Monday Message 

Hey Parents,

The kids had a fabulous time at Field Day last Friday.  It rained for a bit, but that did not dampen the spirts of any child.  Everyone was laughing and yelling and running and cheering and just having a good time in general.  We all appreciated their good sportsmanship and enthusiasm. 

A big thanks to the PTSA for setting up all the events.  We also thank all the parent volunteers.  We know that behind every successful child is a dedicated parent making it all happen.  That is you. 

We wish you and your family an outstanding summer.  Get out there and do fun things and take plenty of pictures.  That is what it is all about!

Last week we were looking at symmetrical figures as a part of geometry.   We finished the week by making symmetrical designs using various polygons. 

The rule was, whatever you do to the left hand side, you have to do to the right hand side.  Whatever you do to the top, you have to do to the bottom.  In the end,  you  should be able to fold the shape and have it match on both sides. 

Some of these designs have multiple lines of symmetry... and some have none!  It was tricky making things match up. The kids had to keep checking evertime they added a new shape. 

It was a good time.  We had fun.  Ask your child all about it!

Hi Parents,

Take a look at these shots of the kids learning about erosion and deposition.  

We set up trays of sand and gravel.  The kids pushed it all to the back of the tray and then set up a cup of water above it.  A small hole in the cup allowed the water to flow over the mixtures and down the tray. 

What did we learn?  We learned that water carries sediment downhill.  The finer sediment, like silt, flowed first, but the heavier sediment, like gravel stayed put.  What made it to the bottom of the tray was called deposition.  

We made a giant mess in the process, but we also learned a lot.  Ask your child all about it. 

Hi Parents,

We have standardized DCAS testing for math and language arts in early May.  The first test is on May 6th and the last one is on May 16th.   Some students may need to make up missed tests after that.  

For this reason, students may not take home the computers from May 3 - May 17.   The computers will stay at school to be charged and updated.  

On May 20th there will be a fourth quarter digital timeline project, and the students will have the computers again then. 

As we continue with our "Earth Science" unit the kids have been looking at landforms and how they are made.   We have talked about things like mountains, valleys, volcanoes, plains, canyons, glaciers, plates, and so on.  

Last week we looked at how these landforms are represented on a topographic map.  Topographic maps show elevation by using contour lines.  The closer the lines are, the steeper the gradient is.  

The kids stacked foam pieces to model the landforms and then traced each level on to the paper.  It was a fun activity.  

Ask your child all about it

Happy Earth Day!   To celebrate, we looked at some earth.  We're talking dirt.  Soil. 

The kids went around campus and collected soil samples from various locations.  They then came back inside and added water to their sample.  They shook the sample up, and let it sit overnight.  

What did they find?  Well, when the soil settled, it settled into layers.  The larger contents, such as gravel, settled to the bottom.  The finer contents, such as silt, took longer to settle and formed the top layer.  Organic matter, such as humus, floated on top of the water.   There are many things in soil.  

Ask your child all about it!

Hey Parents,

Check out these rock stars!

Last week we started looking at rocks and we began a unit on Earth science.  The kids sorted the rocks based on texture, weight, cleavage, color and hardness.   

Everyone had a favorite rock, but the hands-down winner was obsidian.  The kids tell me that they mine it in the game Minecraft. 

What other rocks are we learning?  Pumice, granite, slate, sandstone, gneiss, biotite, gypsum,  calcite, and more for a total of twenty-four.  The kids will memorize the rocks and test out this coming week.  We will discuss them throughout the unit.  

Ask your child all about it!

Hi Parents,

We spent some time weighing things before Spring Break.  A lot of kids told me they were using a scale, but they then learned that they were really using a balance. 

A scale is used to measure the pull of gravity.   A balance measures mass, or the amount of "stuff"  (matter) an object has.    A scale will change depending on where it is.  On the moon there is less gravity, so there is less pull, and thus less weight.  However, on the moon objects still have the same amount of mass or matter.  Mass doesn't change based on location.  

Ask your child all about it!

Hi Parents,

On Wednesday we sent out an email that contains copies of the 5th Grade readiness tests for math and writing.  We want to see who is on track for fifth grade. 

The math test will feature one problem from each week of the year.  The kids have seen these types of problems already.   It should all be old stuff to them. 

The writing test will ask them to write to a prompt.  We will be looking for structure, content, conventions and presentation.  

If we find that a student is not on track, then we still have one more quarter to work this out.   Hit the target!

Hi Parents,

Here are some shots of the kids using Snap Circuits.  There were dozens of projects for the kids to complete. 

Things were buzzing, flashing, spinning and flying.  What did the kids learn?  Most importantly they learned that in order to build any project, they first needed to build a circle, or a circuit.  Electricity needs to follow a path and return to its source.  

We are coming to the end of our unit on energy.  This week the kids will take the unit assessment.  They will do well.   

Next, we begin to look at Earth science.  We look at soil, rocks, landforms and erosion. 

Ask your child all about it!

Hi Parents,

The kids have seen the light! 

Last week we worked on the properties of light.  We learned that white light is made up from all the colors in the rainbow.  We used a prism to split the light and see it with our own eyes. 

We also learned that light can be redirected.  We set up multiple mirrors and changed the direction of the light beams.  Light will travel forever, until it hits something. 

Darkness is just an absence of light, just as silence is an absence of sound.  Both light and sound are forms of energy. 

Ask your child all about it!

Hi Parents,

We started presenting our biographies last week, and we will finish up this coming week.   We are about half-way through. 

The kids did a super job!  They reported on people from all walks of life and all parts of history.  It took a lot of people working together to make our country successful. 

The project not only opened the students' eyes to history, but it also allowed them to see different career choices and life paths. 

We now have students who say they want to be authors, astronauts, scientists, military leaders, and even the president.  Ask your child all about it.  You might be surprised where they are heading.  The sky is the limit!

Hi Parents,

Have you ever seen sound?  The kids have. Here are some shots of the kids experimenting with sound.  We learned that sound is produced by a vibration of some sort.  We also learned that sound travels in waves in all directions. 

To see sound, the kids used tuning forks and amplified them with plastic cups.  They also put the tuning forks in water to see the wave patterns. They then used special speakers and adjusted volume and pitch.  They put sand on the speakers and watched it dance and vibrate.  Sound is energy. 

Overall, it was a noisy afternoon, but well worth it.  The kids learned a lot about how sound works.  Ask your child all about it!

Hi Parents,

Sometimes the kids play games to learn new martial, or to reinforce old material.  Here are some shots of the kids playing Bingo with mixed numbers and improper fractions.  We showed an improper fraction on the board, they had to find the corresponding mixed number on their card.   Everyone wanted to win!

We also sometimes play  matching games. We do this in math, but also in language arts as the kids find synonyms, antonyms and vocabulary words. 

Everyone's favorite game is PIG.  It involves two dice and some risk taking.  Ask your child to show you how to play.  You will like it!

Our third-quarter project is writing a biography.  We will mostly do this in class. 

Students may pick any American who has positively impacted our country.  The theme of this project is "e pluribus unum" - out of many, one.   It is the motto of the United States.  

In this project students will learn to take notes, cite primary and secondary sources, establish fact from opinion, and write a five paragraph essay with an introduction and conclusion. 

We will start this week by picking a person with the help of Ms. Lokey in the library.  Research will start next week.   More information can be found here. 

Ask your child all about it!

Hey Parents,

In science we have been working on energy.  Energy can be found as heat, light, sound, and motion.  Lately the kids have been looking at motion. 

We gave the kids three different sizes and weights of ball bearings.  The kids rolled the ball bearings from various heights on a ramp, and then measured the results of how far they rolled. 

For example, which would roll further, a heavy ball bearing from a low ramp position, or a light ball bearing from a high position?  With this we introduce terms such as kinetic energy, potential energy, momentum, and inertia.  Ask your child!

Hi Parents,

We need more highlighters.  The kids have several workbooks that they can write in and highlight.   

They highlight information that they think is most important.  Sometimes we have them look for and highlight the main idea.  Sometimes they highlight dialogue.  At other times they highlight to compare and contrast, highlighting how things are the same in one color, and different in another color.  It all depends on the lesson. 

Lately there have been a shortage of highlighters.  Everyone should have a four color set.   Blue, orange, yellow, green.  

Please ask your child!

Hi Parents,

Well, that was interesting last week.  We had less than two full days of school!

On Friday we had a lot of missing students.  Those who came got a big review of all the material from the week.  Everyone got 100% on the math portion of the Friday Quiz.  That was important. 

We got in an extra recess in the afternoon and the kids went wild! They were so happy to play with each other in the snow.  Then, they attacked their teachers with snowballs.   We will get them back!

Please make sure your child is dressed correctly.  We go out daily in all kinds of weather.  We are tough like that.  

Hey Parents,

Check out these photos of the kids working with magnets.  We started off by testing which metals would be attracted by magnets.  It turned out that only items with iron in them would attract. 

Then we tested the magnetic range of the magnets using balances and washers.  We graphed how many washers it would take to break the force of the magnets. 

Then we found out that magnets and electricity have a lot in common.  We could use electricity to move a compass needle.  We were also able to build electro-magnets to pick up small washers. 

Yes, we can use magnets to make electricity and we can use electricity to make magnets.  Ask your child all about it!

Hi Parents, 

The kids got the basics of fractions last year in third grade, but now we move into more advanced concepts.

This year we look at:

* Making equivalent fractions
*Finding common denominators
*Finding the greatest common factors
*Simplifying fractions
*Adding and subtracting fractions
*Adding and subtracting mixed numbers
*Converting improper fractions

The best way to start off with this is by using fraction strips.  We continue with that this week.  

Ask your child all about it!

Hi Parents,

Wow, was it hard to keep everyone's attention last week.  Lot's of kids were just staring out the window watching the snow fall... and who could blame them.?

It was cold.  The playground was slippery.  The wind was blowing... and the kids absolutely loved it!  Somehow they were able to scrape together enough snow to make large snowballs and the beginnings of a snowman. 

Thank you for making sure your child is dressed correctly.  Students should have a winter jacket, gloves and a hat.  We go out twice a day, and the kids also go out for a recess before lunch.   They love being out there!

Ask your child all about it!

Hi Parents,

Last week we started working on electricity in science.  The kids were given a battery, two wires and a bulb.  Could they light the bulb?  

In the end everyone was able to do it.  They learned that you had to make a circuit.  Electricity has to travel in a circle.  It leaves the negative end of the battery, goes through the wire, through the filament, and then through the other wire and back to the battery.  Some kids also learned about a short circuit!  Things got hot. 

From here we will continue to add things to our circuits, like switches and motors.  We will also learn about other types of circuits. 

Ask your child all about it!

Hi Parents,

Once a week we make it to the library for check-out.  In general the kids are allowed to have five books checked out at a time, but this is pretty flexible.   If they have a good reason to check out more, they usually may. 

There are no restrictions on what type of books they may choose.  There is enough required reading in the classroom, so in the library they are allowed to follow their own interests and check out what they find most appealing. 

The library is well stocked with fiction and non-fiction books.  It also has an expanding collection of audio and digital books.  

Ask your child all about it!

Hey Parents,

Have you ever wondered what we are reading in 4th grade?  Let's take a look. 

We use a series called Benchmark Reading, and it is pretty good.  The kids have a magazine reader that they can write in and we switch that out about every three weeks. 

They also have small books that they read and those change weekly.   These pictures show those books. 

About sixty percent of the reading is non-fiction.  It is about real topics as opposed to fictional stories.  The topics are similar to those we see in science and social studies.  They are high interest and have many photos.  The kids like them.  Ask your child!

The kids did a super job with the Hall of Heroes project.  We hung them up and they look fantastic.

Each child was also given the chance to present his or her slide to the class.  Not everyone wanted to get up in front of the room.  We will give them another chance this week. 

Language arts involves reading, listening, writing,  and speaking.  Reading and listening are forms of input.  It is how we get information.  Writing and speaking are forms of output.  It is how we give information.  

Often in school kids write, read, and listen, but it is not often that they get to speak.  Well, this time they got their big chance!

Ask your child all about it!

Hi Parents, 

We had witches and goblins and skeletons and fairies and.... a slice of pizza!

The kids all came decked out in their costumes last week and it was a crazy day.  Luckily the rain stopped and the sun came out and we were able to get outside and burn off some of that energy.  

In the afternoon the children passed out treats and we went back outside again.  It was quite a scene.  

Several students were absent the following day with stomach aches!  In all, we had a very good time.  Ask your child all about it. 

This quarter we spend a lot of time working on division.  We started last week developing the concept, and the best way to do that is with math manipulatives.

The kids started out with twelve chips, and we divided them up into two groups, then three groups, then four groups, but when we divided them into five groups... we had some leftover.  A remainder!

Learning these simple concepts with real objects makes it all so much more understandable.   Seeing is believing.

Once the kids have the concepts, we move from concrete items to drawing visual representations and then to just using numbers.   It works!

Hey Parents,

Thanks for sponsoring your child on last week's fun run.  The kids were super motivated to put on some miles. 

The run started off in the Teen Center gym, and then finished up outside with games and treats.  The kids were happy to get outside after the run, as they were pretty hot by that point. 

The highest number of laps was 55!  Some of the kids were going by so fast that we couldn't even get a picture of them.  They were nothing but a blur. 

This is the biggest fund raising event of the year, and the kids certainly did their part... and they had a lot of fun.  Ask all about it!

This year we will  work a lot on figurative language.  There are many different forms of figurative language, such as similes, metaphors,  personifications,  and hyperboles.  Last week we looked at idioms. 

Idioms are phrases that cannot be understood in a literal term.  We also call them 'common expressions'. 

These kids hit the nail on the head! 

 Ask your child all about it!  

Yep, last week we were farmin'. 

We planted corn, radishes, clover and sweet peas.  The kids made a mess... and then they cleaned it up. 

As scientists, we are exploring the tolerance levels of the seeds to certain conditions.  In this case, each group planted eight cups of seeds with varying amounts of both freshwater and saltwater.  over the next few weeks will continue to add the same amounts every few days. 

Some plants are going to thrive, and some are not going to do too well.  From that we will be able to determine the optimal environmental factors for growth. 

Ask your child all about it!

We can hardly believe our eyes.  Big things are happening with the meal worms.

The mealworms came as  larvae and now they have begun to change into the pupa form.  From there they will eventually change into  darkling beetles.  The beetles will then lay eggs and the whole process will begin again.  The kids have now learned the word "metamorphosis".  

In the room we also have pill bugs, sow bugs, goldfish and guppies, but the mealworms are stealing the show.  The kids check them most often for changes.  

With every lab we try to update our science journals, but we are not always successful.  The bugs are just too interesting. 

Ask your child all about it!

Hey Parents,

Here is some good news:  We get your children out of their chairs... a lot!

They come to school, and they do math and then we go for a 2-minute run.  Then we have language arts followed by lunch and recess.  Then we do two rotations and ... go for an afternoon 2-minute run and sometimes another short recess.  They do two rotations and then go to specials. 

All in all the kids are out of the room every hour. We keep them moving. 

Most kids can do the run, but some walk.  Our goal is to get them all to do the run and it will come as they get in shape. 

Ask your child!  He or she will tell you all about it. 

Let's see what's happening in science...

Last week the kids started to look at mealworms.  They began by observing their structures and behaviors and how this helps the worms survive. 

Later they will observe the changes the worms go through on their way to becoming darkling beetles.  These changes will happen over the next several weeks. 

The kids keep science notebooks and record their observations.  They also design and carry out simple experiments to see what stimuli creates a response. 

Ask your children all about it!   I bet they have something interesting to say.