it has been an incredible year

The last few weeks

I have had a wonderful year with this class of very special people. I will treasure this year for a long time to come. 

Dinosaurs

In these last few weeks of June we have been exploring ideas about dinosaurs. We have learned how to identify carnivores and herbivores as well as how to tell them apart. We have talked about some theories as to why the dinosaurs became extinct. This led to a conversation about palaeontologists and what they do. After watching a short video about palaeontologists, the students were able to hone their own scientific skills. The students had a chance to delicately remove chocolate chips from cookies, to mimic how palaeontologists extricate bones from the ground. They really enjoyed this activity and there were many requests to try with different kinds of cookies. As we are so very short on time, perhaps it is something to do on a quiet day this summer. 😀



Dinosaurs and measurement

We have been using dinosaurs to facilitate learning about measurement in the class. We have toy dinosaurs in the class which we used to practice measuring. Last week we used buttons, rocks and other random objects to measure the dinosaurs. We talked about how the measurement tools weren't standardized and that without knowing which tool their friend used, no one could find the exact dinosaur that their friend measured. So then we moved to our cusinaire rods that we use so often in class. The students measured a dinosaur and recorded it's length and height as a number of blocks. The children were then able to circulate in class, look at the measurements that another student recorded and find the correct dinosaur because the measurement tool was standard in the class.

Then we had the problem that not all classes have cuisinaire rods. So while we could identify the dinosaurs easily in class, other students from other classes might not be successful. We had to think of something else we use that is even more well-known. We decided to use rulers and measure with centimetres. Again the children found it easy to look at the measurements their friend wrote down and find the dinosaur that matched that measurement.

We culminated our measurement unit by taking meter sticks outside on Friday. I had pictures of dinosaurs with their lengths in metres written on the pictures. In small groups the students used the meter sticks to measure the length of the dinosaurs. They then drew a chalk line and labeled the length in meters eg. 10m. The dinosaurs ranged in length from 3m to 28m. They had a lot of fun.
There will be more pictures on Ed Inform with an evaluation for measurement and geometry. I hope to have them done before Wednesday.

Farewell

I wish each of you a wonderful sunny summer full of family and friends. As I mentioned, I have thoroughly enjoyed this year with your very special people. I am looking forward to hearing all their news in the fall. 
Thank you so much for your feedback and support over this year.

Take care and all the best,
Vicki

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