St. Ambrose's ACES

Legos, Legos EVERYWHERE!

2012-01-28T21:20:00.000-06:00

The St. Ambrose's ACES haven't fallen off the face of the earth! We have been busy working on lots of new projects during this 2011-2012 school year. The biggest project we have tackled this year is Jr. First Lego League and First Lego League! It has been an exciting learning opportunity for both the students and myself. Enjoy a few pictures and check back soon for more information about what we've been working on in our classroom!

Saintly Scholars

2011-06-04T21:49:00.000-05:00

Now that school is out for summer break, I plan to catch up on all the exciting things that happened in ACES during the 4th quarter of the school year. It gets crazy with assessments schedules, spring break, etc.

I wanted to take a chance to recognize a few very dedicated 2nd grade ACES. These students worked diligently on their Saintly Scholar's Challenges throughout the year.

This little girl learned ALL 50 states and capitals and recited them to me in a matter of minutes. She also learned all the presidents of the United States in order - ten presidents at a time. Can you say AMAZING!!!!

This fine young man probably wins the award for the most visits to my classroom before the 7:55 bell! He completed a variety of challenges including knowing all the mysteries of the rosary. He also had the great strategy of organizing his answers to his challenges into manageable groups and even sometimes the answers were alphabetized. Great work young man!

The next gentlemen worked through a variety of challenges and knew them well when it was time to recite them from memory to show mastery!

The last 2nd grader I would like to mention is Jacob! Unfortunately I don't have a photo of his saint. Jacob also completed a variety of challenges and no doubt could show mastery of the challenges he completed.

*The numbers on their trophies don't necessarily show the final number of challenges that were completed by these ACES. These pictures were taken a month or so before the last day of school!

Thank You Dr. Kannarr!!!

2011-03-24T21:04:00.000-05:00

Dr. Kannarr visited the 3rd/4th and 5th/6th grade ACES for a cow's eye dissection!

First up were the 5th/6th graders. When planning the dissection, Dr. Kannarr and I were going to be the ones actually working our way through the eyes and the ACES would be spectators. Well . . . Dr. Kannarr came with enough cow's eyes, gloves, trays, chewing gum, and blades for the students to work in pairs and do their own dissection. Such a great opportunity!

A few days later, Dr. Kannarr returned for round 2 with the 3rd/4th graders. We recruited the help of some of our 5th grade ACES to lead the younger students through their dissection. It was great to watch the 5th graders recall all they had learned from Dr. Kannarr! I think we just may have some future opthamologists or surgeons in our midst!

Click HERE to link to a site that we used to prepare in advance of the dissection. It has lots of great information and I'm sure your super scientist would love to tell you all about the parts of the cow's eye!

ThAnK yOu DR. KANNARR for this fantastic learning opportunity!

Better Late Than Never

2011-02-09T20:15:00.000-06:00

During December, the 1st and 2nd grade ACES participated in a Holiday Card Exchange hosted by Jen Wagner here. I registered our group and we received the names and addresses of 24 classrooms in the United States and Canada. The theme this year was GiNgErBrEaD mEn! So . . . we made these cute cards to send.

The idea came from Family Fun Magazine. We used colored dots and reinforcement circles to decorate our houses. We wrote messages inside the houses and added gingerbread boys and girls. We also had an information sheet to complete about our school and town. The ACES were proud of their creations!

The students were each assigned to a classroom. I made a map of the United States and we found all the towns and cities using Google Earth. Everyone added a star with their name and we waited for the cards to arrive.

The kids had a great time reading about all the classrooms that were part of the exchange and looking at all the cards! We not only had fun, but also learned about geography!

Google Docs Experiment

2011-02-03T20:10:00.000-06:00

I am hoping to be able to share documents with parents and other teachers. This is my first attempt at embedding a Google Doc into my blog! Here goes...

Designer Dinosaurs

2011-01-30T21:45:00.000-06:00

The 1st and 2nd grade ACES have been studying dinosaurs for the past several weeks. Our most recent learning adventure was to "create" a dinosaur using a list of word chunks and their meanings. The students L.O.V.E.D. this! They begged to take the list with them so they could create, create, create! Enjoy the Voice Thread we created - you may need to crank up the volume as we were having microphone issues.

Rudolph . . . We Want Your Job!

2010-12-31T12:33:00.000-06:00

I have recently found the greatest treasures in other teacher's blogs. This idea I saw on a wonderful blog here. With the crazy, hectic schedules right before Christmas and the illness that was going around at school, unfortunately you will not see every one of the ACES in this slideshow. The children pretended that Rudolph was planning to retire and Santa was looking for a replacement. They not only had to create the finest looking set of antlers, but also they had to complete a job application highlighting the skills that would make them a good choice for Rudolph's replacement. Here are some of their responses:

*I can jump high.
*I am in good physical shape.
*I like being cold.
*Santa is so nice I'd like to work for him.
*I am very reliable.
*I am really daring and not scared of anything.

I'm sure Santa will have no problem choosing a replacement with these highly qualified applicants!! Who knows, he may just have to hire them all!

The Gingerbread Man

2010-12-10T21:13:00.001-06:00

We are participating in a Holiday Card Exchange project. The theme for the project this year is gingerbread men. The 1st and 2nd grade ACES did a readers' theater today. We hope you will enjoy! I will be posting more information soon about the Holiday Card Exchange.

LoGaN's ExTrEmE rOoM mAkEoVeR

2010-11-29T11:36:00.000-06:00

Enjoy Logan's presentation! He was disappointed in the quality of the pictures he got from the internet, but he did a fantastic job! He also worked on making some great transitions that didn't show when I transferred his presentation to Slideshare :(

Logan e r m2

View more presentations from obrienkristen.

ExTrEmE rOoM mAkEoVeR

2010-11-27T10:16:00.000-06:00

The 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Grade ACES began an Extreme Room Makeover project in early October. The students were given the task/creative challenge to make over their bedrooms. They were each given a budget of $5,000 and a list of possible internet resources. It was so awesome to watch this project unfold. Most students chose to display their information using PowerPoint. Some decided to make a poster. Many were very frugal and hesitated to spend their budgeted amount. Some filled their rooms with the latest technology and gaming systems. My hope for this project is that the students gained an appreciation of budgeting. We talked about how we must first provide for our needs - bed, pillows, blankets, etc. Then we can think about those items that we might want for entertainment. We talked about how in our families, parents must first provide for our needs. Hopefully the boys and girls can better understand the next time they are told that they don't NEED the newest Xbox 360 game or latest fashions at the mall!!! I plan to continue posting their presentations and pictures of the posters they are creating. Enjoy this first of many . . .

Dominic erm

View more presentations from obrienkristen.

Meet the 1st Grade ACES . . .

2010-11-21T22:11:00.000-06:00

I'm so glad I did! These little darlings are always ready to learning something new. We get so busy each Friday afternoon that I kept forgetting to take their pictures individually. I couldn't be more thankful to have the opportunity to teach them.

Fuel Up to Play 60

2010-11-18T20:44:00.000-06:00

The 5th and 6th Grade ACES made a very quick attempt at a 30-second commercial highlighting how to "Get Healthy, Be Active, and Make a Difference". This was part of a contest sponsored by the Play 60 movement to encourage kids to get off the couch and play. We learned that it's not easy to condense thoughts and ideas from a group into 30 seconds. They gave it their best shot in the hour that we had to spend. Turn up the volume and enjoy!

Weird - but Totally Awesome - Science

2010-11-07T20:14:00.000-06:00

The ACES enjoyed some weird, but totally awesome, science experiments recently! We ooohhhhed and aaaaahhhhhed over bubbles. They weren't just your everyday ordinary bubbles. They were bubbles that contained trapped carbon dioxide gas from our dry ice. We made Insta-Worms and Green Slime (hopefully everyone who took some home followed my directions about not opening the slime unless they had permission from a parent :)) We energized Glow-In-The-Dark Powder and made balloons scream.

These experiments came from the Steve Spangler Science Company. If you would like to receive a weekly experiment in your inbox, just visit www.stevespanglerscience.com!

The ACES had a great time with these experiments and gained some knowledge about science concepts in the process. I even heard a few of them say that SCIENCE is their new favorite subject!

Morning Announcement

2010-11-01T21:35:00.000-05:00

Some of the 5th and 6th Grade ACES have taken over the Monday and Thursday Morning Announcement! The students are doing a wonderful job first praying, then saying the Pledge of Allegiance. They also announce the focus at Mass for the week. This focus is written by our Professional Learning Community Religion Committee of teachers. "Jazzed up with adjective" lunch menus and birthdays are also part of the announcement. Lastly, the ACES let the student body and teachers know about upcoming events. The students are doing a fabulous job! Most recently we have decided to add willing 3rd and 4th graders to this process.

Pumpkin Seed Count

2010-11-01T20:36:00.001-05:00

The first and second grade ACES participated in a Pumpkin Seed Count Project hosted by Jennifer Wagner at www.jenuinetech.com. Students from around the world registered and completed the project. We had lots of fun estimating, measuring, sorting, and counting. The ACES even learned that "circumference" is the distance around a circle/sphere. They also had no trouble telling me that we would not be able to use a ruler for this measurement. They recommended using a tape measure or string that we could measure using a ruler. So clever!

Be sure to scroll over the pictures to see the captions! We hope you enjoy the slideshow as much as we enjoyed the project!

We're Back!!! with UV Detecting Beads

2010-10-12T21:36:00.000-05:00

Whew!!! It has been so busy at school and I have fallen behind with our blog. The ACES have been hard at work for just over three weeks now. We have some exciting things happening and I can't wait to tell you about them!

For our first class, we had a science inquiry lesson. I gave all the ACES, 1st grade all the way through 6th graders, three mysterious beads to examine and describe.

The kids thought of adjectives like: smooth, hard, white, small, and circular. They noted there was a hole in the center.

After carefully observing these "magic" beads, the students hypothesized about what could be so special about the beads.

They said . . .

. . . maybe they glow in the dark!

. . . maybe they change color because of our mood!

. . . maybe they are sensitive to heat and cold!

We spent time observing the "magic" beads in the classroom. Then . . . we went outside with our beads. Something amazing happened!

The "magic" beads changed from white to a rainbow of colors. Why? Because these beads are ULTRAVIOLET DETECTING BEADS!!!

The ACES are so naturally curious that a myriad of experimentation began to take place. What happens if I go in the shade of the building? What happens when we go back inside the school? Will the beads always be colored now instead of white? This curiosity is why I love my job and never cease to be amazed at the learning that unfolds in young minds every day!

We talked about how ultraviolet rays from the sun can be harmful to our skin. We also decided that we could experiment to see if sunscreen is really effective. The possibilities with our UV detecting beads were endless!

Owl Pellet Dissection: The Beginning

2010-05-01T22:50:00.000-05:00

The ACES are working on becoming "Wise Owls"! We have been researching owls and completing our first Lapbook project. To get some real hands-on experience and gain more knowledge about owls, we are completing an owl pellet dissection. The 1st - 4th grade ACES got started this week. The ACES were amazed to find so many bones in their pellets. Some had one skull, some had three skulls, some had a hard time with the smell of the project! It is so exciting to see them working on this project and being real scientists as they solve the mystery of what owls are eating! We will be finishing up our study in the coming weeks and will surely have more pictures to post and even some video too!

The 5th and 6th grade ACES participated in the Thinking Cap Quiz Bowl - America Answers competition. We will let you know the results of their efforts around May 10! These students will soon have the chance to begin their dissection.

Pick and Draw

2010-04-08T20:57:00.000-05:00

I was reading a great blog written by a homeschooling mom. She mentioned a game called Pick and Draw developed by children's book illustrator Rich Davis. He developed the game so that he can teach children about drawing. Rich Davis says, "Your ability to create is a gift from God."

I ordered Pick and Draw for my family. We received the game during Spring Break week. My children loved it! I decided it would be fun to share it with the ACES. I ordered the game from www.pickanddraw.com. Rich Davis also has a blog where he shares ideas for drawing that can be found at www.richdavis1.wordpress.com.

The following pictures were created by the 5th and 6th grade ACES. Before we started drawing, several of the students said that they didn't consider themselves artistic. When we were finished they were impressed with how well they created a character. After the drawing was finished, the ACES named their creation and decided what the character was good at and what kind of music the character enjoys. From start to finish, including naming the character, etc., we spent ten minutes on these creations. The ACES could have spent much more time and were very curious about where to find one of these games for themselves!

Name: Can Bob
Likes: Rolling and Eating
Music: Rock and Roll

Name: Boom Boom Chaka Waka
Music: Retro Hip Hop

Name: B.J. McDonald
Likes: driving his go-cart, jumping, and ice cream
Music: Jazz

Name: Mr. Bean
Likes: bean-eating contests and singing about beans
Music: Rap

Name: Billy Bob
Likes: dancing
Music: Rap

Name: Lars Mars
Likes: making people laugh
Talents: pulling pranks
Music Genre: classical

1st and 2nd Grade Leprechaun Traps

2010-03-30T22:04:00.001-05:00

Make your own free photo slideshow

MoNsTeR pRoJeCt

2010-03-30T21:09:00.000-05:00

The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade ACES just completed the MoNsTeR pRoJeCt!!! We began the project with the students using a graphic program called KidPix to create a MoNsTeR head. Then we had a lesson about adjectives and descriptive writing. Next, the students used a planning page to brainstorm some adjectives that they could use to describe their MoNsTeR. The ACES then used these ideas to write a descriptive paragraph about their MoNsTeR.

Possibly the most exciting part of the project was reading their descriptive paragraph to a partner as they tried to recreate the MoNsTeR using the same program, KidPix!! It was a challenge to only read what was written on the paper and not give any extra hints. The ACES also did a great job of keeping their MoNsTeR's hidden from their friends.

We hope you enjoy the results of our MoNsTeR pRoJeCt and our first attempt at using Voicethread to share our work!

St. Patrick's Day Project

2010-03-10T21:52:00.000-06:00

The 1st and 2nd grade ACES took part in an on-line St. Patrick's Day Project. The boys and girls became "researchers". They were researching to prove or disprove the following hypothesis:

There are more clovers than any other shape in a box of Lucky Charms.

We found that there were the most hourglass shapes in our box of lucky charms. We will be adding our results along with 500 other classrooms throughout the world! After we return from Spring Break we will check the results and see if other classrooms got similar or different results.

Leprechaun Trap - Part 2

2010-03-09T21:35:00.000-06:00

Here are the 4th Grade Leprechaun Traps!

Customize your own ecard

So Long, Farewell Flat ACES!

2010-03-08T23:00:00.001-06:00

So sad to see them go, but I've taken down the Flat ACES to make room for the Saintly Scholars. I wanted to share them with you before they go home with the boys and girls. So . . . we hope you enjoy the Flat ACES!!

C is for CREATIVE

2010-03-06T21:25:00.000-06:00

This week we worked on a creative project. We started by learning a little about leprechauns. In Irish folklore, there are many stories about leprechauns and fairies. The fairies love to dance and the leprechauns work to make and mend the fairies' shoes. The leprechauns are paid with gold pieces. We also learned that we have to keep a close watch on these little guys because they can disappear in the blink of an eye! The creative task set before the students was to create a leprechaun trap. They used the shoeboxes that they brought from home. They were provided with lots of materials like pipe cleaners, craft pom poms, lots of shimmery sparkling things, fabric, etc. The ACES' imaginations were in full force to create contraptions that would lure and trap those silly leprechauns! We hope you enjoy the pictures and watch for more to come!!

This digital ecard customized with Smilebox

Winter Olympics - Vancouver 2010

2010-03-04T10:28:00.000-06:00

The 4th, 5th, and 6th Grade ACES have created their first Photo Story project!!! The students used the official Winter Olympic website to get information. They read about each of the winter olympic events. They summarized their research and recorded themselves reading. This was a tedious process, as the ACES wanted things to be just right! We used Google images for the photos and iTunes for our background music. We hope you enjoy the first, and certainly not the last, of our Photo Story creations!

For some reason there is a problem with my embedding of our Photo Story. Let's get to it by using this URL!

http://www.teachertube.com/viewProfile.php?user=Teachermomofthree&ref=Teachermomofthree

Saintly Scholars Challenges

2010-03-02T21:30:00.001-06:00

Hip-hip-hooray for all the ACES that are participating in the Saintly Scholar Challenges! I am planning to arrange lunch with everyone who has completed a challenge. The final step in showing mastery of the topic is to discuss what was learned. I am so excited to hear about all the great knowledge the boys and girls are gaining! I'll be in touch with the classroom teachers and ACES about having lunch next week (March 8-11).

Saintly Scholars . . . Get Ready, Get Set, GO!!!!

2010-02-14T18:19:00.000-06:00

St. Ambrose's ACES you are invited to participate in a new and exciting challenge called "Saintly Scholars". If you look on the left side of our blog you will see a link to Mrs. Renz's Mastery Club. When you click on the link you will see a list of challenges that are divided by subject area. Let your child choose a challenge and let the fun and learning begin. There is also a link to help with completing the challenge. Students are also encouraged to explore books they may find in the library to help with their answers. When your child has the answer to the challenge, go back to the left side of the blog. Click on the link to our very own "Student Blogs". Every "Saintly Scholar" has their own blog to submit their answers. In the title of the post, please put the subject and challenge number (i.e. Science Challenge 9). Once they create and submit a new post with the answer to the challenge, I will receive an email. To complete the challenge and receive a point, the students will need to be able to tell me the answer to the challenge orally. This will show true mastery of the topic. There are some challenges that will not be able to be recorded on their "Student Blogs". For example, there is a math challenge that asks the students to draw lines of symmetry for any letters of the alphabet that are symmetrical. They can just complete the challenge on a piece of paper and turn that in to me. We will be keeping track of points and posting those on our blog periodically. Let me know if you have any questions about the process. Good luck to all "Saintly Scholars" who are willing to take the challenge!!!

Flat Stanley's Adventures

2010-01-17T15:59:00.000-06:00

The 1st and 2nd grade ACES sent Flat Stanley all over the United States to family and friends. They enjoyed reading and learning about all his adventures. This is our first attempt at creating a movie using our Flip Video Camera. The 1st graders were even the videographers!! They did a great job. Thanks to all the families and friends who participated in this project. Be sure to pass along word to them to check out our movie.

Letter Art

2009-12-25T18:07:00.000-06:00

The 3rd - 6th grade ACES recently completed a Letter Art digital photography project. The cold temperatures prevented the students from taking more photos outside and the scheduling conflicts (mid-year testing, confessions, etc.) didn't allow for a few students to complete the project before Christmas break. The idea got started when a friend told me she saw the bride and groom's last name photographed and given as a wedding gift during the summer. I was so consumed with trying to figure out how I could photograph my last name that I hadn't even considered it being a project for students until I saw an article in Family Fun magazine. As you can see from the slideshow, some of the students chose to photograph their last names and some their first. Some letters were found outside the school, some inside, and some were created with blocks, food, etc. The sky was the limit on this project and students were challenged to use their creativity. Unfortunately not all the finished projects were photographed for the slideshow. Another effect of hectic schedules and trying to get the projects completed and sent home before break. The kids did an outstanding job and I hope you can find a special place for these projects in your home!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-20T22:13:00.000-06:00

Get a Voki now!

Meet the 3/4 ACES

2009-12-20T21:51:00.001-06:00

Holiday Cards Map

2009-12-06T22:31:00.000-06:00

This map shows the places our holiday cards were sent. Explore with your children to find the place on the map where their card was sent. Start by zooming out (click the - sign on the bottom of symbols in the upper left corner). I am on a journey of learning myself with all this technology that is available. I'm sure there is a way to start by seeing the United States. I'm just not sure how to make that happen. Bear with me!

View Holiday Card Exchange (Cards Sent) in a larger map

Holiday Card Exchange 2009

2009-12-05T20:43:00.000-06:00

St. Ambrose's ACES are participating in a Holiday Card Exchange! We are participating through a wonderful site maintained by a teacher, Jennifer Wagner, from California. She organizes a variety of projects that utilize technology. This is our first official project and we are only half-way finished and it's been a wonderful experience so far. We received a list of 24 other classrooms throughout the United States that we will send a holiday card. The students were each assigned a classroom. They wrote a letter explaining some things about our school, Pittsburg, and how we celebrate Christmas. The students also made a holiday card to send along with their letter. In return, we will be receiving 24 holiday cards from these classrooms. As we receive the cards in the mail, we will be searching for the locations on the map and really sharpening our geography skills in the process! We can't wait for those cards to start arriving.

If you would like to take a look at a map of participants, just follow the link to Ms. Wagner's Map of Participants. I shared this map with the students and showed them how to zoom in and actually see pictures of the towns participating. They were so excited to see St. Mary's Elementary on the map!

http://www.jenuinetech.com/Projects/hce09/hce2009participants.htm

CANDY EXPERIMENTS

2009-12-05T16:39:00.000-06:00

What can you do with all that leftover Halloween candy? The 1st and 2nd grade ACES used it to conduct CANDY EXPERIMENTS! In conjuntion with the school science fair and shortly after Halloween, we conducted several experiments with candy. The boys and girls hypothesized and experimented and even got to eat one little piece of candy! The experiments and ideas came from Family Fun magazine and www.candyexperiments.com. We didn't have time for all the experiments so . . . if you've got some extra candy and time on your hands check out the site and HAPPY EXPERIMENTING!

Holiday Card Exchange

2009-12-05T16:00:00.000-06:00

We are part of a Holiday Card Exchange that I will blog about soon. Enjoy the slideshow of some of the finished cards by the 1st and 2nd grade ACES! I provided the blank cards, ribbon, construction paper, decorative brads, and stamps. The ACES provided their creativity and design. If you'd like some holiday music to go along with the show, click on the speaker in the upper left corner.

Meet the 5/6 ACES

2009-12-05T15:40:00.000-06:00

Mr. Snowman

2009-12-02T19:28:00.000-06:00

Meet the 1st and 2nd grade ACES

2009-11-26T16:18:00.001-06:00

St. Ambrose's ACES Takes Off

2009-10-13T18:53:00.000-05:00

This year at St. Mary's Elementary we are starting a new program called St. Ambrose's ACES - Academically Creative Excited Students! Our work in the program began three weeks ago and we are off to a great start. This blog will be a location for showcasing the work we are doing in the program. Check back frequently for updates!