5th grade use technology to learn about the past

Mrs. Birrel's 5th grade class are engaged in learning about the tools and technology from the past. They are learning how the past has influenced the present by using computers to view photos of medical and other equipment from the 19th and 20th Centuries. Working together in small groups, they are able to talk about the old fashioned equipment and compare it with the tools and technology of today and realize that what we have today has evolved from the things that were used in the past.

KCOE News: Students at Work

You may not know it, but Chandler Oaks has some budding newscasters in 5th grade!  Each morning, a team of students reports to the broadcast studio to write, rehearse, and produce the daily news show that is delivered to all students.

  Students report to the broadcast room early each morning to update the script with current events, weather, lunch menu, pledges, art and other special segments.  Those same students also produce most of the special reports such as Wonder Box Wednesday, where student reporters research questions submitted by other COE students and report the findings.

Student broadcasters learn communication skills, how to work flexibly on a team and the ins and out of the technology tools used to produce the KCOE news show.  Students get to rotate through a variety of roles such as anchor, engineer, director and special reporter and learn more about some of the duties and skills needed in the broadcast industry.  They learn a lot, but it is also a lot of fun!

5th Grade Students Design a Green City

5th Grade students finished their Sharing the Planet unit last month. The inquired into the central idea Using and conserving resources alters our relationships with communities and environments. To show their understanding at the end of the unit, students were given the real world task of creating a "Green City" that would run entirely on alternative energy. In their presentation, students had to discuss the impact on the community and environment as well as the conditions that must be necessary for the alternative energy forms to successfully power the city. Check out some samples below from Mrs. Walker's class:

COE Cheetahs Win 3rd Place in Battle of the Bluebonnets!

The COE Battle of the Bluebonnets team took home 3rd place yesterday after a heated competition!  Our team of 5 reading rock stars, led by their coach Mrs. Collings, actually tied for first place with three other schools- several tie breaker questions were needed to settle the competition. In the end we brought home 3rd place medals- our highest finish yet!
Our team practiced well and worked together as a team- and it paid off.  If you see Mrs. Collings or one of these students, be sure to congratulate them on their accomplishment!

5th Grade Photo Collages

Earlier this year, 5th grade students brought in memory/ scrapbook type items to class. They composed a collage, then took a photo. Students printed out their collage and included it in the writer's notebook. This will help them generate ideas when they are writing stories in class. Check out a few examples from Mrs. Walker's class:

5th Grade Explorers Trading Cards

5th Grade recently wrapped up their Where We Are in Place and Time unit where they investigated the central idea "Human discovery and exploration shapes the individual and the world." After studying several different explorers, they made trading cards to show what they learned.  Students researched what motivated the explorers and what their impact was.  Students in Mrs. Kim's class used Microsoft Publisher to put together their cards, while students in Mrs. Walker's class utilized Google Docs.  Check out some of their awesome work below:

Links to Mrs. Walker's Class Explorer Trading Cards

1.  http://goo.gl/NgIEkW

2.  http://goo.gl/WAq1Kq

3.  http://goo.gl/PjKS9O

4.  http://goo.gl/riJCF2

5.  http://goo.gl/2KJKo4

6.  http://goo.gl/S47UKs

7.  http://goo.gl/lfvk2o

8. http://goo.gl/WIo182

9. http://goo.gl/Lf05Km

10.  http://goo.gl/1dPlFd

11. http://goo.gl/BfTC6g

12.  http://goo.gl/IcMbO6

13.  http://goo.gl/fgnEQw

14.  http://goo.gl/fWYbW1

15.  http://goo.gl/Fhhbxf

16.  http://goo.gl/A5mbfm

17.  http://goo.gl/OFjit6

18.  http://goo.gl/dD8sbN

19. http://goo.gl/jC1LlR

20.  http://goo.gl/jMFgiF

21.  http://goo.gl/Wj8Nah

Stony Point Ambassadors Visit COE

Stony Point High School Ambassadors recently came to visit COE 5th grade students.  They talked about the Academy Program as well as what the IB looks like in high school.  This was one of our activities for Education. Go Get It Week.  Throughout the week, students learned about a variety of colleges and careers as well as the skills and knowledge that are necessary to be successful. The Stony Point students were a high point for our 5th grade.  They talked about what a typical day was like, what they needed to do to be successful in school and how they say their education preparing them for their future.  Students got to ask a lot of really great questions and were excited about the opportunities that lay ahead of them in the next few years!

Spring Techno Art Movies

Students in Mrs. Lanahan's Techno Art Club have been busy this spring!  They used claymation techniques and Frames movie making software to make their own movies.  Students used a storyboard to plan out their movie, then created scenery and props.  Students used digital cameras to photograph each step of their movie, then combined the photos with music and special effects.  Check out their work below!

5th Grade Presents: Artists, Musicians & Authors That Reflect Our Values

Students in 5th grade just completed a research project as part of their How We Express Ourselves unit. The were studying the central idea Art, music and literature can express the values and influence the culture of the time. Students were asked to research an artist/author/musician that reflected their values and present to the class. Students passion came though in their presentations and we were able to learn a lot about what they value and find important.  In this example, you can see that Caleb is passionate about I.M. Pei's architecture- he even dressed up as him!

5th Grade Gets Inspired by Art

5th Grade is currently in their How We Express Ourselves unit of inquiry. 

Their central idea is:  Art, music and literature can express the values and influence the culture of the time
And the lines of inquiry:
1. Art reflects the values of a time period
2. The legacy of artistic contributions
3. How artists craft their art, music & literature to convey their message

Students looked at a variety of pieces of art then wrote a creative writing piece inspired by one of the works of art.  Once students are done with their piece, they will compare their story with what actually inspired the artist to create the piece.  Have you studied these pieces before?  What message do they convey to you?  

5th Grade Student Innovation

5th grade recently completed their unit on human discovery and exploration and one of Mrs. Kim's students took some learning in the classroom and applied it to real life! He decided to make a shoe out of duct tape! You never know what action is going to come from lessons in the classroom. What a creative and fun way to discover new uses for duct tape!

5th Grade Book Critics

To show understanding of their book club projects, 5th grade students have been writing book recommendations to share with other fifth graders.  This is the beginning of a living document where students can find out about potential books by their peers.  Students are using Google Slides (like Power Point) to contribute to a collaborative document.  As students finish other books this year, they can write up recommendations to share with other students.  

Check out some of their work, and maybe even find a new book to read!

5th Grade Gets Creative With Photoshop

5th grade students stretched their creative muscles while working on Photoshop projects.  Students took their self portrait, opened it into Photoshop and then used a variety of tools to experiment with the design principle of proportion.  By stretching, squeezing, recoloring and liquefying themselves, they were able to morph themselves into a variety of original creatures!

How tall are you - in inches, feet and centimeters?

5th grade students recently measured each other in math. The students used problem solving skills to convert to find their height in feet, inches, centimeters and millimeters   Students were able to see the relationship between the various units of measurements.
They applied what they learned about their own heights to the Very Tall Lady Exemplar problem. It asked them to find out how many kids their height would equal the height of the Statue of Liberty. 

5th Grade Studies Explorers

5th grade students were investigating the central idea "Human discovery and exploration shapes the individual and the world." during their  Who We Are in Place and Time unit. They used their research skills  to inquire about a European Explorer.  In collaboration with their partner, they used their communication skills to write a newsletter about their findings.  A variety of publishing tools were used including Word, Power Point, and Google Docs.  

5th Grade Inquires: Can We Bear Proof a Trash Can?

As part of their Where We are in Place and Time unit, 5th graders inquired into building a bear proof trash can.  

To investigate the line of inquiry, human exploration and discovery through the scientific process, students learned about the design process and how to test a product.  To begin this study, students responded to the scenario of needing to keep bears away from human food and trash in a national park.  They worked collaboratively in groups to sketch a design, build a model and present the model to the class.  To extend their learning, students then collaborated to create their own testable question with one variable.  This group tested their predictions using cars, a ramp and measuring stick.  Check out some of their ideas!

Students Take Action- Every Day!

One of the elements of the IB Primary Years Program is the Action Cycle.  It's the continuous cycle of choosing, acting and reflecting.  We try hard to help our students understand this cycle and how action can happen in many ways.  Sometimes, it's spontaneous and seemingly small, like deciding to pick up some trash outside even when it isn't yours.  Sometimes it comes from curiosity and passion, like when 5th grade presented about UNICEF to a second grade class.  Second grade students wanted to know more, so 5th grade took action and created bookmarks with information and passed them out.  Still other times, action is the result of seeing a need and wanting to do something about it.  Like when students noticed our reading garden was in need of weeding. 

All these little things together make a big difference, and when students reflect on the things going on around them and choose to take action, we all reap the rewards! 

5th Grade TAG Students Tackle Graphing - with Technology!

5th grade TAG students tackled pie graphs and converting fractions to decimals and percents.  They took data from bags of M&M, put it in the calculator and programmed to make it graph!  This activity helped them learn how to organize data, use the graphing calculator and compare their handwritten graph to the one the calculator generated.  Then we compared data with classmates and drew conclusions.  

Students Take Their Spanish Skills Up a Notch!

4th and 5th grade students are applying their knowledge of Spanish vocabulary by writing some amazing stories.  See if you can figure out what they wrote. 

Here is some vocabulary to help you out:
otra vez=again
oveja=sheep
pastor= shepherd
corre= he/she runs
cuida= he/she cares for
grita= he/she yells

5th Grade Investigates: What Makes Us Green?

5th grade recently took on the task of inquiring about what makes COE a green school.  Students at Caldwell Heights (also an IB candidate school) were in their Sharing the Planet unit and wanted to know what made our school so "green." 

We had some ideas, but we didn't know all the answers.  We invited the architects and builders that constructed our school to come talk to us about some of the green features. 

We were blown away!  There are so many things that help make our building environmentally friendly.  Students organized the information into a Power Point presentation so we could share it with Caldwell.  We set up a Skype conference and were able to share what we learned and answer their questions.  Check out what we learned in the slide show below!

COES Green School