THE POWER OF ONE

As part of our study of main idea and themes in literature, we are reading Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr. This historical fiction book is not only a good lesson in history, but also in hope. The students really are enjoying it because of its  inspiring main character who is an actual girl who lived in Hiroshima, Japan when the atom bomb was dropped in an effort to end WWII.

Sadako Sasaki was two years old in 1945, but the story takes place when she is 11. She develops Leukemia due to exposure to radiation from the bomb, but never gives up her belief that she can defeat this disease. She starts folding paper cranes because of an old Japanese tradition that states if you fold 1000 cranes you will get your wish. Her story of perseverance through pain and illness to fold these cranes spread around Japan. Soon many knew of her story. 

Sadako never did get her wish, but she did become a National heroine in Japan. She is Japan's symbol of peace. Students around Japan raised money to build a statue to honor Sadako and her message of peace and hope. There is an inscription at the base of the statue stating:

This is our hope

 This is our prayer

Peace in the world

The Common Core Standards we are focusing on are:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.1
Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.2
Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.

Later in the year when we perform the Sadako Peace Dance with Nikki and Guy (sponsored by TESPTO), we will incorporate:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.7
Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text.

ELECTRIFYING ELECTROMAGNETS

Can you imagine turning something non-magnetic into something magnetic? Well, that is exactly what we did in 4 K. We turned an iron rod, a wire and battery into an ELECTROMAGNET. An electromagnet is a temporary magnet that allows you to control it. If you take a wire, wrap it around an iron rod and attach that in a complete circuit to a battery, you will make an electromagnet.




We wanted to see how the electromagnet would react when we wrapped the wire around the rod more and more times. The videos below will explain what we learned.




Our essential questions are:

1. How are electricity and magnetism related?

2. How can we make an electromagnets stronger?

3. How do you make a complete circuit?










































Justin and Will



























Click for Interactive Circuit Site