Technology in Projects

Over the past week students have been learning how to use, and applying technology to present their project work. Students are using open source presentation software (very similar to PowerPoint) to present what they are learning about the earths different Biomes, including energy pyramids, food webs, and adaptations within these ecosystems. In addition, student teams continue to use internet resources to develop their understanding.

On Tuesday Lisa Mann, a parent, as well as a USC professor in animation will visit our class to conduct a workshop with our students. She will be teaching us how to use art and animation to show how energy is passed through a food chain. Student teams will create their own animation sequences to demonstrate this process.

Study Island

5th grade students: Please log into StudyIsland.com (students should already know their username and password) to complete the following Science lessons:

Pretest (required 1st)
3c - Ecosystems
5f - Observation vs. Inference

Goal: 80% correct (for 3c and 5f)
Due: December 17th

This is a 5th grade assignment, as it helps prepares for the CST (California State Test) in 5th grade science. It is optional for 4th and 3rd graders.

Global Biome Project Guidelines

Student teams in Project Class have spent the last week researching and organizing information about specific biomes (examples, rainforest, desert, grassland, ocean). Please check this link for project guidelines... GLOBAL BIOME PROJECT GUIDELINES
We will be working on this project most of next week during our project class. Please encourage your child to discuss their project with you. Use the Guiding Questions from the column to the left to help guide your child.

Week of November 26th

I would like to thank all the students and adults who participated in the first "Celebration of Learning". It was amazing to watch the students engage their parents in their learning and project work.

This week we are starting to look at the relationship between plants, animals and their environment, ECOLOGY. Please take a look at the Vocabulary, Driving Questions, Research Links, and Interactive Games to the left. Students will be using these questions and resources as they start their next project, GLOBAL HABITATS.

Students will start their projects by working in small groups, with each group researching one of the world's biomes: Grasslands, Forests, Rain Forests, Deserts, Tundra, Freshwater, and Coastal Shaparral. Groups will be able to describe the physical characteristics and geographic locations of these habitats, and examples of the types of animals and plants that live there ... including a food chain specific to this habitat.

When groups present their work we will be on the way to answering our driving questions.


Academic Standards

3.3 Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism’s chance for survival. As a basis for understanding this concept:
b. Students know examples of diverse life forms in different environments, such as oceans, deserts, tundra, forests, grasslands, and wetlands.
3.3
c. Students know living things cause changes in the environment in which they live: some of these changes are detrimental to the organism or other organisms, and some are beneficial.

4. 2. All organisms need energy and matter to live and grow. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a.Students know plants are the primary source of matter and energy entering most food chains.
b.Students know producers and consumers (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and decomposers) are related in food chains and food webs and may compete with each other for resources in an ecosystem.
c.Students know decomposers, including many fungi, insects, and microorganisms, recycle matter from dead plants and animals
4.3 Living organisms depend on one another and on their environment for survival. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a.Students know ecosystems can be characterized by their living and nonliving components.
b.Students know that in any particular environment, some kinds of plants and animals survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
c.Students know many plants depend on animals for pollination and seed dispersal, and animals depend on plants for food and shelter.
d.Students know that most microorganisms do not cause disease and that many are beneficial.

Student-Led Conferences + Celebration of Learning

Next week (Nov. 15th and 16th) we will be hosting student-led conferences and a celebration showcasing some of the learning that has happened over the last 10 weeks. In a student-led conference students will spend 20 minutes in each class (projects, math + literacy) reviewing their "Personal Learning Plans" (PLP) with parents, as well as presenting a few of their projects or learning centers. Times and dates outlining each student's appointment time and date went out yesterday, and today students made personal invitation cards to take home.

¿Como se dice "Projects" en español? and Personalized Learning Plans

Starting this week, on Mondays and Tuesdays, Project class transforms into Spanish class! Our class is privileged to have Karen Aenlle, mom to an Aveson Kindergartener, as a Spanish instructor twice a week for Spanish language lessons. Talk to your student to find out what they are learning.

This week we will start developing "Personalized Learning Plans" with each student. In Project class the PLP will focus on student self-efficacy, including time management, work and study skills, and behavior self-management. These areas are very important in helping students develop the self-motivation and self-monitoring that are critical in a project-based learning environment. I will help students identify areas of strength and weakness, and then help them develop two goals to be meet by the student-led conferences and Celebration of Learning.

We are continuing to work on our Explorer Projects in class this week. Our goal is to have projects completed by Monday, 10/5/07. Ask them to tell you about the explorer their project is based on, and what they have completed so far... click on this link to review the checklist they are using in class ... EXPLORER PROJECT CHECKLIST

Explorer Project - working with a partner

This week students in project class are starting a research based project on different individual explorers. Students are working as partners, focusing on the motivations, results and accomplishments of a variety of explorers from Europe, Asia and Africa. You can find the requirements and options for this project by clicking on this link ... EXPLORER PROJECT

Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.
-George S. Patton

This week in projects ...

This week we'll continue to learn the parts of a plant, planting seeds, and the factors affecting plant growth.

We are continuing to learn about Native American culture, the differences between Native American peoples and the ways Native Americans used and adapted to their environment.

Soon we'll start to look at the global explorations of the past centuries, and how it changed the lives of people in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. Driving questions start with...

What would drive someone to explore the world?
What kind of personal characteristics are common to explorers?
How do different technologies make exploration possible?
What are the effects of exploration? on the people of the societies doing the exploration? and on the people of the "discovered" lands?

Standards addressed over the next few weeks:

Science:

5.2 Students understand that plants and animals have structures for respiration, digestion, waste disposal, and transport of materials.
4.2 Students know that all organisms need energy and matter to live and grow
3.3.a. Students know plants and animals have structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction.

History:

5.1 Students describe the major pre-Columbian settlements, including the cliff dwellers and pueblo people of the desert Southwest, the American Indians of the Pacific Northwest, the nomadic nations of the Great Plains, and the woodland peoples east of the Mississippi River.
3.2 Students describe the American Indian nations in their local region long ago and in the recent past.
5.2 Students trace the routes of early explorers and describe the early explorations of the Americas.
5.3 Students describe the cooperation and conflict that existed among the American Indians and between the Indian nations and the new settlers.
3.3 Students draw from historical and community resources to organize the sequence of local historical events and describe how each period of settlement left its mark on the land.

Dissecting Plants and Sketching Trees

"You mean this plant is a vegetable?... I didn't know spinach looked like a plant!"

This week students in Project class started looking at the wide variety of plants and how they're used in our culture. Students dissected and studied the roots, stems and leaves of common vegetables in their most natural states - soil and rocks included.

Ongoing "Driving Questions" for our study of plants ...

• What are the parts of the plant?
• How do these parts work together?

Other questions answered by students these last two weeks...

How are the roots important to the plant's system?

Students dissecting plants, then worked in teams to research and prepare a visual presentation of their findings. Teams presented their findings to an audience of the other students.

What does the ideal school library look like?

Students visited Aveson's library with the idea of determining what the ideal library should look like. Students worked independently or in pairs to brainstorm lists of ideas focusing on what types of resources would be necessary, including which resources are already available and how to obtain those which are not. Next day students formed small design teams to make blueprints of the ideal library. The members of the design teams learned how to compromise, negotiate and cooperate in order to develop one design plan. Design teams then presented their plans to, and fielded questions from other students. Students voted on the best plan and presentation and we now have three final plans - one for each clan. We still need to have the design teams present to the appropriate action team to make parts of these designs reality.

What are the differences between Native American peoples?

Students researched differences in the ways Native Americans related to varying environments and resources. Students used informational text, internet and folktales to develop an understanding - some students are preforming skits to demonstrate their learning. This week we will have a hands on study of artifacts from California's Native American Chumash culture.

How do you sketch a tree accurately?

A nice way to end the week. On Friday students spent time outside making sketches of the different trees at Aveson. This week we will use these sketches to complete more artistic representations using colored pencil on a dark background.

Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not.
- Pablo Picasso

3rd week at Aveson

"Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself."

- Chinese Proverb

Our project class has gotten off to a great start this first year. We have been working on building a strong community in our Advisory group and the three "clans", the Wolf Clan, the Saber-Tooth Clan, and the Coyote Clan. We already have participated in a very successful field trip to Hitachi's NEXTfest exhibit at the L.A. Convention Center. The students, staff and parents experienced the most cutting-edge technology through hands-on learning. We continued this experience in the classroom by encouraging the students to design their own technologies and inventions, followed by group presentations of their ideas. In Science we will continue in the next couple weeks studying the variety of plant life found at the Aveson campus and beyond.

The focus for the first three, and next couple weeks is Native American culture for Social Science. Students are learning the differences between the wide variety of Native American groups, and starting to learn how their culture and practices are still relevant to the way we live today.

Greatest success so far ... keeping C1 and the outside patio clean. Our Advisory students have taken the personal responsibility of doing all the cleaning - dusting, sweeping, organizing, washing windows, and even mopping the floors. They brainstormed what needs to be cleaned and how often, they work together in small teams, and assist others when their specific job is done. They are learning a great amount of responsibility by undertaking this "project" and I hope what they are learning and how they work together becomes visible in all areas of their life.