Explorations of Elementary
Students were diligently focused on completing their research projects during the first part of November. Some students were finalizing their planet pizzas with slices of information about their chosen planet, while others were further back in history during the time of the dinosaurs. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students were proud to present their first full research report, complete with maps, drawings, visual aids, a bibliography, and a creative presentation. All of the research was displayed at our Thanksgiving Feast for families to enjoy together.
A highlight of the month was our field trip to the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum. We began our tour in the Discover World where we were able to follow up with our dinosaur research as we learned more about several dinosaurs we had researched, and one special dinosaur, the Allosaurus. In this Natural History Island we were able to create fossils and see how archaeologists dig for fossils, and we enjoyed an authentic mastodon skeleton, whose fossilized remains were discovered in the Canton area.
In geography we have been designing various types of maps. Several students have mapped out their bedroom, while others have been working on state capitols and coastal plains. A few older students were very impressed with our new Bohr Diagram. We learned the parts of an atom and how to build an atom on the board. Each student helped create hydrogen, then oxygen. The then discovered that atoms sometimes like to share electrons, so we had hydrogen and oxygen share. Every eye in the lesson grew wider when they discovered why water is sometimes referred to as H2O. Aha moments make teaching so joyous! 🙂