March 3, 2010

THE DEBATE IS ON!

After the class decided upon a topic to debate, they were alloted a few days after school

to do research to support their arguments 'For and Against School Uniforms'.

The activity maintained a very professional tone as the female participants (it turned

out to be a day without a male presence other than the instructor) carefully constructed

their arguments and counter-arguments. One of the groups even presented the debaters

with images printed from websites of school uniforms. It was an enlightening day as both

teams brought up valid points and everyone ended up a winner.

Preparing for the first argument AGAINST school uniforms.

Another opinion.

The debate heats up!

A calm and collected comeback.

Referencing photos.

The closing remarks.

March 1, 2010

Having fun while using fractions, VMNH MHC after 3 students sit down
to find probabilities with candies. They were instructed to select a number of candies and

make note of the colors that appeared. After 18 successive selections, they were asked to make comparisons of the probability of retreiving each color with what they actually found while doing the hands-on experiment. In the end, the sweet candies were enjoyed,

but only after a little math was 'sorted out'.

Selecting candies from the bags.



Students make comparisons and calculations,



Make note of their results,



And then share them with the class for study!

On February 26, 2010, the students were asked to look for representations of 'wealth' in the United States and glue them to one side of a poster board. Then, on the opposite side they were asked what the word 'rich' and 'wealth' meant to many other people in the world.

On the U.S. side images of music, art and leisure, cars, fast food, medication, beauty products, pocket books, money, jewelery, credit cards, diamonds, and technology appeared.

On the other side, the students defined 'wealth' in a very different way by cutting out images representing family, love, happiness, rain, food, culture, freedom, shelter, water, and clothing.

Cutting and pasting...

Identifying the images.

Compiling the ideas.


The final products!

Shooting hoops

On February 16, 2010, the VMNH MHC-after 3 group decided to head down to Wilson Park and brave the chilly temperatures. It didn't take long to warm up playing an intense game of basketball, where the students and instructors soon forgot that it was barely 40 degrees.

Who's got it?

'Taking it out' after the other team sunk a basket.

Was that a SWISH I heard? "Who's open? I need help over here!"

VMNH Kids Go Nutty!

The group at VMNH enjoyed the Nutty Investigation program last Thursday. They determined which nuts were the hardest to crack, and then they found out which nuts had the highest fat content. After completing the experiments, they created graphs to show their data. One of the participants had a theory about the two nut characteristics: she said that perhaps the nuts that were the hardest to crack were more likely to have a higher fat content.

Martinsville YMCA

The students at the Martinsville YMCA After 3 site counted, sorted, and made estimations of beans on Monday. Then they made bean bags and created their own bean bag tossing games. They were all still playing the games when I had to leave for the evening!

Look out!

Collinsville YMCA- Ramps, Force, and Motion

The MHC After 3 students at the Collinsville YMCA built ramps of different heights to discover how the ramp height affects the distance a ball will travel. They tested their predictions and recorded the actual results. They then created graphs to illustrate their results. At the end of the program, they tried to create a ramp to make the ball roll as far as possible.