After conference week and report cards, I had several 4th and 5th grade students drop by and ask about the “takes initiative to go beyond requirements” indicator on the report card. Oftentimes, students with an otherwise perfect report card find that they have not met this particular indicator and they begin to wonder what they can do to meet the requirement. The idea behind this indicator is that the student takes the initiative to do something outside of class that has not been assigned and shows self directed learning based on our topic of study. Some examples of taking the initiative to go beyond requirements might include: finding and reading articles in the newspaper and sharing them with the class, watching a documentary about robots or space travel and taking notes on the information presented, building a model of one of the rockets we are studying and learning a little more about it, or researching a particular space/robotics topic that the student finds interesting. The most important thing is that the student has the desire and takes the initiative to do the extra work; this should not be something you require of your child, nor should you be the one to cut out articles and tell your child to bring them to class. It is perfectly acceptable to make your child aware of opportunities, but it should be his or her decision as to whether or not to take advantage of those opportunities. One way to find some great ideas is to check out the NASA website and look under the student section; there are oftentimes contests or fun learning activities that students can try. I am providing the link to that page as well as a link to a current contest which provides the opportunity for students to design an experiment that might be chosen to fly on the International Space Station (ISS). Participating in a contest like that is a great way to go above and beyond requirements, and a couple of years ago, several Vaughan students actually won and had their experiments flown on the ISS! You can take a look at the "Kids in Micro-g" page for more details on their winning experiments.
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October 2011
10/31/2011
Benthic Macroinvertebrate Idintification Quiz (3rd Grade)
Third grade Target students will be having a quiz on benthic macroinvertebrate identification on Friday, November 18th. Students will be responsible for the twenty-one species represented on their macroinvertebrate notecards. For the quiz, students will have the opportunity to look at pictures and preserved specimens of each macroinvertebrate and will then be expected to write the name of that species. The following presentations will be helpful identification resources.
10/24/2011
NXT Inventory Quiz (4th and 5th Grade)
Before we begin construction of our NXT robots, it is important that you "speak the language" and know the names of the various Lego parts with which you will be working. The week of November 7th there will be a quiz on the basic parts; you will have time in class the weeks of October 24th and October 31st to look at the parts and to fill in the NXT "Parts Inventory" worksheet. I will provide you with a copy of this worksheet in class, but unfortunately, the copied version is not as clear as the original sheet which I created in color. I have attached the original to this blog post if you would like to print a color version of the worksheet. The best place to find the names of the NXT parts is on the "Parts Inventory" link on the NXT page of this blog. Study hard and I know you will do well!
10/14/2011
Quiz and River Kids Trip (3rd Grade)
Just a reminder that River Kids will be having their first major quiz and a trip to the river on Friday, October 21st. Please make sure that your child has his or her lunch, water, gloves, and boots for Target and is dressed for the weather. We will be going to the river rain, shine, or snow, with only thunderstorms preventing our adventure. We will leave school around 10:30 a.m and will return at 2:00 p.m.; if you are a river mom, please meet us at the professional development room at 10:30.
I have posted a quiz study guide below.
Quiz Study Guide
- Know all of your River Kid vocabulary- study the crossword puzzle you were given for homework. There are a lot of vocabulary fill in the blank questions and no word bank will be provided.
- Make sure that you can draw and label the water molecule. This includes the atoms that comprise the molecule, protons, neutrons, electrons -and the way they are shared between the atoms.
- Be able to draw and label a picture of the water cycle. You should label at least six of the processes involved in the cycle- study "The Hydrological Cycle" paragraph you wrote.
- Make sure you understand why the temperature of the water is important, what it can influence, and what happens when an organism lives outside of its optimal temparature for a long time. Look over the temperature information you were given in class today (Friday, October 14th).
10/13/2011
Topic 3: The Compass and Topographical Maps
Lesson Essential Questions
- How is a compass used as an important navigational tool?
- How can a compass be used to help plot a course on a topographical map?
GSRA cadets are continuing their study of survival and aviation. After exploring topographical maps and how they can be used to understand the terrain and features of an area, cadets then began with basic compass skills. They focused on learning the parts of a compass and how to shoot an azimuth.
Topographical Map Videos
10/11/2011
Aviation Challenge
On Friday, September 30th GSRA Cadets had an AWESOME training day at Aviation Challenge. Our morning began bright and early at 0400 hours as we boarded the bus for our adventure in Huntsville, Alabama. After a four hour bus ride and breakfast at McDonalds we arrived at the training center and were excited to see lots of airplanes and the water survival training area.
Throughout the course of the day, each squad participated in four different training exercises: land survival, flight physiology, flight simulators and water survival. The purpose of these exercises was to help cadets experience firsthand all of the topics we have been studying in class for the past 6 weeks.
In the land survival portion of the training cadets studied the basics of survival in the wilderness and learned that being able to make a fire and construct a sturdy shelter were two of the most important skills.
Shelter Video Download Building Shelter
During flight physiology cadets experienced the Barney chair, which is a device used in pilot training to introduce cadets to the spatial disorientation pilots can feel when flying in low visibility conditions or when an aircraft malfunctions. Spatial disorientation is when a pilot’s perception of direction does not agree with reality. Because there are abnormal accelerations in flight, the vestibular and proprioceptive systems function differently and cause visual and sensory illusions that can confuse a pilot during flight. Training for these events and learning to trust the airplane instruments help pilots remain safe when spatial disorientation occurs.
Barney Chair Video Download Barney Chair
In addition to the Barney chair cadets also experienced a human centrifuge. This device, a small two person capsule on the end of a revolving arm, is designed to test the reactions and tolerance of pilots to acceleration above that of earth’s gravity. This particular centrifuge is almost identical to what NASA and the Navy use to train their pilots and astronauts. As the rotational speed of the capsule increased, cadets experienced approximately 3 G’s, meaning they felt three times heavier than normal.
Centrifuge Videos
The third training exercise was flight simulators. Cadets learned to fly the F-18 Super Hornet; first, they mastered takeoffs, turns, and landings. After showing proficiency at these basic skills they learned a little about radar navigation and dog fighting. We had some regular Top Guns amongst our cadets- no one was safe in the skies. Tally-ho!
Flight Simulator Video Download Flight Simulator
Splish, splash, splish, splash! Our final adventure was a water survival course comprised of two different training exercises. The first was practicing different exit techniques in an egress trainer called the helo dunker. After simulating a helicopter crash, cadets learned how to quickly exit the vehicle and help any wounded to safety.
Helo Dunker Videos
Download Helo Dunker With Injuries
Once everyone was accounted for and clear of the vehicle, the rescue helicopter arrived and lifted cadets to safety. Although the water was a little cold, the helo dunker and helicopter rescue were crowd favorites.
Helicopter Rescue Videos
We wrapped up the day with a pizza buffet and then loaded the buses for our trek back to Powder Springs. Cadets were pretty worn out when our bus pulled into the Vaughan parking lot at 11:30 p.m., but a great day was had by all!
Recent Posts
- March Target Calendar
- Dahlonega, Ga (3rd Grade)
- Space Exploration Book Projects
- Nantahala River- Whitewater Rafting (3rd)
- Wastewater Treatment Plant (3rd)
- February Target Calendar
- January Target Calendar
- Spring River Kids Dictionary (3rd Grade)
- Spring GSRA Dictionary (4th and 5th)
- The Cold War and Space Race
