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