Alaska Pipeline
1/11/2020
We have been learning about different regions of Alaska. Along the way, we learned about the Alaskan Pipeline and what engineers needed to consider when building it. When making the Alaskan Pipeline, engineers decided they couldn’t bury much of the pipeline because of the permafrost. The hot oil in the pipes would melt the permafrost in the ground and damage the landscape. Engineers also needed to take into consideration migrating animals and earthquakes. It was necessary for the pipeline to be high enough above the ground to not interfere with migration patterns. Alaska's physical landscape is very unique, having a variety of terrains. For instance, the Brooks Range is a massive mountain range above the Arctic Circle that made the installation of the pipeline a difficult challenge for engineers. Molly Liston, our PE teacher, has led backpacking trips in the Brooks Range. We loved learning about this area of Alaska and her adventures! Thank you, Molly, for stopping in to tells us about your experiences! Students were challenged to design their own “pipeline.” Can you build a pipeline that can transport a cup of water from one end to the other? As with any hands-on activity, we spent time reflecting. How well did we work with our group? Did we use our materials efficiently? What surprised you? What would you change about your design? It has been wonderful seeing students progressively improve collaborating together and tackling challenges while making connections to state standards. Parent Breakfast
12/14/2019
Classroom events are opportunities for parents to get a glimpse into a part of their child’s day at PNA. These events happen four times a year in every grade level. They also allow families to connect with other families while enjoying a meal together. Students love seeing their parents at school!
Our math curriculum weaves in games to help reinforce and review math concepts. Students are more motivated to solve math problems while playing a game than doing a worksheet by themselves. The last part of our math lesson each day is set aside for students to play games. We have a board in our room that we use to keep track of the games they play. That way, they play a wide range of games and practice keeping track of their progress. For today’s Parent Breakfast, third graders brought a few of our current games to play with their parents. Students enjoyed becoming the teachers as they taught their parents how to play the games and demonstrated what they knew about estimating, multiplying, and adding multi-digit numbers. Thank you so much for taking the time to come! The BFG
12/7/2019
Our class has been working with the book The BFG by Roald Dahl. This book has definitely been one of our favorites so far! During our literacy block, we have been studying plot diagrams. A plot diagram is an organizational tool that allows the reader to visualize the key features of a story. Fictional texts usually follow a particular pattern. The typical sequence is as follows:
Students not only listened to the story aloud during our literacy block, they also read portions aloud with a buddy. Each day, they practiced responding to a writing prompt about their reading by writing a topic sentence, a few details, and a concluding sentence. To answer the writing prompts, we brainstormed evidence from the text to support our answers. One of our favorite parts of delving into The BFG was watching the movie to compare and contrast it with the book. To connect with what they learned in their previous writing unit, they wrote an essay that included an introduction, two paragraphs about the similarities and differences, and a concluding paragraph.
We look forward to our literacy block each day! It is important that students have multiple opportunities to listen, read, write, and discuss texts every day in an engaging way to improve as readers. Engineering Part 2
11/23/2019
Engineering challenges are engaging opportunities for students to practice skills they will use the rest of their lives. These challenges require creativity, lots of collaboration, critical thinking, time management, and reflecting. Last week’s challenge was to design a prototype that would act as a barrier to protect a city from rising water. They worked hard brainstorming and building. This week, third graders were able to put their designs to the test! This challenge was harder than they thought! Part of the design process is going back to the drawing board after testing. Is there a way to improve the design to have better results? How can we look at the problem from a different angle? They looked at their materials again and tried to use them in different ways. Because materials were limited, they made sure they agreed on a plan before building. Before undergoing test #2, each group presented to the class how their designs changed and how they worked together as a team. Later as a class, we wrote reflections about how well everyone collaborated and improved their designs. Great job, Third Grade! On a different note, we had a fun impromptu opportunity to look at a moose heart and to see what it looks like on the inside. There is never a dull moment on the third floor! The Engineering Design Process
11/16/2019
Natural disasters and weather related hazards affect the way we live. Because we don’t have a way to prevent natural disasters from happening, we must find ways to adapt and prepare for them. Oftentimes, flooding occurs as a result of a storm and can cause property damage and even loss of life. Students engaged in the design process by being challenged to create a prototype that would act as a barrier to protect a city from rising water. One of the third grade earth and science standards is to make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard. Before building, each group worked together to sketch each member’s idea and to consider the materials. Just like the real world has a budget and limited materials, two of the constraints of the challenge were to use only the materials given and to have some materials left over. The engineering design process is a way to break down a larger project into more manageable pieces. Going throughout each step as a team gives students the needed time to brainstorm, record each member’s ideas, and collaborate on a final plan before jumping into the materials. The design process also involves discussing, reflecting, and redesigning once the group’s original design is tested. Groups will use a rubric to assess their final product and their collaboration skills. We are looking forward to testing and reflecting on our designs next week!
Graphing Weather
11/9/2019
After looking at the Pacific Ring of Fire that runs along the coast last week, we explored temperature and rainfall patterns in different areas of Alaska. Students had an opportunity to apply their graphing skills from math as they created bar graphs of temperature and rainfall data of different cities. Along the way, they learned the locations of Ketchikan, Juneau, Anchorage, Cold Bay, Utqiagvik, Nome, and Fairbanks as they posted their data. After we organized and displayed our data alongside our map, we were able to make observations and see patterns. An important skill that isn’t traditionally taught explicitly is how to ask good questions. “Thinking keys” are different lenses we can use to form different types of questions. Students were challenged to create questions that would fall in each of these categories Asking good questions as a learner opens the door to seeing data through different perspectives and fosters curiosity.
Earthquakes
11/2/2019
Third graders are exploring our driving question in science. Can we can design structures that can withstand different natural disasters and weather hazards? Throughout this unit, we will be inquiring into weather patterns and natural disasters that we prepare for in Alaska. On Thursday and Friday, students were challenged to design a building that could survive an earthquake with minimal damage. Because we are located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, architects have to keep earthquakes in mind when they design buildings. This learning activity required lots of collaboration as they planned how they were going to use their materials. Before their structure was “earthquake tested" on jello, they first explained to their peers some of their design decisions. Reflection is a key component in the learning process. Everyone took a step back and celebrated what worked and what didn’t. Each group rated themselves on how well they worked together and wrote about what part of their designs worked. During our closing circle, it was great hearing students compliment other teams about what they liked about their plans and ending our week on a positive note! We are looking forward to another week of exploring earthquakes and weather hazards that we experience in Alaska! Happy Halloween! Reading Buddies
10/26/2019
We love our preschool reading buddies! Reading buddies are older students paired with younger students to promote community. Each Tuesday, our class reads books to our preschool friends before they take their nap. We love sharing our love for reading! This opportunity each week allows our younger friends to hear stories read aloud and have positive experiences with the “big kids.” Third graders get to practice reading aloud fluently and being a leader. In math, we have been exploring and discussing strategies for solving multiplication problems. At PNA, one of our goals is to develop students who feel confident sharing their thoughts. One of the many ways we develop confidence in our classroom is regularly turning on our doc camera during math. Students get to project their work on the board and explain how they solved a particular problem. In addition to developing confidence, this routine allows the rest of the class to see different ways of solving the same problems.
Space Week
10/19/2019
What did we do during Space Week? The better question is, what didn’t PNA do during Space Week? Su Curley, a NASA engineer, flew to Alaska to be with our students this week. www.youralaskalink.com/news/students-celebrate-space-week-with-nasa-engineer/article_f64211dc-f20a-11e9-976f-2f68c935021d.html They learned how space suits work and the different challenges astronauts face when they do space walks on the International Space Station. Throughout the week, they were even able to touch moon rocks, try on a space helmet and gloves, and look at rocketry parts. Another highlight was skyping John Harrington, the first Native American to fly in space and going to the Planetarium! Third graders presented their robotic moon rovers at “A Night at the Space Museum.” They explored what role robotics could play if astronauts lived on the moon long term. Groups of students coded their robot to do a specific task they thought would be useful to astronauts, such as exploring, taking pictures, rescuing astronauts if they got hurt, and moving moon rock samples to the moon base. The process of tackling the challenging task of coding their robot helped students practice collaboration and problem-solving. Later they reflected on their challenges and successes. Space Week was an amazing opportunity for PNA students to collectively explore real world applications for science and technology!
Space Robotics
10/12/2019
Space Week is almost here! This Thursday for “A Night at the Space Museum,” our class will have a display of what robotics could look like on the moon! After exploring articles and video clips of the role robotics play in space, they began building programmable lego moon rovers. The challenge for each group is to build and program a vehicle to do a specific task for their “moon base.” They are collaborating and problem-solving to code their vehicle. As a class, we are thinking about what challenges astronauts would face if they lived on the moon. What is the climate on the moon? What would astronauts need robots to do on the moon? These questions will help guide us in coding our robots and designing our moon base. Throughout this process at PNA, students are practicing their communication and collaboration skills. When something fails, they learn patience as they try different solutions. We hope you can join us on Thursday night from 6:00-8:00 to see our finished product! |
Jessica GrahamMs. Graham graduated from the University of Alabama with a BS in Early Childhood/Elementary Education, and is currently working on her master's in reading. She enjoys hiking, traveling, arts & crafts, and playing the ukulele. Archives
April 2021
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