Uh Whoops...

Woahhh, who fast-forwarded the calendar from April to the middle of May? I blinked, and now there are two and a half weeks of school left. Well, even though it hasn't been posted on the blog yet, there's been lots going on with Mr. Bill's crew in the last four weeks. Here's some of it:

Colorado Springs Fine Art Center

In conjunction with a study of the glass blower Dale Chihuly that Ms. Pam did, the crew went and enjoyed not only a few of his magnificent pieces, but also other interest genres such as Southwestern folk art and the chance to experience an art lesson where they experimented with organic shapes.

On Target

A favorite with crews each year is Mr. Doug's archery unit. The crew members were carefully instructed in archery safety and technique before being allowed to take any shots. 

Bluebirds

We've continued our weekly check of the bluebird boxes.  The most exciting observation has been a mama carefully guarding seven eggs.

The Sound of Music

We have crew members in orchestra, band, and choir. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves while giving Renaissance a taste of their talents.

Portfolio Help

We helped out the third graders by giving them feedback as they practiced for their first portfolio presentations. Since the fifth graders gave the same presentations two years ago, they had expert advice to offer.

A lost Art

Ms. Diana gave the crew a treat with Kanishibae--traditional traveling Japanese storytellers whose popularity waned with the advent of television. The crew was fully engaged as the story unfolded.

The Shot Heard 'Round the World

From many different angles, we delved into the events that led to the American Revolutionary War and the end results of the conflict. As we looked at these causes and effects, we always brought our thinking back to the concept of systems--what systems worked and didn't work as the two sides attempted to get their needs and desires met. Here are some of our learning experiences.

Digging into texts and conveying our discoveries about colonial times to others:

Performing a reader's theater about children's perspectives during the Revolutionary War:

Re-enacting a key event in the early build-up to the war: the debate at the Old South Meeting House in Boston where the decision was made to go ahead with the Boston Tea Party. Each crew member played the role of someone who was at the actual debate. They really took their roles to heart:

Reading the Bill of Rights in "kid language" and using two "thinking routines" to mentally process their significance:

Watching a few of the classic "School House Rock" videos; They're almost forty years old, but these brief clips still drive home concepts in fun, memorable ways, and the crew loves watching them. (My personal favorite, of course, is "I'm Just a Bill," which tracks the journey of a proposal that eventually becomes law.) Here's "Three Ring Circus" which presents the idea of a three-branch government:

Always Learning More 'Rithmetic

We also continue the deepening of our math understandings, with such concepts as data analysis, volume, and fraction multiplication. Here are just a couple of our many learning experiences.

Exploring 3-D shapes as we solve volume problems:

Increasing fluency with coordinate grids by playing good ol' battleship:

Taking a break from our usual math instruction to build logic skills with Sudoku:

Enjoy the spring, now that it's finally arrived in earnest!