Saturday, January 30, 2016

Force & Motion, 4th Grade State Fair

Force & Motion
Part of our force and motion unit in science was to co-create ramps that we could adjust for speed. They did a great job.

4th Grade State Fair
On Thursday, we visited the "4th Grade State Fair" in the gym. We toured the 50 states by listening to the 4th graders present about the state they researched. We have a few siblings in 4th grade, so it was extra exciting!


Sunday, January 24, 2016

Dress-down day and 4th grade reading buddies

Dress-down day
Although I missed taking pictures of us on 80s Day, I did manage to snap a few of us dressed in our best on Friday. If anyone has 80s day pictures to share, please pass them on.

4th Grade reading buddies
We met with our 4th grade reading buddies on Friday. The 4th graders helped us with our math, read with us, and then collaborated on a non-fiction reading assignment using National Geographic for Kids. It was a lot of fun learning with them.

Monday, January 18, 2016

NWEA & Snowman

NWEA
Thank you for supporting your child last week during the NWEA testing. All students who began testing on Tuesday were able to finish last week. If they finished on Wednesday, they came home with their updated NWEA goal worksheet along with a note from me. I will be working with them to create an action plan soon to set them up to reach their spring goal. Let me know if you have questions or concerns.

SNOWMAN
Many members of our class spent their recess time creating a snowman. It was fun to see them work together to do something fun in the snow.
Please remember to send winter gear each and every day. This is the type of fun we have in the field!

Friday, January 8, 2016

Small Groups and Students of the Week

Small Groups
We have been spending a lot of time in small groups. Currently, we have four different groupings going throughout the day. We have: (1) our Reading Street Small Group in which we rotate through certain tasks and reading opportunities; (2) our literature circle group where are taking turns leading the group through a chapter book. (3) our math workshop group in which we explore, build, create, and/or investigate math situations; and (4) our social studies inquiry group where we research famous women in history.



Small group situations are incredibly fun, but they are also challenging. Students take turns leading and taking on different roles. This week we watched groups in a 'fish bowl' type setting to help us problem solve independently. (We call it a fish bowl because we observed the group from the outside of their circle. See photo.) We are getting so much better at managing our small groups without help from the teacher.


Student of the Week
The last two students of the week were Sydnie and James. Sydnie was selected for self control. She consistently shows self control in all situations. Whether she's waiting in lines, listening to others, at recess, or at specials, she uses manners and waits her turn. Way to go, Sydnie!

James was selected for self control as well. James loves to learn and have fun; however, he knows that there is a time and place for jokes. He understands that you can be a good friend and follow expectations in school. Well done, James!