An Ordinary Day in the STEM Lab!

Today we had a great time at school. Once a month all of the students in our school are Engineers For A Day. Today we built a pasta bridge. The object was to build a bridge using uncooked pasta & clay. The bridge has to be strong enough to hold weight over a distance span. At first, the kids didn't get the concept. They thought that they were building a big fancy cutesy bridge. After a trial & huge error some eventually got it.

Today has been rough! We started the day with a kid that threw up on his work & another child's work. Then my kids WOULDN'T do any work. They spent the 1st hour of the day testing my classroom management skills. Our writing block was a tad bit better. We have written "About Me", "The Park" for our Narrative revisit. We then moved onto learning antonyms. Then Math Problem Solving. I had 6 kids on sad face for not following directions.  3 of them cried. My lil boy B is having a VERY active day today. Unable to follow directions or stay focused. But this made me smile:  On the way to lunch 1 student says - "Mrs. Reid are you going to ALWAYS going to wear that shirt and THAT hair?" It' the same kid from the other day. I still can't tell if he likes the hair or if it bothers him, lol. He will marry a woman with "THAT" hair, lol. Oh & what's with the shirt question? Lol

Ok, so I have a new hair style called Tree Braids, it requires weave.  The hairstyle is a week old (read the previous blog) One of the kids (out of the blue) says: "Mrs. Reid are you gonna always have that hair?" It must have been on his mind the whole weekend & all day because he didn't say anything until 12:00 pm. The day is about over, lol. I don't know if he likes it or if he is bothered by it.... Funny stuff.

I came in with a new hair style. I have Tree Braids. Here is our conversation: Kid 1 (boy) - Mrs. Reid what happened to your hair???? Kid 2 (boy) - It's a big hair now! Kid 3 (girl) - It's a big hair but it's pretty.

About my boy A:  So I had a conference with the mom & my Principal. The mom admitted that she knew something was going on with him but she doesn't know what to do about it. She agreed to get him tested. I am so happy. They must catch him while he is young.

Monday, March 11, 2013 Whewwww!  Monday!  It's all I can say.  Today I introduced Maps and Globes.  We are still working on measurement. I also introduced Animals and animal babies. I have 2 students that gives me the hardest time.  Because, they are just 6 six years old they are still as cute as they want to be but...... on the other hand????  I think they are the reason why my hair is falling out.  It's not a behavior problem they are just OUT OF THE BOX students.  They are really really busy and all over the place.  I really think they have not been diagnosed yet.  By diagnosed, I mean they are VERY hyperactive, unable to focus, and all over the place (can't sit still).   They are both boys. Boy A:  very, very intelligent when he pays attention long enough.  His answers far beyond his 6 years of life.  I think there is an old man locked up in there somewhere.  His favorite line is "I used my brain". Boy B:...

The highlight of our day was Measurement.  The kids had a blast. Measurement Lesson Common Core Standard: MD1 Materials:  Balance scale, linking cubes, white board erasers, crayons, color pencils, erasers, scissors, and pencils. First, the students had to estimate how many linking cubes it would take to EQUAL a given item.  Then they had to actually do the measurement.  The students had to place an item in one side of the scale and place linking cubes in the other side until both sides are equal.  My students LOVE hands on activities.  They were in  4 groups with 1 scale per group.  I had to assign group captains because my students FIGHT over anything.  So I assign captains so there would only be 1 person touching the materials at a time. I wish I had taken pics but I forgot.  Sorry.  In the future, I will try and post a visual.