The 6/7 Science students were very excited to get some data for their bread mold experiment this week (find some mold on their bread). We also did an experiment to see how dried yeast in water behaves very differently when there is sugar added. Next week, the students will design and conduct their own experiments on what affects yeast growth. They will have the opportunity to analyze their data various ways, including a program Marcia has for them in math.
Each Thursday, the Intermediate and Upper students gather in the science building to discuss any concerns or ideas they have. They facilitate their meeting, take their own notes, and try to reach a consensus on the different topics. This week, the subject of having more time for these meeting was the main subject. Many students were even willing to give up one of their recesses to make this happen. However, a consensus was not reached, so it was placed into the parking lot until next week (ask your student what that means! :)
Khan who? Khan what? Khan Academy (khanacademy.org) is an on-line, not-for-profit organization that gives students access to over 3000 educational videos. Salman Khan, a graduate of MIT and Harvard, started Khan Academy.
As a small part of our 6/7 math curriculum, we occasionally use a video from the collection to review a concept that we may not have seen in a while or to look at an alternate method to perform an arithmetic operation.
Parents who might want help or need more information about something we are doing in math can go to the site and check out the videos. And, the videos are not limited to math. Biology, chemistry, physics, American History, finance, etc., are among the many, many topics included. I have recommended and used this site with some of the high school students that I tutor. Check it out. -Marcia M.