Black Boxes

Spontaneous Problem: Name things that go back and forth
Boundary Breaker:  Students watched a short video about predictions for technology in the future. They responded with any potential problems they saw for the devices or society as a whole adapting to the new developments.

We practiced the Habit of Mind Listening to Other with Understanding and Empathy by using the video to discuss the coolest/most important technology shown.  Groups took up roles as speaker, listener, and evaluator as they practice whole body listening and received feedback.

Next we reviewed our observations and inferences lesson from last week as students collected qualitative and quantitative data for our dancing raisin experiment.  Students then made inferences about the objects them selves and their interactions.  They used prior knowledge to conclude that the wrinkled brown objects were raisins being lifted by the bubbles in the carbonation until they popped and sunk again.

We also went back to our discussion of models as students looked at their actual black boxes and drew they conceptional models for what they thought was inside.  Groups with the same boxes then paired to share ideas and update their designs as they found new information.  They will continue on this investigation as they turn their conceptual models into physical ones and continue to update their theories and designs.  We also read the article "Scientists and Models" and were able to discuss how the same process was and is being used to continually revise our understanding of the black box that is the solar system.

We also had a little time for students to dive into some brain stretchers of their choice.

Second grade math time was spent visiting the Land of Treble where they use a base 3 number system. Students practiced making trades among their place values and played a dice game to be the first player to reach 1 Trickle!

For third grade math, we jumped in to exploring the Egyptian numeration system.  Students discussed the use of symbols and got to work decoding amounts with their knowledge of hieroglyphics.  They compared our place value system with that of the Egyptians where the order of symbols does not effect the value of the number.