estimating lengths

These students are estimating the lengths of various objects in the classroom.

How do historians find out what happened in the past?

When asked this question during our last social studies unit, Dylan answered: "They use primary sources. They use what they find out to find out other things. They pause and they think, 'What is this?' and 'What else could it be?' and then they turn it into a question and answer it."

Piper added, "The way they use primary sources is they listen to stories that are passed down from generation to generation from people who were there or whose ancestors were there. They also use other sources to fit in with the primary sources they have. It's kind of like a puzzle--to fit in all the pieces."

Waseya made a different comparison when she said, "Usually answering one question brings up another question so they have more to uncover. They're like detectives in a way."

Owen pointed out that "they can find out from someone who kept telling their grandchildren who could tell the historians--or who could be the historians." I liked that--recognizing that each of us may be the one passing on stories that become part of history, or we may become the historians ourselves!

Here is Charlie's diorama of a scene from Pearls of Lutra (from the Redwall series).

The dioramas are here!

Visit our classroom to see beautiful and creative dioramas representing our students' favorite scenes in the books they're reading. Here is Shannon Sullivan's diorama of a scene in Abby Takes a Stand.

our first voice thread

Here is the "voice thread" link I mentioned recently. The voice thread includes paintings, photos, and other representations of what happened on the Mayflower and at the 1621 harvest festival (a.k.a. the "First Thanksgiving") narrated by third and fourth graders. Enjoy!

our "First Thanksgiving" voice thread

8 shelves (in a window display), 13 oranges on each shelf

How would you solve 13 x 8? Here are three ways students solved this problem today:

12 x 8 = 96

96 + 8 = 104

13 x 2 = 26

13 x 4 = 52

52 + 52 = 104

10 x 8 = 80

3 x 8 = 24

80 + 24 = 104

Investigating the First Thanksgiving

Last week students answered these three questions as part of a culminating assessment for our "Investigating the First Thanksgiving" unit in social studies: 1) How do historians find out what happened in the past? 2) Choose an event that led up to the 1621 event. Describe the event from the perspective of a Wampanoag and of an English colonist. 3) Why did the Plimoth Plantation web site refer to this event as the "1621 harvest celebration" rather than the "First Thanksgiving?" Students are also finishing a "voice thread" that we will link to this blog shortly!