4R Experiences: October 2016

"Look! I can swallow a cookie upside down because of peristalsis!"

This week has been a fun one, full of adventure and wonder. Based on suggestions from two of our peers, we decided to have a closer look at the human body's digestive system and the circulatory system. We began looking at each system with these three basic questions: What is it? Why do we have it? and What if...? After a brief read aloud, or book explore, we did some activities that utilize parts of, or the entire system. This is where things got interesting. I will leave the photographs from this week to help you "feel" just what it was like. Our study of other systems continues next week.

Math seems to creep into all scientific endeavors, and measurement did this week when we explored the length of the digestive system. This was interesting because we discovered that using standardized units (e.g. common units like centimeters) to communicate clear distances, volumes, or masses is pretty important for scientists and us fellow learners. We found that non-standard units just did not work, or make much sense. For instance, 4 Isabelle's of carrots from Norway were not the same amount as 4 Lina's of carrots from Uzbekistan. In this case, the units, Isabelle's and Lina's were not the same, or standard. To continue the fun, we measured items around us using non-standardized units, such as a fathom, cubit, span, and pace. After which, we decided to measure the length of digestive system using centimeters (cm) because they are standard units, and we had standard tools such as metric sticks to help us.

Data, data, data! I think we are getting tired of surveying and collecting data. Just kidding, we love data, especially when we get to create a visual representation it, such as pictographs, line graphs, frequency tables, pie charts, and others. We continue analyze data to find patterns to help us predict what might happen in the future even (i.e. ask about ice cream flavor sales). We are also analyzing trends in data sets by finding the mean, median, mode, and range. Next week, we will begin our final project, a Comic Life, with our own original question to survey classmates, collect the data in an organized way, create to appropriate visualization of their data (i.e. pictograph, bar graph, etc.), and provide a written analysis of the data (e.g. including mean, median, mode, range, favorites, outliers, etc.)

Book clubs continue towards their end as we continue to consider using Determining Importance as a way to ask deeper meaning (i.e. thicker) questions, instead of "thin", or "right-there" understanding questions. Also, students are debating more and more over the motives of characters and how characters' actions may help predict what will happen later in the story. I look forward to the continuation of these discussions next week. Enjoy the week!

Homework

Get ready for your book presentation! Reading 20 minutes each night.

Make a deal with Mr. Mike, IN ADVANCE, if you are behind.

Monday: Read "The Frozen Man" article in the Human Body book (pages 21 - 24). In your Unit of Inquiry notebook, answer the three questions on page 24 using complete sentences.

Tuesday: Brainy Bonanza reading comprehension activity; there is no spelling quiz this week.

Wednesday: IXL continue with section J (Yeah for data!)

Thursday: Knee Knowledge reading comprehension activity

Friday: Try standing up without leaning forward, or using your hands, with your feet flat on the ground - of course, while reading a book. Also, GET READY FOR BOOK PRESENTATIONS!

Gotta get that data collected and represented in this pictograph.

Mmmm... me want cookie.

We had to remind ourselves of what chewing and swallowing was like. Yeah, studying the digestive system is delicious!

Can you commit to hanging upside down and swallowing a cookie?

Why are your eyes closed? That does not seem to connect to the digestive system.

... and they both stick the landing!

Not once, not twice, but three times she did it. Some of us were amazed!

So the cookie did not go into my brain when I was upside down! Phew!

Hey, remember that time when our teacher hung upside down and swallowed a cookie? Yeah, his faced turned all red.

Seriously, is my mouth really 15 centimeters?

Hey you two! That's really gross. Please stop playing with your small intestine.

It has be exact, so let's use our meter stick to keep our units standard!

Please handle the esophagus with care.

Tying intestines together must be weird for surgeons, but it sure is easy for us.

Oh, no! Our intestines got entangled with the stomach - wait, is that even possible?

My arm hurts! Your digestive tract is longer than you think.

Hey, Hey, Hey, a little bit louder now... a little bit louder now. SHOUT!

No, Mr. Mike. We are not dancing to a song. We are measuring our pulse rate during different types of activities to investigate the circulatory system.

This activity is the one where I get to finally stand on a chair in class. I did not think my dreams would be so exhausting!

Sitting (resting), walking in place, jumping jacks, and chair steps. Yeah, the circulatory system is always pumping and working. Our heart is the hardest working muscle in the body!