Today is the birthday of Johannes Kepler, born in 1571 in Germany. As a mathematician, Kepler sought to understand geometric patterns within the orbit of planets. Eventually, in 1605, he realized that one of the simplest explanations could account for the observations:  All planets move in ellipses, with the sun at one focus. What a smart guy he was! 

See: Science News for Kids

Happy Holidays!

Hope you are all enjoying your time off from school. Thank you for the sweet letters, cards and gifts. ⛄

Faces of angels gone too soon. :"-(

HUGE Asteroid

Starizona off of Oracle/Rudisil Road will not be hosting live viewings of asteroid fly by this evening because this actually ended up happening yesterday morning. Their telescope DID capture an image however...Coming soon!
ALSO:
If you are interested in viewing space through a telescope Starizona has their telescop out for FREE viewings EVERY Friday and Saturday from 6:30-10pm. COOL! Also see: Planetarium


"THE SKY IS THE LIMIT!"
"To infinity and BEYOND!"

Phases of the Moon : Phases of the Moon: Hip-Hop Style

Phases of the Moon : Phases of the Moon: Hip-Hop Style
Additional Resources






Huge ASTEROID to pass Earth! Watch it online

December 2012

 

Happy December!
This week in science...
NASA
ISS


Hubble
What's Next? Webb Space Telescope
Mission
UofA
Reading: Online Quiz


  Galileo Vs. Aristotle's experiments. Newton?

What about the apple dude? The cookie? No! The scientist! ;-)

Mark Kelly

Tomorrow at UofA-Lazer FUN Day!

http://fp.optics.arizona.edu/laserfunday/

See more liquid nitrogen demonstrations/experiments!

Solids, Liquids, Gases

What a special opportunity!

GO OUTSIDE AND LOOK UP!

 

The moon and Jupiter are shining bright together tonight. Notice, Jupiter is NW of the moon.








         Go Outside and Look UP!

Science Daily for Kids

This Week

Geography Links: 
Europe
Explore & More
What is life like in.....
Geo. Game
National Geographic


Reading Groups
We have been focusing on poetry and how Figurative Language helps us as readers better understand/comprehend what is happening within the text. Figurative Language metaphorically paints a picture in our minds as we read. AMAZING! Now we know as we read, to pay attention to detail.
Ask questions: "Why is the author using an IDIOM here?" Make connections: "That's a SIMILE!"
Infer: "This means..."
We are becoming fluent readers and implementing what we have learned in our writing. Reading is Writing and Writing is Reading, "Hey that's a metaphor!" :-)

Today's Firld Trip

Science is fun!

Thanksgiving

T is for Turkey!

Science mini lessons this week...

Earth may encounter a stream of debris in space, left behind by Comet Tempel Tuttle, early tomorrow morning (November 20).







Also: Observing psychology/social experiments via 60 Minutes (videos to the right)  ------------------->
in order to better understand how a mere question can be the start of a very interesting science project.  :-)

November 15-and on....

Reading Group-Vocabulary
4/5 Whole Group Math: Ongoing Cumulative Review & This week's emphasis: Long Division
Vocabulary: Divisor, Dividend, Quotient, Remainder
 Multiplication-learning facts, 2 by 1 digit, then two by one digit
1. Lattice Method
2. Partial Products Strategy
3. Magic Lines 
Science
Too bad it's cloudy tonight, we'll miss the meteor shower. Unless, it clears up early morning. If so, go outside and look UP!

Look at the night sky!

November is a cool month and it's not just because of 3 school holidays. This month depending on time and location,  you can actually see five planets in the sky! To read more about when and how to spot these amazing planets, check out the Earth Sky Link.Earth Sky

Election

Congratulations Mr. President

Obama 4 More Years~
Election Math
Election Results 

Let's Explore Our Solar System!

Virtual Universe 
National Geographic's Version
Create Your Own Game
NASA 

This week at school....

Reading Group: Reading about Food Chains & Web of Life through Reader's Theater.
A food web shows who eats whom within a habitat. Every animal needs food to live, whether it eats plants, other animals, or both. All plants and animals depend on one another to survive.
There are food webs in every ecosystem in the world, including the ocean.
Vocabulary: Microscopic, Organisms, Diatoms, Krill, Zoo-plankton  Algae, Nutrients, Herring, Codfish, Seal, Orca
Bear Essential News 

Has it fallen yet?

Web Cam-NYC Building
Question: With 90 mph wind speeds, will the crain stay in tact or fall? If it falls what direction will it fall and why? What devestating effects might it have on the surrounding area?
Post your hypothesis/thoughts in comment form below:
What do you think and why?

The Return of the Dragon & Hurricane Sandy

SPACE X Video Updates NASA According to the National Hurricane Center, Sandy remains a Category 1 which doesn't seem that terrible, but because Sandy has also drawn energy from a cold front, she has become a HUGE storm which will hit many eastern states. This is why she is also referred to as, "Frankenstorm".

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Frankenstorm

Hurricane Sandy

What are your thoughts? Today's Meet Kid Blog-email me at kesmith@amphi.com to get your password! :-)

Captain Mark Kelly

Zak, you lucky guy you. I had loads of papers to grade with me today, just in case I had time to get to them at some point...I had the opportunity to get Kelly's autograph and it just so happened to be your paper. Wasn't it you who mentioned someday you would go to Mars? Dreams+Action=Reality

Exciting!

We'll have to get solar glasses soon!

TONIGHT!

Tonight (if you are awake and have seen this post), go outside around mid-night and look at the sky! You will see a beautiful meteor shower! Why?

 What is a meteor shower?

SCIENCE FAIR!

On Friday we had the wonderful opportunity to meet and listen to Dr. Bethel, director of Southern Arizona Science and Engineering Fair (SARSEF). Many of you are already excited to begin your projects, SO, our focus this week will include a REASONABLE jump start to planning YOUR project.
Remember two important factors for science fair preparation:
1. Is it reasonable?
2. Is it affordable? :-) 
Objectives:
1. Continuous space exploration related to current events
2. Science pep-rally planning/ideas?
3. Write a list of 10 things you are curious about, discuss with peers, parents & teachers
4. Begin recording scientific thoughts, discoveries, planning, etc. into science notebook/journal
5. A peek at the judging format-notice. Notice where the highest points are awarded...
Doing your project......
Suggested steps to the process.

• Many of you expressed interest in using live subjects (people, pets, etc.) as part of your project. In order to do so, first you will need teacher/parent approval and second, it must follow SARSEF guidelines.   
• In addition, some of you were thoroughly excited to work with partners, but..the answer to whether you can is, yes and no. YES if AFTER you complete your own individual science fair project, and NO if you haven't.

  What makes winning projects so great? What's next?

Scientek12.org

Google Science Fair (middle/high school-ages 13-17)

Intel Science & Engineering Fair (must be 18) 

What do YOU think makes a winning project? Comment:

Yay!

Great job girls!

Bear Essential Young Reporters Program

Lots of Walker students here today learning how to be a journalist. This is David Fitzsimmons, the cartoonist for the AZ Daily Stat. He's hilarious!

Happy NEW MOON!

Tonight is the darkest night in October. Happy NEW MOON everyone! 

What? WHY? On the day of new moon, the moon rises when the sun rises. It sets when the sun sets. It crosses the sky with the sun during the day.

HUH? Its lighted half is facing entirely away from Earth.

The image above is imaginary. It’s as if you flew in a spaceship to a place where you could see the night side of the moon. Imaginary? When the moon is new, its night face is facing us on Earth … and we can’t see the moon at this time.

Go outside and check it out!

Take a moment..

To reflect & think about your education. With so much opportunity, are YOU taking advantage?

Science at its BEST!

Red Bull Stratos is a scientific mission to 120,000 ft. Jumping from a stratospheric balloon "Fearless Frank" not only broke the record for the highest free fall jump, but in addition, surpassed his goal and jumped 128,000 feet from Earth!
For further details see: Red Bull Stratos

Falcon 9 Rocket

Launching "Dragon" a cargo carrying capsule to International Space Station (ISS) as part of a plan to send and receive back scientific research/experiments.

See the post with website link below to track its orbit. SO cool!!!

Check this out:

http://www.spacex.com/

Hope you are all enjoying your fall break. I'm in Florida with my family at the Magical Kingdom/Disney World. Kids had a blast today-I'm tired, they are NOT. Why? I don't know...

Focus on Human Body & Heath Food:

Scientific Investigation:

What are the effects of processed foods on growing bodies? Does it affect learning? 

1. What's Your Food IQ?
2. How does food affect your mood?
3. Affects of Soda

Optional: Join Fit MD to help keep track of your brain-happy food options.

Crazy teachers!

~Geography Fun-don't forget to study! Geography final is the last week of October. 
~Keep yourself busy by reading, practicing x-tables, IXL, RAZ and play outside!!! 

Enjoy your fall break!!! 

Want to virtually swim under some of the world's most beautiful oceans?
Google Maps

Check this out:

http://maps.google.com/help/maps/streetview/gallery.html#!/ocean

www.zooniverse.org/

Reading Groups:
Ongoing focus using Non-fiction/Expository text. This week, we are reading about Australia also known as  The Down Under & Great Barrier Reef-learning about reading strategies such as: Fluency-(rereading), Question-Answer Relationship (QAR), Vocabulary-Greek/Latin Roots, Prefix/Root/Suffix and Synonyms
Math: Whole Group-Daily Mountain Math Practice, Geometry Review, Vocabulary, Lattice Multiplication
Fourth Grade-Using a compass to draw concentric circles, three digit adding/subtracting practice 
Fifth Grade-Magnitude Estimates, multiplication with decimals
Writing: Summaries, paragraphs & Weekly letters/response
Science/Social Studies: Geography, Geographical Land forms/features, Current Events & Election
Up Coming: Substitute on both Thursday & Friday (teacher training), conferences/half days and fall break!

ENDEAVOR SHUTTLE!

 

Astronaut Mark Kelly requested Space Shuttle Endeavor to fly over Tucson on its route from Texas to California in honor of his wife former congress woman Gabby Giffords, a strong advocate for space flight. Endeavor logged 123 million miles in space and circled the Earth nearly 4,700 times! Today, our class lived history and what an exciting opportunity it was to see it at school!

Week of 17th-21

Reading Groups-Focus on Social Studies Content-Constitution Day, Branches of Government, Vocabulary Notebook Organization/set-up
Math
Fourth Grade-Probability, data sets, adding/subtracting (w/regrouping) practice
Fifth Grade-Magnitude Estimates & Probability
Sixth Grade-Reading/Writing Large Numbers, Stem and Leaf Plots
All Grade Levels: Focus on Statistics (Number Data Sets, Mean, Median, Mode, Range)
Math Experiments:
1. Thumb Tack
2. Spinner w/ Fractions
3. Reaction Time
Government: 3 Branches, Constitution & ongoing current events

Cape Horn

Geography: See Maps below to study..

Bering Strait

Aleutian Islands

Up-coming Events: Friday 9/21-Mrs. Smith takes Mrs. Cordell's Class to STARBASE, Picture Day on Monday September 24th, Beaar Essential News for Kids Young Reporter Program, After-School tutoring begins soon, Fall Conferences/Half Days- Tuesday October 2nd-Friday Oct. 12, *Report Cards Go Home AFTER Fall Break & Is Currently Pending (Technical difficulty)*

Upcoming Events

Bear Essential News for Kids Young Reporter Program

Saturday, October 20th

*If interested, call to reserve your spot, space is limited! Remember it's free and an incredible experience for students who enjoy current events. Learn how to write like a journalist and meet the KVOA channel 4 newscast!
Sign-up form
PARENTS-interested in hosting the Young Reporter's Program as a news club at Walker? See me for details- Volunteers needed!

Geography Locations:
Study while having fun:
Continents
Quiz Yourself
Hemispheres, Prime Meridian & Equator Quiz
Latitude/Longitude
Treasure Hunt
National Geographic Kids
Copy Cat      GeoBee

Which link is your favorite?  Comment below!

Remember..

Today our class read/discussed what happened on September 11, 2001.
Link List To Support Text & Discussion:
Nick Kids
Memorial
Rebuilding
Engineering Ground Zero

Happy September!!!

READING GROUPS: My reading group has been reading expository text-focus on Sea Turtles

What a great first week with our leveled reading groups & our 4/5 Multi-Age Class!

Instruction at a glance:
We've discussed reading strategies, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension skills.
Links to support text: National Geographic
Defenders.org
NOAA
Turtles in Hawaii


*Don't forget your homework this weekend is to re-read the book (fluency), study the vocabulary words, complete both handouts due Monday:
1. Reading comprehension
2. Fill out what you learned and complete the brochure on the back
EXTRA: What defines a dinosaur? Is a sea turtle a dinosaur? Interview others (anyone). Write down who you interviewed, their response and they research it yourself. You may find it difficult to find an exact answer, but the purpose is to begin thinking about reliable sources. Print the article or write down the book name or internet URL. 
Our 4/5 Class: 
Math-Geometry Review for both 4/5 & Estimation
Social Studies-Current events, and geography
Science-Nervous System/brain-How we learn. 
Other- 
Start thinking about a community service project-how we can make a difference to others. Monday in current events, many of you expressed interest in virtual pet toys/webcams in animal shelters.

Last week of August!

*Big changes ahead beginning this week as some of us transition into Mrs. Cordell's fifth grade and fourth graders move in our class as a 4/5 multi-age. Whew..Students/parents will be notified by Wednesday as to who moves/stays, Friday is the big moving day with a special surprise for both of our classrooms.

This week in: 
Reading/Writing- Continued focus in writing-paragraphs, friendly letters, Expository text MAP reading test in computer lab Wednesday 10:00. This will help determine leveled reading placement. :-)
Math-Finish Unit 1-Focus on Divisibility- Assessment Thursday/Friday
Social Studies-Geography (Continents, Oceans, Landforms)
Science-Focus on MARS: Gravity Compare/Contrast Earth vs. MARS, Human Brain, BRAIN RULES by John Medina, Current Events-Tracking HURRICANES via Satellite: What are hurricanes, how and where do they form & affects of their furry. SEE: WEATHER CHANNEL for updates.
Up Coming: Dairy Queen Fundraiser Wednesday, Open House September 6th, Back to our turtle theme Monday as we share our classroom community with incoming fourth graders. :-)

Week of August 20th

Our focus this week:

Language Arts

Math-Divisibility 

Geography

Science

Brain Based Learning

MARS  KBears

*Upcoming Events: School Fundraiser at DQ-Tuesday 8/28th*

Welcome 2012-2013 fifth graders!

Mars in the Computer Lab

Task Options:
1. Use Microsoft Word to type a fantasy story about living on Mars. Story must include at least three vocabulary words from your science notes.

2. Use Microsoft Word to type your MARS class notes and add more words, with definitions, useful websites (with a description) & facts. 

SCIENCE: Let's begin the year by exploring MARS, which will help prepare us for STAR BASE!  
Live Satellite Tracking-http://www.n2yo.com/ 
NASA'S Curiosity Rover
Mars Science Lab
Space X
Mission to Mars
Fun Zone
SCIENCE/PSYCHOLOGY: How does your brain learn? Are you right, left or middle brained?
GEOGRAPHY: 5 Themes, oceans, continents & understanding geography to scale; community, county, city, state, country, & continent.
MATH: Multiplication, division and factors
LANGUAGE ARTS: Story elements, genre focus on fables, poetry, theme & moral
We're off to a FANTASTIC YEAR!

Metro de Paris

Second oldest metro in the world after London!

'The Iron Lady'

La Tour Eiffel aka Eiffel Tower

In Brussels, Belgium for a month! Great city. Back when school begins in August! Great to hear from former students. Thanks for the kind comments and e-mails! :-) enjoy summer!

Hi!

I hope you are all having a great summer! My family and I were in Aruba for a beach vacation/sea turtle hatching season. Unfortunately, they didn't hatch while we were there, but the good news is, turtle hatching in Florida is record breaking this year! Yay!
Now we are off to Brussels, Belgium and Ireland until the new school year begins. How is your summer?I'd love to hear all about it! comment below:
:-)

Aruba

Plastic washing up from the ocean

If you love science......

 

Follow the remarkable journey as space exploration advances via SPACE X 

Create and problem solve how to either prevent your rocket from crashing, or the best way to cause it to crash and make the biggest impact. Kerbal Space Game

*Not too early to think about science projects! Check out: Bridge to Science