During Number Corner this month our calendar has focused on different ways of measuring objects.
Each of the calendar markers features a measuring tool and an object being measured—an eraser placed next to a ruler; a small set and a larger set of pencils in a balance scale; flour in a tablespoon; a penguin standing on the ice beside a thermometer that shows the temperature as 24º F. The tools and the objects illustrate the attributes of length, weight, capacity, and temperature, and provide opportunities for students to make comparisons using words such as longer, shorter, heavier, lighter, etc.  We have also spent time talking about the measurable attributes of various objects in the classroom and made comparisons among objects with a measurable attribute in common.  A rock and a marker can both be weighed and the rock is heavier than the marker.   This has provided students with an introduction to the idea that objects can be measured in different ways and we use different tools depending on the attribute we are measuring.

We finished our Pushes and Pulls science unit this week with a design challenge.   We began the unit by reading a story about Milo, a girl who wanted to put a swing set in her back yard.  The area that she hoped to use had many large rocks that needed to be moved.  Students were asked to create a model that would use pushes and/or pulls to move the rocks over a distance (we decided at least 3 feet).  They did a wonderful job of thoughtfully tackling this problem, trying out multiple ideas, and adjusting their models when needed.  We saw lots of clever ideas from various containers that could be used to pull the rocks to a "zip line," which needed something heavy at either end to keep it anchored.  It turns out classmates work quite well for this job!  We spent time talking about changes children might make to their designs if they were presented with the same challenge again, and the idea that engineers are constantly revisiting things they design, always trying to find ways to improve their creations.

It was so nice to get back into the woods for ECO on Wednesday.   We focused on owls, beginning our day by thinking about the challenges owls face in getting food in the winter.  Much of what they eat is under the snow and with a winter like the one we've just had there is be a lot of snow.  At this time of year it is apt to be pretty crusty.  Can you imagine breaking through that crust with a beak to find food?

We also learned that barred owls begin nesting in late March and early April.  Once we were in the forest children became barred owls, working in small groups to prepare a nest that would be soft and warm (we learned owls nest in tree cavities, but we created our nests on the ground).  Once the nests were made children were given several "eggs".  While owl eggs are typically white, ours were highly visible yellow and blue ice cubes.  Of course once the eggs are in the nest they need to be protected, but owls also need to eat.  While some children gaurded the nest, others needed to fly about in search of food for themselves and their mates.  Leaving the nest unprotected could result in lost eggs.  There was lots of cooperation and team work on display as children engaged in this activity for our entire time in the forest.

In math we have shifted our focus from 2-D shapes to 3-D shapes.  Young children might not intuitively distinguish between the two, referring to both circles and spheres as balls.  To help make this distinction we have spent time comparing 2-D and 3-D shapes, noticing the similarities and especially noting the differences.  2-D shapes are flat (no depth) and 3-D shapes are solid and not flat.

We have also spent time exploring and comparing different 3-D shapes, including cones, cylinders, spheres, and cubes, using different features to sort them.  Some of the ways we have sorted them are shapes that roll and shapes that do not roll as well as shapes that stack and shapes that do not stack.  Our sorts didn't all turn out the same as some students found clever ways to make things roll or stack.  These discrepancies added to our discussion and hopefully helped deepen understanding!