Lexington in 1775...

In social studies, we are studying Lexington in 1775.  This unit, developed with the National Heritage Museum, puts students in the shoes of REAL eighteenth century Lexington kids.  Each of our students is a historical child, from Jonathan Harrington to Lucy Brown.  They are learning about their families, their farms (yes... EVERY Lexington resident was a farmer in the late 1700's, even the minister).  You can see an example of the lesson and the children's "role cards" here:

http://nationalheritagemuseum.typepad.com/learning/lesson-19b.html

Here are some pictures of us learning and studying up on our historical selves... and some writing:

Science Court... "Water Cycle"...

As part of our "Water Cycle" science study, our class went to "Science Court".  From Wikipedia, the  program, "mixed courtroom drama, science experiments, and humor to teach fundamental concepts in elementary and middle school science such as the water cycle, work, matter, gravity, flight, and energy. As each case unfolded, the characters in the trial used humor to highlight scientific misconceptions and model good scientific practice.”  In a typical episode, a lawsuit or criminal action would take place based around some scientific point. Humor and musical numbers were used to break down scientific concepts."  

In tecnnology terms, it's a bit of a classic... from around 2000.  But the science hasn't changed :-)  and the format is engaging and fun for third graders.  One of my neighbors was on the team that developed Science Court for Tom Snyder Productions way back when... and when I told her we were still using the program in Lexington she was thrilled!  It's nice to see that even with the constantly evolving pace of technology that some of the good stuff is still around.  Here are some pictures from one of our lively debates and conversations from part of the episode:

 

A Poem in your Pocket...

On the last Friday in April, Harrington School had "Poem in Your Pocket" Day.  Everyone had a special poem with them... some people had written them themselves while others had special poems they chose.  During the day, anyone could ask you about your poem, and then you got to share.  Mrs. Krasco and I were asked many times that day to read ours.  (Mine was about fishing... one of my favorite things to do...).  

Below are some pictures from our poetry share that we had in the morning.  Enjoy!