Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Saturday, November 3, 2007
This week in 4th Grade...
Dear Families,
This week has been filled with excitement, lots of stimulation and fun! The Halloween carnival was a huge success. The learners loved dressing up in their costumes. They were also responsible for escorting their k/1 buddies to the event. They were very responsible and helped their buddies feel more comfortable in an often over stimulating environment. It was very impressive. Here are some photos from the day:
In Social Studies, we finished our group explorer presentations and posters. Learners have been working hard on these over the past few weeks. Each group was assigned a specific explorer. Then they researched their explorer and created a timeline based on their voyages, watercolored portraits, mapped their routes, and wrote a short report about their explorer and their significance in California history. The posters are up in the classroom. Please stop by and take a look at them. We were really impressed with how hard they worked on them. This was their first big group project, and they really did a fantastic job!
In math, learners began to experiment with double digit multiplication through the exploration of base ten blocks. Stacy taught a lesson on Thursday about the power of ten in multiplication. It was interesting to have the learners really think about what it meant to multiply by tens, instead of "you just add a zero". They were challenged to really think about this statement by looking at patterns and building equations with cubes, rods, and flats. Next week learners will continue to explore this concept looking at areas of rectangles and will continue their work on basic multiplication facts.
Please remind your learners to work on their spelling and keyboarding homework that is due at the beginning of next week.
Have a terrific sunny weekend!
This week has been filled with excitement, lots of stimulation and fun! The Halloween carnival was a huge success. The learners loved dressing up in their costumes. They were also responsible for escorting their k/1 buddies to the event. They were very responsible and helped their buddies feel more comfortable in an often over stimulating environment. It was very impressive. Here are some photos from the day:
In Social Studies, we finished our group explorer presentations and posters. Learners have been working hard on these over the past few weeks. Each group was assigned a specific explorer. Then they researched their explorer and created a timeline based on their voyages, watercolored portraits, mapped their routes, and wrote a short report about their explorer and their significance in California history. The posters are up in the classroom. Please stop by and take a look at them. We were really impressed with how hard they worked on them. This was their first big group project, and they really did a fantastic job!
In math, learners began to experiment with double digit multiplication through the exploration of base ten blocks. Stacy taught a lesson on Thursday about the power of ten in multiplication. It was interesting to have the learners really think about what it meant to multiply by tens, instead of "you just add a zero". They were challenged to really think about this statement by looking at patterns and building equations with cubes, rods, and flats. Next week learners will continue to explore this concept looking at areas of rectangles and will continue their work on basic multiplication facts.
Please remind your learners to work on their spelling and keyboarding homework that is due at the beginning of next week.
Have a terrific sunny weekend!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Field Trip To Lawrence Hall of Science
An exciting day was had at the Lawrence Hall of Science. Arrived
overlooking an overcast bay and climbed a life sized whale and an
enlarged DNA model. Walked around the inside and outside of a hands on
museum. Attended two exciting and very informative classes; Volts and
Jolts and ElectricCircuitry. Explored coils, magnets, circuits, wires, current and static electricity
, wires, lamps (light bulbs), batteries, series circuits and parallel
circuits. We drew representations of circuits, created
circuits,mimicked electrons with little green balls, and had a
"shocking" ending to our day atLHS.
Thanks to Susan, Emma, Jacqui, who helped pre-trip;
all of our drivers: Jessica, Jay, Tim, Jacqui(our alternate), Ginger,
Pam , Grace and (last minute add on), Yvonne; to the last 4 drivers
mentioned who problem solved when a car broke down while heading off to
start the trip,to Elisa and Daniel our teachers atLHS, and to all the families who fund and support field trips.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
LATEST 4TH GRADE UPDATE
ARTIFACT MUSEUM
It was nice to see the respect each learner exhibited towards everyones objects during our artifact museum time. In reflection, one learner shared, " I liked how everyone took it seriously." They really seemed to grasp the meaningfulness behind the activity. Learning that their own family has a rich history with a story to tell, as well as their fellow classmates, will hopefully add depth to learning the stories that are connected with California's history. A few photos are enclosed. Please visit our room to see the write ups and photos of each learner with their object displayed.
LAB DAY
It was all about Magnets for this week's Lab Day. After some free exploration with magnets last Friday, the learners continued their lesson with some observing lodestone, seeing what a magnet attracts/doesn't, seeing what a magnet can attract an object through, lines of magnetism (magnet's force field/lines of flux), and poles. We'll be continuing to answer questions in the weeks ahead.
BUDDIES
Robin and I really enjoyed being a part of the first K/1- 4 buddies meeting. The fourth graders really stepped up to the plate in their role as "big buddies". After singing, meeting new buddies, new handshakes, and some activity time, the fourth graders said the experience left them feeling, "proud", "like a teacher", "responsible" and "mature". They really felt good about themselves and their ability to help mentor a younger child.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
INVASION
Today our classroom was invaded by people from the land of the portables in the middle of math. Karrie and her class invaded our room because they liked our space. They noticed that we had lots of great resources that they could use. If we agreed to become portable people with them we received a sticker or a post it note. Some learners took stickers and others didn't. The learners with stickers were asked to sit on the rug and give up their desk spaces to the people from the land of the portables. Then they were asked to give them their snacks. Some learners obeyed because they were unsure what to do, but one group of learners refused to cooperate with the portable people and actually ended up dividing the learners from room 11. Karrie, the leader, noticed that we had lots of great supplies and asked for all our pencils. I offered the class set to prevent learners from getting their desks ransacked. Upset with the learners that wouldn't cooperate, the people from the land of the portables took three captives with them.
After the experience we reflected on what had happened. Learners talked about their feelings. They shared how they felt angry, invaded, confused, and sad. They also pointed out how much of a mess the portable people left our room in. I then asked them to think about why we did this activity. We made the connection to California history and what we knew about California. Learners connected that they were representing the Native Californian tribes who may have also had similar feelings when they encountered European Explorers. We used these emotions to write in our perspective journals from the perspective of a Native American who felt invaded by explorers. Here are some excerpts from their journals:
Dear Journal,
"When these unknown people came they took a lot. It felt awful and I was sad and scared. They took me to their land. They put me to work. They made me build, I had to nanny for their kids, I had to cook for them, I had to do everything. I felt like I was a slave." - Sam C.
"Today we saw a thing in the water. I learned later they were called boats. People walked off of them and they said that this was their land and I felt bad. I've been in this land for years. They wanted to trade. They messed things up. I felt lost." -Kaia
"They took me hostage. I kept on trying to escape. I succeeded a lot and then they grabbed me again. They held me tight, so tight it hurt."- Jasper
"I was not prepared for what came next. Three of our people were captured. I was confused and upset for I loved all my tribe dearly. I was scared that I might be next. As I said I will never forget the day that I first spotted that dot on the horizon and our lives were changed forever. No more deer roamed the green hills and meadows, no bears frolicked and played in the spring, and never again will life be the same without those three people who never came back." -Carmen
"Today a big group of people in a huge mob came and invaded our tribe. We were working when they invaded. They came in and said something like, "We are from the land of the portables! We like your goods! Let us use your fancy stuff! You are now part of the portables!" Then they made us give them our food. I felt half angry and half annoyed."- Ben
"Today a group of unknown people came into my tribe. They did not care for our space. I felt funny when they came in. They gave us stickers to take our resources. That felt unfair. They commanded us to do things. It was a bit confusing. They also took our food. They even took our people!!!" -Jake
"Today people came to our land. They took our things, our food, our land, they even took some of us! When they first arrived I felt scared, confused, and especially mistreated. They had came without asking. We were here first! This is our land!"
- Camille
"They took our stuff and all we got back was post it notes and stickers. They took some or our people captive. It was the worst experience in my life. They trashed our land and left their stuff. Why us?" -Katie
For homework tonight, learners are asked to share this experience with their families and answer some specific questions about their feelings and what this experience meant in relationship to early California exploration.
After the experience we reflected on what had happened. Learners talked about their feelings. They shared how they felt angry, invaded, confused, and sad. They also pointed out how much of a mess the portable people left our room in. I then asked them to think about why we did this activity. We made the connection to California history and what we knew about California. Learners connected that they were representing the Native Californian tribes who may have also had similar feelings when they encountered European Explorers. We used these emotions to write in our perspective journals from the perspective of a Native American who felt invaded by explorers. Here are some excerpts from their journals:
Dear Journal,
"When these unknown people came they took a lot. It felt awful and I was sad and scared. They took me to their land. They put me to work. They made me build, I had to nanny for their kids, I had to cook for them, I had to do everything. I felt like I was a slave." - Sam C.
"Today we saw a thing in the water. I learned later they were called boats. People walked off of them and they said that this was their land and I felt bad. I've been in this land for years. They wanted to trade. They messed things up. I felt lost." -Kaia
"They took me hostage. I kept on trying to escape. I succeeded a lot and then they grabbed me again. They held me tight, so tight it hurt."- Jasper
"I was not prepared for what came next. Three of our people were captured. I was confused and upset for I loved all my tribe dearly. I was scared that I might be next. As I said I will never forget the day that I first spotted that dot on the horizon and our lives were changed forever. No more deer roamed the green hills and meadows, no bears frolicked and played in the spring, and never again will life be the same without those three people who never came back." -Carmen
"Today a big group of people in a huge mob came and invaded our tribe. We were working when they invaded. They came in and said something like, "We are from the land of the portables! We like your goods! Let us use your fancy stuff! You are now part of the portables!" Then they made us give them our food. I felt half angry and half annoyed."- Ben
"Today a group of unknown people came into my tribe. They did not care for our space. I felt funny when they came in. They gave us stickers to take our resources. That felt unfair. They commanded us to do things. It was a bit confusing. They also took our food. They even took our people!!!" -Jake
"Today people came to our land. They took our things, our food, our land, they even took some of us! When they first arrived I felt scared, confused, and especially mistreated. They had came without asking. We were here first! This is our land!"
- Camille
"They took our stuff and all we got back was post it notes and stickers. They took some or our people captive. It was the worst experience in my life. They trashed our land and left their stuff. Why us?" -Katie
For homework tonight, learners are asked to share this experience with their families and answer some specific questions about their feelings and what this experience meant in relationship to early California exploration.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Running of the Bulls
Today has been a busy one. This morning we continued learning subtraction methods for solving problems. So far the learners are becoming familiar with the open number line and the trade first methods (similar to borrowing, but using base ten blocks first to understand what is being traded). Today we learned a new strategy. I was at first puzzled by how this method worked, and some learners left today with questions about how to figure out why. In this method you use some rules:
1. Subtract from left to right, one column at a time
2. Always subtract the smaller number for the larger number.
-If the smaller number is on top, the difference is subtracted from the answer
-If the smaller number is on the bottom, the difference is added to the answer
Example:
846
-363
subtract the hundreds 800- 300= +500
subtract the tens 60-40= -20
subtract the ones 6-3= +3
Find the total 500-20+3= 483
Some learners have a couple more of these problems to complete at home tonight. See if you can figure out why it works?
We also started our problem of the month today in class. We completed Level A of the Wheel Shop today and then created "status posters" to show our thinking and how we approached the problems. It was really exciting to see the learners share and explain their work.
Today we also continued with our gummy bear experiments. Learners created testable questions and then came today with materials to find out what would happen. What do you think will happen to a gummy bear soaked in soy sauce, what about a gummy bear frozen in mineral water? We will observe the results tomorrow and share.
We had our first all school assembly today to read for the record the story of Ferdinand. Learners simulated a running of the bulls before we read the book. It was a lot of fun.
1. Subtract from left to right, one column at a time
2. Always subtract the smaller number for the larger number.
-If the smaller number is on top, the difference is subtracted from the answer
-If the smaller number is on the bottom, the difference is added to the answer
Example:
846
-363
subtract the hundreds 800- 300= +500
subtract the tens 60-40= -20
subtract the ones 6-3= +3
Find the total 500-20+3= 483
Some learners have a couple more of these problems to complete at home tonight. See if you can figure out why it works?
We also started our problem of the month today in class. We completed Level A of the Wheel Shop today and then created "status posters" to show our thinking and how we approached the problems. It was really exciting to see the learners share and explain their work.
Today we also continued with our gummy bear experiments. Learners created testable questions and then came today with materials to find out what would happen. What do you think will happen to a gummy bear soaked in soy sauce, what about a gummy bear frozen in mineral water? We will observe the results tomorrow and share.
We had our first all school assembly today to read for the record the story of Ferdinand. Learners simulated a running of the bulls before we read the book. It was a lot of fun.
Writer's Workshop Experience
There have been many things going on in the classroom the past couple of weeks. Here's just a sample...
Writer's Workshop
We had the most wonderful writing session a few days ago. After reading a book called, I'm in Charge of Celebrations, a story of a Native American who writes about and celebrates things observed in nature, we took off with our Writer's Notebooks to the grove of tall trees at the end of the playground. Learners found a quiet spot and started writing. Later, we came back to the room, we "lifted lines" from our notebooks. We read in popcorn style, where one learner shares and another does right after, with no raising of hands or calling on someone. What transpired sounded like a perfect piece of poetry to hear so many learners volunteering beautiful and diverse writing about what they observed in the grove of trees.
Writer's Workshop usually follows a similar model. A minilesson on craft, this time sharing a good piece of writing, focused writing time, and a time for sharing. We are going to use our "seeds" we are collecting these few weeks, to write a narrative/memoir. We continue where the 2/3 left off, increasing stamina for writing and expectations during the writing process.
Writer's Workshop
We had the most wonderful writing session a few days ago. After reading a book called, I'm in Charge of Celebrations, a story of a Native American who writes about and celebrates things observed in nature, we took off with our Writer's Notebooks to the grove of tall trees at the end of the playground. Learners found a quiet spot and started writing. Later, we came back to the room, we "lifted lines" from our notebooks. We read in popcorn style, where one learner shares and another does right after, with no raising of hands or calling on someone. What transpired sounded like a perfect piece of poetry to hear so many learners volunteering beautiful and diverse writing about what they observed in the grove of trees.
Writer's Workshop usually follows a similar model. A minilesson on craft, this time sharing a good piece of writing, focused writing time, and a time for sharing. We are going to use our "seeds" we are collecting these few weeks, to write a narrative/memoir. We continue where the 2/3 left off, increasing stamina for writing and expectations during the writing process.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
First Science Lab Days
We started the day on Tuesday knowing that a guest scientist would be visiting our classroom. Interesting to note, several learners asked when "he" would be arriving. Some were surprised to find out that not only was the scientist a woman, it was our very own Resource and Curriculum Coordinator, Stacy Emory. She squashed any doubts that a woman can't be a scientist. Stacy gave the children some background on her life as a scientist and facilitated an engaging discussion about what scientists do. Children came up will all sorts of ideas and agreed that all scientists ask questions. The question of day was in regards to covering a gummy bear in room temperature water for 16 hours. I am sure you heard about the results we happened upon the next morning. The children got to practice important data collecting behaviors including measuring with metric rulers and graduated cylinders, weighing the bears on scales, drawing visual observations both before and after, and writing notes about the experiment. It was a great way to kick off Science instruction and exploring the scientific process. Next up, the learners will create their own gummy bear experiment based on the new questions that were created from conducting the experiment. The enthusiasm and learning about science will hopefully carry over to our first unit on Magnets as well as our upcoming field trips to USGS and the Lawrence Hall of Science in October.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Picasso Portraits
Here are some samples of our Picasso study last week. We used the cubist style to create portraits. Stop by the classroom to see all of the portraits.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Math About Us
This morning we spent some time collecting data about us. We measured our heights, our arm spans and our hand spans. We also figured out who could roll their tongues, which hands were our dominant hands, and if our earlobes were connected. We collected the data and recorded it as a class. As a class we talked about how we could organize the data in a way that made it easy to see. The learners felt that graphs would work best. We talked about lots of different ways to graph data. Tomorrow the learners will be responsible for graphing some of the data, and on Friday they will design class surveys and graphs on their own. We also completed our first number talk today. This was designed for the learners to get comfortable with what a number talk feels like in our classroom.
Here are some pictures:
Here are some pictures:
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
A SNOWSTORM in August?
Dear Fabulous Fourth Grade Families,
Today was a really great first day of school! The learners were enthusiastic and worked hard all day. It was really great to see them interact as a group. We were quite impressed! It sure did heat up towards the end of the day, but this morning we experienced a snowstorm in class. Please ask your learner to tell you about it, if they haven't already. It was a fun way to get to know more about one another. We have included video so you can see all the excitement. Paula was worried that we might have to call today a snow day!
The learners noticed right away that the biggest change with fourth grade was the number of bodies in the room. We spent part of the day talking about how we work together in groups effectively. We gave them the task of working together with puzzle pieces that created four rectangles. The learners were quite confident that they could accomplish this until we told them they couldn't talk, gesture, point, etc. to communicate with each other. The learners did a fantastic job working together in total silence. After the activity we brainstormed a list of qualities needed to be a successful group member and what the experience was like for them. Here are some pictures of the activity:
We also created a KWL for fourth grade. The learners had some interesting knows, wants and wishes for the year. Some of their thoughts included:
What do you know about fourth grade?
We do ROPES
We learn about the Gold Rush
We go on two overnights
There is more homework
It will be fun
What do you wonder about the fourth grade?
Do we have free choice
When is homework due, daily/weekly
What is PE going to be like
What are the binders for
What are your wishes for the fourth grade?
To do better in school this year
To make new friends
To get to know Emma better
Please remember that tomorrow is a full day. School gets out at 3:00. It was hot today and we didn't have bottled water in the classroom yet, so please send your learner to school with plenty of fluids. Also, please remember to look at our classroom website. There is tons of information about all the field trips and milestones this year, fun things to do with your family, and lots of resources about fourth grade curriculum. We hope you find it useful. The supply list can be downloaded directly from the document library if you need it.
We are looking forward to a fantastic and fun year. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Kindly,
Elysha and Lale
Today was a really great first day of school! The learners were enthusiastic and worked hard all day. It was really great to see them interact as a group. We were quite impressed! It sure did heat up towards the end of the day, but this morning we experienced a snowstorm in class. Please ask your learner to tell you about it, if they haven't already. It was a fun way to get to know more about one another. We have included video so you can see all the excitement. Paula was worried that we might have to call today a snow day!
The learners noticed right away that the biggest change with fourth grade was the number of bodies in the room. We spent part of the day talking about how we work together in groups effectively. We gave them the task of working together with puzzle pieces that created four rectangles. The learners were quite confident that they could accomplish this until we told them they couldn't talk, gesture, point, etc. to communicate with each other. The learners did a fantastic job working together in total silence. After the activity we brainstormed a list of qualities needed to be a successful group member and what the experience was like for them. Here are some pictures of the activity:
We also created a KWL for fourth grade. The learners had some interesting knows, wants and wishes for the year. Some of their thoughts included:
What do you know about fourth grade?
We do ROPES
We learn about the Gold Rush
We go on two overnights
There is more homework
It will be fun
What do you wonder about the fourth grade?
Do we have free choice
When is homework due, daily/weekly
What is PE going to be like
What are the binders for
What are your wishes for the fourth grade?
To do better in school this year
To make new friends
To get to know Emma better
Please remember that tomorrow is a full day. School gets out at 3:00. It was hot today and we didn't have bottled water in the classroom yet, so please send your learner to school with plenty of fluids. Also, please remember to look at our classroom website. There is tons of information about all the field trips and milestones this year, fun things to do with your family, and lots of resources about fourth grade curriculum. We hope you find it useful. The supply list can be downloaded directly from the document library if you need it.
We are looking forward to a fantastic and fun year. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Kindly,
Elysha and Lale
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