We had an exciting kickoff to our Civil War theme this week. After visiting the "Pratt St. Riots" on Monday we turned our attention to Antietam. All of our field trips are done in chronological order. Antietam took place a few months after the Pratt St Riots in September of 1862. Students conducted research on not only the battle itself but also observered Science "in action" all around us. Ecosystems, soil coservation, physical and chemical weathering and the water cycle are just some examples. Ask you children about the different rocks they saw in Antietam and Gettysburg, as well! A huge thank you to Mr. Phil McLaughlin for another fantastic tour of Antietam!
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Whether it be first hand on trips aboard the "Snow Goose" or from a laptop at our desk, students have been conducting research on the health of the Chesapeake Bay all year. We have been graphing the turbidity, salinity, and dissolved oxygen levels specifically. We started with just the Patapsco but have now expanded our research to Annapolis and Jamestown. This link will provide with you with more infomation on just how we do it! A big thanks to NOAA for allowing us access to their buoys! Our students summarized the Bay's important characteristic and problems. Watch and learn! Chesapeake Bay Video from Jacqueline Kramer on Vimeo. Today students took part in a fantastic Arts Integration lesson! Students researched different ways that Chesapeake Bay grass and animals are affected by humans. They then created signs and imitated news reporters reporting live from the scene on the Chesapeake Bay! Please note Carson's mustache! (left) We took a video of the "live report"! I will let you know as soon as we have it uploaded on our website! Today students learned about the importance of wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed we live in. Ask your children about the activity and why wetlands are so important to the health of the Chesapeake Bay! To learn more about Maryland's water ecosystems read pp. 122-123 in their Science book with them tonight. We have personally already visited many of the ecosystems mentioned in the book! (Assateague Island, Chesapeake Bay) What a truly incredible day we had at Assateague Island! Students learned so many things about the plants, animals, and diverse ecosystems of this important barrier island off of Maryland's coast! Ask your children what type of fish they caught in the marsh. How many shrimp and jelly fish did they haul in with their nets? What types of crabs were they digging for on the ocean/beach side? How do all of these animals affect the ecosystem in which they live in? And by the way.....what is an ecosystem!? These are all very important questions as we learn more about the environments in and around Maryland and what we can do to preserve them! We also finally saw up close the Chesapeake Bay, Chincoteage Bay, Choptank River and Atlantic Ocean. Its one thing to read about these physical features in our textbooks, but its another thing to actually them in person. NEXT UP.....Oct. 5th trip to Cumberland. We learn about the French and Indian War, Colonial Times, and the Underground Railroad. We also get to see the Appalachian Mountains and some spectacular valleys! |
Welcome to the 5th Grade Blog!
This blog is dedicated to the fifth grade at Patterson Park Public Charter School in Baltimore, MD. Our hope is that this blog will keep students, parents, and anyone else interested up to date with all that we have going on during the school year. Let us know what you think! Archives
September 2015
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