Marvelous Math with Mrs. Rose

I’ve been working with second graders to create a life-size model of a “Yeti,” also known as a “Rock Monster,” “Abominable Snowman,” or “Big Foot.”  They are researching and deciding if this mythical creature from the Himalayan Mountains is fact or fiction.

After inspecting the measurement of an explorer’s rendering of a Yeti footprint, students decided that the Yeti’s foot must be twice as long and wide as their own.  They then used this ratio to create a model of the Yeti, after measuring their own body measurements and doubling them.

Look at their results!

Second graders at Ryerson School compare the height of the Yeti model to their own height.

Second graders at Island Avenue School show off their completed Yeti model.  Students worked cooperatively in groups to create a body part for the Yeti and then assembled those parts to complete the model.

In this project, students practiced important skills of exact measurement; made reasonable judgements regarding estimated measurements; and they explored ratios and problem-solving.

Kudos to these second graders on a job well done!!!

On St. Patrick’s Day, students and staff at Ryerson School were treated to some traditional Irish Step Dancing, performed by current and former students.

Fourth-grader Meghan Lewis and third-grader Abigail Murphy were among the performers!  Student learned about the traditions of Step Dancing and even had the chance to learn a few steps from these talented girls!

Many thanks to our very own Irish steppers for sharing this exciting cultural event with us!

In honor of “Connecticut Loves to Read Week,” Ryerson PTO sponsored a visit from famous children’s author, Mark Kimball Moulton,  to our school.  He visited with students from all grade levels and read excerpts from his books.  Mr. Moulton also spoke about how he gets ideas for his writing and inspired our students with their own writing ideas.

Our students enjoyed hearing Mr. Moulton read Scarecrow Pete aloud to them.  Check out this book and more of the author’s wonderful children’s books in our library!