Today, my first two classes caught up in science. We tested a variety of materials, and observed the fact that substances could either have no effect when mixed with the anthocyanin, and remained a bluish color, or they could turn red-pink or green. We also established how important a control trial is in order to really prove there was an observed effect like a color change, since we needed something to compare the experimental trials to make sure the new color wasn't just the result of mixing two pigments, like in art class.
We also began discussing some of the strategies when using the internet for research, like avoiding sentences and common words, and also taking advantage of quotations to search for very specific phrases.
We spent the majority of the time on science today, so we'll make up for the lost time in social studies next week. Speaking of which! We are starting our mandatory Constitution unit first thing this year, and the first of the tests will be on Wednesday of next week (which is also our open house). This first assessment will be entered formatively, and is on the Preamble. Essentially, everyone must be able to write the Preamble from memory, as well as explain what each part of the Preamble actually means in modern language.
To assist with this, I have loaded up the Constitution Unit online (it is under the Social Studies tab above.) If you want to take a look at the PPT and the helpful song on YouTube, feel free.
Have a great weekend!