It Tastes Great!
Posted by Sarah Pollex
Is banana bread a healthy snack? When baked by Margot, Daniel, Greg and Chef Jessica, not only is it healthy, it’s delicious! For their nutrition project, the team analyzed a banana bread recipe to determine if it could be modified to make a healthy snack. They discovered how easy it was to make simple substitutions for flour and sugar, but would it taste good? From the preparation, to the baking and clean up, these grade 7 students were all smiles, especially when they added the chocolate chips. Yes, they kept the chocolate chips! When the bread was baked and shared with their classmates and teachers, their reactions were “it’s good!” and “it’s delicious!” Job well done Unquowa bakers!
Mixed Media Experiments with Weaving
Posted by Krissy Ponden
The eighth graders have been working on an exciting and sophisticated project involving different media and critical thinking skills. Rather than weaving on a flat surface, they have been experimenting with weaving on branches and around corners to create unique framed projects. The students selected branches from Unquowa’s campus and cut and assembled frames in the makerspace to surround them. They had to apply their geometry skills to determine the precise cuts during the planning stage of the project, and then used saws, wood glue, and screws to assemble the frames. Some students chose to paint the wooden components, while others opted to retain the natural look of the materials. Finally, they crafted detailed and intricately patterned weavings that they attached in different ways to their frames and branches. Look for their finished projects on display in next month’s all school art show!
Seasons Change
Posted by Carlene Gordon
Seasons change, but do you know why? In fourth grade science class, we have been studying the why. Models of globes were presented with a lightbulb to represent the sun. Student volunteers marked where we are in Connecticut and also the southern hemisphere. Then students were left with the questions, “Why do we have seasons?” and “Why do we have day and night?” After some trial and error, excellent queries as to Earth’s proximity to the sun, diagrams on the board and finding just the right tilt of the Earth’s axis a solution was found. Students worked together to determine that the revolution of Earth around the sun in an elliptical pattern of orbit combined with the tilt of the axis are the reasons behind our seasons while, the rotation of Earth on its axis provides us with day and night.
2017 Science Fair
Posted by Carlene Gordon
At the onset, the words SCIENCE FAIR may spark feelings of excitement, frenzy, confusion, or even dread. This is a very daunting task we place before our fourth graders. “Choose a scientific topic, formulate a central question and a hypothesis, create a demonstration or experiment to prove (or disprove your hypothesis), research the science behind your topic, write a conclusion and finally, present your findings to fellow students, teachers, family and friends.” At The Unquowa School, fourth grade is the initiation year into the annual science fair. We take this task and break it down into steps. Weeks are spent at school and at home preparing our students for the day of the science fair. As we progress, students gain the confidence of knowing how to approach a large assignment. Excitement and enthusiasm grows as students develop into knowledgeable scientists in their chosen area within the field. The day of the science fair arrived this year bringing with it our newly polished, confident and accomplished fourth grade scientists. Congratulations to all on a job very well done!
How High will the Ball Bounce?
Posted by Carlene Gordon
Fourth grade scientists recently created their own investigations and lab reports based on this BIG question: How high will a ball bounce on various surfaces? Students developed a hypothesis and created an investigation. Data was collected, analyzed and presented in graph format. Finally, conclusions were drawn and those hypotheses were either confirmed or rejected. Although they all started with the same BIG question, student groups altered the controls and variables in their individual investigations. In the end, we learned how to use the scientific method accurately and share the outcomes effectively with fellow scientists.
Cracking the Code!
Posted by Lloyd Mitchell
Fifth grade has recently begun exploring coding utilizing an app called Hopscotch. Starting with a simple object on the screen, students began by creating simple commands and watching their object come to life. By the end of their first class, the excitement in the room was bubbling over – it was clear that they wanted more! This is just the tip of the iceberg as we work to create our own coded games in the coming weeks!