Tuesday, April 12, 2011

I was absent again on Tuesday, but classes were covered by an experienced substitute teacher. From student comments and the sub's notes, everything was covered in the lesson plans. 1st and 2nd Grade - Robust was the word of the day. A person who is Robust feels healthy and strong. Rose Greenhow was the pilgrim of the day. Mrs. Greenhow had learned as a girl how to be a good hostess and many people wanted to attend her parties. Even though she lived in Washington D.C., she was a southern sympathizer. As she entertained Northern officers, she would gain information to pass on to Southern officers. After a brief stay in prison for spying, she was sent south where she became a blockade runner. During a rainstorm, Rose begged the Captain to let her go ashore on a lifeboat. The lifeboat turned over, Rose could not swim, and in her attempt to save some gold for the South, she sank to the bottom of the sea. The warm up activity was a Quizzle puzzle. For more puzzles to practice at home go to http://www.puzzles.com/projects/AllLogicProblems.html. The affective lesson had students understanding that being gifted means different things to different people. Students discussed various expectations people had for them since they had been identified as "gifted." 5th Grade - The word of the day was Parapet. A parapet is a low wall or railing and sounds like Pair of Pets. Anton Leeuwenhoek was the pilgrim of the day. Mr. Leeuwenhoek was a Dutch storekeeper who didn't want to keep a store. He enjoyed making lenses in order to study everything he could. People thought he was crazy, but his lenses led to the development of the microscope. Unfortunately, he didn't share his lenses with anyone and it would be another hundred years before the first really useful microscope was created. The affective lesson had students discussing why the word "because" is so important. The SOS lesson had students searching the 4th clue provided by the CSI team to find their lost family. Once state testing is complete, students should be able to find their lost families. Students ended the day by completing an experiment that helped them gain an understanding of Tectonic plates.