Weeks of Dec. 14 & 21

School wide read aloud starting in January is Jack's Path of Courage:  The life of John F. Kennedy by Doreen Rappaport.


We began our study of animals and completed a writing assignment based on an animal found in the national park we studied in social studies.  In addition, we worked on a power point presentation for the national park we chose to study.  Lastly, we completed the Nov./Dec.  math assessment.

Week of December 7

Students completed and presented their projects. Their projects were creative and presentations were informative. Many students were excited to share their expertise about a glacier, earthquake, landslide or volcano.



 

 

Earthquake

                                                                                           

 

Landslide

 

 

Earthquake

 

 

 

 

 

Glacier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week of November 16

Elephant Glacier:  Greenland

All students have access to Envision math.  Each student has a password and user name so they can go onto the math site to reinforce math skills or show parents/guardians what they are learning. 
Also students were given a science project which is due before or on December 7.  This project includes a written paper, 3D model, and presentation. Students will research glacier, volcano, landslide or earthquake.
This week in math we worked on answering open response questions.  We discussed strategies and expectations of open response questions.  In reading we reinforced before, during and after reading strategies.  Students should be reading at least 30 minutes each night. 

Reminders:  Report cards need to be signed and returned.
                    Tuesday, Nov. 20:  Field Trip to MRF in Springfield
                    Wednesday, Nov. 21:  Half Day
                    Thursday, Nov. 22 & Friday, Nov. 23:  No School

Week of November  2 and November 9

We started the school wide read of Abe's Honest Words and researched the Gettysburg Address.  In order to understand time we created a timeline the length of the hallway for students to add any facts that they learn throughout the study of this book and to add to it throughout the year.  We are beginning to make connections to other learning from the start of the year.

The class met their loop goal and we did an art project.  Students created a piece of art on tracing paper that they painted.  The paintings will be put in a clear plastic sheet and strung together to hang on the the windows like stain glass.  Students drew many different designs including their favorite book covers, scenes, names, and own creations. 

It was nice to meet many of the parents of our students the past two weeks creating a school home connection.

Reminders:  MRF Field Trip rescheduled for November 20
                    Half day November  21 and No School November 22 & 23

Week of October 25

While learning about rocks on the summit, an eagle flew by where we were sitting.
A rare sight to see upclose.

On Monday, we had our trip to JA Skinner State Park.  Our hike to the summit started on Rt 47, where we took the Taylor Notch trail to the Metacomet-Monadnock trail.  It was about 1.5 miles to the summit.   We had a beautiful day for a hike and the views from the summit were "awesome" , "incredible", "I'm stupified" as described by some students.  While on the summit, Ms Gini Traub, Regional Environmental Education Coordinator, taught the us about the formation of the area, types of rocks and where they came from.  We were not able to enter the Summit House because it is under construction and will open next month.

The kickoff to the Springfield Armour reading program was Thursday.  Students will keep a reading log which can lead to winning prizes.  Also, we had a visit from Mike Recycle of the West Springfield Public works.   He taught us about how we can reduce, reuse and recycle.  We will visit the MRF recycling plant next Tuesday. 

Reminders:

Tuesday,  October 30, Field Trip to MRF
Wednesday,  October 31, Half day, Parent Teacher Conferences

"I wish that the place be a thing of beauty and a source of joy to the people of the Commonwealth."      
Joseph Allen Skinner at the dedication ceremony of the 375 acres and hotel he donated to the state now called JA Skinner State Park.

Week of October 19

In the beginning of the week we continued our study of the author's purpose, what makes a leader and the civil rights movement.  We read a song, Birmingham Sunday, by Joan Baez and viewed the video.  We researched about the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963 which was a meeting place for civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King.  
Later in the week, we read an article about the JA Skinnner State Park where we will travel to on Monday.  We had many questions about JA Skinner so we researched Who is Joseph Allen Skinner?   We also looked at a map of the park to get background on our trip to Skinner Park.   In science, students formed groups to perform the rock cycle song which was a great way for us to learn the three types of rocks and how they are formed.

Reminder:  Monday, October 22 Field Trip:  Skinner State Park
                   Tuesday, October 23 Picture Day
                   Thursday, October 25 Half Day Parent Teacher Conferences
                   Tuesday, October 30 Field Trip:  MRF Springfield
                   Wednesday, October 31 Half Day Parent Teacher Conferences

"I am not a good writer, I am a great reviser."        Ralph Fletcher


Week of Oct. 5
This week we started our study of rocks and minerals.  We explored different types of rocks and hypothesized on how they were formed.  Students brought in rocks to share.  In math we completed the September assessment.  In reading, we continued our study of the elements of a story: character, setting and plot.  While in writing, students learned how to revise their stories by adding details to characters. We connected our empathy training in Second Step to make the characters come alive.   We learned to recognize a person's emotions by describing their facial expressions and physical gestures.  Students used this lesson to show, not tell, in their writing.  For example, instead of writing, he was sad (tell), we wrote, his eyes filled with tears as he put his head down (show). 

" Hold Fast to Dreams"     Langston Hughes

Week of Oct. 12
The magazine drive kicked off this week.  Students received a packet to bring home.  The money raised will be used for our school.  We continued our study of rocks.  Students researched types of rocks and their uses.  In writing we used a graphic organizer to help organize our stories and to add more detail.   Our focus in reading was to understand the author's message and what it takes to be a leader.  We read stories about Dr. Martin Luther King, Langston Hughes and Nelson Mandela.  We read poems by Langston Hughes and we memorized one of his poems.  In social studies we continued map skills and we will begin to research the Northeast region. 

Reminders: 

Students need to bring back a completed and signed by parent or guardian computer use agreement (yellow paper) and field trip form (green paper)

October 22  Field trip to Skinner State Park in Hadley
October 30  Field trip  to MRF in Springfield

RIP Praying Mantis

The praying mantis died this week.  Some students did close up observations and drew it in their science notebooks.  In computer class, after reading an article about deadliest predators with the praying mantis being part of the article, we had many questions about other predators so we researched animals and shared our learning.  In reading we started the new Journeys reading book that was purchased last year for the district.  Students love the new book with the colorful pictures and high interest stories.  In math we began multiplication.  Students should study their math facts daily.

Reminders:  Field Trip:  Skinner State Park, Monday, October 22
                                        MRF recycling plant, Tuesday, October 30

Week 3

"You only learn to be a better writer by actually writing."  --Doris Lessing

We have been writing in our writer's notebooks and sharing our stories, thoughts and ideas.  There are some exceptional stories and everyone does a great job participating.  We completed the district wide writing prompt on Thursday.  In math we worked on estimation, addition and subtraction of whole numbers.  We continue to improve our learning conversations as we play math games.  In science we discussed how much physical activity we should get and what activities we like to do.  This is one of the stronger classes this year as the students one of the students completed 37 pushups!

We will be taking a field trip to the recycling plant in Springfield in October.  In connection with recycling, we read the story about the polluting of the Nashua River.  We had many questions about the story and pollution, so we will research about the Nashua River, Connecticut River and Westfield River next week.

A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry   A River Ran Wild is the True Story of the History, the Polluting and the Clean-up of the Nashua River.

September 14, 2012

Praying Mantis vs Leaf Bug  Week 2

We have class pets!  I brought in two hermit crabs and a student brought in a praying mantis he found at his house.  The praying mantis has captivated everyone.  We created a home for it in an old fish tank using leaves and some rocks.   Students have been bringing in bugs for the praying mantis to eat.  Yesterday a student brought in a leaf bug and the two had an epic battle with the praying mantis coming out as sole survivor.  Students had many questions about the praying mantis and they researched their questions during computer class.  On Tuesday, the fourth grade class visited the 9/11 memorial and we wrote about our thoughts of  9/11.  A student, who visited the 9/11 Memorial in New York last weekend, brought in a picture book about the memorial.   The student did a great job informing us all about  the memorial. 

"Perfect practice makes perfect"    Week 1
 
Welcome Back!  Our school year has begun and we are off to a great start.  We began with a cooperative learning activity in creating the tallest tower using spaghetti and marshmallows.  Students had the opportunity to get to know each other while problem solving and working together in the challenge of building the tower.  We have practiced Learning conversations and established rules for the classroom.  In math we have taken the district wide pretest and fact test and started the topic of Place Value.  Our topic of study in science is health with a focus on the food groups and nutrition.  In English Language Arts, we have learned to choose a "just right book", and completed a "When I was little" writing assignment after reading the book, When I was little by Jamie Lee Curtis. In computer, we created an all about me Wordle.

Reminder:  Open House, Thursday, September 13.