A Few Days with Ms. Mudd

Science – We investigated two additional habitats recently (Wetlands and Forests) to add to our understanding of the diverse biomes we have on Earth. We’ve learned about the animals who inhabit each of these places, their roles, and some of the dangers humans pose for these homes.

During our wetland study we read and watched videos about an awesome animal architect – the beaver! We were fascinated by these cute and clever creatures and took inspiration from them as we tested out our own beaver dams and lodges. Students put on their engineering hats and revised their structures on the fly based on their informal tests of material strength, combinations, and placement. It was amazing to see their “busy beaver” brains come alive as they tinkered with several solutions until they found the right fit.

We ended this past week with an awesome special guest – Mr. Callahan who came in and gave our curious kiddos a crash course in safely working with tools, squaring up boards (which lead to a discussion of square vs. rhombus as well as what 90 degrees means – hello math integration!), and assembly of our garden boxes. Thanks to the Callahan family, we now we have amazing cedar plant beds to play with beginning this week.

And – a second special second shout out goes to the Boothe Family for helping us clear out our old picnic table! Those sledgehammerin’ and haulin’ skills certainly were something to behold!

Social Studies – In Social Studies students showcased their knowledge of land and water forms by constructing salt dough “countries.” We had a wonderful time sneakily integrating math as we discussed proportion and measuring of ingredients to get that perfect-for-building clay consistency. Physically constructing the topographical forms helped students to get a better grasp on the three-dimensionality of these elements in much more exciting way than simply watching a powerpoint.
Math – As aforementioned, we’ve been embedding math into a lot of the lessons in other content areas (in true Indi-ED style). However, we have also continued our focused study on time by practicing time to the hour and half hour. We also worked with concepts of time in creating our shared classroom schedule – as well as writing a schedule for our “ultimate day” using clip cards as a jumping off point.
ELA – We are making some exciting progress in Language Arts in our classroom! The kiddos love using our tablets for quick sight word drills and beginning sentence construction. They’ve asked to practice at home – that’s saying something!
Looking forward to more learning and growing this week!