The City of Ember - Design Challenge

Scholars learned about and discussed Human Factors Engineering. Using the Engineering Design Process, scholars connected to their read aloud, The City of Ember, to problem-solve and create a solution for the characters in the story.

Scholars were tasked to create a design that would allow the characters from The City of Ember to safely travel outside of their city. In particular, scholars needed to design a way for Lina and Doon to carry Poppy, a toddler. First, scholars reviewed the text and made inferences to determine possible constraints for the design. Possible constraints included the need for the materials to be light but strong, materials to be floatable, to allow the characters to have their hands free, the supplies to be kept out of Poppy's reach, Poppy to have something for entertainment, the design to be removed and put back on quickly and easily, and more. Scholars brainstormed materials and noted the physical properties of possible materials to determine which materials would best help meet a certain constraint. In their teams, scholars determined two constraints they’d focus on for their carrier designs. Students then planned, provided feedback for their plans, created, and tested their designs.

Sky Ranch Money Due!

This is a reminder that the first downpayment of $50 for the fall Sky Ranch trip  is due by Tuesday, May 30th!

Career Day!

Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time to talk with our Cannon Cubs about their jobs! 

Young Engineer's Night this Thursday!

Cornerstone Task - Unit 7 continued

Scholars are currently researching 19th and 20th century innovators, including Gail Borden, Joseph Glidden, Michael DeBakey, and Mille Hughes-Fulford. After reflecting on their understanding of innovations such as aerospace, agriculture, energy, and technology, scholars will then choose an innovation and predict how future discoveries and technological innovations might affect life in Texas.

Cornerstone Task- Unit 7 - The Growth of Texas - 20th Century to Present

Scholars researched Urbanization, The Dust Bowl, The Great Depression, and World War II. They shared their findings and wrote fantastic poems to explain the significance of these events in Texas, including how they impacted the lives of Texans and how they affected the economy. Students then discussed which event they felt caused the most impact on Texas’ economy. (Examples of these poems coming soon!)

Cornerstone Task - Unit 6- The Changing Landscape of Texas (starting the last half of 19th century)

Scholars were presented with the claim: "Texas is the state it is today due to the cattle industry and the development of oil and gas in the late 1800s." Scholars then formed an initial opinion by claiming that the cattle industry or the oil/gas industry was the most important development. Students researched these topics to support their claim and then participated in a class discussion to share their evidence.

Homework Update - Vocabulary

Math - Received on Monday; due on Friday

Reading - Reading Log (Read 20 minutes 5 days per week); response is due each Monday

Spelling - Sight words this week, usually Words Their Way "color" lists; test on Thursday

NEW - Vocabulary - At school, scholars will receive and cut out their 10 words and definitions (for matching practice) and their Vocabulary Word List. 

For homework, scholars need to take a picture of their words and definitions that they have matched. Their Matching HW can be uploaded to Google Classroom at home or at school. This is due on Friday. Students will complete a Quiz on Friday.

Students receive:

Example of Matching HW to turn into Google Classroom:

LEGO Poetry

Scholars worked in teams to create scenes using LEGO StoryStarter Kits. They used their scenes to write poetry. Some students write narrative poems to tell a story, others wrote a lyric poems, and others chose a free verse form to describe their scene. As they composed their poems, students were required to include at least five of the following elements of poetry: repetition, simile, metaphor, alliteration, personification, onomatopoeia, rhyme, and meter.

Cornerstone Task - Unit 5- Texas' Identity

Given what students learned about the events that led to the annexation of Texas to the United States, including the impact of the U.S. – Mexican War, students worked together as a class to create a Flow Map of these events with a brief description and student-created visual of each event. 

Students then chose the event that they believed was the most significant in this timeline and held a discussion where they voiced their reasoning.

VR Headsets and Google Expeditions

Today scholars experienced Google Expeditions while using virtual reality headsets! Scholars explored Washington D.C. monuments as well as other national monuments. This amazing technology allowed our students to participate in a guided tour. Be sure to ask your scholar about their experience!

Check out Google's VR Website for information about an inexpensive cardboard VR headset.