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The 2nd/3rd grade group gave fabulous presentations this morning!! Please come by the school and visit our 2nd/3rd grade GT ZOO to see the "Where the Wild Things Are" exhibit.  Each student designed and created a brand new, amazing, never before seen creature.   You will just love this exhibit!!!

The 4th and 5th grade group did a fabulous job on their research projects!   You can come check out their findings at our MEDICAL MYSTERY MUSEUM on Tuesday, May 31st from 8:30-9:30. Everyone is welcome but you should keep in mind that some of these cool exhibits might be a little "icky".

 

This morning as the dissections began, I was hoping to have just one student with the finesse needed to make the proper cuts. These 2nd and 3rd graders blew me away!!!  They ALL  did a wonderful job with every part of the dissection. Many thanks to the parents who came out to help. It was great to have you. What a fantastic morning!! :-)
Say, "Hello!" to one of our new classroom pets!!!   If you would like to have a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach of your own, let me know. I can get you one FOR FREE!!!!   They make great pets.
2nd/3rd grade GT had some AWESOME visitors from the Entomological Science Branch today. The mosquitoes, ticks, kissing bugs and cockroaches were super cool......and we got some new classroom pets. 

DUE DATE ALERT!!!

Don't forget that the 2nd,3rd,4th and 5th graders have projects due on Tuesday, May 17th. I am looking forward to seeing all of the wonderful work.

Today during the 4th and 5th GT work session, we dissected a brain. It was quite a different experience from the heart dissection.  It was so soft that we were able to cut through it with a popsicle stick!!!

Happy end of the month!!!  I can  NOT believe that the school year is almost over!!  Grades 2-5 have been wrapping up their investigative units and have been assigned their final research projects.  The project objectives  and the grading rubrics went home three days ago. Everything is due on Tuesday, May 17th.  Sometime during the last two weeks of school, parents and other students will be invited to tour our Medical Mystery Museum and our Where the Wild Things Are Zoo. I will let you know the dates as soon as all of the FSHES end of year ceremonies are set.

 

KINDER- DINOSAURS and FOSSILS

The initial filming of our “on the spot reporter” is complete and the edited project will be finished soon.  Next, we will begin creating dioramas.

1st  Family Traditions and Customs/ ROCK CYCLE

The students have finally published their Family Traditions books and have begun investigating the Rock Cycle.  One of the first activities we did was to build a class volcano and to make it “erupt”. They had so much fun with this that they have requested the opportunity to build/erupt their own volcanoes. If you would like your child to build/erupt their own volcano, please send in baking soda and vinegar. We will go outside and build the volcanoes out of dirt and they will be able to make it erupt until they run out of their supplies. Also, each student has been asked to bring in a rock that they found in their yard.

2nd/3rd grade GT Zoology TPSP Research Project

Project Objectives:

You will design and sketch a brand new, amazing, never before seen creature.  You must also write a narrative essay that will include information about the creature’s biome and the adaptations that allow it to survive in that biome.  You must also classify your creature using Carolus Linnaeus’ system of classifying animals.  We will begin making 3D representations of our animals May 3rd.  Parents are all invited to stop by after the end of year, class award ceremonies to view our “Where the Wild Things Are” collection.

 DUE DATE: MAY 17, 2016

    4th/5th      ANATOMY and PHYSIOLOGY

MEDICAL MYSTERY MUSEUM  RESEARCH PROJECT

Due: May 17, 2016

Project Objectives:

 You will research a disease or a mystery that affects any one of the body systems that we have focused on this year. (Integumentary and Your 5 Senses, Skeletal, Circulatory, Nervous) There will be two parts to this project; a written research paper and a visual aid.  You will present your research to the class. Your presentation will be limited to 15 minutes.

 Written Research Project Requirements:

  1. Title Page with your name, the paper’s title and the date
  2. Research paper that begins with an introduction has a well- organized body and ends with a conclusion or summary.

   Your paper must be AT LEAST 300 words long.

  1. Bibliography with at least three sources
  2. **Your paper MUST BE WRITTEN IN YOUR OWN WORDS.

Visual Aid Requirements:

Create a visual aid. It can be a poster, a model, a tri-fold board, a power point, a video, a prezi… anything that represents the medical mystery you chose.

 Everything is due on Tuesday, May 17th. Then on May 31st  (tentatively), we will set up our MEDICAL MYSTERY MUSEUM and invite everyone to tour our museum. You will be the curator of your visual aid and be available to answer any questions our guests may have. Parents and other classes will be invited to the museum. 

We have a lot of stuff due in about one week!!

Don't forget that our GT work sessions will not be meeting next week because I  will be working the Egg Drop.  However, there is no need to worry about your student missing out on any GT work. They all have projects that are due on April 12th.  Many thanks go out to all of the families who have been helping their GT student with their project.  I can not wait to see all of their awesome work when we meet again. Here is what I will be looking for on Tuesday, April 12th:
 
Kinder- Dinosaur Research Project
1st- If they have not already turned it in, I need a family photo, a picture of your family enjoying the family tradition that they are writing about, and either the recipe or a photo of the food that is associated with that tradition.
2nd/3rd - Animal Adaptations Research Project
4th/5th-  Circulatory System Mind Map and Nervous System Webquest
 
For grades 2-5, Wordly Wise Unit 9 is due on Monday, April 11. 
 
Also, permission slips for the 4th/5th grade Overnight Science Camp are due by Monday, April 11th.  Even if your child is only going to attend the 9-12 portion of the camp, I need the permission slip to be filled out and returned. 
 
Please send me an email if you have any questions about the research projects or the overnight science camp. Thanks!!!!!!!

FSH Elementary School's 5th Annual EGG DROP  *April 5-7, 2016

Originality and creativity are appreciated, but your design must follow these guidelines:

  • Design cannot involve liquids,  lighter-than-air gasses, or glass.
  • Egg container cannot exceed one foot in length, height or width. Winged designs need to fall within this dimension.
  • Use of parachutes is NOT allowed.
  • All containers must be made at home, prior to the event.
  • Entry forms are due by April 1st. No late entry forms are permitted.

On the day of THE DROP:

  • If you turned in your entry form by April 1st, bring your container (with a raw chicken egg already safely tucked in it) to class and ask your teacher to keep it somewhere safe.
  • Listen for your class to be called out to the EGG DROP. Then, carefully carry your container to the contest.  An adult volunteer will be our “Egg-Master” and will drop all competing egg containers.
  • After the drop, the contestant will be required to remove the raw chicken egg from their container to show the judges that it did not break. A cracked egg will be defined as one that is visibly leaking its contents. Hairline fractures are not considered cracks.

*************************************************************************************

Egg Drop Entry Form- Due by APRIL 1st -No late entry forms permitted.  

Parent Name (print): ________________________  Date: ______

Signature of parent: ___________________________________

Student Name: _____________________________Grade:______

Teacher’s Name_________________________________

I give permission for my child’s work, video or photograph to be displayed by FSHISD on the Internet or published in the newspaper.  YES □   NO□

 

 

4th and 5th grade students dissected pig hearts yesterday. They did a WONDERFUL job and we all learned so much about this amazing organ!!

March GT Update

Whew!  The winter GT testing is wrapped up and the scores are back. I’d like to welcome all of our new students and families to the GT program.  March is going to be a quick month for us because of Spring Break and STAAR testing. Please continue to encourage your child to complete their Wordly Wise units. GT classes will not meet the week of March 28-31. I will be administering the STAAR test to small groups all week.

 

KINDER- DINOSAURS and FOSSILS

We have a brand new group of kindergarten students who started the GT program a couple of weeks ago. They decided that they’d like to research dinosaurs and fossils.

 1st  Family Traditions and Customs

We have begun our grandparent (or aunt or uncle) pen-pal campaign. We also have begun working on our Family Traditions book. By the end of the year, each child should have published a beautiful book about their family. :-)

                2nd/3rd    Zoology

We have wrapped up our vertebrate/invertebrate labs. Now, we are researching different biomes. The completed Biome Projects are due Tuesday, March 8th.

                4th/5th      ANATOMY and PHYSIOLOGY

We are about half way through our Circulatory System work. We have a really neat lab coming up later this month where we will be dissecting pigs’ hearts. The Blood Flow assignment is due Tuesday, March 8th.  The next system we will study will be the Nervous System.   

HELP!!!!!! 1st Grade GT Homework

The students have all written wonderful letters to their grandparents, aunts or uncles. If you still have not sent in three addressed, stamped envelopes, please do so ASAP. We are making portable hugs on Monday and I am putting those letters in the mail on Tuesday. Thanks for supporting this fun project. 

We also plan to begin our FAMILY TRADITION PROJECT next week. I have the following items from only half of the class: 

 - 1 Family photo

-3 stamped/addressed envelopes 

-1 photo of your family's custom/tradition

-Completed FAMILY TRADITIONS homework page (this was due 1/25/2016)

 Thanks for your help with this. 

BE PREPARED!!! We have a lot of work due on Monday.

Fort Sam Houston Elementary School's GT assessments for prospective GT students are just about wrapped up and all GT work sessions should begin again on Monday, January 25th.

 2nd-5th Grades - Wordly Wise-Chapter 1 is due 1/25/2016.

1st Grade- I only have one student who has brought in the supplies that we need to complete our Family Traditions project. Please bring from home:

-Family photo

-3 stamped/addressed envelopes (grandparent address)

-Photo of family custom/tradition

-Completed FAMILY TRADITIONS homework page (Due 1/25/2016)

We will begin this project in February. Thanks for your help with this.  :-)