Converting Units of Measurement

After lengthy discussions and explorations of different units of measurement regarding length, weight/mass, and capacity, we began to try to convert units of measurement. Ex. How many yards are in 18 feet?

To do this in an organized way, we used our handy T-chart. As we practiced several conversions, the children began to see the  multiplication and division relationship. Because we still sometimes get confused about when to multiply or divide to get our answers, we are still going to start with the T-chart so that our rule is more obvious. Then we may move to a higher-level operation than simply listing. Some children are still more comfortable listing than multiplying or dividing, but are making larger jumps to help them be more efficient.

We made our "Big G" to help us see the relationship between units of capacity.

Inherited Traits and Learned Characteristics

Today we discussed inherited traits and learned characteristics. Inherited traits are things we have/can do when we're born. Learned characteristics are those things we had to learn to do. We looked at a list of things a macaw is able to do, and determined if they were learned or inherited behaviors. Then we looked at lots of different pictures of various things (child rolling her tongue, color of a goldfish, freckles, ability to play an instrument) to make the distinction between inherited and learned.