Students have been experimenting with Force and Motion in both Science and Engineering. Here is a brief video highlighting their small group experiments using marbles and pipe insulation!
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In an effort to keep parents and students informed about our weekly activity, I will be posting our weekly news in digital form, here in our blog. I hope this is a useful resource for all!
During our current Science unit on Forces and Motion, students are experimenting with how can energy be moved from place to place. In synchronicity, Mr. April is exploring Rube Goldberg machines in Engineering. Here is a video he produced with the class creating their own machines! It has been a creative and fun first trimester! We have experimented with different classroom configurations, work stations and hands on learning opportunities and collaborative small group activities. There is still much more to come! Our station work in Social Studies is a big hit! Students learn Map Skills at Station #1, at #2: State Research, #3: Native American Tribes of the Region; #4: Natural Resources of the Region and #5: Matching Activities for States and Capitals). In our Canada unit, students demonstrated independence in their small groups and were able to work cooperatively in their learning (see photos, above).
Our Mexico unit culminated in a Fiesta, with homemade salsa and quesadillas (delicioso!) We are wrapping up our Novel Studies with 3 short books, (Stone Fox, Magic Finger and Tornado). Students are completing their final projects, this week! Stay tuned to see what wonderful projects they create! Open House is on Thursday, September 15th from 5:00-6:30.
Everyone will meet in the cafeteria first, and then you are invited to visit our classroom, Room 213. I will be conducting a tutorial in my class at 5:45 pm to show parents how to access the Google Classroom platform. If you are interested, make sure to be in our room at that time. The Book Fair will be open for families to enjoy, as well! Other news: We will visit the Book Fair on Tuesday to view the books that are for sale. We will return on Friday to purchase items. Please send in money with your child if you are interested in purchasing books on Friday. The Book Fair will also be open during the Open House. I look forward to meeting you all there! In our district wide study of the Self-regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) for writing, we have been emphasizing the importance of Positive Self-Talk, along with a growth mindset. Last week, each student came up with a phrase that they can say to themselves whenever they are faced with a learning obstacle. And if they forget their phrase, we run a slideshow of their quotes to keep everyone on track! Please feel free to bring your child back to this page, whenever they need a reminder of their own positive self talk! The new school year is fully underway, and I am so thrilled to get to know these fantastic 4th grade scholars!
The classroom library has been updated, with an all new organization! The layout of our room is still evolving as we discover the different types of learners in our community and what kind of environment works best for us. Student work is already on display, in anticipation of our Open House, on September 15th! I am excited to meet all the parents of my students! I hope to see you there! Students have been working hard on creating a mini golf course for Field Day. The projects are beautiful! Students have been working collaboratively on 4 individual holes, designed by students in our class. The whole school will have an opportunity to play these holes on Friday, June 10th. Take a look at the results! The students made their presentations about immigration on Friday April 29th. They did a fantastic job of sharing their learning with peers. We shared banana bread and had the trophy presentation for the Golf Course Designs. It was a terrific event! Students have been using what they have learned about lines, rays, angles, perimeter and area to design and build miniature putt-putt golf holes. Each student was tasked to design a single hole, using all of the geometric elements we had discussed in class. Once the design was complete and approved, the student budgeted for the project and built a model of the hole, obstacles and all. Now that the models are done, students have voted on the holes for "Best Design", "Most Challenging", "Greatest (or Least) Area" or "Perimeter" and "Most (or Least) Expensive". Awards will be presented in class on April 29th.
As a class, we will be choosing 4 of the 12 designs and use the 1"=1' scale models to construct actual mini golf hole for our school Field Day! We are so excited! |
A little about meI am a mom, lover of dogs, an enthusiastic traveler and a fan of college basketball. I am also a strong believer of hands-on-learning. Archives
March 2017
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