U-N-I-T-Y

Welcome back to Term 2! It's been a great week. Here are some pictures from our inquiries.

Beautiful Surprise

In class this week, we focused on tolerance, respect, and sharing experiences. During our Morning Meeting on Wednesday, students were asked to share experiences where they felt singled out based on an element of their identity. Several students shared about times where they were treated poorly because of their race or their religion. The next day, I asked students to share their surprises on the board. These are some amazing responses. And, yes, I did cry.  

One

Morning Meeting has become a very special place to share and grow as a class. 

Today I pushed the students with this message:

I shared a poem that was written about what life would be like without any diversity in our world. Students were asked to share their ideas about the poem. Many students had experiences to share about being treated unfairly by individuals in society because of the color of their skin or their religion. It was a very intense conversation, and I was thankful that we had time to extend our meeting this morning! 

Some other students also shared times when they saw someone being treated unfairly or treated differently at baseball tournaments, at the park, in stores, and lots of other places. I was blown away with their openness and willingness to share with each other. We ended the meeting by discussing ways that we can help improve how others are treated within our classroom community and within the larger school community. The students had a very brave and very respectful conversation! 

I shared some things about myself and ultimately ended up getting a little choked up. This was a great opportunity for me to share how parents and adults feel when their children are targeted. It was a powerful moment.  

We also worked to finish our timelines of the events leading up to the American Civil War.  Here are some examples of the amazing timelines that were created.  

The Scientist

Here are the study guide answers for the science assessment tomorrow.

1. What is a vertebrate? An animal with a backbone is classified as a vertebrate. One example would be a dog.

2. What is an invertebrate? An animal without a backbone is classified as an invertebrate. One example would be an insect.

3. What are the names of the groups used to classify animals?
Vertebrates: Reptiles, Amphibians, Birds, Mammals, Fish
Invertebrates: arthropods, annelids (only need to know they don't have a backbone)

4. How do scientists classify plants?  Scientists begin by classifying plants as vascular or non vascular. Vascular plants are then classified further as seed producing/non-seed producing.

5. What is the difference between a vascular and non vascular plant? A vascular plant has tubes that transport food, water, and nutrients to the rest of the plant. (Extra information - These tubes are called xylem and phloem.) Non vascular plants lack a system to transport water and food and grow very close to the ground in order to absorb water from the ground.

6.  Some people thing that whales are classified as fish. What is this incorrect? Whales are mammals that live in water. They are mammals because they breathe air, have live young, and a warm-blooded. Fish lay eggs, breathe through gills, and are cold-blooded. It is a common mistake for people to be confused because they assume that animals that live in the same environment are all the same.

7. What is a dichotomous key? A dichotomous key is an organization system that is used by scientist to classify organisms. Scientists as a series of mutually exclusive questions in order to find out how to organize the organisms into groups.

8. What characteristics do scientists use to classify insects? Scientist classify insects based on their body structures and ability to fly.

9. What is the difference between a plant and an animal? Plants are able to make their own food, and they are classified as vascular (seed producer/non seed producer)/nonvascular. Animals are classified as vertebrates or invertebrates based on their bone structure.

10. What is the difference between a bird and a bat? A bat is a mammal because it gives birth to live young. Birds lay eggs. People often get confused by this classification because both of these animals can fly.

Surprise!

We had a great Tuesday that felt like a Monday. Students had a substitute this morning, and I would like to thank them for their hard work with Ms. Davis! We also introduced a new reading website that we are going to try during the next few weeks to see how well it works for the students. The site is: https://www.whooosreading.org/ The students really seemed to like it this afternoon, and they are free to use it at home too! I love that they can write reviews about books that they've read and their classmates can read their reviews!

Let me know if you have any questions.