MOST POPULAR VIDEOS

• 00:49 Fall Fest Fun with 4th Grade!
  Uploaded Nov 03, 2021 by Katherine Cooper
• 2:48 June 6-10, 2022 6th Grade Energy Fair: Room 114

  This slideshow highlights our 6th grade class from Room 114 presenting their Energy Fair Projects at our First Ever Decatur Classical Energy Fair! Students worked in cooperative groups to showcase their research and models on various forms of energy and how we can use renewable energy sources to meet all of our energy needs and make our world more sustainable for the future! A special thank you to Decatur Parent, Ms. Megan Zack, Associate Partner and Director of Sustainability for Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, which specializes in innovative green building technologies, and also Ms. Liz Wimmer, Program Manager for Illinois Green Alliance, who took time out of their days to also present at our Decatur Energy Fair!

  Uploaded Jun 11, 2022 by Gerard Kovach
• 2:43 Makerspace: Sep.14 - 18

  In Makerspace, students read 'In My Heart', exploring various feelings we may experience at any one time.
  
  To help them overcome moments of frustration or periods of overwhelm, students recorded their own 'growth mindset' messages, on a cardboard heart before wrapping them,
  
  These hearts will serve as a reminder that even though we are physically apart, we are still connected as a Decatur community. The hearts will also serve as a 'talking piece' during talking circles in class.
  
  During this process, students explored new techniques with creating designs with yarn (learning how to wrap shapes & letters). Students used these techniques to brainstorm their own creation out of yarn following the 'Engineering Design Process'. Stay tuned to see these students' creations next week!
  

  Uploaded Sep 21, 2020
• 00:26 Photos from the week of Oct 7-11

  This week 4th graders worked on seeing how particle collisions work using pennies and how sound waves work through homemade telephones. 5th graders created an energy pyramid to help them understand the interconnectedness of ecosystems and continued creating an ecosystem in their terrariums.

  Uploaded Oct 11, 2019 by Ryan Cherry
• 1:04 Pinball Machines!

  A few of the pinball machines students made by collaborating with their tablemates!

  Uploaded Mar 12, 2023 by Nina Placido
• 00:08 Science Week 10

  Students were working in groups this week to sort through evidence and make a claim. A claim is a proposed answer to a question. Students were working to answer the question, "Which island's weather is most like the weather where orangutans live?"

  Uploaded Nov 05, 2021 by LeiAnna Carrasco
• 00:26 Time Spent Outside of School Data Analysis and Collaboration Featured

  Another 4th grade class in Huntington Indiana and both Decatur 4th grade classes collaborated together to collect data about how 4th graders in different parts of the Midwest spend their time. Students shared their data between each school and analyzed the data before sharing it with our sister class in Indiana in a live Google Meet. Students got to hear about what it was like to live in Chicago compared to Huntington as well as ask each other questions about what we saw in the data.

  Uploaded Sep 17, 2022 by Ryan Cherry
• 3:44 Week 7 of 2022-23 | 5th-8th Grade Science

  This week's slideshow highlights: several pics of students practicing the NGSS Science & Engineering Practices of Analyzing & Interpreting Data as well as Engaging in Argument from Evidence while sharing their ideas in front of their classes; 7th grade continued exploring Cells with a lab on Cellular Respiration; 8th grade continued exploring Forces and Motion with lab investigations on the role of imbalanced vs balanced forces on an object's direction and speed; 6th grade continued investigating the question of "Where should we store nuclear wastes?" by analyzing geologic data patterns of global earthquakes and volcanoes; 5th grade continued digging deeper into their "Solar System & Beyond" astronomy unit with a simulation on how to explain the Earth's Moon's phases; several pics and a video of students enjoying time with our classroom pet Bearded Dragon, Curtiss, and our Lake Michigan aquatic ecosystem; and each class strengthened their classroom community today with cashing-in their hard-earned incentive points for displaying Decatur's 3 Core Values of "Being Present-Enduring Challenges-Taking Care of Each Other" with some SEL game time! Thanks for checking in with us this week:)

  Uploaded Oct 07, 2022 by Gerard Kovach
• 00:54 Welcome Back Decatur!

  In Makerspace, students are digging into the design process by designing index card towers. Students are choosing either to create the tallest tower they can or recreating a famous structure. Enjoy!

  Uploaded Sep 09, 2021
• 1:51 4th Grade Debate: Who Should Own the Woods?
  Uploaded Dec 20, 2019 by Katherine Cooper