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http://ncegt1.blogspot.com/
THIS PAGE IS UPDATED EACH WEDNESDAY:
In this section I'll be informing parents about the topics we cover each week in our GT classroom.
WEEK 12: NOVEMBER 16th~ Thanksgiving Break
- We used this final week to complete our research reports, poster ideas, and 3-D models.
- We presented these to classmates. They will go home after Thanksgiving.
- FIELD TRIP INFORMATION~~~ I HAVE ALMOST EVERYONE'S FIELD TRIP PERMISSION SLIP AND $10.00. IF YOUR CHILD STILL NEEDS TO BRING THIS, PLEASE DO SO THIS WEEK. THANKS.
- PARENT CHAPERONE INFORMATION: THE 9 SLOTS FOR THE JUNIOR MISSION (1ST & 2ND GRADE) AND THE 9 SLOTS FOR THE INTERMEDIATE MISSION (3-5TH GRADE) ARE FILLED. I HAVE EXTRA CHAPERONES SIGNED UP AND I AM FINDING OUT THIS WEEK WHAT THEIR ROLE WOULD BE IF THEY GO ON THE TRIP. I WILL SEND AN UPDATED INFORMATION LETTER TO THE PARENTS WHO HAVE TURNED IN THEIR CHAPERONE SLIP. THANKS.
- NEW OPPORTUNITY~~~A STARGAZING EVENT SPONSORED BY KPGT IS SLATED FOR DECEMBER 2ND. I'M SENDING A BLUE FLYER HOME THIS WEEK. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, SIGN UP QUICKLY FOR THERE ARE ONLY 100 SLOTS AVAILABLE!
- HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING BREAK. I HAVE A LOT TO BE THANKFUL FOR. I BELIEVE NOTTINGHAM COUNTRY ELEMENATRY HAS THE BEST KIDS AND PARENTS IN THE WORLD! :-)
WEEK 11: NOVEMBER 9th ~ NOVEMBER 15TH ~ WE HAVE OUR 9 PARENT CHAPERONES FOR THE OLDER STUDENTS' SPACE MISSION. THANKS FOR VOLUNTEERING!
IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE SO, PLEASE SEND $10 AND YOUR CHILD'S PERMISSION SLIP BY NEXT WEEK. THANKS.
IN CLASS:
- We discussed NASA spinoffs and careers with NASA
- Mrs. Balke was our guest speaker for the 5th graders. She worked with NASA and had a wonderful presentation for the students! Thanks!
- We completed most of our writer's workshop and posterboards. These will be presented to classmates as they are completed. Next week is the last week for this unit except for fifth grade. They will need another week due to all school testing next week.
- Our field trip is scheduled for Tuesday, December 6th at the George Observatory.
- An asteroid passed close to Earth this week (200,000 miles from us). This was exciting news since one of our lessons was about Near Earth Objects and how they are tracked by NASA scientists.
- Our next unit is Archeology.
WEEK 10: NOVEMBER 2nd~NOVEMBER 8th ~ A yellow FIELD TRIP packet is going home this week(2nd grade will get their packet on Monday) with a permission slip, parent chaperone information, and cover letter about our field trip on December 6th. Please return the form and $10 cash in an envelope by November 18th. Thanks.
- We used our math skills to determine the distances 5 space probes have travelled as they approach the edge of our Solar System. New Horizons is on the way to Pluto while the others were launched long ago in the 1970s.
- We completed research using books and computers and continued to develop our posters.
- We used the afternoon for writer's workshop. We are developing our paragraphs on each grade level. (See latest post for examples)
- Our rocket launches had a number of problems to overcome, but we did it! Rockets went home this week. :-)
- We will finish this unit in the next two weeks. Our next unit is archeology.
WEEK 9: OCTOBER 25Tth- NOVEMBER 1st ~ Green flyer went home this past week (see below)
- We are completing our rocket launches this week and early next week. Today (5th grade) our air pump broke and our backup system was a failure. We will try again next Wednesday. Monday's launch with first grade was a success!
- We completed our Space Race discussion with a discussion about the Apollo program and the missions to the moon.
- We discussed Skylab
- We worked diligently on our research projects. This included our opening paragraghs and the questions we will answer in our paper. Since our theme is exploration, we are using a question and answer format with the upper grades. First and second are writing a factual paper about their topic with an opening and closing sentence.
- Look for the field trip permission slip and information in early November. Thanks.
- I really enjoyed seeing everyone at the open house night. The children always love to show everyone the room and all of the projects we are completing. Thanks for your kind support of the program. I strive to make each of their GT days a memorable experience! :-)
- 2000! Our little class blog/website hit the 2,000 mark this week. Yea!
This flyer will be going home in this week's yellow GT folder. Looks fun! (From KPGT)
WEEK 8~ October 18th-24th, 2011:
- CHALLENGE RELEASE DAY~~~ My monthly GT meeting falls on a Tuesday this month. Third graders will stay in their classes next Tuesday since I will be off campus the entire day. We will resume our regular schedule the following Tuesday.
- MARK YOUR CALENDARS! OUR GT FIELD TRIP WILL BE ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6TH TO THE GEORGE OBSERVATORY AT BRAZOS BEND STATE PARK. MORE INFO TO FOLLOW
- FIFTH GRADE PARENTS...INFORMATION REGARDING THE JUNIOR HIGH GT PROGRAM WENT HOME ON OCTOBER 19TH IN YOUR CHILD'S YELLOW GT FOLDER. PLEASE READ OVER THE INFORMATION. PLEASE RETURN THE SELECTION PAGE BY NOVEMBER 18TH. THANKS. :-)
- This week we covered more of the Space Race including the first Soviet in space, the first chimpanzee in space, and the first American in space.
- We built the second stage of our rockets and included an astronaut. We will launch these on the playground, then take them home next week.
- RESEARCH projects and a report about a space topic are ongoing the rest of the month and into November.
- We finished painting our planets and these will be part of our research project. They are looking great!
- OPEN HOUSE is Thursday, October 20th from 5:30-7:00. Please stop by the GT classroom to see our planets and our rockets. Thanks.
- MARK YOUR CALENDARS! OUR GT FIELD TRIP WILL BE ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6TH TO THE GEORGE OBSERVATORY AT BRAZOS BEND STATE PARK. MORE INFO TO FOLLOW
- RESEARCH: All 2nd through 5th graders need to bring a book or printed information from the internet (about 5 pages) on their topics. I also have books for the second graders on their planets. Thanks.
- This week we discussed the Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States. We will break this up into 3 lessons. Our first lesson covered Sputnik and the formation of NASA.
- We designed and built our rockets for our upcoming rocket launch. We will launch our rockets in two weeks.
- We picked our backboards for our research projects and designed our titles.
WEEK6~October 4,2011-October 10,2011:
- We discussed the history of telescopes, the electromagnetic spectrum, and the different types of telescopes.
- We looked through a large telescope in our classroom on loan from Daniel and Patrick's parents. Thanks! :-)
- We watched two movie clips; one about the PLANCK telescope and one about SOHO (Solar Observatory). These were excellent and the links are on the sidebar of this website.
- We continued our Paper Mache' models. These will be ready for painting soon.
- We created an Asteroid Colony and designed a space base.
- HOMEWORK: Students in grades 2-5 need to find information about their research topics and bring the information to class. Please ask your student about their topic. We will write the outline and paper in class. Thanks. :-)
- MARK YOUR CALENDARS...OUR FIELD TO THE GEORGE OBSERVATORY WILL BE ON DECEMBER 6TH, 2011. MORE INFORMATION LATER.
- We discussed the Moon, the moons of Jupiter, and the Outer Planets.
- We finished our Constellation Star Gazers. Please enjoy them with your children. We made a few surprises for you to see besides the 12 constellations.
- HOMEWORK: Students made their final choices for their research topic. These are posted on the main home page by grade and your child's initials. These wiil be complete by week's end. We will complete the paper and the 3-D models in class, but you may find research or pictures to bring from home starting next week. Three x four inch (or similar) color pictures work best. Thanks.
- We started our paper mache' models of our topic of study. If this was not feasible, we made a 'pet' asteroid to take home in a couple of weeks.
- Our 5th grade NON-GT window closes tomorrow for Junior High screening . This does not pertain to your child. Those 5th graders CURRENTLY IN GT will get another form to complete later. I'll send these home in the yellow GT folders.
- Our NCE GT classroom website hit 1,000 pageviews this past week! Lots of great things happening this unit. I'm proud of all the hard work I'm seeing and the high participation. Mr. Petersen :-)
- We used our interactive spiral to learn about Copernicus and Galileo
- We discussed Earth's closest neighbors including Venus, Mars, The Asteroid Belt, NEOs, and the Moon.
- We almost finished our Constellation Star Gazers. They will go home next week.
- In computer lab, we continued our powerpoint on our journey through the Solar System. This week we wrote about Venus and Mars.
- We discussed research project topics. They will make their final choice by next week.
- Field Trip Information. We have exciting news! We will be going to the George Observatory at Brazos Bend State Park on Tuesday, December 6th for a space mission and a lesson. We'll also get a tour of the telescopes!
- HOMEWORK: Students will decide their research topics by next week. Thanks. :-)
WEEK3~September 13-19, 2011:
- We used our interactive spirals to learn about 2 important ancient astronomers.
- We learned 4 ways astronomers classify stars. We used our own star (the sun) as an example and compared our sun with the many other types of stars.
- We watched NASA's launch of the GRAIL mission to the moon. This was excellent. We discussed the term 'payload' and discussed why it is essential that payloads are measured carefully.
- We read about constellations and named 10 famous constellations.
- Project 1: We started our Pringles Can Star Gazers. This is a two week project.
- Project 2: Some classes used glow in the dark poster paint to make a famous constellation. We will do this again next week.
- Project 3: We used helium balloons to predict payloads using paperclips and other materials.
- Computer lab: We continued our project 'Journey through the Solar System' using powerpoint.
- NEXT WEEK: We will discuss our research topics and pick our topics. :-)
- Some classes had time to see a movie 'Journey To The Stars' by the Museum of Natural History.
WEEK2~September 6-12, 2011:
- We finished setting up our GT folders for this unit.
- We used our interactive spiral to draw and label the layers of the sun. We discussed each layer.
- We watched a short video from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory about the Andromeda Galaxy.
- Some classes viewed the "What to See in the September Sky" from NASA.
- We discussed 3 reasons why we study the sun.
- We discussed the SOHO mission.
- Activity: We used the glow in the dark stars to make a star field and a few famous constellations.
- ROCKET Activity #1: We made straw rockets and tested them for distance, height to the ceiling, and height to the cafeteria ceiling. We decorated our rockets and experimented with fin angles.
- Activity: Most classes started their powerpoints on Our Solar System. Later we will use the computer lab for research on our topics. We have NOT chosen our topics yet. We will review this together before chosing.
- GT Parent NIGHT is this Thursday. Please see the handout in the yellow folder for details. Hope you can make it.
Thanks for stopping by to see them. It means a lot to the students.:-)
WEEK1 ~ August 2011:
- Introduction to Astronomy & Space Exploration (We set up folders and designed our cover page)
- Lesson: A visit to Mercury
- Space Exploration: Three different ways we can explore a planet (fly by, orbit, or landing)
- Lesson: History of Space Exploration ~Early visions, hot air balloons, legends from China
- Lesson: Craters: When Worlds Collide
- Activity: Models of Craters
- Computer lab: Closed for this week. :-(
- HOMEWORK: Find this blog! Leave a comment
- BONUS HOMEWORK: On a clear night, count the number of stars your family can see in your backyard or neighborhood. Where's the BEST place you've ever seen stars. Leave your answer as a comment here on this blog.