Dear Families,
Our field trip yesterday was terrific. Of course it helps when the weather is cooperative, but it was a lot of fun to observe different waterfalls and geological features in our backyard. More importantly than just fun, it was engaging and meaningful to analyze features of waterfalls and sketch them. If you’re interested, this article begins with a twelve-minute video that provides a great overview of what we observed yesterday. Shout out to Chad, Abby, and Leslie for coming along as chaperones and helping out. It’s greatly appreciated.
I asked the students to share one thing they learned, enjoyed, observed, questioned, or found interesting about the field trip. Here are some of their comments:
“I learned what poison oak looked like.” ~ Diya
“I think at Horsetail Falls, at one point the water curved a little bit and it made an X. Why does it do that?” ~Ariana
“I liked Diya’s drawing because it was very good.” ~Aksel
“What I learned about Multnomah Falls is that the waterfall had a big pool.” ~Johnny
“I enjoyed seeing all the waterfalls.” ~Elmer
“I enjoyed looking at the tunnels.” ~Kennedy
“I observed the first waterfall we went to, from the bottom it looked way different than it looked from the top.” ~Jacob
“The tunnels are cool.” ~ Wyatt
We wrapped up our Amazing Race geography unit today. Teams competed in the Finals. This consisted of four rounds of a digital assessment called Kahoot. It’s an interactive way to practice a concept and demonstrate understanding. Each group had to answer 20 questions about each region they studied. Teams were rewarded a certain number of points based on how many questions they answered correctly. The winners will be announced to the class next week, but I will say that the difference between first and second place is 0.2. Wow.
Looking ahead to next week, we will be increasing our focus on geology now that our geography unit has come to a close. We will be gaining an understanding of how the catalysicsm event known as the Missoula Floods caused widespread havoc from Western Montana, Southeastern Washington, through the Columbia River Gorge, and the Willamette Valley. We will look through the lens of a geologist and it’s the goal that students will be able to look at geological features and tell its story on why it is the way it is. What’s Beacon Rock? Why does the southern side of the Columbia River Gorge have so many beautiful waterfalls? How’d that rock get there? We’ll apply our knowledge when we head to the Scablands of Washington on our overnight field trip on Tuesday 5/14!
Speaking of the overnight field trip, I shared the packing list earlier this week via email. Next week, I will be sharing the itinerary with you and I will go over important logistical information about the trip, specifically the morning of Tuesday 5/14. We won’t have to deal with the stress of going through a TSA checkpoint, but we will deal with the stress of ensuring 125 students get on the buses promptly. Please be on the lookout for this important information. If you are chaperoning this trip, I will be sharing additional information with you in emails. It’ll be very important you read those next week and next weekend.
Have a good weekend,
Mr. B
Upcoming Important Dates:
Monday 5/6- No out-of-district buses in the PM
Tuesday 5/7- No out-of-district buses
Wednesday 5/8- Teacher Work Day: NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
Tuesday 5/14- Thursday 5/16 Overnight field trip
Monday 5/27- NO SCHOOL in observance of Memorial Day
Wednesday 5/29- Portfolio Night
Friday 5/31- LAST DAY OF SCHOOL (half day)
Week of 6/10- Progress Reports mailed home
