Our last task for the year was quite a photo adventure!! The students had a photography scavenger hunt. Check out their creations!

Favorite 4th Grade Memory - in Legos

What were the best parts of the year?

3 Years of GT

I can't believe how much you've all grown and changed! Check out some pictures from all three years we've been together.

Slideshow customized with Smilebox

Best Wishes!

Last day of 3rd Grade GT

This year flew by!! After reflecting on all we accomplished this year and a bit of construction (LEGO), we worked on brain stations! Students showed their creativity and ingenuity while accomplishing some energizing tasks. Check it out!

FBI: The Truth

5th Grade students have become movie directors and producers. They researched settings, wrote scripts, and filmed their own movie in front of a green screen. Who knew the FBI could stand for "Federal Bunny Investigators"? Check out the student video HERE.

Vocabulary Posters

Today, 3rd grade students turned their vocabulary words into a visual representation. Check out their vocab. creations.

5th Grade Guest Authors

Earlier this year, the 5th grade students wrote children's books with the theme "overcoming fear". Eight books were selected to have the author go and read the stories to all of Birch's first grade students. What fun! Nice writing and illustrations!

Greek Myth inspired STEM day

Today students put their problem-solving skills to the test during our Greek Myth STEM day. Students worked on Million Dollar Math questions attempting to save Icarus from his fateful plunge into the ocean. Next students "tinkered" like Daedalus with some new ideas - ROBOTS! Did you know, that the history of robots dates back to ancient Greece? - way before we had mechanical things! The mythical story of Talos, the giant "robot" that protected Crete inspired us to create "giant" robots. Check it out!

Forced Perspective Photography

We are currently working on a unit on Perspective. Fourth graders "forced" us to see their perception in these fun photos. They will challenge our assumptions!

Greek Movie Trailers

During this unit, the class has been exposed to lots of Greek myths. Today, they chose one story and imagined it was a movie. They then put their creativity to the test when they used iPads to create a movie trailer. Check the trailers out! They will make you wish you really could go see the movie!

Architecture and Engineering Vocabulary Movies

Check these videos out to review our architecture and engineering vocabulary.

Tunnels and Dams

Fourth graders explored some of the most difficult engineering feats accomplished - tunnels and dams. Then they had an opportunity to create models. Check it out!

Dome Day!

Wow what an "egg"citing day! We explored domes - both monolithic and geodesic types. Ever wonder how much weight an egg can hold? More than you might think due to its strong shape. Check out the video to find out! Geodesic domes are pretty awesome too. We made a few. Check them out in the video.

Claymation Movies

Fifth graders have been working hard at producing "didactic" (story with a moral) claymation stories. They were created in the app "Stopmotion" and then pulled into iMovie to add music and sound effects. Check out these stories to see what lessons you can learn! Click HERE to Watch!

Greek Mythology Vocabulary Game

Hey third graders - Practice your vocabulary with this fun game. Can you get 100%?

Comic Creations

Today in an exploration of creativity with constraints, students had limited words to tell a story. Check out the fun comic strips - starring - themselves!

Building Bridges

Building bridges was the challenge of the day! They started the day with some bridges that they thought would work but couldn't hold up to a live load. After learning about types of bridges, students built some that could hold lots of weight. Check out the fun video of the challenge.

Talking Magazines

Third grade students became  "experts" today on a topic of their choice. After reading a magazine, they had to summarize what they read from the perspective of the character on the cover. They then "became" the character to teach us about the topic. To check out their Funny Face Talking Magazines click HERE.

Fabulous Flipbooks!

Fifth graders really showed off their animation skills in these fun flipbooks - They were actually created in PowerPoint with tiny changes on each slide so it makes objects appear to be moving. Click HERE to view the animated movies.

3rd Grade Sleuths - Mystery Solved!

Our third graders really stepped up as detectives today! Someone stole the OREOs I wanted use in a lesson today! Students examined the scene, collected and analyzed evidence, interviewed suspects and solved the crime. Check out the deductive thinking and problem-solving from class. Enjoy the video!