Tadpole Update!!!!!! by Hayden & Bella

The tadpoles have changed since the last time we told you about them!!! They now are growing little buds that will become legs when they get older. Also, their faces are getting more narrow. We are extremely happy that they are growing so quickly.

We can now see the tadpoles nostrils and their eyes when viewed very closely. We put one in a bottle cap with water in it then looked at it on the SmartBoard using the “ladibug” (which is an overhead projector that helps us see things closer).

We hope you like learning about our little soon to be toads!!!!!

Preparing for the Science STATE TEST!!!!!! by Sophia

Next week we are taking the NY Science State Test. Let me tell you after the last two, my teachers said this one would be fun, and I really think they are right. Why? Because the last two state tests we had only 9 people that took it. 9 out of 21!! This time we had about 17 kids taking it. Way bigger amount if you ask me! That means people must think it is somewhat fun. Besides, we get to be in a science room doing experiments! That sounds pretty fun to me!

To prepare for this state test we have science stations set up all over our room; 5 stations. I already went to one, experiencing what that station would be like. And yes that was fun!  The feeling wasn't like just sitting around, it felt like you were actually doing something. The stations have all different science experiments to help us. Some of the stations were electricity, weight, volume, things like that.  After a few more days of going to these stations I think it really will be fun! The writing half maybe not so much, but I think the experiments will be!

A few days ago my class took the experiment part of the test. Yes, the stations were fun!  There was a volume station, a ball and ramp station, and with the volume station there was weighing. The last station was with magnets.

I really agree with everybody that says the science state tests are fun!!

"Fish Bowl" Fridays by Robby and Matt

Our class “Fish Bowls” on Fridays!!!  A fish bowl is when a group of people (we had 4) sit in the middle of a large circle and discuss important topics.  The people on the outside of the fish bowl are called the backchannel. They have laptops or chromebooks and they listen carefully to the discussion going on in the middle of the fish bowl.  The backchannel doesn’t talk, only writes...just like texting. They write what they feel which gives everyone a chance to share their opinion on the topic. Everybody gets to read the backchannel on Padlet after the fish bowl is over.  We can read everybody's opinion. Each new fish bowl, our teachers change the people in the middle to give them a chance to talk. We’ve already discussed different topics from our Scholastic News...should schools give homework or should elementary students learn a foreign language???  Fish bowling is really fun because you can debate different topics and see who agrees or disagrees with you.

Our New Tadpoles!!! by Bella & Hayden

Our class got another great, educational pet…TADPOLES!!! We have many animals in our class, but our tadpoles live in water as a baby and on land as an adult, which makes them amphibians. The life cycle of a toad is called metamorphosis. The students in our class will never be the same after these tadpoles become toads. Every week our class has to sketch the growth of the tadpoles and write what we observe. We have lots, and we mean LOTS, of tadpoles. Not trying to brag, but now we have a guinea pig, duck eggs, and cute, little amphibians! We will make an update when our tadpoles become toads!

Take a Guess??? by Bella & Sophia

Every time we get a ticket from our teachers, we have to take a guess. A guess about what, you are wondering? We earn the tickets by being very well behaved and/or if you are on the awesome board. We need to guess a number that represents the amount of objects in the ring pop container. The amount changes every month and the item changes every month, too. Right now we have connect cubes in it and it is filled up. Every Friday the teachers will randomly pick a winner by sticking their hand in a bucket. The first few weeks it is for a lucky winner, but at the end of the month it is for whose estimate was closest to the answer in the bucket, so we try to guess right! The more tickets we have in the bin, the better our chances to win...BOTH ways!!!

Wonderful Winterfest by Austin & Connor

This year was Austin Road Elementary School’s second annual Winterfest for grades 3-5. Winterfest is great for hanging out with your school friends without your parents! You can play hoops with high school senior basketball players, take a picture in a photo booth, or play Nucum in the gym. You can even earn raffle tickets for donating pajamas to children in hospitals. The raffle tickets get placed in a box so you can win a prize at the end of the event. In the cafeteria, there were games, pizza, four square, and even a Photo Booth! Winterfest is so much fun and we’re definitely going back next year. We hope you do, too!

Martin Buser YouTube Live Event