Classroom Updates

Students completed an around the room activity to review basic lab safety expectations. After we played a game of Trashsketball, a student favorite! These scientists will be ready for our first lab in no time! 

Today students continued to explore the importance of lab safety with a lab safety demonstration called Scrambled Eyes. Students learned that the proteins found in egg whites are similar to those found in our eyes. When we exposed the egg whites to a common household chemical, rubbing alcohol, we were able to see what would happen if we got it in our eyes. Students realized how important it is to follow lab safety expectations and wear goggles! No scrambled eyes for us!

 Students have been working hard to prepare for their first test this year! Students have been using the box method to solve multi-digit multiplication problems. Students have been given a study guide and will have their first test on October 12th on multiplication. From there, we will be moving onto division. Great job everyone! 

As part of makerspace this year, we have been exploring 2D and 3D design. This week, we learned how to use cardboard cutting tools and cardboard to make 3D objects. The twist was that students were not able ot use tape or glue! To tackle this students learned all about cardboard attachments. Students then created an animal of their choice using cardboard attachments. For a challenge, students could make one part move! 

We have been studying properties of matter in science class. To further understand and explore density, we completed a lab called "The Soda-quarium." Students observed several cans of soda and drinks and made observations about the contents of each. We also found the mass and volume of each can. After learning about the density of water, students made hypothesis about which would sink and which would float based on density. Some of the cans really surprised us! 

Today in math, we started our division unit! Students did a wonderful job of using their knowledge of multiplication to figure out division problems. I can't wait to see all the progress students make over the next few weeks! 

Students partnered up and worked on creating rectangular prisms and cubes out of snap cubes. Once one partner built their 3D shape, they had to use math vocabulary such as "length, width, and height" to describe their prism or cube to their partner. Then, without looking, the partner had to recreate the prism or cube based on the description. 

Today students participated in the Hour of Code! Students participated in coding challenges to learn some coding basics/the importance of code. Check out the Hour of Code website to learn more and find fun activities to try at home. 

hourofcode.com/us

In science class, students have been learning about different types of mixtures. Today, we focused on solutions. Students learned that in order to make a solution, you need a solute and a solvent. To help us better understand this concept, we made some lemonade! Our lemonade powder was our solute, or the dissolving material. Our solvent was water. When students mixed the two together, we got one delicious solution! Students also learned about concentration, diluting and saturation. 

To further study solutions, students participated in a lab about creating the perfect bubble solution. Students worked in teams to make three different solutions that had 3 different solutes. Students were able to go outside and test which solution they felt was the best overall. Super fun for all! 

Students had a great time today learning basic code! They used their knowledge of coding to create their own snowflake image. Later, we were able to print our coded snowflakes onto cardboard using our laser cutter, the Glowforge. 

Students traveled to the American Precision Museum in Windsor Vermont to engage in hands-on learning about manufacturing and learn about manufacturing history. Students loved the hands-on experiences and being able to connect what they have learned in class to what they saw at the museum. Students were thrilled to see the optical comparator that we based an in-class project on. Another hit was typing letters on a typewriter! 

Students have been studying the difference between physical and chemical changes in science class. Together, we participated in a variety of activities, all which were either examples of physical or chemical changes. Students loved blowing up a balloon by using gas produced by a chemical reaction, making elephant toothpaste, ripping paper, breaking cookies, and watching Mrs. Redding light a match. Students observed all of these changes and took note of clues they used in order to determine which type of change it was. 

To further explore chemical reactions, students made their own cars using recycled materials and used a chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar to power their cars. Students had so much fun testing out their cars and learning about how gas is sometimes produced as a product of a chemical reaction. Chemical reactions are fun! Check out the drive to see videos and photos from our experiment. 

In math, students just completed their introduction to the relationship between fractions, multiplication and division. To help get back into the swing of things at school, we took this week to review basic operations and strategies we could use to solve problems. We will soon be moving onto fraction multiplication and division.

​In science, students have been working on understanding how the Earth's Spheres interact with one another. Students have been focused on making observations around our community and connecting them to each system. Students are beginning to realize that many of their observations show how intertwined Earth's systems really are!

Last week 5th graders went on an exciting field trip to the Brattleboro Museum and Arts Center. Students explored amazing exhibits, spanning across different media. Students were able to connect their makerspace learning to several pieces of art on display at the museum. Students will be taking their inspiration from the museum and will participate in a cross-curricular project on reducing, reusing, and recycling materials in order to relay a message on the human impact on the environment. We are so proud of our students for wonderfully representing BFMS at the museum! ​

As a team we are preparing students for the upcoming solar eclipse on April 8th. Students have been building up background knowledge about eclipses and eclipse safety across content areas. In ELA, students are exploring myths around the eclipse, writing poetry and reading informational texts and stories to deepen knowledge. In math and science, students have been learning about eclipse safety and have created their own eclipse viewers. Additionally, students used makerspace materials to model the difference between solar and lunar eclipses.