Our Kennedy fifth graders are learning about Birds of Prey. As part of their study, Mrs. Kroeber (a fifth grade teacher) has been sharing a live "Eagle Cam" with her class. Yesterday our class viewed the "Eagle Cam" when the mother eagle was feeding her babies. Last night a third eagle chick was born. The students really enjoyed seeing these animals in their natural habitat.
If you or your child would like to see the live eagle cam, you can find it here. I told the class I would post it so that the kids may continue to keep track of the birds if they are interested.
Have a great weekend! Enjoy the beautiful weather.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
St. Patrick's Day Activities:
This morning we all gave our St. Patrick's Day Leprechaun speeches. Everyone did a great job! Below are the videos of the kids who wanted to be recorded, and photos of those who were reluctant to be taped. Below the speeches is a video, starring two of our students, showing the class how to remove the string and penny from the leprechaun and showing how to put it back on.
Here are Ellie and Bobby showing us how the "Leprechaun on the Loose" works!
This morning we all gave our St. Patrick's Day Leprechaun speeches. Everyone did a great job! Below are the videos of the kids who wanted to be recorded, and photos of those who were reluctant to be taped. Below the speeches is a video, starring two of our students, showing the class how to remove the string and penny from the leprechaun and showing how to put it back on.
Here are Ellie and Bobby showing us how the "Leprechaun on the Loose" works!
Monday, March 7, 2011
A Visit from Meteorologist Kevin Lemanowicz
Today, meteorologist Kevin Lemanowicz came to Kennedy! He discussed many different aspects of weather. He allowed the children to ask many questions! Unfortunately, he did NOT bring his video camera, so our fourth graders will not be on television. I hope you enjoy these photos of his visit.
In addition, your child may mention that our test has been postponed until Friday. I think that the children could use a bit of review of the concepts discussed in this chapter. Our test will be FRIDAY, March 11, 2011.
In addition, your child may mention that our test has been postponed until Friday. I think that the children could use a bit of review of the concepts discussed in this chapter. Our test will be FRIDAY, March 11, 2011.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Our Week In Review
We made it! The first week back from vacation was a challenge, but we did great!
In Math, we began a unit learning about Area and Perimeter. This is a short unit, and we will already be taking our Unit 8 test next week. Here are a couple of websites your child can use to practice area and perimeter.
*For information on each, click here.
*Fun Brain
*Math Playground (practice measuring)
In English, we began learning about adverbs. The parts of speech are starting to get tricky to remember. Use the links below to watch the Schoolhouse Rock videos on each topic (I have used the site teachertube.com, and there is a short ad before each video. You can also find the videos by searching on YouTube).
*nouns
*verbs
*adjectives
*adverbs
We wrapped up a writing prompt this week. The topic that the students had to write about was " A Time I Was Helpful". Ask your child what he/she chose to write about this time.
This afternoon we went to the computer lab and spent 45 min-1 hour using different sites to research about Washington, DC and the monuments. This was the last bit of research we will do at school. There are a few books in the classroom that the children may borrow. I also recommend that they use the Internet (with parent permission) to find more information as needed. Some of the children chose monuments that were not linked from our page, so they may have to look a little deeper if they choose those monuments. Here is the link to our class website, with a few sites already book marked about this. This site might help if your child has chosen the Smithsonian. There are many more sites that can be found.
You may have heard that we have started a unit on Mythology. The children are really excited about this unit of study, and many of them have already read many myths. We will continue to learn about mythology for the next few weeks.
*For information on each, click here.
*Fun Brain
*Math Playground (practice measuring)
In English, we began learning about adverbs. The parts of speech are starting to get tricky to remember. Use the links below to watch the Schoolhouse Rock videos on each topic (I have used the site teachertube.com, and there is a short ad before each video. You can also find the videos by searching on YouTube).
*nouns
*verbs
*adjectives
*adverbs
We wrapped up a writing prompt this week. The topic that the students had to write about was " A Time I Was Helpful". Ask your child what he/she chose to write about this time.
This afternoon we went to the computer lab and spent 45 min-1 hour using different sites to research about Washington, DC and the monuments. This was the last bit of research we will do at school. There are a few books in the classroom that the children may borrow. I also recommend that they use the Internet (with parent permission) to find more information as needed. Some of the children chose monuments that were not linked from our page, so they may have to look a little deeper if they choose those monuments. Here is the link to our class website, with a few sites already book marked about this. This site might help if your child has chosen the Smithsonian. There are many more sites that can be found.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
March Comes In Like a Lion
Returning from vacation is always a little tough, but we all hung in there and managed well. We are making it through our first full week!
In the next few weeks, the children will be working on two at home projects: the Four Door Washington, D.C. booklet and the March speech. We watched a short video and saw a power point presentation on the monuments, and we will be researching in the computer lab on Friday for the Washington, D.C. booklet, and then the rest of the project will be completed at home. The children should be working on both of these projects in the next week, as a regular part of homework. You will notice that some nights (last night, for instance) there is much less written homework than usual. Some nights, though, there will be the regular amount of homework. It will be important for the students to work throughout this time, so that there isn't a lot of panic the night before the assignment is due. This is great time management practice.
Look for a full blog update later in the week!
In the next few weeks, the children will be working on two at home projects: the Four Door Washington, D.C. booklet and the March speech. We watched a short video and saw a power point presentation on the monuments, and we will be researching in the computer lab on Friday for the Washington, D.C. booklet, and then the rest of the project will be completed at home. The children should be working on both of these projects in the next week, as a regular part of homework. You will notice that some nights (last night, for instance) there is much less written homework than usual. Some nights, though, there will be the regular amount of homework. It will be important for the students to work throughout this time, so that there isn't a lot of panic the night before the assignment is due. This is great time management practice.
Look for a full blog update later in the week!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Our Week In Review
Well, we finally made it! We had 5 FULL days of school last week! What a difference. Last week we finished our Interactive Read Aloud, The Cricket In Times Square. We learned about how characters change over time, and also about metaphors and similes. Most of the class rated this book a 9 or a 10!
In Social Studies, we finished learning about the Northeast to get ready for our test this Wednesday. We did a "jigsaw activity" while learning about different aspects of the Iroquois. Below are some pictures of our groups.
Today was a great day! We started off Valentine's Day with the fourth and fifth graders dancing the Cupid Shuffle. What a great way to start the day and get our energy flowing! Thanks to Mrs. Perry for organizing this and bringing the music!
Our Party in a Bag was a great success. Thank you for sending in such fun treats!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Winter Wonderland!
Winter Wonderland
Later, we created snowflakes by cutting paper. We hung them on the windows of our class.
Today our school clebrated Winter Wonderland! It was such a fun day! When we arrived at school this morning, we found that Mrs. Steel had decorated our room with a LOT of snowmen! They were everywhere!
Later, we created snowflakes by cutting paper. We hung them on the windows of our class.
We also wrote "List Poems" about winter topics. As a class we wrote the following list poem:
Things To Do If You're A Snowman
Hold a broom
Watch kids play in the snow
Don't melt
Have an orange carrot nose
Smile at kids
Be 3 different sizes of snowballs
Be friends with Frosty the Snowman
Get hit by snowballs
Decorate the yard
Take the train to the North Pole
Have a mouth made of coal
Wear a hat
Come to life at night
Watch cars passing by
Play with dogs
Melt
Our Week in Review
Hold a broom
Watch kids play in the snow
Don't melt
Have an orange carrot nose
Smile at kids
Be 3 different sizes of snowballs
Be friends with Frosty the Snowman
Get hit by snowballs
Decorate the yard
Take the train to the North Pole
Have a mouth made of coal
Wear a hat
Come to life at night
Watch cars passing by
Play with dogs
Melt
Even though we were disappointed about not playing in the snow, we had a great afternoon making "snow sculptures" with cotton balls and fiber fill. The hot chocolate was DELISH! Many, many thanks to all of the parents in our room who generously stepped up to bring in the treat. We really appreciated it!
Our Week in Review
Well, it was another snowy week in fourth grade. Having the early dismissal, the snow day, and the late start caused our schedule to be a little confusing, but we made it through! The week started off really well, when we learned that our class earned the FOUR ON THE DOOR! Ask your child what this means. Mrs. Merten was very proud of our performance!
We continued reading our Interactive Read Aloud, The Cricket in Times Square. We are enjoying this book. In math, we started learning about fractions. Here you can find some games and activities using fractions. In Social Studies we continued to learn about the Northeast Region. We will be having a test on the Northeast in the coming weeks. We will also begin a project about the National Parks.
From the teacher's desk:
It has been challenging for the students to continue with our routine with all of the snow days. I am hopeful that we'll have a full, 5 day week of school next week, and we can get back into our routines. The weather may not cooperate, but I have my fingers crossed! Have a terrific weekend.
From the teacher's desk:
It has been challenging for the students to continue with our routine with all of the snow days. I am hopeful that we'll have a full, 5 day week of school next week, and we can get back into our routines. The weather may not cooperate, but I have my fingers crossed! Have a terrific weekend.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Math Games and Information
As you know, we took the math test for unit 6 last Wednesday. For some students, the grade on this test was lower than they usually achieve. This was a unit full of new material (division) and we had several days off during this unit (due to the snow).
Because of these factors, I am going to offer a retake for this test. If your child scored less than 80%, they will be allowed to take a makeup test. The test will take place during recess this week (I will announce the day once I've seen the weather forecast). If you child has questions about something on the test, please encourage him/her to see me as soon as possible.
Today we began our next math unit, which is on Fractions. I am including a few links here to fraction games. If your child enjoys using the computer, this is a great way to sneak in some math practice!
Because of these factors, I am going to offer a retake for this test. If your child scored less than 80%, they will be allowed to take a makeup test. The test will take place during recess this week (I will announce the day once I've seen the weather forecast). If you child has questions about something on the test, please encourage him/her to see me as soon as possible.
Today we began our next math unit, which is on Fractions. I am including a few links here to fraction games. If your child enjoys using the computer, this is a great way to sneak in some math practice!
Friday, January 21, 2011
And Snow it Goes....
Our last two weeks have been a bit choppy, but we've done our best to continue moving forward with all of our units. I know that when we return next week (to a FULL day of school), the children will be ready!
Here's a quick snapshot of our last two weeks:
In Math, we have continued to progress in our unit on division. I realize that this is a bit difficult for some of the children, and that it is also tough for parents since this is a new way to do this. I also look at this as an opportunity for the children to stretch themselves. When they have to rely on their own tools, I notice many students advocating for themselves. They come to school with concrete questions about the homework. This is a great tool for the kids to have as they move on to higher grades. The directions for the "low-stress" division can be found in your child's Student Reference Book, as well as here (scroll to the bottom for division). We were scheduled to take our math test on Tuesday, however, it will be Wednesday next week.
In Science, we began our unit on Weather, with a discussion about weather instruments and how meteorologists forecast the weather. Though many of us groaned at the thought of more snow, the weather maps and radar available help the children make a real-life connection to what we're learning in school. This unit will be made up of several smaller chunks, with shorter tests for each. We will be having a test on "Air Masses and Fronts/Weather Forecasting" sometime next week. I will be giving out a study guide and assigning the date of that test on Monday when we return to school. Our class website has many weather sites with games and activities that your child might enjoy. You can check it out here.
In Social Studies, we began our unit on the Regions of the U.S. We began with a quick overview of our country, and will start learning about the first region, the Northeast, next week. Our study will include many aspects of learning, including some research and projects at home. For those families with former fourth graders, students will not be completing the full US Regions portfolio, rather some smaller projects. The children will have all of the information that they need each time they have something to complete at home.
In Reading, we began a new interactive read-aloud, The Cricket In Times Square, by George Selden. We will be focusing on looking at characters in this story, and discussing how they may change over time. So far, the kids are really enjoying this book.
Last week, we had an anti-bullying program come to our school. The program, called The Power of One, included skits showing real examples of bullying (both physical and cyber bullying). I hope that your child shared some of this program with you.
I hope that your child enjoys this snow day. Though I realize that we've had many snow days already this year, these days never get old for the kids. They will remember this winter! Enjoy the weekend!
Here's a quick snapshot of our last two weeks:
In Math, we have continued to progress in our unit on division. I realize that this is a bit difficult for some of the children, and that it is also tough for parents since this is a new way to do this. I also look at this as an opportunity for the children to stretch themselves. When they have to rely on their own tools, I notice many students advocating for themselves. They come to school with concrete questions about the homework. This is a great tool for the kids to have as they move on to higher grades. The directions for the "low-stress" division can be found in your child's Student Reference Book, as well as here (scroll to the bottom for division). We were scheduled to take our math test on Tuesday, however, it will be Wednesday next week.
In Science, we began our unit on Weather, with a discussion about weather instruments and how meteorologists forecast the weather. Though many of us groaned at the thought of more snow, the weather maps and radar available help the children make a real-life connection to what we're learning in school. This unit will be made up of several smaller chunks, with shorter tests for each. We will be having a test on "Air Masses and Fronts/Weather Forecasting" sometime next week. I will be giving out a study guide and assigning the date of that test on Monday when we return to school. Our class website has many weather sites with games and activities that your child might enjoy. You can check it out here.
In Social Studies, we began our unit on the Regions of the U.S. We began with a quick overview of our country, and will start learning about the first region, the Northeast, next week. Our study will include many aspects of learning, including some research and projects at home. For those families with former fourth graders, students will not be completing the full US Regions portfolio, rather some smaller projects. The children will have all of the information that they need each time they have something to complete at home.
Last week, we had an anti-bullying program come to our school. The program, called The Power of One, included skits showing real examples of bullying (both physical and cyber bullying). I hope that your child shared some of this program with you.
I hope that your child enjoys this snow day. Though I realize that we've had many snow days already this year, these days never get old for the kids. They will remember this winter! Enjoy the weekend!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Happy New Year!
Here are some pictures of some math and social studies work today.
I hope that this first week of 2011 was as successful for you at home as it was here in room 24! It was a little tough getting back into the swing of things, but all of the children did very well.
From the Teacher's Desk
This week we began unit 6 of the Everyday Math program. The main topic of this unit is division, which is a new and challenging concept for many of the students. This is particularly difficult for families, because it is something that most parents aren't comfortable helping their child with. Please don't worry! We will continue to practice this. I know that continued practice will make a big difference with this. If you would like more information, you can find instructions for all of the algorithms we use in fourth grade here. Division is at the bottom of the page. In addition, practicing math facts is essential. Students who know their math facts automatically will do better at learning this new topic. You can find the math fact practice that we use in school here.
In reading, we spent the week focusing on specific reading skills. We discussed finding the genre of books at length, as well as inferring and making connections. Several students are participating in a small book group reading Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan. This is a short historical fiction book about a family living in the midwest.
We also began writing a personal narrative this week. The topic the children are writing about is about something they did on a day off of school. You can imagine that many of the children had a LOT of ideas!
In social studies we are just starting our unit on the Regions of the United States. We began this week discussing "What is a region?" We will finish discussing this first topic on Monday and the students will have a quiz on Friday. They already have vocabulary flash cards, and though I announced the quiz today, I did not write it on the assignment board.
We are continuing our study of weather by learning about weather forecasting and tools to forecast weather.
I hope that this first week of 2011 was as successful for you at home as it was here in room 24! It was a little tough getting back into the swing of things, but all of the children did very well.
From the Teacher's Desk
This week we began unit 6 of the Everyday Math program. The main topic of this unit is division, which is a new and challenging concept for many of the students. This is particularly difficult for families, because it is something that most parents aren't comfortable helping their child with. Please don't worry! We will continue to practice this. I know that continued practice will make a big difference with this. If you would like more information, you can find instructions for all of the algorithms we use in fourth grade here. Division is at the bottom of the page. In addition, practicing math facts is essential. Students who know their math facts automatically will do better at learning this new topic. You can find the math fact practice that we use in school here.
In reading, we spent the week focusing on specific reading skills. We discussed finding the genre of books at length, as well as inferring and making connections. Several students are participating in a small book group reading Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan. This is a short historical fiction book about a family living in the midwest.
We also began writing a personal narrative this week. The topic the children are writing about is about something they did on a day off of school. You can imagine that many of the children had a LOT of ideas!
In social studies we are just starting our unit on the Regions of the United States. We began this week discussing "What is a region?" We will finish discussing this first topic on Monday and the students will have a quiz on Friday. They already have vocabulary flash cards, and though I announced the quiz today, I did not write it on the assignment board.
We are continuing our study of weather by learning about weather forecasting and tools to forecast weather.
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