30th November

The young scientists of Grade five had a very exciting day today!

We began the day by discussing further the drawbacks of using some materials. For example, use of plastic causes Global warming and use of too much sugar can cause Diabetes.


We then continued with the Math quiz. We focussed on the customary units today.


The concept of 'Chemical and physical change' was introduced today. The students were asked to close their eyes and imagine a dream in which they go to a place full of candies, chocolates, ice creams, etc. After listening to the story the students realized that their mouths were watering. They were told that it was because of the reaction between the saliva and carbohydrates.
We then went to the Chemistry lab. The students did five different experiments in groups.
* Find exactly how much salt can dissolve in 50 mL of water -They kept mixing different measurents of salt in 50 mL.


* Change the state of a salt solution from liquid to solid - They evapourated a salt solution to get crystals.


* Change the colour (3 different colours) of a piece of paper by using different chemicals - They tried with different chemicals provided by the Lab teacher. They also mixed different chemicals together.


* Separate sand from water in a sand solution - They did the process of sedimentation.


* Separate water from adulterated milk - They first tried to boil the milk and collect water droplets formed due to steam. They were then told to use the centrifugal propeller which eventually worked.

The purpose of the activity was make the students accustomed to writing Lab reports. They have written rough drafts in their notebooks and will be writing the fair copies tomorrow.
It was a very engaging activity in deed! Authentic inquiry was evident.

29th November

Today, the Grade five had a very long discussion on the benefits using different materials as well as the challenges. We discussed the benefits as a class and the challenges were discussed in groups. All the students took notes in their UOI notebooks. We spent a  lot of time analyzing why certain materials are used for certain purposes. For example rubber is used for making automobile tyres to reduce friction between the tyres and the roads. They also are strong, shock absorbers and produce very less sound. No other material has these properties. We discussed many scientific concepts that arised during the discussion.


The students then practiced writing scientific reports by watching a video of a simple experiment and writing a report for the same. Yet again many scientific phenomenon were discussed. The students listened very carefully to absorb all the information!


We then had a quiz in math for unit conversions. Each group was given a question based on conversions. All the students were given 30 seconds to solve the problem individually in their Math notebooks. Th group then discussed the solution and the captain had to give out the answer. We will be completing this activity tomorrow. It is a formative assessment.

Measurements unit - Extra practice

Here are few links to worksheets/games/activities on metric and customary units and conversions. The name of the file says the topic for the content.


Metric:


http://www.teach-nology.com/test_parser/html_parser.php
http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/math/measure/compare/large/3/ 
http://www.math-drills.com/measurement/convert_all_grams_001.pdf
http://www.math-drills.com/measurement/convert_meters_centimeters_millimeters_010.pdf
http://www.math-drills.com/measurement/convert_all_meters_010.pdf
http://www.math-drills.com/measurement/convert_all_grams_010.pdf
http://www.math-drills.com/measurement/convert_all_volume_010.pdf
http://www.teach-nology.com/test_parser/html_parser.php
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/maths/docs/converting_measurements_msP.doc
http://www.funbrain.com/measure/ (games- easy)
http://www.hbschool.com/activity/con_math/g05c14.html (game - medium)
http://www.ixl.com/math/practice/grade-5-compare-and-convert-metric-units (Game - hard)




Customary:


Easy:


http://worksheetplace.com/mf/inches-to-feet-2.pdf
http://worksheetplace.com/mf/inches-to-feet-1.pdf
http://worksheetplace.com/mf/cups-to-ounces-2.pdf
http://worksheetplace.com/mf/cups-to-ounces-1.pdf
http://worksheetplace.com/mf/gallons-to-quarts-7.pdf
http://worksheetplace.com/mf/gallons-to-quarts-8.pdf


Medium:


http://worksheetplace.com/mf/gallons-quarts-ounces-4.pdf
http://worksheetplace.com/mf/gallons-quarts-ounces-5.pdf 
http://worksheetplace.com/mf/feet-to-yards-1.pdf
http://worksheetplace.com/mf/feet-to-yards-2.pdf
http://www.hbschool.com/activity/con_math/g04c24.html (game)
http://www.ixl.com/math/practice/grade-6-customary-unit-conversions-involving-fractions-and-mixed-numbers (game)




Hard:


http://www.teach-nology.com/gold/measurement2.html
http://www.teach-nology.com/gold/measurement3.html 
http://www.ixl.com/math/practice/grade-6-convert-compare-add-and-subtract-mixed-customary-units (Game)
http://www.ixl.com/math/practice/grade-6-customary-unit-conversions-involving-fractions-and-mixed-numbers (Game)



Mixed:


http://www.middlesexcc.edu/academi/mat/dev_math/Instructor_Info_Mat-010/worksheet_9_measurement_conversions_fall07.pdf
http://www.teach-nology.com/platinum/measuremixed.html
http://www.ixl.com/math/practice/grade-5-compare-and-convert-metric-units (game)

26th November

We began the day by discussing yesterday's homework. The students shared their results of the experiment they conducted. They also seem to be getting clear with customary unit conversions.

The students then completed the crossword puzzles they have been working on. This activity has helped them to improve their scientific vocabulary.

The students formulated questions for further inquiry in the unit. They will be 'finding out' the answers next week.

After lunch, the Grade five students and teachers went to a government school as a part of the CAS program. They taught the grade five students in that school how to multiply with the use of manipulative. The students were so engaged that they did not wish to come back! They will be writing reflections on the visit over the weekend. Some of them will be put up on the blog.

Grade five is going for a field trip to a construction on 3rd December (Next Friday). We will be leaving at 9:30 am from school and will come back at 12:30 pm. Consent forms have been sent. Pleases send them back on Monday. Feel free to get in touch with me for any clarifications.

25th November

inquiryToday, the grade five students did a very interesting activity in UOI: Some intriguing materials were kept in the PYP corridor (optic wire, paint, aluminium foil, dough, curd, etc.). The students were given a graphic organizer and were asked to inquire into these materials. They answered questions like 'what is the material called?', 'What do you think it is used for?' , 'What do you think it is made of?', 'What are the materials involved?', etc. After coming back to class we did a think-pair-share activity where each student was asked to quite reflect on the activity and think of questions. They were then asked to choose a partner and share their thoughts and ideas.


The students found it very engaging and had them wondering! The corridor was filled with interesting hypothesis and constant discussions. This was a true example of authentic INQUIRY!!


We also did more practice with customary unit conversions in math. The students were divided into groups based on their understanding and both the teachers helped them in clearing their doubts.
 
In English, the students worked on the crossword puzzles in their groups. They referred many sources for clues and the answers.
 
We also completed the charts for we will be donating to the community school as a part of the CAS program.

24th November

On Wednesday the students continued with practising the interconversion of customary units. Besides that they engaged themselves in creating crossword puzzles based on different elements and compounds. They worked in groups in order to exchange the information each of them had after presenting the charts a day before. The students could use their own as well as their friends' charts to support their knowledge and make sure that they focus on different materials.



- As told by Ms. Katarzyna

23rd November

On Tuesday the kids presented their charts. Each group focused on different material such as plastic, rubber, cotton, wood etc. The group that made a presentation about metal prepared a quiz for the friends so they could test their knowledge and have fun at the same time. Also, we continued with interconversion of customary units. This time we focused on the length only. After that, the kids were asked to go around the PYP block and write down a couple of sentences about what they saw. The sentences were written in the active voice so later every student had to change them into the passive voice. As a second part of the practice the children had to pick up a book and locate the sentences both in the active, and in the passive voice.

- As told by Ms. Katarzyna

22nd November

The inquiry groups worked on their presentations today. They put their researched information on the charts provided. We also practiced unit conversions in math.

After lunch, we celebrated the visual art by participating in the Art Mela. The students were given themes and they made creative and colourful posters based on them. Few students form the Mokila school also accompanied us.

19th November

The inquiry groups worked on their charts today. They conducted research and took notes. In math, the customaty units of measurement were introduced by a PowerPoint presentation.

18th November

We practiced the inter conversion of units today. Students were made to sit in groups according to their level of understanding. The teachers went around helping the children in their respective groups. They are now clear with the conversion of metric units of length. 

The students worked on their UOI charts. A rubric was given to them. They will be doing more research tomorrow and will do experiments next week. Some students also shared the articles that they found in the newspapers that were related to 'materials' (homework).

We had a brief quiz on active and passive voice for language.

We began the process of the PYP Exhibition as well. I began with a presentation for this. We will discuss about the exhibition for some time everyday before beginning with the planning. There will soon be a presentation for parents also as this is a very essential part of the PYP.

Extra practice for active/passive voice: http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-1/exercise-english-53.php