Just before our winter break, the third grade class completed a unit on how things work. They investigated what might make a machine do what it does.
At the end of their unit, they invited the whole school to watch as different groups of students made their wonderful contraptions come to life.
Citizen Scientists
Take a look at the video to see what the students made – in action!
This activity was inspired by Rube Goldberg machines. To take it a step further, the third graders used this as inspiration for several centering lessons on chain reactions in their emotional and social lives.
When the kids were working collaboratively, they had to use these things to receive full credit:
At least three simple machines
At least five exchanges of force
Examples of friction
Examples of gravity
And, of course, teamwork.
This presentation of their machines was the culmination of the entire unit. Students did several experiments based on the scientific method that helped them build upon their prior knowledge for this activity.
It’s pretty amazing how just a little rolling ball can have such a powerful impact on integrated systems.
Of course, this unit blends in so well with our theme of systems thinking this year.
But did you know that all three of her daughters attended Rainbow at one time? Or that they’re making names for themselves in big ways?
Sallie Ford
Sue’s daughter Sallie, all of 27, is not only “googleable” but, she’s even in Wikipedia!
Her musical talents are getting noticed in New York and beyond.
She’s rocking out with her all-female band. With her distinctive style, she marches out with a raw-soul sound in her music. She lives in Portland when she’s not touring.
Sue’s daughter, Lauren Ford, is living in New York City and loves it!
She went there to pursue her dream of acting and was trained at Emerson College in Boston. She graduated in 2005 with honors and won the Carol Burnett award – the highest award offered to any student graduating in performing arts.
She’d already made waves before that: while still living in Asheville, she won the “Best Actor” award from ACT when she was just 13 for her portrayal of Anne Frank.
She moved to NYC in 2007 and worked off broadway, in touring companies and in regional theater.
As you can imagine, it’s really tough to make it in New York and she keeps herself very busy working multiple jobs including coat check girl with a fancy Manhattan restaurant, leading sake and whisky tastings, babysitting, working with flowers and plants and working for a catering company.
Those are her day jobs while her dream becomes reality.
Louisa Ford, 24, moved to Portland two years ago after graduating from Appalachian State University with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and a concentration in Sustainable Development.
She is living in Portland trying different jobs including waitressing, hostessing, working in a children’s museum, and teaching tap dance lessons.
She’s a musician too and she tap dances, plays guitar and sings all at the same time.
All three girls are singers and songwriters – hmm…we wonder where they got that from?
Sue Ford is extremely proud of her daughters. Every day she smiles at how proud they make her.
Something they all have in common is Rainbow.
And wouldn’t you know, Sue’s husband, Hobey Ford is coming to Rainbow for a puppeteer performance in the auditorium in February!
The third grade class just completed a unit on the Legend of Chocolate in Spanish. Their Spanish teacher, Cynthia, worked with West, their third grade teacher, to create a unit that would complement what the students were learning in their main classroom.
Students studied about how things work – machines, phones, etc. – in their main classroom lessons and in Spanish class, students learned about where chocolate came from.
At the end of the unit, third graders got a chance to see how chocolate is made, and how the machines work to make all that chocolate.
In their Spanish unit, students learned many new vocabulary words such as food (comida), drink (bebida), the Toltecs (los Toltecas), as well as many more vocabulary words.
They learned abut Quetzalcoatl, the god of Light and Tezcatlipoca, the god of darkness. Quetzalcoatl was the god to bring the food of the gods – chocolate – to the people, especially when they were so hungry. He taught them to farm, and how to turn cacao into a chocolate drink fit for the gods!
Third graders at the French Broad Chocolate Tasting Room
From there, they learned the mythical story about where chocolate originated. They learned the story in Spanish and even learned to recite it.
At the end of the unit, they took a field trip to the French Broad Chocolate Factory and had a tour of the Tasting Room. They listened to Evan, a Chocolatier, talk about cacao, where it comes from, how the Chocolatiers turn the cacao beans into chocolate and how they try to be as sustainable as possible in the process.
The crew at the French Broad Chocolate Factory led everyone into their “back rooms” where students could see all the machines at work. From rinsing, to sifting the cacao beans, to grinding them down into chocolate, they were able to see the entire process from start to finish.
Students sampled chocolate – the dark, unsweet kind directly derived from cacao – from different regions and it has a different taste from different regions!
Learning about chocolate and cacao
At the end of the presentation, the third graders performed the skit of the Legend of Chocolate in Spanish for the French Broad Chocolate Lounge Staff.
Did you know that the French Broad Chocolate Factory uses solar power to heat all its water? And that they make every attempt to source all their ingredients locally?
They also deal only with farms that use fair trade in their practices. In fact, the owners and employees make trips to cacao farms in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Peru and help harvest the cacao by hand.
They have developed mutually beneficial relationships with farmers in those countries.
Watching the grinding machine take off the outer shell of cacao.
Rainbow would like to extend a special thank you to the Chocolatiers – especially Evan – for a wonderful lesson on chocolate, sustainability, how things work, and the idea of being as responsible to the planet and to each other as possible!
Rainbow, as you may know, has a partnership with Children First.
Quite a few of the service learning projects on campus, as well as the Fall Harvest Hoedown directly benefit Children First/Communities in Schools of Buncombe County.
Because at this year’s holiday program, The Festival of Lights, we are going to present Children First a check for $1,036. This number is 25% of the total funds raised by the Hoedown event.
Sue’s daughter Sallie, all of 27, is not only “googleable” but, she’s even in 
Louisa Ford, 24, moved to Portland two years ago after graduating from Appalachian State University with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and a concentration in Sustainable Development.
