Next Stop -- Talladega!!!

In our AMSTI unit on Force and Motion this 9 weeks, we have been responsible for creating, constructing, and modifying a vehicle (made from K-Nex) that will move when force is applied. The kids have been really "pumped up" about this and surprise me so much with their "mechanical" ability. It really is no easy task to take arbitrary pieces and build a vehicle to certain specifications.

After the design phase, it was time to make those vehicles MOVE. The kids (some of them anyways) loved being problem solvers and trying to figure out how to make their vehicles move with just rubberbands. Some of them got REALLY upset with me because they wanted me to tell them exactly what to do (Mrs. Calvert would have been in this group in school). When they were confident in their vehicle's ability to move, it was time to RACE. I must say I have some very competitive children, and if their car did NOT win, it was back to the drawing board for more modifications and strategizing.

I hope to post some pictures of this exciting event. Keep checking back for the pictures and for what the KIDS have to say about this new learning.

It's All About Attitude!!

We are off to a great start today!! Our story this week has been about the legendary Jim Thorpe. Ask your kids about him. We have learned and discussed the effects of having a positive attitude when facing challenges this week. I have been so inspired and humbled by our discussions as well as our writings. I want to share with you some of the things your kids said today. I will not put names in case there are some who wish to remain annonymous :)

Here's what they had to say about attitude:

**A positive attitude is very important because without a positive attitude what you think you can't do you might be able to do. **Sometimes when you have a bad attitude you get in trouble.

**It is very important when facing a challenge to have a very positive attitude because if your in a ballgame and keep missing shots and your getting mad and don't calm yourself down your attitude can get you and your team disqualified.

**It is very important to have a positive attitude because I wouldn't want to give up my life because my family has gave up theirs. (In our story, Jim Thorpe loses his entire family at a very young age, but overcomes that)

**I think a positive attitude is important because challenges happen to everyone.

**It is very important to have a positive attitude because if you have a bad attitude and keep doubting yourself your never going to get through that challenge and your challenge is going to get bigger and bigger.

**It is important to have a positive attitude so you will have endurance in yourself and to not say Oh, I can't make it, I'm going to lose.

**I think it is very important to have a positive attitude because if you don't you will be sad and you may just give up and you don't need to give up ever because if you do you won't every accomplish anything if you have a bad attitude.

**When dealing with challenges, it is very, very important to have a good attitude because it could have effects on the rest of your life. It can change what you do when you grow up, or even where you go when you die and it could change your job.

**It is very important to have a positive attitude because if you don't you can't work them out. If you have a challenge in life you need to be good, and get through it.

**A positive attitude is very important when your facing challenges. If you don't use a postitive attitude you probably won't win that challenge. If you use it you might win that challenge. You would need to use a positive attitude to face challenges.

Sorry that is so lengthy, but I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did. These precious children teach me something new everyday, and it is my blessing and pleasure to have them in my classsroom.

I can't believe I am REALLY doing this!!

I have been inspired by my principal to begin blogging. She has encouraged us to keep up-to-date with the latest technology trends. This is a FIRST for me, but I am open to trying new things. In the days to come (what few we have left in the 09-10 school year), I hope to post updates and things that are happening in our classroom. Please feel free to give me feedback and let me know if you have questions!!