Falls of the Ohio- Jeffersonville, Indiana

Unfortunately,  we witnessed humans misusing the resources by littering!  We found tires, coke cans and food that were located on the banks of the river! Several students mentioned our project about Natural Resources.  WE NEED TO COME UP WITH AN ACTION PLAN!!

We found out all about Devonian fossils and we were able to take a scavenger hunt through the museum.  We were able to make so many connections through our studies of Indiana History, Indians and our Trans Disciplinary Themes of IB! 

Our tour guide discussed the mouth of the river and it's source.  He described how the towns of Jeffersonville and Louisville were built around the amazing water source-  The Ohio River!

It was so hard to believe that Indiana was once covered with glaciers!

Marengo Caves and Falls of the Ohio State Park! What an Adventure!

On March 22, our class took a field trip to Marengo Caves in Marengo, Indiana  and Falls of the Ohio State Park in Jeffersonville, Indiana.  We were risk takers as we hiked through the beautiful Dripstone cave that was filled with amazing flowstone formations created by the constant drip of rainwater. Caves are located all over the world and to think Indiana has one of the most intriguing ones makes us proud.  We studied the themes "Sharing the Planet" and "How We Express Ourselves" this year. As we reflected on this fieldtrip, we were amazed at how Earth's changes shape our land and how we have to make sure we maintain our Earth's resources so that caves like these stay alive! We also wrote poems and drew pictures of our experiences while on the trip!  Oh how nature inspires the arts!!!

Practicing our Communication Skills and Inquiry through Problem Solving!

Throughout March, we learned different strategies to solve math problems.  The students worked together in groups to solve the problem about what rental car business would be the least expensive to rent during vacation.  The answer was open-ended and the students had to practice their listening skills and rely on prior knowledge to work the math problems together.  It was hard to stay open-minded, but the students did respect each others opinions!  Great job!!  We really used our IB Profile Traits!

Is that the Cat in the Hat?

On March 2,  our very own Mrs. Baum dressed as the Cat in the Hat and read famous stories from Dr. Seuss! She was our Mystery Reader!  The students enjoyed the stories and also learned about his life as an author.

Look at our rivers! We were active communicators about how changes can alter a river's flow!

 The students spent the next day reflecting about the different changes that can occur in rivers!  There are natural changes as well as human changes.  It was a great way to connect our IB unit with humans and our effects on the environment around us. We also used the cooperated well with one another!  We have to appreciate our world!  It has been amazing to us!

Man Made Changes!

 Natural changes caused by wind, rain, ice...erosion.

Rivers! " Humans discover processes that shape the world!"

 Mrs. Brewer's class created their own rivers after reading about the different parts of a river.  They were so excited to see where the sediment stayed and we also learned about deposition!  Check out some of our rivers .  It was so interested to see how the rivers flowed when they added water at the source.

They also altered their rivers to see what would happen if several object were added (i.e., rocks, sticks, wind, pollution...).  We are also learning about how we can change our own environments.  Humans can also use and misuse natural resources:(

Busy as Bees! March 12, 2012

We have currently been studying " How We Express Ourselves through our IB unit.  The students have been studying landforms and how Earth's changes shape our land.  The students have enjoyed the science experiments relating to our landforms as well as studying the cataclysmic events that happen in our world!! Earthquakes, tornadoes and volcanoes can be very deadly in such a short time!  WOW!

We are also excited about studying the three regions of Indiana.  It was a perfect tie-in to our study of geology! The students made an edible map of Indiana.  You have to check out our pictures!

Mrs. Brewer