Curious Exploration and Transformation on Thursday and Friday

Dear Parents:

Magnification to zoom in.  

Here is a web of our learning for last week:

Smell from the soil jar is unpleasant.  It reminds us of rotting garbage.

The field scientists in room 105 continue their curious observation and recording of the pumpkin sections as the decomposition process continues.  On Thursday it was day 7 of  decomposition and students noticed several changes.  The decomposers are doing their job and the rate is different in each jar.  Have a look at these engaged learners as they zoom in to describe, and ask further questions about the process.  I was very pleased to see how everybody took on the feedback to make deeper observations and create very accurate and detailed sketches of the changes.  Students were using  their senses to collect data as they looked closely, smelled new odours, heard a popping sound (or not) as we opened the jars and felt the spongy decomposing pieces.  

Mindful observation

We think there is a worm in the soil.  

Here are some words we used to describe our observations.  Notice how these words help you to visualize (see) the process.  

Look at the difference in the sketching and the observations between day 1 and day 7.  Formative feedback moves our learning forward.  

Here's a question that you can discuss at home:  What made some of the jars pop, while other jars didn't?  What is your inference?  

On Friday we put on our artist hats to use the charcoal sketching pencils, gum erasers and blending stumps to sketch pumpkins.  Have a look at our black and white pumpkin patch.  I'll bet you are as impressed as I am with the creations.