It's Time........

      Yes, folks.   It's time to begin "closing down" the classroom, winding down the studies here at PCS, and begin to think about the waterfront, playing outside all day, and practicing all your math facts this summer.  And reading, writing, spelling....and more reading, writing, spelling.....and then more math!.  Look around!  All that we learn is in the real world.  Let's use the summer to make these connections.  A lot of what our students learn will need review over the summer in some way.  Go out and do some Science at the Montshire, or visit a museum or Sturbridge Village!  How cool would that be!
       Okay, maybe too philosophical for the last post of the year....but it is a time for reflection and connection.  So have a great summer!  It was a fun year, we all learned a lot, and there's so much more to go.  Your children's writing pieces are in their PCS Google Docs School Account.  Feel free to view them with your child to see some of what they have written this year.  They are accessible from home, can be worked on all summer, and will be used next year as well.  Your children know their account information, but if they forget I will have it as well.  Just send me an email if you need it.  Also, you should be seeing a packet of completed papers coming home over the next 2-3 days from their classroom folders.  Just look them over to see some of what we have done, and maybe what they could work on a little bit more.
         Report cards will be sent home on Monday, June 17th, which is also a 1/2 day.  For students who will not be here on the last day, the report cards will be either mailed or can be picked up from the office. 
         So, goodbye for this year, have a great summer, and enjoy life!  
                                                  
                                                                                                               Mr. B and Ms. Deb

Back Again!

The Trip to Amherst!  Awesome, cool things, let's look at some pictures.......First one...the CT River Valley millions of years ago....nice beach!

 We saw lots of bones, special rocks, gems.....dinosaur tracks, sedimentary plates with fossil prints on them!

 There were some very large skeletons....and some REALLY large skeletons!

 The students took lots of pictures.....marveled at the rock collection, listened intently to our guide at the museum and the planetarium.

We listened as the story of the Connecticut River Valley unfolded......millions of years at a time.









The story of the planets in the planetarium was really cool!  We even got some mug shots with the creatures in the museum.

 We wrote about the trip back in class.  There was so much to write about and so much we learned.  I think it was a great trip.....even though the ice cream happened the day after...but even that was well worth waiting for!

Bye for now,  Mr. B and Ms. Deb

A Few Updates!

Maggie and Spencer work on their lever 

launching.

Greetings folks!  A few events happening this week (and a few not)......
 
   1.  Our Field Trip is on Wednesday.  It may rain, so be sure to have a jacket or raincoat with you.    Also, students should have a few dollars to get an ice cream after lunch if they so desire.  We are taking a bus, all good for adults, and there is no charge for the trip.  We are leaving about 8:30 or so, returning by 2:30 or so.

 
     2.  Dan's Music Concerts have been cancelled this week due to an injury he had. Not sure when     they will be rescheduled at this time.
     3.  Final NECAP Science Test for the 4th graders tomorrow, and that's it for this year!   Hm, I think that is all for announcements...

     So last week we continued reading Arrow Over the Door, and are connecting that story to our Green Mountain Hero as we view life in the 1700's.  We also read a poem from Lucy Terry Prince, believed to be one of the first African-American poets in the new colonies.  We did some research on her as a group on a shared Google document.  It was very interesting what the students found out as we all added information at the same time.  

Max and his lever launching.

    Our math (grade 4) is currently working with volume measurements and lattice multiplication strategies to work out some very long numbers.  We have also use partial products as yet another strategy.  When we return to math on Thursday, we may delve into division with two digit divisors. Rumor has it the Grade 5 math group is also working in this area of computation, but also learning about halving and doubling, and other strategies of multiplication.

    Our current science unit continued with two short videos on Garbage Archeologists and Reduce-Recycle-Reuse.  They were interesting in that one showed how scientists study garbage to learn about people's habits, the other was how to get people's habits about garbage to change to help the earth.

Amity doing science!

Nathan in testing mode!

So for now, that's a quick update on life in 4/5B.  Stayed tuned for more soon!

Thanks,  Mr. B and Ms. Deb.

Happy May!

Greetings and welcome to May! Wow, like 6-7 weeks of school left? 4th graders will be 5th graders, 5th graders will be 6th graders.....how the school year flies by.  So what have we been up to in 4/5 B lately?  Here we go.  We had an interesting School Safety Day on Friday two weeks ago.  Checked out the Smoke Trailer, the fire truck, and 4/5 B students met some former 5B students (as fire fighters)!  They showed us many cool things, discussed safety in homes and fire escape drills.  We also had a school "lockdown" which went very well. We have planned a field trip to Amherst next week on Wednesday, May 15th.  Papers have gone home with most being returned already.  We will be visiting a planetarium and museum with Karen's grade 5 class as well.  Lunches are what they bring or get from the lunchroom.  A little money for ice cream after lunch is necessary.
      We have done many classroom activities over the last two weeks, so let me update you all.

     Our literature/social studies group completed the Green Mountain Hero book last week, and we are now in the process of reading Arrow Over the Door, set during the same time period.  We are using the Green Mountain Hero in writing to work on a Response to Literature piece.  Students are also working on writing a piece based on a picture prompt.
     5th grade math group has worked on volume of containers, and is currently working on lattice multiplication as a strategy to multiply larger numbers.  They seem to like the strategy very well.  Use this link to tell more about the lattice strategy.  http://www.basic-mathematics.com/lattice-method-for-multiplication.html

     We have completed our science unit on simple machines, took lots of things apart to investigate their parts, and did investigations on both inclined planes and lever launchers.  Lots of science and interesting discussions.  We are now doing a unit on Recycling and Natural Resources with Ms. Deb running the unit.
     Our social studies unit, Migration to Vermont, continues with more information on the years following the 1700's.

      Finally,  4th grade Science NECAPS start tomorrow on Wednesday May 8, Thursday May 9, and next Tuesday May 14.  Best preparations?  Sleep, breakfast, and a good disposition.

Until the next time, Mr. B and Ms. Deb
    

What? Snow?

                     Ok, it really is April, right?  So what’s that white stuff falling outside!!!!!!!  Well, April Break is upon us, and here are some things we did this week in 4/5B!
    Today we visited the Middle School Science Fair and viewed some awesome projects.

Science Fair

  I had the class keep their eye open for projects about simple machines, as we are working on that unit as well. 

Science Fair

    Our Literature/Social Studies connection continues with the reading of the Green Mountain Hero book.  We will start Chapter 9 after the break.  We have made maps (still adding to them) of early settlements mentioned in the story, made connections to the importance of water to early settlements, have begun to discuss issues of fairness regarding native peoples and settlers claiming the land, as well as how different cultures are often shown in books.  We are working in a booklet to show some of these conversations in writing, question/answer formats, drawings, etc.  In Writing class this week, we developed a sense of what a constructed response looks like, and how to read and answer them carefully by using presented information.  We will complete this topic after the break.
    In Grade 4 Math we will finish up our Fractions and Decimal unit after break.  (Grade 5 is also doing decimals.)  My 4th grade math group has used interactive activities for reviewing and learning some of the concepts in the unit.  For more practice, they can log into Interactive Tutorial Games on:

http://www.free-training-tutorial.com/decimal-games.html

    Probably the coolest activity this week was our Science exploration into compound machines.  The students were paired up and their task was to take apart various compound machines and look for simple machines.  I included some pictures of the activity in this newsletter.  Enjoy!

Dissecting Machines!

Maggie and Emily working together!

  Tools were provided as were band-aids (if needed).  The students were excited and seemed more than happy to do this activity for 3 sessions, and are pretty good at seeing the simple machines in these gadgets.

Spencer contemplates, Nick works.....

Tabby.....a moment before she begins.

"Radio, nothing personal...but I'm tearing you apart!"

Max and Nathan:  serious business!

 Yesterday, Ms. Deb read to them the book titled:  How Do You Lift a Lion? which went over some of the machines needed to complete different tasks in the book.



Well, enjoy the break, and let’s hope we actually see more green than white!


    Thanks, Mr. B and Ms. Deb

    Greetings, and countdown to April Break?  The year is flying by for sure now, and I’m positive the Earth spins faster after March....maybe the Ides have something to do with that?  So here are a few things we have been working on in the classroom. 
    The 4/5B Tall Tales cd’s are almost ready to send home.  The kids are working on the covers now, and I will set up the list of what tall tales are on it to go inside.  They are very cool, and fun to listen to.  Enjoy!
     Our Literature and Social Studies are combined as the class listens to a book titled Green Mountain Hero, somewhat based on the life of a real family called the Story’s from Connecticut who came to Vermont in the 1700’s.  We have started mapping the journey of the father and son, delved into fairness issues about settlers and Native peoples, and are hopefully getting a fair picture of what life was like back then.  The class is keeping a work journal involving each chapter as I read it aloud, and they have various thinking questions and activities to do along the way.  We will be working on this after the break. 
    This week we are going to work on constructed responses in our writing, and are learning about what they are, how we understand them, and of course......how to answer them.  The kids did a research project with Ms. Deb on NYC and getting to special places using the subway. 
    We have continued our work in Spellography, and my group took the lesson outside (it was pretty nice on Thursday) with the Ipads last week.  Using the Blackboard app, the students looked for things and generated words on the iPads according to cluster beginnings and endings.  Saved a lot of paper that day!
    Our unit in Math on Fractions and Decimals is moving right along.  We will work in the decimal part of the unit this week, and may be finished either before break or the week after break.  So far, the unit has presented the students with concepts about fraction values, equivalents, determining fractions of a whole or whole number, and adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator. 
    Practice of many of these concepts, as well as others in our math this year, can be attained using the free math sites:
a.   Math Is Fun  (http://www.mathsisfun.com/) or  the
b.  National Library of Virtual Mathematics (http://nlvm.usu.edu/)
c.   Illuminations  (http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivitySearch.aspx)

    Our Science unit on Simple Machines is moving right along.  We have been using an online site named Edhead (http://edheads.org/activities/simple-machines/index.shtml) to investigate simple machines around the home.  It has been fun to use with the Interactive Whiteboard in class! 
    That seems to be most of what we have done over the last week or so. Until the next time!

    Thanks for all your help so far at home this year!   Mr. B and Ms. Deb

Conferences Anyone?

Lauren creates a simple machine!

    Greetings!  Seems like another week or two has flown by, a snow day here or there, and now conferences are upon us yet again!  Today, Friday is a half day for conferences, and Monday as well, which is a full conference day.   I sent conference times home last week with your children.  I have received a few responses or emails back, and hope that your conference time actually made it out of a backpack.  You may want to check that.   Emails are the best way to let me know if the time works or not, or returning the actual slip with other times as needed.  Hope to see you all soon.

    Our current studies are focused on Vermont’s early years, and why people chose to migrate and live here from afar.  We are merging a few subjects as we do literature readings, social studies concepts, and even work on simple machines and their role in helping people during that age.  Our science work with simple machines is evolving as part reading about simple machines and part investigation/experimenting with the machines. 

Emily and Maggie:  successful scientists!

We will also do some exploratory sessions in which we take apart various machines to see how they incorporate simple machines into their workings.
    Writing sessions have been around creating a persuasive piece.   The topic was school uniforms for PCS.  Students had to write about whether or not it was a good idea or not, and then document why in order.
    The social studies component is focusing on individual people we have found in history that were early settlers, reading about their lives, and using maps to record when and where they traveled in New England as they migrated to the Vermont area. 

Max works on his creation using wheels and axles!

    Our math studies are focused on fractions and decimals for the next few weeks.  Students are working with rectangles and combinations of fractions, some adding and subtraction of fractions, and concepts of decimals as they relate to the fractions we are using.


Thanks,   Mr. B and Ms. Deb
   

So, Here We Are!

Pecos Bill riding a tornado?

         Greetings!  Here are some things we have done this past week in 4/5 B.    Our Literature Circles are going full force as we study settings and conflicts using a  “middle ages” theme.  Students are reading assigned pages both in or out of the book groups they are in.  They are also recording information about the various settings in the book as described by the author, and writing down their own ideas of what the setting looks like.  At the end of the Lit Circle each group will present a chart showing cause and effect possibilities as they relate to the settings.   Our Writing these last two weeks have been focused on the study of  Tall Tales.  We have explored them prior to last week, and now the students are writing their own original tall tale.  They will record these either in audio or video mode. Then we will place them on our newsletter site for you to hear.  At least that is the plan....  We are also working in our Spellography groups twice a week looking at basic spelling patterns, sounds, syllables, and irregular rules for spelling.

Out 4th grade math unit is coming to an end, probably this current week.  We have been working on geometrical concepts involving angles, shapes, and many concepts about polygons.  There are over 30 vocabulary words for this unit!

Over the next few weeks in Science we will be working on experimental procedure and using the tools of science.  Last week I introduced the class to the scientific method, and we watched a video which went over the procedures for an experiment.  On Friday we did a series of investigations using some of the tools.  The students measured temperatures in Celsius and Fahrenheit degrees with thermometers, liquid volume in cubic centimeters/milliliter using graduated cylinders, mesuring time using stopwatches, and metric rulers to measure linear distance to get more comfortable to using the metric system.   They also worked with triple beam balances to measure objects in grams or tenths of a gram. 

    Our last Social Studies unit, which was taught by Ms. Deb, ended as well.  The focus on the unit was the life of Martin Luther King, his work on fairness and justice for all people, and what segregation really is about.  The students were engaged and were able to really get into the concepts she presented.

    That is about it for now!   Oh yes, one last thing.  Ms Deb will be doing her solo teaching starting next week, February 4th until Friday the 15th.  I will be nearby, but she will run the classroom all by herself.  I’m sure all will go well for both the class and Ms. Deb! 


Thanks,  Mr. B and Ms. Deb

   

And the New Year Begins!

   Since we have returned from the break, we have been involved in a multitude of studies and events.  We have bid a fare adieu to our Thai intern Kru Beau.  We have started the Winter Sports Program.  And the first Progress Reports for 3-4-5 will be coming home this Wednesday.  Last but not least.....we had a Putney Paws Card ice cream sundae party celebrating our classroom’s success at getting over 1,000 PAWS cards since the beginning of school!  Read on for more classroom content!

    Our Language Arts/Literature block for the next 3 weeks is focused on setting and how it may change a character’s actions and their conflicts.  We are working with Karen Saunders’ Grade 5 class reading various books based in the past.  The students are responsibe for reading a set amount of pages each evening and then collecting information for the group discussions. 
    We have also been doing a mini-unit on Tall Tales.  We watched a few animated Tall Tales, read a few, and have practiced using exaggerations, similes and metaphors.  We are now working on creating original tall tales that we will record digitally to share with others within the school.  Some of the students will illustrate their tall tales as well.
    Much of the writing since the break has focused on completing the Taino report for Social Studies.  We continue to work on paragraphing, proofreading, and focusing on the topic at hand.

    Ms. Deb’s 4th grade mathematics unit is currently about 2D Geometry.  We are working to finish the unit up over the next week or two.   The students are learning about angles, shapes, making connections about what polygons are, what quadrilaterals are, and using Power Polygons to help in this endeavor.  There is also some review of computation along the way.

    Ms. Deb is conducting a Social Studies mini-unit about celebrating Martin Luther King’s legacy and the rights of all people.  The students’ are  learning about and bringing up many good ideas about fairness and people’s rights. 

    We will start a new Science unit soon, and very soon Ms. Deb will do her solo teaching.  She will complete two full weeks on her own, and I will be “around” but more out of the picture working on other things.  However, I will be in touch by email if necessary. 

    Enjoy the new snow and the weekend.


    Mr. B and Ms. Deb