What a week its been for the AABC learners! This week they explored new physics concepts, continued working on their podcast, took a trip to volunteer at an elderly home and so much more!
This week kicked off with the Laws of Physics Quest. This week the students explored the concept of buoyancy. The challenge this week was to build a raft that would float and hold weight. To build the raft the students used bottle caps, popsicle sticks, and plastic straws. Some of the groups used only popsicle sticks or only straws while other groups combined materials. When they finished
building their rafts they filled up a plastic tub with water outside and took turns floating their rafts. To test the rafts, the students used crayons as weights. Two of the rafts held thirty-two crayons before it sank! On Friday they constructed a rubber band rope that had to stretch to a length of twenty inches with weight added to it to demonstrate elasticity.
Next week the students will participate in an egg drop!
During Civilization this week the students learned about the Phonecian tradition
of glass making. After reading the chapter each learner had the opportunity to make their own “stained glass.” To make the glass they sharpened crayons and placed the shavings in a pattern on a piece of wax paper. Once they made their design they put another piece of wax paper on top and pressed it with an iron. The finished products were hung in the windows to catch the sunlight.
In Writer’s Workshop the students began researching the topics for their
podcasts. Each pair or student picked a topic and then decided on three
subtopics to further research. They wrote down ten facts for each subtopic.
Some students chose to do their podcasts on the environment and different
animals, while others chose to do their podcasts on their hobbies such as
sports and reading.
This week the students also took a trip to the Bergen County Healthcare
center in Rockleigh, New Jersey. On this second trip they took coloring sheets and board games to share with the elderly residents.
This week wrapped up with boardgame time and a spelling badge ceremony for one of our learners!
