Standards (in a good way)...

Today started off great! We had a wonderful presentation from the state Science Coordinator, Barbara Young. She informed us about what STEM is and the processes that go along with it (scientific experimental design, field investigation, and engineering design). She also informed us about specific changes in the standards and why they were made. (ALWAYS helpful!)

The state Math Coordinator, Deborah Wickham also made a great presentation about how the standards correlate vertically through the grade levels and how it is important that each grade level do their part. She was a phenomenal resource to me and helped me to understand why and how the Distributive Property fits into the 5th grade curriculum!

The afternoon was a bit more difficult to take in because the presenter geared the presentation to teachers who teach 2nd grade. It was challenging to try to take everything she was saying and translate it into a 5th grade level activity. I'll just have to make sure I do some serious reflection on the activity afterward!

Tonight... Astronomy! Unfortunately, it's raining so we won't be able to use the telescope, but I can't wait to see what Dr. Hagan has to say! (He's an astronomer at the Science Museum of Virginia!