. Kelly’s

2nd/3rd: Week of Jan 29 Read More »

Proud second grade student shows off her work at progressive private school.

4th/5th: Week of Jan 29

General News Keep up the work on your student Rock Journals (Due March 8th) We are covered for field trip transportation (thank you!) and will be in touch with volunteers soon with more details. Reading/Writing Update This week we spent lots of time focusing on getting drafts done. Gammas needed to write at least three drafts of memoir stories before choosing one to publish (much to their chagrin) but hopefully along this journey some of them realized the importance of the drafting process and pushing themselves through the process. Often your first idea will not be your favorite when it

4th/5th: Week of Jan 29 Read More »

Teacher interacts with students at table at micro school with small classes.

K/1st: Week of Jan 22

This week we learned that the ocean has layers that are divided by how much light is in it. The first layer we explored is called the Euphotic Zone. We learned that most of the creatures in the ocean live in this layer, and just like all living things on land, these creatures require sunlight, air, water, and food to live. Alphas knew that many of the tidal zone creatures had adaptations that helped them capture microscopic food particles from the water, and we learned that those particles were actually living plants and animals called Phytoplankton and Zooplankton. We learned

K/1st: Week of Jan 22 Read More »

Kindergarten student displays project at project based school.

2nd/3rd: Week of Jan 22

Math – Ms. Andrea’s math group worked on solving situations having to do with time. We created number lines to help us solve elapsed time problems and did another digital/analog mix and mingle to find new partners for the day (and for fun!) We discussed AM vs PM and completed different activities that take “about a minute” and “about an hour.” We made a human timeline and put ourselves in order based on the series of events in a daily schedule. After spending some more time figuring out situation problems involving elapsed time – they’re working hard and almost have

2nd/3rd: Week of Jan 22 Read More »

Elementary teacher sits with students while they work together at private school with small classes.