Sometimes You Have to Make Your Own Music...

The 4th grade students of BCP were challenged to create, demonstrate, and present their very own musical instruments after a study on sound.  Be amazed as you watch the incredible creativity by each and every one.  I know the students will remember this when it shows up on the LEAP science test in April! Go Rockstars!!!!

http://youtu.be/AzPIgLMSwzY
afternoon class 1A

and morning class 1B
http://youtu.be/Ea44cL2YJ00

BCP, where the learning never ends!!!!

Candy Corn Estimation Jars

In Room 410, the students participated in an estimating contest.  They had to write a paragraph to explain their reasoning for estimating  a number of candy corn in the jar.  There was a jar for the morning class and one for the afternoon class.  What would your strategy be to estimate the number of candy corn in these jars?

Congratulations to Brittan and Abigail! Enjoy your candy!

Balloon Car Racers of Room 408 and 410

Way to go all of you amazing, creative,

imaginative, scientists who created your very own 

balloon car racers!

Balloon Car Racers Finals

The top three from all ten fourth grade classes competed in the finals of the Balloon Car Races today at BCPS in Belle Chasse.  These students are some of our brightest scientists and mathematicians.  With their unique designs, each of their cars demonstrated forces of motion, speed, and pure brainpower.
Check out the video to view the great learning going on:

http://youtu.be/HP-DH6SaeVk

Way to go all fourth graders at BCPS!  You made your teachers, your parents, and your administrators very proud, but most of all, you should be proud of yourselves!!!

Balloon Car Racers

To  conclude our studies on gravity, the 4th grade scientists at BCPS in Belle Chasse have applied all they have learned into making their own balloon car racer, powered by balloon, that will travel 5 meters.  The ingenuity alone was amazing, but like snowflakes, no two cars were alike.  Every single student was a winner because of what they learned by their own brainpower.  Check out the races below:
http://youtu.be/E2dlUtxNSiY

http://youtu.be/vIzVwvaEfsM

Students were given directions to build a car that had at least three wheels (that weren't made as wheels) and could roll at least 5 meters powered completely by balloon.  The student also had to be able to blow up his/her own balloon.  Most students studied their classmates designs to gain insight on how to make their own car even better.

At BCPS we make learning fun!

Ms. Frizzle Teaches About the Force of Gravity at BCPS

What an amazing day at BCPS in BelleChasse! Ms. Frizzle, of the Magic School Bus, came to school to teach 4th graders about the effects of gravity.  Along the way, she was on the morning show, visited many classrooms to encourage students to become awesome scientists by questioning everything, took a few pictures with some classes, and visited all 10 4th grade classes to discuss and perform the experiment with a raw egg and gravity.  She encouraged everyone to TRY this at home.  All you need is a glass of water, a small round pizza pan, a toilet paper roll, a raw egg, a broom, and your own curiosity!  Check out the video:

http://youtu.be/ABwMP55NKy8

And as good scientists, the students wanted to know more, so Ms. Frizzle gave them more!

http://youtu.be/0lX8PyZ6qVA

With the afternoon class...

http://youtu.be/T_7Ibi_DjlU

Lots of exciting things are happening in Plaquemines Parish!!!

Elephant Toothpaste Day 2

The students of BCPS in Belle Chasse like to experience science like real scientists and discover it for themselves.  We first tried the experiment of elephant toothpaste at the beginning of the year to learn the scientific method.  Now that its the end of the first quarter, we decided to try it again and change the potency of the hydrogen peroxide from 3% to 30%.  We did notice a difference, but only a slight one.  We hope to try it one more time using sodium iodide as the catalyst instead of yeast.  We know that will have explosive results.  Watch our experiment below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUIHepMOlC0

We loved the elephant toothpaste experiment, but really wanted to see something explode.  So...we also did the mentos in coke experiment.  In just coke, we found it explodes some, going about six feet in the air.  But, when we tried diet coke instead... well, check it out and see for yourself!

http://youtu.be/HvgO88_GLlg

Now we're hooked on discovering everything about science!  What will we discover next?

Exploding Toothpaste (Elephant toothpaste) with 4th Graders

Science is alive and kicking at BCPS in Belle Chasse.  At the beginning of the year we learned the scientific method through our experiment with Elephant Toothpaste. We  learned what a hypothesis is.  We learned to form a question to be answered through the process of the experiment.  We learned to gather the materials needed, follow the steps, make observations, record data, and draw conclusions.  The experiment was so much fun that we decided to repeat it with one change at the end of the first quarter of this school year.  We increased the strength of the hydrogen peroxide from 3% to 30%.  You can see the results in the video link below.

http://youtu.be/MVY_5prWmdo

We used the book by Steven Spangler, "Fire Bubbles and Exploding Toothpaste," to perform this experiment.
We were enjoying exploding things so much that we decided to try the mentos in coke experiment as well.  After our attempts, we then wrote in our science notebooks any comparisons we saw between the exploding toothpaste and the exploding mentos in coke.
Here's our video on that:

http://youtu.be/Wam0H9fDaXg

Our class really enjoys discovering science the way real scientists do!

Write With Me

While preparing for the writing portion of the standardized test (iLEAP for my third graders), we completed a week-long adventure in writing that we called Safari Camp Write Along!  We used the Safari theme because I always ask them, "How do you eat an elephant?" and they reply, "One bite at a time."  The analogy is for anything big going on that might seem overwhelming, like a ten page test, or writing an essay.  You attack it one step or one question at a time.  I use the book Seven Blind Mice to introduce and reinforce this idea.
With that in mind, we looked at the different components of writing each day.  On Monday, we looked at titles, hooks, and endings (restated endings).  On Tuesday, we used the rubric that will be used to grade their writing and the students became the teacher and graded sample writings from other children provided on our state's Louisiana Believes website. By Wednesday, we were learning about ELABORATION, or where to slow our stories down, hover like a helicopter, to add details and descriptions.  This strategy can turn a great story into an excellent one!  When Thursday rolled around, we were ready for figurative langugae, or as we nicknamed it - SHAMPOPI. That stands for: similes, hyperboles, alliteration, metaphors, personification, onomatapeoia, paradox, and idioms.  These can be used in any part of writing to improve its readability.  Then, on Friday, we wrote.  Students used what they had learned to write some of their best stories ever.
Of course, like at all camps, we had a camp song.  I wrote a song that addresses all the parts of writing, to the tune of "Lean On Me," but we retitled it "Write With Me."  Enjoy the videos below that shows my two classes singing the song.
http://youtu.be/N0tf7NJwaKQ
http://youtu.be/v2Xx9QJVXrI
Also, in case you might want the words to the song...I am willing to share.

Write With Me

By Lisa Rodriguez

(to the tune of Lean On Me)

Sometimes when we write
We all have pain, we have to brainstorm
But if we are wise
We’ll make a plan that helps us go on.

Write with me, when you're not strong
And I'll help you plan, create a beginning
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need, a restated ending.

Please swallow your pride
Look at the rubric, do some revising
For, no one can write your story for you
That’s as mesmerizing.

Write with me, when you're not strong
And I'll help you plan, create a beginning
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need, a restated ending.

You just add elaboration, more details to show
We all need those details to write on
I just might have a story that you'd love to know
We all need those details to write on

Write with me, when you're not strong
And I'll help you plan, create a beginning
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need, a restated ending

Just write now
(Make a beginning)
Write now
(Start with a hook)

Just write now
(Make your three main points)
Write now
(Add some evidence)

Just write now
(Use a thesaurus)
Write now
(Try some fancy words)

Just write now
Make your ending strong.

 

Narrative Writing

I actually videotaped this during the last school year, but I finally put it together and am now posting it.  This strategy really works, but like all learning, it takes practice, practice, practice. Thanks to Thinking Maps for creating it. I hope it helps in your class as it has in mine.
https://youtu.be/q_96rIFWd2A