Chain Mail

In conjunction with our study of the Medieval age, the line leader (which rotates daily) has had the chance to wear a twety five pound chain mail shirt during the pledge, prayer, and attendance at the beginning of our day. The highlight is the walk to Mrs. Pietrowski's desk with the attendance slip. The boys get a real feel for the weight of the armor that the combatants wore over 500 years ago. Here is a picture of the first student to get the chance to wear the chain mail.

Budding Musicians

Last month, the 9th Age Boys' and Girls' classes began their “Recorder Composition Projects." This project gave the students the opportunity to apply the music theory knowledge learned in class in a musical composition. This musical composition was written for their music instrument, the recorder. The boys in 9-2 were divided into four groups of four. The groups composed an eight measure recorder composition that was performed in front of their peers and teacher in their music class. They did a fantastic job as can be seen below.

Ninth Age Cartographers

Today in geography class we did an activity that the students will see a lot of in the next few years at Calvert. The boys traced and labeled a map. They will have the option of coloring their maps next week. The boys did very well with this project.

Looking Inside an Oyster

As part of our Chesapeake Bay research project we studied oysters, and today the boys got the chance to open some special oysters that had pearls inside. This year we had three black pearls (which is rare...last year we only had one), a few were pink, and the rest were white. In composition class we are writing this week about the history of pearls and their cultivation. The boys had a great time and have a new treasure.

This Week's History Test

In class we studied Chapters 50, 51, and 52 for the History Test we will have this Wednesday. I encouraged the boys to take home their books and reread those chapters and study the review sheet which we filled out together in class. In case your son's review sheet did not make it home you can download a copy of it with the answers filled in by clicking here. http://docs.google.com/View?id=df666nmm_91cdzp62g8

The Battle Begins

We headed to the gym and set up two castles of styrofoam coffee cups. We had a blast knocking them down and setting them back up again.

3...2...1....Fire

The boys launched their trebuchets for the first time today after learning how to load and safely fire them. The trebuchets are working extemely well. We will have our first battle tomorrow. The styrofoam coffee cups have no idea what is in store for them.

Living Classrooms

In all of the rush of the last week I forgot that I wanted to post some photos of our field trip with Living Classrooms. Instead of reinventing the wheel I will post the link to the slide show that Mollie Williams did on her blog. It can be seen here:

http://www.9bgirls.com/2010/04/living-classrooms.html

Thanks Mollie!!

Two Great Space Shuttle Compositions

Last week we finished up our compositions about the space shuttle and the space station. Here are two compositions that tell many of the facts we learned.

Believe it or not there are large objects circling the Earth. One of those objects was the space shuttle. The first shuttle that flew was Columbia. It completed twenty seven missions but sadly crashed on its twenty eighth mission. Then came Discovery, Endeavor, and Atlantis. A shuttle weighs about 240,000 pounds, and it travels at 17,500 miles per hour.
Last week the space station was connected to the space shuttle. The space station travels at 17,500 miles per hour. The station may burn up between 2015 and 2020. It orbits the Earth every ninety minutes. The station has a bigger mass than any other station. The station will be done in 2011. They began construction in 1998 in low orbit. Now they do experiments up there. I hope to be an astronaut.




Believe it or not there are large objects orbiting the Earth. In 1975, people started construction on Columbia. Space shuttles are the most complex and advanced machines ever made by humans. The first launch was on April 12, 1981. Space shuttles are the first reusable spacecrafts. Shuttles are like science labs in space. Shuttles are also used for launching space telescopes like the Hubble Space Telescope. Space shuttles orbit the Earth every ninety minutes. The weight of a space shuttle is 240,000 pounds. The height of a shuttle is 184 feet, and the speed is 17,500 miles per hour.
Last week the space shuttle attached to the space station. The space station is the largest manned object sent into space. Assembling the space station will take forty five launches – thirty six from the United States and nine from Russia. When fully constructed it will be visible to ninety percent of the world’s population. I would like to be an astronaut when I grow up

The Real Story Behind Cinco de Mayo

Most people don’t know that back in 1912, Hellmann’s mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York.
This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico…. But as we know….the great ship did not make it to New York….The ship hit an iceberg and sank….and the cargo was forever lost…. The people of Mexico, who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery….were disconsolate at the loss…. Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day…. The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th….and is known….of course….as Sinko de Mayo….Have a great day, and don't believe everything you read:)