Virtual Visit with author Kathleen Benner Duble

On Tuesday, fifth grade students spoke with Kathleen Benner Duble. Kathleen is an author from Massachusetts who had her first short story published in 1999.  Her first book was released in 1996 and was called Hearts of Iron.  It was a 2007 IRA Teacher's Choice.  She has since then published five more books.

Kathleen walked the kids through the writing process, which for her can take a year or more.  She took the students through a character design activity.  Kathleen also shared her books that she has written and the stories from her real life that gave her the initial idea to create the story.  Most are based on family member's and a short story from their life.

Over the last month as the fifth grade students conducted their explorer research project, they read Duble's book Quest.  

A little about the book: 
"It is the year 1610, and the great explorer Henry Hudson is undertaking a difficult journey to find a way to East Asia by going up and over the Arctic Circle. He is determined to find this passage and receive the accolades he has been longing for all his life.
Told from four points of view, QUEST, recounts the story of this ill-fated journey. Johnny Hudson, Henry Hudson's son, is young and dashing, anxious to go exploring and ready to pull a few jokes on his fellow crewmates. His girlfriend, Isabella Digges, is ready for adventure of her own. As Johnny sails from London, Isabella packs her bags to travel to the Netherlands where she will be spying on England's greatest competitor, the Dutch East Indies Trading Company. Johnny's brother, Richard, is left at home, convinced that adventure and excitement will not be his. And Seth Syms, in trouble with the law, has gained a passage on Henry Hudson's boat, hoping for the peace and quiet of a long sea voyage.   But even the best laid plans can go awry. So when Henry Hudson becomes so obsessed with his quest that he ignores the building ice around them, he puts into motion factors that will change all four characters' lives!"

Students were able to ask Mrs. Duble about the book, as well as her favorite books, why she wanted to become an author, and if she had any favorites out of her books.
This was a great connection between a social studies unit and reading activity.

The Real Story of Pocahontas and the Powhatan Indians - Speaking with an Expert at the Virginia Historical Society

This afternoon, 5th grade students at Roosevelt spoke with an expert at the Virginia Historical Society to learn about the Powhatan Indians and Pocahontas.  Much of what historians now know about the Indians we call "the Powhatans" is derived from English sources, as the Powhatans had no written language.  Using primary sources as well as replica artifacts created by Mattaponi Indians, students learned about what life was like in Virginia before the first English settlers made it their home.

Students identified the various natural resources used by Native American men, women, and children to make their tools and clothing. Students were engaged in a discussion about Pocahontas and the myths associated with her life.

They learned that Pocahontas was not her real name, but rather the nickname given to her by her father which meant mischievous one.  Students found out that Pocahontas was 11 and John Smith around 30 when they met and that they were only friends.  Pocahontas actually married her tutor John Rolfe and changer her name to Rebecca after she converted to Christianity.

Students were also able to ask questions about what they had heard or what they still wanted to know.

Students were left gaining a great deal of knowledge and understanding of life of the native americans daily lives and the true history of Pocahontas.

Virtual Talk with an Australian Archaeologist

Today was a great day for virtual lessons.  Students in 4th grade at Jefferson got to talk with archaeologist, teacher and author Alethea Kinsela who lives in Australia.  She has written the book Ancient Australia Unearthed, the first high school history text devoted entirely to Australia's ancient history for the new Australian Curriculum: History. 

In this session, we talked about archaeology, what an archaeologist does, and some interesting facts about Ancient Australia.

Thea shared with the students what her job consists of, the tools that are most important for her job, and what artifacts she usually uncovers.  Her most favorite find was the tooth of an ancient Cave Bear which she showed us.  She also shared the most common artifacts she finds like pottery or ceramics, coins, or stone tools or weapons.

Thea also shared a sabertooth skull so the kids could see its shape and teeth.

Lastly, Thea shared a skull that was found in Indonesia.  The skull is that of a Homo floresiensis (nicknamed the 'hobbit') which is believed to be an extinct species that could've lived between 94,000 to 13,000 years ago.  The individual was believed to be a 30 year old woman that stood only 3.5 feet tall.

So much engagement and learning happened with this lesson today!

Talking to NASA about Robotics

Students in the challenge fourth and fifth grade classrooms at Roosevelt spoke with NASA's Armstrong Research Center for a lesson on "Introduction to Robotics in the Classroom".

David Alexander, learning coordinator for NASA, spoke on how NASA is constantly looking to advance robotics and to increase the capabilities of robots to prepare for future exploration missions. Students were able to discover how and why NASA uses robots, what skills do students need for career in robotics, and what is in development for upcoming missions.

The students learned about how Mars, the red planet, has been the primary focus of explorations by robots, or probes.  The goal is to try discover how life could be sustained on the planet and that they are trying to find any signs of past life.

Mr. Alexander also spoke on careers that could be pursued to come work at NASA and what studies it make take to fulfill those roles.  Students were then able to ask him questions.  They asked about taking computers to space, and how long it make take to design and build on of their probes.  Overall it was a very informative lesson leaving students wanting more!