3rd-5th grades:
Architecture Everywhere! is the unit for 3rd through 5th graders for the spring. We have explored the history of cities and the politics and economics of a city. This will be fun to explore as we talk about bartering, commerce, politics, and taxes. Students have worked with teams to draw Gainesville (from a bird's eye view) on large paper and have participated in a class play thus far. There will be research, team projects, hands on work, and more!
Architecture Everywhere! is the unit for 3rd through 5th graders for the spring. We have explored the history of cities and the politics and economics of a city. This will be fun to explore as we talk about bartering, commerce, politics, and taxes. Students have worked with teams to draw Gainesville (from a bird's eye view) on large paper and have participated in a class play thus far. There will be research, team projects, hands on work, and more!
1st and 2nd grades:
Our new unit is Budding Botanists, which was created by the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William & Mary. It involves hands on lessons exploring areas of botany using an inquiry-based approach to studying science. It includes higher level thinking challenges. In the first few lessons, the students learned about the scientific method, how systems and science relate, built a terrarium, taken garden walks, and conducted an experiment with flowers (while wearing lab-coats, ofcourse!)
Our new unit is Budding Botanists, which was created by the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William & Mary. It involves hands on lessons exploring areas of botany using an inquiry-based approach to studying science. It includes higher level thinking challenges. In the first few lessons, the students learned about the scientific method, how systems and science relate, built a terrarium, taken garden walks, and conducted an experiment with flowers (while wearing lab-coats, ofcourse!)
In the next few weeks, we will be wrapping up our units Balances and Gifts. We will then work on writing before we move to our next units. I know you can't wait to find out what they are! We will let the exitement build as we keep that information under wraps!
November 30: Back to school means back to work! In our class, hopefully that equaled fun as well! 5th graders looked at algebraic equations using a scientific scale. This helped to show how to cancel numbers out on each side to get "N" by itself. The students then looked at using logic in solving mathematical equations and even wrote some of their own!
Happy Fall! Mrs. Thornton and I are happy to see students back in MPACT! Mrs. Elliott is now working in other areas of the school this year, but will offer with me, an enrichment opportunity for all kids through the Lego Robotics team.
Our MPACT units this fall are Gifts for 1st and 2nd grade and Balances for 3rd through 5th grade. They cover a variety of subject areas and will dig into grade level content as well!
New for this year: binders! The kids are very excited to have binders as it helps to keep all of their MPACT items together in one place. This is good training for the future when they need to decide how to organize their work. (think: middle school!) The weekly MPACT matters newsletter reviews subject matter taught, vocabulary, behavior and organization, and a chance for your student to reflect on the day's learning.
Mrs. Romberg
Our MPACT units this fall are Gifts for 1st and 2nd grade and Balances for 3rd through 5th grade. They cover a variety of subject areas and will dig into grade level content as well!
New for this year: binders! The kids are very excited to have binders as it helps to keep all of their MPACT items together in one place. This is good training for the future when they need to decide how to organize their work. (think: middle school!) The weekly MPACT matters newsletter reviews subject matter taught, vocabulary, behavior and organization, and a chance for your student to reflect on the day's learning.
Mrs. Romberg
Check out my blog (second tab at the top) for reading lists and more! Have a happy, reading-ful, creative, & playful summer! I will miss you! I am currently planning lots of cool things for the fall! See you then! :)
-Mrs. Romberg
-Mrs. Romberg
ENOTA- "WEDO" LEGOS
During March and April, Mrs. Elliott and Mrs. Romberg’s classes have participated in various Lego Engineering builds. First and second grades have completed project assignments related to simple machines and third, fourth, and fifth grades completed building tasks using Lego WeDo kits.
WeDo enables students to work as young scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and creative writers. Students are encouraged to build and program a working model and then use the model for different purposes, depending upon the theme of the activity and its focused subject matter within science, technology, mathematics or language. These projects provide learning opportunities that develop broader learning goals such as:
*thinking creatively to make a working model
*developing vocabulary and communication skills to explain how the model works
*establish links between cause and effect
*reflect on how to find answers and imagine new possibilities
*brainstorm ideas and endeavor to bring some of them to fruition
During March and April, Mrs. Elliott and Mrs. Romberg’s classes have participated in various Lego Engineering builds. First and second grades have completed project assignments related to simple machines and third, fourth, and fifth grades completed building tasks using Lego WeDo kits.
WeDo enables students to work as young scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and creative writers. Students are encouraged to build and program a working model and then use the model for different purposes, depending upon the theme of the activity and its focused subject matter within science, technology, mathematics or language. These projects provide learning opportunities that develop broader learning goals such as:
*thinking creatively to make a working model
*developing vocabulary and communication skills to explain how the model works
*establish links between cause and effect
*reflect on how to find answers and imagine new possibilities
*brainstorm ideas and endeavor to bring some of them to fruition
*Make something from recycled items like cereal boxes, toilet paper rolls, caps, etc. and bring it in for show and tell.
*Make homemade play dough
1 cup flour 1/2 cup salt 2 tbsp. cream of tartar 2 tbsp. oil 1 cup water food coloring (optional) Scent (cinnamon, vanilla, mint, etc. – also optional)
In a saucepan, mix flour, salt, cream of tartar, scent ingredient, and oil. Slowly mix in water until it’s all smooth. Then turn the heat on medium and stir until it forms a ball of dough. I used a heat-resistant rubber spatula so I could scrape the bottom of the pan easily. Once it’s a ball, plop it onto some wax paper until it’s cool enough for you to touch.
*Feed the birds! You will need one pinecone (if you can find one in the snow!), peanut butter, birdseed, and string. Tie a string to the pinecone, smear peanut butter all over it, roll it in birdseed, and hang it on a tree. Watch to see who comes to eat. Draw a picture and write a sentence to describe what you see. Bring it to class with you.
I can't wait to see what you do! Have fun!
-Mrs. Romberg
*Make homemade play dough
1 cup flour 1/2 cup salt 2 tbsp. cream of tartar 2 tbsp. oil 1 cup water food coloring (optional) Scent (cinnamon, vanilla, mint, etc. – also optional)
In a saucepan, mix flour, salt, cream of tartar, scent ingredient, and oil. Slowly mix in water until it’s all smooth. Then turn the heat on medium and stir until it forms a ball of dough. I used a heat-resistant rubber spatula so I could scrape the bottom of the pan easily. Once it’s a ball, plop it onto some wax paper until it’s cool enough for you to touch.
*Feed the birds! You will need one pinecone (if you can find one in the snow!), peanut butter, birdseed, and string. Tie a string to the pinecone, smear peanut butter all over it, roll it in birdseed, and hang it on a tree. Watch to see who comes to eat. Draw a picture and write a sentence to describe what you see. Bring it to class with you.
I can't wait to see what you do! Have fun!
-Mrs. Romberg
Good morning friends! I will miss you today in class! I would hate for you to miss out on time to learn cool new things, so I have found some fun experiments, projects, and activities for you to explore at home. Please write a few sentences about what you chose to do and bring it to school with you. Everyone who completes an activity and turns in their written response (edited - either self-edited or parent assisted) will earn a prize!
1st - 2nd grade MPACT students:
Feelings Activity: (Parents, children often don't know how to respond to others feelings. This will help your student learn to identify their own and others feelings and how to express them in a positive way.)
* 1. Brainstorm words that express feelings. Write them down. It may be easy to write them in a list.
2. Choose one stuffed animal to work with. Set it in front of you. Have your pencil and paper ready.
3. Decide how your animal is feeling and why. Write these ideas down. It can also be in a list format, if you like.
4. Answer these questions: 1) If they animal is sad, what can you do to help? 2) If the animal is happy, how can it use it's positive feelings to benefit others?
http://www.faqkids.com/ Kids have questions and this site has the answers! This site is sure to quench their "thirsty" minds.
3rd-5th grade MPACT students:
* http://www.homeschooling-ideas.com/water-experiments.html this website has fun activities that you may be able to do at home with your parent's help. This relates directly to our water unit.
* http://www.examiner.com/article/the-purple-cabbage-ph-experiment I suspect very few of you have purple cabbage at home, but if you do, this is a fun activity!
* Research cantilevers for your upcoming building activity in class. Take notes. Please use complete sentences. Pay attention to capitilization, spelling, topic sentence, and closing sentences in your writing.
Have fun and stay warm!
Mrs. Romberg and Mrs. Elliott
1st - 2nd grade MPACT students:
Feelings Activity: (Parents, children often don't know how to respond to others feelings. This will help your student learn to identify their own and others feelings and how to express them in a positive way.)
* 1. Brainstorm words that express feelings. Write them down. It may be easy to write them in a list.
2. Choose one stuffed animal to work with. Set it in front of you. Have your pencil and paper ready.
3. Decide how your animal is feeling and why. Write these ideas down. It can also be in a list format, if you like.
4. Answer these questions: 1) If they animal is sad, what can you do to help? 2) If the animal is happy, how can it use it's positive feelings to benefit others?
http://www.faqkids.com/ Kids have questions and this site has the answers! This site is sure to quench their "thirsty" minds.
3rd-5th grade MPACT students:
* http://www.homeschooling-ideas.com/water-experiments.html this website has fun activities that you may be able to do at home with your parent's help. This relates directly to our water unit.
* http://www.examiner.com/article/the-purple-cabbage-ph-experiment I suspect very few of you have purple cabbage at home, but if you do, this is a fun activity!
* Research cantilevers for your upcoming building activity in class. Take notes. Please use complete sentences. Pay attention to capitilization, spelling, topic sentence, and closing sentences in your writing.
Have fun and stay warm!
Mrs. Romberg and Mrs. Elliott
Happy New Year! This semester we will be discovering the multiple meanings of "faces" as we study geometry, art, feelings, and idioms in 1st and 2nd grade. In 3rd-5th, we will dive into a unit on water. We will look at global issues, chemistry, ph, and many more subjects related to water! Ask your child about the ph scale, what Bill Gates funded to clean sewage water, what happens to an egg in vinegar, and what they think will happen to chalk submersed in vinegar, water, and also in lemon juice. Fun things are happening in MPACT!
Mrs. R
Mrs. R
December in MPACT
God Jul! Feliz Navidad! Joyeaux Noel! Shalom! Students have enjoyed learning about holidays celebrated around the world in our latest Choice Menu. They have identified countries on the map where specific toys are made (model kits - Japan, skis - France, puzzles - China, wheeled toys - Taiwan, etc.). They have also designed and engineered new toys to market, researched the states that receive the most snowfall in December, and learned hoiday greetings in seven different languages!
November 2014: Second grade had a lot of fun putting the scientific process to use! Over three Fridays (STEM days! Science, technology, engineering, or mathematics), the students tested three different types of magnets to pull the iron out of Total Cereal. They recorded the information with each experiment. Fridays are fun in MPACT!
Welcome back to school! It's our second week and I know that our students are anxious to get back to MPACT class. One more week and we will begin classes. I know I've had a terrific summer, how about you? Well, if you thought summer was fun, just wait until you discover what our new unit is for this fall! (I'll have to keep you in suspense!)
-Mrs. Romberg |
Field Trip!
Next Wednesday, May 14th, the 4th and 5th grade MPACT classes will be going on a field trip to the Quinlan Art Center to meet Jay Kemp, view his art work, and have the opportunity to ask questions. It was a great opportunity, one that I thought we should take advantage of. If you haven't seen his work, it's on display now at the Quinlan Art Center. It's free to the public, but they do welcome donations.
Next Wednesday, May 14th, the 4th and 5th grade MPACT classes will be going on a field trip to the Quinlan Art Center to meet Jay Kemp, view his art work, and have the opportunity to ask questions. It was a great opportunity, one that I thought we should take advantage of. If you haven't seen his work, it's on display now at the Quinlan Art Center. It's free to the public, but they do welcome donations.
For further reading, check out these books featuring our favorite little mouse, Poppy. Ragweed, Poppy and Rye, Ereth's Birthday, and Poppy's Return. Third graders were more than excited to know that there were more books in the series. Happy reading!
Our newest book study: Poppy by Avi. We were so sad to say goodbye to the Tucks in "Tuck Everlasting" and were happy to see Abel make it home finally in "Abel's Island" but we wanted more! So, Mrs. Thornton, Ms. Elliot, and I got together and picked out a new book. This will be read to all levels.
This award winning book features Poppy, a deer mouse, who rallies the courage to lead her family to a better life, while Mr. Ocax, a great horned owl and a true bully, plots to keep them right where they are.
This award winning book features Poppy, a deer mouse, who rallies the courage to lead her family to a better life, while Mr. Ocax, a great horned owl and a true bully, plots to keep them right where they are.
We are in the middle of both units and are discovering some valuable lessons! We have learned over 20 idioms, are filling up our journals with writing topics and prompts, and sadly, are finishing up both author studies. Oh but the 1st and 2nd graders have loved Abel in William Stieg's Abel's Island, as he desperately tried various ways to escape the "island" he was trapped on. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders have grown to love the Tuck family in Tuck Everlasting written by Natalie Babbitt! Four chapters to go! Parents and students, if you will wait until this weekend to watch the movie, as we will finish the book this week! We learned new vocabulary and thought about the choices that had to be made as the characters lived their lives in the two books.
What shall we read next?
Mrs. Romberg
What shall we read next?
Mrs. Romberg
Happy New Year! Today we began our new units with all grade levels. We are all very excited! We have changed our daily routine and added some things along with the unit. In all classes, we will be discussing idioms. There will be a new idiom introduced each day. With the lower grades, we will discuss what it means and create an ongoing list on our wall. The older grades will write it down in their new journals. We will also add vocabulary to "Critical Thinking Thursdays", and journal as we make our way through the unit activities.
3rd through 5th grade Unit: Choices:
From the mundane to dramatic, choices are analyzed, organized and categorized in this exciting study. Students soon realize they make hundreds of choices everyday. Decision-making strategies such as flow charts, tree diagrams, drawing straws and flipping a coin are explored. Students investigate bullying, ethics, nutrition, and the positive and negative consequences involved in making decisions. Students compare fractions and make real-life choices based upon the comparisons. This experience will help students grasp the importance and implications of the choices they make each day.
3rd through 5th grade Unit: Choices:
From the mundane to dramatic, choices are analyzed, organized and categorized in this exciting study. Students soon realize they make hundreds of choices everyday. Decision-making strategies such as flow charts, tree diagrams, drawing straws and flipping a coin are explored. Students investigate bullying, ethics, nutrition, and the positive and negative consequences involved in making decisions. Students compare fractions and make real-life choices based upon the comparisons. This experience will help students grasp the importance and implications of the choices they make each day.
1st through 2nd grade Unit: Discoveries:
From the gold rush in California to the many uses of crayons, students explore the diversity and complexity of the concept of discovery. Through the eyes of a tiny mouse, students are led to evaluate and discover what they are truly made of. Students investigate why discoveries from the past are important to the present and the future. Students will examine how discoveries are made and explore the idea of serendipity. During the Discoveries curriculum, students will see the value of curiosity and perseverance. Let the exploration begin!
From the gold rush in California to the many uses of crayons, students explore the diversity and complexity of the concept of discovery. Through the eyes of a tiny mouse, students are led to evaluate and discover what they are truly made of. Students investigate why discoveries from the past are important to the present and the future. Students will examine how discoveries are made and explore the idea of serendipity. During the Discoveries curriculum, students will see the value of curiosity and perseverance. Let the exploration begin!
Welcome to Enota's MPACT website!
-Mrs. Romberg, Mrs. Thornton, & Ms. Elliott
Students have been hard at work as we wrap up our fall units. The 3rd-5th graders have been researching and analyzing and comparing data as they plan a trip to an American National Park. They have tracked flights, compared prices, and looked at trends as they choose a flight. They looked at 3, 3.5, and 4 star hotels and compared prices. They choose activities to do while they were there and then came up with a total amount for the entire trip. Their eyes were really opened to how much it costs to travel and they now can plot data and create a graph for the ever rising and falling prices of airline tickets. We will conclude our unit with a post-test project.
Our 1st and 2nd graders are wrapping up their unit as well! They have learned all about fireflies and will then learn about nocturnal animals, and follow up with a post-test project as well. Did you know that fireflies were put in netting that was wrapped around hunters ankles and wrists so that they would stand out? Interesting! They have learned some great vocabulary as well, such as: bioluminescence (the chemical reaction that causes lightening bugs to light up), photophore (the lamp on their abdomen), pupa, synchronization, call and response, and nocturnal.
What fun we've had! Have a nice Christmas break and we will see you in January!
Mrs. Romberg, Ms. Elliott, and Mrs. Thornton.
Our 1st and 2nd graders are wrapping up their unit as well! They have learned all about fireflies and will then learn about nocturnal animals, and follow up with a post-test project as well. Did you know that fireflies were put in netting that was wrapped around hunters ankles and wrists so that they would stand out? Interesting! They have learned some great vocabulary as well, such as: bioluminescence (the chemical reaction that causes lightening bugs to light up), photophore (the lamp on their abdomen), pupa, synchronization, call and response, and nocturnal.
What fun we've had! Have a nice Christmas break and we will see you in January!
Mrs. Romberg, Ms. Elliott, and Mrs. Thornton.
4th and 5th grade parents, please look in your child's folder for a letter about Duke TIP. Duke TIP provides online resources, online activities, weekend day classes (which are FUN!), and summer camp opportunities.
On Wednesday, October 16 from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. (EST), the Duke University
Talent Identification Program will offer a webinar overview of the enrollment
process for the Duke TIP 4th–6th Grade Talent Search, including
step-by-step instructions for determining student eligibility and enrollment,
for both online and by paper applications. This presentation is specifically
designed for parents who are considering whether to enroll their student in the
4th–6th Grade Talent Search.
Webinars are live video presentations streamed over the internet. During the presentation, participants can type in questions or just listen. This webinar is free and open to anyone who would like to participate, but
participants do need to register online by Monday, October 14. After you register, you will receive an email with the
webinar link and instructions on how to log in to the presentation.
If the above link does not work, type this address in your browser: https://duke.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_9LHJDU4ofgitA6F
On Wednesday, October 16 from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. (EST), the Duke University
Talent Identification Program will offer a webinar overview of the enrollment
process for the Duke TIP 4th–6th Grade Talent Search, including
step-by-step instructions for determining student eligibility and enrollment,
for both online and by paper applications. This presentation is specifically
designed for parents who are considering whether to enroll their student in the
4th–6th Grade Talent Search.
Webinars are live video presentations streamed over the internet. During the presentation, participants can type in questions or just listen. This webinar is free and open to anyone who would like to participate, but
participants do need to register online by Monday, October 14. After you register, you will receive an email with the
webinar link and instructions on how to log in to the presentation.
If the above link does not work, type this address in your browser: https://duke.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_9LHJDU4ofgitA6F
Welcome Back!
As you will soon read in next week's newsletter, our theme for the upper grades is CLASSROOM CAMPGROUND and for 1st & 2nd grade the theme is MY BACKYARD. We are very excited to be begin two studies involving the great outdoors! On another note, we welcome Ms. Elliott to MPACT! She will be teaching 2nd, 3rd, and 5th along with Mrs. Romberg and Mrs. Thornton will teach 1st and 4th. We look forward to seeing our students on Monday, August 26th!
On Tuesday, third grade held their annual "Trasion Show". The students were asked to create costumes or outfits using recycled items. There were some very creative outfits! Great examples were seen of "thinking outside of the box!" I thought that I would highlight some of the outfits I saw from our MPACT students.
To the left you see a doctor. (Was he an oncologist?)
To the left you see a doctor. (Was he an oncologist?)
This family loves to crochet. Look at the detail! This outfit from the slippers, handbag, dress, and earrings to the hat! What talent and amazing vision! ....all from plastic bags!! Amazing.
lick here to edit.
What being gifted means can be defined in different ways. It was very interesting to see what the students came up with! Here is 1st grade's list that we wrote on the white board.
The students then explored what others expect of them and what they expect of themselves. What we found was that there is a lot expected from them! We explored how that made us feel and whether the expectations were reasonable or made them feel overwhelmed.
I loved hearing that when we (as parents and teachers) expect a lot from them, it makes them feel like they CAN do all those things.
For the last few weeks of school, I had to squeeze in just one more unit! I have been wanting to slip this one in, but could never find enough time. Even though we will not finish it this year, I thought the 5th graders would benefit from at least some of it before they moved on. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders will hopefully finish the unit next year.
You may be wondering what IS a durable person? What traits do successful people exhibit? What is a perfectionist? These and many other questions are explored in this practical guide to helping gifted students navigate social and emotional issues in their lives. There are many manuals on surviving giftedness. We want gifted students to thrive, not simply survive!
This curriculum is designed to help gifted children explore their own giftedness, expand social skills, cultivate leadership skills, and develop strategies for combating stress, anger, and perfectionism. Gifted children must be taught to be durable so they can continue to be responsible and productive citizens.
Mrs. Romberg
You may be wondering what IS a durable person? What traits do successful people exhibit? What is a perfectionist? These and many other questions are explored in this practical guide to helping gifted students navigate social and emotional issues in their lives. There are many manuals on surviving giftedness. We want gifted students to thrive, not simply survive!
This curriculum is designed to help gifted children explore their own giftedness, expand social skills, cultivate leadership skills, and develop strategies for combating stress, anger, and perfectionism. Gifted children must be taught to be durable so they can continue to be responsible and productive citizens.
Mrs. Romberg
This week we have looked at an "Enduring Understanding": being gifted means different things to different people and also pondered the questions: What does it mean to be gifted? How are gifted kids perceived by friends, teachers, and parents? How can we celebrate differences? and What is the difference between self-esteem and self-image?