All Aboard!!

Even though we had wrapped up our goods and services unit, we were excited to make time to learn about one more career - as an engineer for Union Pacific Railroad!  Mr. Halsted spent some time with us teaching us about how the railroad works and the types of things that are hauled in all of those LONG trains that keep us waiting at crossings.  He also spent time teaching us how to be SAFE around trains.  Did you know that if a train started stopping here at Hickory Hill, it wouldn't be all the way stopped until it reached the YMCA (approximately)?  That is a pretty amazing visual when you think about it!! The students were extremely excited to receive a coloring book and train whistle from Mr. Halsted as well.  This teacher, in all her brilliance, didn't  hand the whistles out until the END of the day, leaving all the wonderful sounds for you to enjoy at home.  Remember, be upset with Mr. Halsted - not me.  I just handed them out!!

And on one last night - Happy 150th Birthday Union Pacific Railroad!!!

Love,
Mrs. Heath

Wonderful, Wiggly Worms!



Hard at work observing worms.

What loves the dirt, helps our Earth, wiggles a bunch, and has a clitellum?  A WORM of course!!  As part of our new FOSS science unit on habitats we are studying the habitat of worms - both redworms and earthworms.  We are so thankful to Mrs. Halsted for her help in pulling students to interact with the worms.  They learned many things in their investigations of redworms - how to identify the parts of the worm, how worms move, and how worms help the soil.  Our earthworm investigations were not quite as fruitful -- unfortunately our earthworms perished before we had a chance to observe them.  Students were able to observe the visual characteristics of the dead earthworm -- kind of gross I know, but sometimes we just have to work with what we have!!  In the end we donated the worms, living and dead, to Hickory Hill's front garden.  There they can go forth and create wonderful soil for our beautiful plants; even the dead ones, (once they decompose that is)!! 

Love - Mrs. Heath





Mr. Snyder Visits During Writing Research

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s196/sh/5b7c6cbb-edc2-425c-a1cf-a7389fbce6eb/a09a4dbfbf2f503c4feb5c5e9403e70b

Mr. Snyder visited our class during our research time - take a look!

Rose Theater Workshop

Today and tomorrow we have a very special visitor in our classroom - Amanda from the Rose Theater.  She is here teaching us how to be actors and actresses.  Students learned the three important tools that actors use - their bodies, voices, and imaginations.  Take a look as we practice using all three in some fun exercises!

Field Trip Fun

We had a gorgeous Spring day for our field trip to Fontenelle Forest on March 30th.  The sun was shining, the weather was warm, and the birds were singing.  And in the case of the turkey vultures we saw... soaring through the air!  Students showed their knowledge of living and non-living things, needs and wants, and habitats during the lecture session and were extremely well behaved during the hike.

A special thanks to all of the parent volunteers who were on hand to help - I couldn't do it without you!

Love,

Mrs. Heath