But the state testing is DONE! Thank goodness! Our math coach came in yesterday morning to give the class a pep talk before they started their second day of math testing. He told them "You've done over 300 hours of math practice, you're READY!" I wish I had a camera for the looks on their faces when the number of hours was tossed out at them. (Picture eyes wide and mouths hanging open.) Since state testing ends up stressful on students no matter how hard we work to make it not be, I wanted to completely switch gears as soon as it was finished. I purposely saved our unit of study on the solar system for this time of the year. It's one of those units that everyone loves and is interested in, especially the boys. I don't know about you, but my boys are definitely more than itching for summer right about now, and I needed something to totally hook them in. It has been a great two days of study so far. Even my normally "too cool for school" guys who think they can't appear interested in anything are hooked. That completely makes my day! The two boys that usually compete to appear the least interested are two of the most engaged students in the classroom, and I am loving every second of it. One of them was even so caught up in research today that when he went to ask me a question he said "Mom...oh wait, sorry, Mrs. Michaud..." He didn't even get embarrassed, he was too eager to have his burning question answered. =)
Spread out on our back table are a few student books, and their solar system models for our classroom display.
The back cover of a student's book...
The front cover of a student's book...
More planets for our display...
Two inside views of a student book...
Along with learning about the sun, our moon, the moon phases, and the earth we are learning about each of the planets in our solar system in order. They have different articles about each planet that they are reading, and there are a few short questions on each planet to answer. They are then using these sheets as well as tons of books in the classroom to create their very own books about the solar system. I purchased a blank book for each student from
http://www.barebooks.com. They are a bit pricey, I ended up spending just under $50 for them in all, but I truly feel it's worth the cost. This way each student has a final publication that they are proud of, and it's something they can keep forever. Not to mention it's sturdy, and should last a long time. We started by including a table of contents on the very first page of our books. From there on the sun, all the planets, etc. will have their own two pages. One page is for students to include at least ten facts they learned that they think are most important. On the opposite page students are drawing their own representation of the planet using books in the classroom as a guide. We will display these at the end of the month when our school has its end of the year Pride Night. It's like an open house at the end of the year for students to show off all of their hard work that they are most proud of. I can't wait to see their families enjoy their books!
I'm off now to spend some time playing with our pup. He's technically not a "pup" anymore I suppose as he turned a year old today...but he sure does still act like a puppy! <3
The weekend is almost here, and I hope that it is restful for everyone!
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