EOG Relief

After a week of testing we took our math lesson outside. We threw paper plates to see how far our toss would go. Then we measured the distance of our throws in inches and centimeters. Some students were surprised to see that their plate wouldn't fly like a frisbee. They finally discovered that gentler was better than hard. Back in the classroom we put our data into a stem and leaf plot to determine the median, mode and range of our throws. Having a math lesson outside was a nice break after a week of EOGs.

American Shad Project

We helped Ms. Linhart's class care for American Shad eggs for a few days this spring. The eggs were delivered to Speas on April 26th. We cared for the eggs and watched them hatch. They were so tiny with huge eyes! On Thursday April 29th we took the eggs to Belews Lake for the release. The ones that live will go from the lake to the Dan River to the Roanoke River to the Atlantic Ocean. We hope some of them will come back to Belews Lake in a few years to spawn. We really enjoyed doing this project that was sponsored by the NC Museum of Natural History.

Friction and other Forces

Remember our Science Fair project last fall? How do the things we learned then apply to what we have been talking about in science this quarter?

Roll, Roll, Roll

Motion and Design

What are some things you have learned so far in our investigations about motion and design?

The Relationship Between the Bald Eagle and the American Shad

The bald eagle eats the shad for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But if the bald eagle can't find it then they'll eat things like turtles, birds, frogs and more animals. That's what their relationship is, that the bald eagle eats the shad. JM

The relationship between the shad and the eagle is that the eagle needs shad to live because the eagle eats shad. Eagles need the shad to feed their babies. Eagles need the shad for nutrition. Eagles need the shad for energy. That is the relationship between the eagle and the shad. AB

After we had been in the Pod for about a week I asked students to share how they felt about traveling from the pod to other parts of the school. These comments are from April 12th:

It takes a longer time to get to places. We got like 5 more minutes to get to places, but it is fun to get to where we need to go. Like recess, it takes longer now because they blocked the way we used to go. DB

Traveling from the pod to the school is OK. It doesn't seem like a long walk, but I am not complaining about it. I like the longer walk. So I am fine with it. KC

When we moved to the pods it took us two days to get there. Because we had to pack up. It takes us a long time to get to art from the pods. That's why we have to bring our backpacks with us. We walk a lot. TH

It's a long walk especially to the ball field and PE. If there were an elevator it would be better because you are at the classroom and then you'll be in where ever you want to be. TJ

It takes about 5 minutes to go somewhere. It's pretty fun in the beginning. I've been to places that I haven't been in a long time. Feels fresh outside. I like walking. AM

When we go from place to place from the pods it takes too long. I like being in the pods but we've got to walk too far. If I'm having a good day I would not mind, but my legs be hurting sometimes. I like the pods. LM

Traveling to the pods is fun because I like to walk. Sometimes I walk to my friends house, to the basketball court. I walk to the football field. Then I walk back home. JO

Traveling to and from the pod to other parts of the school is doing too much walking. I like it because I am getting exercise. It is too long from the pod to the school. It gets really cold in the pod so when I go outside it feels better. I love to walk. AS

It feels long and boring. Some of the places we go in the building are not that far. After we go somewhere we go to the next place. It takes a while to get to lunch. It takes a long time to the car line. DS