Monday, June 01, 2009

Grade 2 News

by Chris Busse

Ashford School’s second grade had a field trip to the Roger William’s Zoo. Students chose an animal that is at the zoo to do their first report on. Students wrote about what they already know about the animal, what they want to learn and then researched the animal using texts and the internet. Students were also able to listen to pod casts that were made by 8th graders who previously went to the zoo and observed different animal’s behavior.

Students have been working on writing topic sentences, using sentence variety and to write using their own words. It was very exciting for the second graders to study their animal and then get the chance to see their animal live and in person.

6th Grade takes a Trip to the Middle Ages


by Mike Young

This spring the 6th grade social studies classes took a trip to the Higgins Armory in Worcester, Massachusetts. This trip was held as a wrap up to their study of Ancient Rome, and as an introduction to their unit on the middle ages. The visit began with a wonderful presentation on the types of armor used in battle beginning with Greek soldiers and ending with the knights of the renaissance. Volunteers were given a chance to try on armor and witness first hand the protection given by chain mail garments. Students were then treated to a guided tour of the museum and given a wealth of information about the manufacturing, cost, and usage of the various types of armor and weapons on display.

The day ended with a hands on project which gave the students a chance to create their very own metal etching similar to those done on armor by the soldiers of the day. As a whole the trip was a big success, and students recommended that it be done for the sixth grade each year.

Black Hawk Visits Ashford School


by Carol Moran

On Monday, May 18th all students in Ashford School assembled outside to see a Black Hawk helicopter make a visit. Bob Mullady, Staff Sergeant from the CT National Guard, arranged to have “his” helicopter make the trip. He is responsible for maintenance and inspection of this particular UH-60 Blackhawk.

The helicopter arrived at 13:00 as scheduled and all students watched from a nearby blacktop. It passed over the cheering group, circled the school, and landed in the adjacent soccer field. Once the helicopter check was complete, students could approach and pass through the cabin. Many students also had the opportunity to sit in the cockpit.

Students in grades 1-4 had learned about the Blackhawk in enrichment class the week prior. Students learned about parts and their functions, the Blackhawk’s many purposes, identified forces of lift, gravity, thrust and drag, and developed questions for the pilots. The visit was also a complement to eighth grade students’ science unit on flight. These students stayed later with science teacher Annie Perkins to get a special lesson and ask questions of the pilots.