what's new at ldfds

K'nex Swing Ride

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:46:00 +0000

The students in Class IV worked cooperatively to construct a K'nex swing ride, while learning about simple and complex machines. They are in the process building a ferris wheel which will be added to the swing.

East Asian Studies Outreach

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 19:17:00 +0000

Class V enjoyed a trip to Wesleyan University's East Asian Studies Outreach Program. During the trip, they experienced a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony, made their own homemade sushi and learned some basic calligraphy.

Rock Climbing:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:27:00 +0000

Students are challenging themselves on the LDFDS climbing wall as part of our adventure education unit in P.E. class.

Slow Gliders:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:26:00 +0000

Students in Class II designed "slow glide" airplanes, meant to travel long distances. After testing several designs, students took their best planes down to the gym and measured their speeds, graphing their results.

Puppet Making:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:25:00 +0000

Students in Class III use their creativity to make handmade puppets for a puppet show performance during Friday activity period.

Building Thermometers:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:23:00 +0000

Here, students from Class I performed various experiments to learn about the effects of warming and cooling temperatures in the atmosphere. They built thermometers and barometers to observe & compare temperatures and pressures around the school environment.

Poetry:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:22:00 +0000

Students in Class III use their knowledge of the parts of speech to write poetry about their favorite things.

Electrolytes:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:21:00 +0000

Students in Class V worked on a lab project that examined the levels of electrolytes in different types of drinks. They were surprised to find that milk was one of the best conductors of electricity.

Newton's Laws:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:16:00 +0000

Students in Class II completed a series of short labs to demonstrate Newton's Laws of Motion.

Solid or Liquid?:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:15:00 +0000

Students from Class I discussed and described properties of solids, liquids and gases. Here, students used basic kitchen ingredients to create a colloid and learned that it can be both a solid and a liquid during different phases.

Animal Cells:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:14:00 +0000

Students in Class III made 3-D models of animal cells out of play dough and then labeled the parts.

Saturnalia Celebration:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:13:00 +0000

During Latin class, the students in Classes IV & V celebrated Saturnalia, "The Return of the Sun", just as the ancient Romans would have. Students learned about the celebration, created small sculptures (a traditional gift) out of soap and enjoyed feasting on crepes with honey.

Cell Functions:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:08:00 +0000

The students in Class V have been working on stop animation films showing how proteins are made. The films will show mRNA traveling through the cell and eventually exiting as a protein.

P.E. Cooperative Games:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:07:00 +0000

Students participate in an activity called minefield as part of an adventure education unit. Students work on communication, cooperation, and trust to be successful in the activities.

Metric Airplane Project- (math)

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:44:00 +0000

Students designed their own paper airplanes, sketched them to size on graph paper using metric measurements, then tested them for either distance and accuracy (how close they could fly it to a stationary target), and then we graphed the results.

Collaborative Painting:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 14:03:00 +0000

Students are working to create a collaborative painting. This is achieved by dividing up an image and each student painting a section. When all of the sections are painted they are put together to reveal the image.

Paper Chromatography:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:58:00 +0000

Students in Class II recently completed paper chromatography experiments. Using Mr. Sketch markers, the students looked at how combinations of different inks are used to create the marker colors. They also learned about additive and subtractive primaries, and calculated the retention factor of each ink, reporting their final results on colorful posters.

Cooking Lunch:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:50:00 +0000

Students in Class IV worked together to plan, prepare and cook lunch. Our menu included fried chicken tenders, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob.

Great Expectations:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:49:00 +0000

Class 5 is currently reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. We will be analyzing character development, universal theme, and other characteristics of classic literature.

Djembe Drumming:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:31:00 +0000

Students took part in two all-day djembe drumming workshops in June led by drumming instructor Don Culp. Students were taught the basics of djembe drumming by classroom, and then those interested in taking their experience to the next level participated in a "master's class". The Djembe is a skin-covered hand drum shaped like a large goblet and is meant to be played with bare hands. The name of the djembe comes directly from the saying "Anke dje, anke be" which literally translates to "everyone gather together" and defines the drum's purpose.

Don's discussions with the students highlighted the

importance of determination, dedication, respect, responsibility and open mindedness as it relates to drumming but more importantly to happiness and success in anything they wish to achieve in life.

Don holds the rank of 8th degree black belt teaching his own concepts in a style called Shizen-do, is a certified personal trainer and the head instructor of Don Culp’s Karate Studio/Whole Arts Training Center in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. He is a song writer, respected session drummer/percussionist, as well the production coordinator for concerts and has also invented, patented and successfully marketed a dog related product called the Pro-Leash. For more information about Don check out his website at http://www.donculp.net

Reebops:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:41:00 +0000

Students in Class II are studying genetics and inheritance in science. They created figures called "Reebops" out of marshmallows, gumdrops, toothpicks, etc. Each "reebop" had unique characteristics selected at random from chromosome strips made to represent the dominant or recessive alleles inherited from the parents.

Eminent Domain:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:24:00 +0000

Students in class V have created models of properties that they must defend against the government in an Eminent Domain hearing. They also must care for their property during a number of situations that may affect their home or business (lost jobs, health inspections, winning the lottery, floods, tax payments, etc.).

Marshmallow Catapults:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Students in Class II applied their knowledge of energy and forces to create catapults out of shoeboxes, rubber bands, plastic spoons and other everyday materials. They tested their creations to see which catapult could shoot a marshmallow the farthest, and the closest to a designated target.

Roller Coaster:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:59:00 +0000

Students in Class IV worked cooperatively over a 3 week period to construct a K'nex roller coaster. The finished product contains over 3000 pieces and stands just over 5 feet tall.

Worry Dolls:

noreply@blogger.com (ldfds) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:58:00 +0000

Students learned the Guatemalan folklore about worry dolls than created their own.