POM OPEN DISCUSSION

We should be well into our current POM by now. I created this discussion for families that might have questions or ideas about the current problem. Please post them in the comments section here so we can share with one another.

THE LATEST 4TH GRADE NEWS

CODS (See newly posted photos on previous blog.)

Their experiences continue to be a regular conversation point in our class meetings and lessons. One of the challenges presented at CODS was for learners to come up with a way to help their community as a “Miner of the Future”. Keep your eyes out for more information of how the 4th graders are meeting this challenge. They are planning on wearing their CODS green bandannas on Monday (and/or green shirts if they have them.) to help kick off this project. (A reminder: if you happen to have any of the shirts and dresses from school, we’d love for them to be returned so learners can have them available for next year.)

ROPES/PLPs

We know that learners are working very hard on their ROPES projects. We did a check-in on Monday and most reported good progress and a few butterflies. We’ll continue to be available to chat with learners about questions and feelings they have. We’ll schedule some in class sharing time in late May early June, so that everyone can showcase their hard work. Thank you for your facilitation and support of your learner during this big undertaking. We hope that it has been a rewarding experience for all, and welcome your feedback about the process.

LANGUAGE ARTS

We jumped right into focused work, by committing a large portion of the beginning of the week to the District Writing Assessments. All learners will have time to complete the assessments, which focus on one type of writing genre (summary of informational text). We’ll be putting our finishing touches on our in class summaries in the next week or so as well. We continue to work on word work with Kim Holl, as well as editing tips on conventions such as proper use of commas, capitalization, etc., and other topics through mini-lessons and writing conferences. Our last round of book groups will start in a couple of weeks. We’ll be reading some great novels and picture books that tie into important events surrounding many different Californians in the late 19th and early 20th century.

SCIENCE
(See “Science Rocks!” blog below.)

MATH

Math has been filled with the study of fractions, decimals, and percents. Learners have been discovering ways to add fractions with the use of a clock face. We have learned several new games to support these concepts. Many of these games are in the learners homework folders, so please encourage them to play some of them at home in the next few weeks. We also created posters that compared different sized fractions. The learners have learned a lot the past several weeks (pictures to follow). We will be moving into division next! We’re also continuing math studies in geometry and other areas. We plotted coordinates (x,y) on a coordinate grid to copy a design and then made our own designs using blank grids. We then explored this concept in SS using longitude and latitude to find ports of call in 1849. We also solved some math problems involving the number of people using the Panama Route vs. the Golden Horn Route, and then used that information to draw conclusions about those routes.

SOCIAL STUDIES

We’re slowly tying up the Gold Rush unit of study and moving forward in time. We don’t want to forget to thank Christian, Carmen’s dad for preparing and presenting an interesting lesson about the Gold Rush and it’s effect on California. The learners were able to use their new information from their visit to Coloma to address the interesting questions that Christian posed. In the next few weeks, learners will be choosing important people in history to focus on as part of a larger project that will hopefully synthesize much of the information we have learned this year. We will also begin to learn about SF after the gold rush in order to support the milestone in June.

FAB & SEL

We are using our Wednesday FAB time to focus on some important things. Christina, our beloved instructional assistant, is running a six-week unit on Social Emotional Learning. Although, classroom meetings and SEL language are used in the classroom, we’re sure these SEL related activities will be enriching for the learners and the classroom culture. Lucia is continuing to share her interest and talent in music and history. She’ll be focusing on preparing our merry group of sailors as they prepare for the Age of Sail through song, dance, and sailing lore and skills. We hope to have some other experts help us get us “ship shape” come June.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please send us an email at clc4@gmail.com. Thanks again for all of your support, from helping in the classroom and other school activities, to supporting field trips, to being your child’s cheerleader for ROPES and at least one thousand and two other things!

Warm regards,

Lale & Elysha

Science Rocks!

Our class has been studying rocks and minerals for the past couple of weeks. Stacy came by one day with bags full of her family's collection of rocks. She shared the collection of metamorphic, igneous and sedimentary rocks with the class. The children had very good observations that led them to note certain characteristics of these different types of rocks.

On another day the class used crayons to demonstrate the rock cycle. The learners each started with their single color igneous rocks (no grains, layers, or streaks). They made shavings of their "rocks" which represented erosion and combined and pressed different pieced together to create a layered, grainy sedimentary rock. They exposed these rocks to some more pressure and to heat which created metamorphic rock. They seemed to have a lot of fun creating pressure on their individual samples. It's not everyday that you get to stomp up and down on your work. You may seen their metamorphic rocks when they brought them home last week. The learners will continue to explore rocks and minerals in the upcoming weeks.

CODS: A Miner's Life

As you have heard and seen from your children, as well as from the parent chaperones, this trip was an amazing experience. It was so impressive to watch the children explore so many different facets of learning on so many levels. They should feel very proud of their accomplishments over the three days. Thank you so much to Vivian, Denise, Neil and Ross for being chaperones; to Amy for being backup; and to Pam, Sonya, and Amy for driving "stagecoaches". Thanks again to each and every one of you for supporting this trip. Watching them read your creative letters on the second day was very moving. They absolutely loved them! I witnessed many special moments like this throughout our time in Coloma.
From the moment the learners stepped beyond the "School in Session" sign, they were transported to 1849. They tackled many challenges and enjoyed many experiences similar to miners California searching for riches years ago. Making a shelter that can withstand the elements, bartering and buying supplies, making cornbread, singing, and learning about the hardships of mining towns Dry Diggin's or Humbug were just some of the fun to be had the first day.

CODS: Monroe Ridge Hike

Our second day included a hike that featured a lot of environmental education, including a professor walk, where the children learned facts about many native plants and then had the chance to teach that fact four times.  The naturalists showed evidence of the positive and negative impacts of the Gold Rush on the original inhabitants and on the natural landscape. A silent solo hike and eating an apple, core, stem and all, was also a part of the adventure. This wonderful day culminated in an evening talk under a large tree by the river. A local Native American culture keeper, Kimberly Shiningstar, held the learners captive with powerful stories, songs, drumming, and  facts about her life and her people.

CODS: KP, Gold Panning, Play Photos

A Visitor From the Russian American Company

Last week, we decided to go against logic and send a "message in a bottle" to one of the Commandants of the Russian American Company which was settled in the 1800's. There was a rumor that this has been the way CLC learners have reached people from history that are lost in time. Lo and behold, on Monday morning Baron Ferdinand Petrovich von Wrangel, an Estonian admiral, husband, and leader at Fort Ross appeared in Room 11! Baron von Wrangel is noted for helping foster good relations with the Alaskans, Coast Miwok, other local tribes and the Russians, as well as helping with conservation measures for a quickly disappearing otter population. He told us of his history, explained how his lineage is connected to Inga's (hence the strong familial resemblance), and described his life at Colony Ross. The learners, having studied his bio earlier, had interview questions for him as well. He took the time to write everyone's name in Cyrillic alphabet, but then he was off, back to sea to try to find a way back to his family and life 1800's. We are so grateful to have visitors like the Baron visit us and help us get a taste of what life was in the past. Later, Christine and Lale spent PE time with the learners learning the troika, a celebratory Russian dance. The learners reprised the dance with Christing the next day, with many learners dressed in clothing of the time period. Alas, Fort Ross was sold to John Sutter after a period of just about thirty years, and not to soon after, John Sutter's name would be famous for something else. Next week we'll continue to look to the sea to study how "Argonauts" sailed from places all over the world upon the news of gold in California. The Gold Rush is on!