Video Conference Success!

On June 4th we successfully connected with the California State Parks Department for a virtual field trip to Columbia State Historic Park in Columbia, CA (near Sonora).  Through this video conference, Ranger Phil shared his vast knowledge and artifacts of the California Gold Rush and the Westward Movement.  We had prepared thoughtful questions and he answered every one of them with examples and clarity.  The students were eager to learn everything they could during this experience.  They were exceptionally polite and attentive.  I could not have been more proud.  This is a tremendous way to enrich the curriculum and allow students an opportunity to speak to an expert.  We would all love to do it again!

Mrs. Pgold rush

Westward Ho!

Wagon_trainWe will be a launching our study of the Pioneers and the Westward Movement next week.  I always have a grand time teaching this unit.  It is a remarkable period of our nation’s history.

As a special introduction to this unit, I scheduled another video conference about the Gold Rush and Pioneers. I have been assured that the video connection problems have been resolved so I am game to try it again.  Keep your fingers crossed for June 4th!

Mrs. P

Busy Week Ahead

bee (1)

We have two special events tomorrow. Uncle Jer will be here to share some knowledge about bees.  We sent home a note last Friday asking for a 50 cent donation in order to purchase the activity book that supports the presentation.  I realize that wasn’t much notice, so just send it in any time this week.

 

 

 

salmon (1)The other event is our rescheduled video conference with Ranger Ryan about salmon.  So it looks like we will be immersed in the animal world tomorrow.  I know we’ll learn a lot and have some fun doing it.

 

 

 

bookstackOur PTA has named this Wednesday as our annual Read-A-Thon.  We will set aside some special time to just read, read, read.  Students were given a pledge envelope two weeks ago to gather sponsorship of our reading efforts.  Thank you to those families who have already turned it in.  This money will be used towards purchasing new technology and other supplies.  Be sure to bring a book or two that you LOVE and plan to have another adventure. 😀

 

 

Something’s Fishy

fish-161031_640Well, we really tried to follow through with our video conference with Ranger Ryan today.  However, every event has its glitches and this was no exception.  We just couldn’t get our equipment to communicate with Ranger Ryan.  We tried for over an hour and finally gave up.  Even our technology experts couldn’t make it work. The good news is that we have rescheduled our meeting for May 20th.  We also know more about what we need to do next time. Everyday is a learning experience so, we will be very well prepared by then.

Mrs. P.

Our Next Video Conference

Salmon I have scheduled a video conference through the California State Parks Dept.  We will be speaking with Ranger Ryan on Wednesday afternoon while he is in the Del Norte Coast State Park near Crescent City.  We will be learning about the life cycle and habitat of salmon and the importance of our natural resources.  We are preparing thoughtful questions and hope to make this an engaging learning time. One thing I find  pleasantly surprising is that this virtual field trip is totally free to our students.

Mrs. P 😀

P.S. I have another video conference scheduled for June, but I’ll tell you more about that one later.