Fourth Grade VR HC

Our Kindergarten buddies visited our classroom on Friday to work on an art project that to them was magical.  We heavily colored a piece of drawing paper with chalk after which we covered the chalk with heavy dark crayon.  Next we paperclipped another piece of drawing paper over the chalk and crayon paper.  The students drew on the top paper.  Once the illustration was complete, we removed the paperclip and checked out our product.  Voila! We had a reverse drawing that was symmetrical to the chalk/crayon drawing.  Even the second and third graders were surprised by the results.

Continuing our art around the world theme, we learned that most cultures of the world weave.  To learn a simple weaving technique, we made cardboard and string looms and began weaving a design.  Students will be able to continue their weaving throughout the week when they have a few extra minutes.

The WASL has been completed.  All third graders were present all five days of testing.  I am impressed with the students strong desire to do well.  Results of this assessment will be available in September.

We are pushing forward on our environmental project.  The mini-plays are in the rewrite stage.  Polishing a writing is a challenge and each group is looking forward to coming to closure.  Discovering that writing is a process with many rough drafts is a good lesson for our kids.

In science, we continued with our discovery process to determine the  properties of the mystery powders.  This week we added water to the powders to see what would happen giving us even more properties.  We even had a discovery when two powders accidently gravitated to one another. 

We continued working on map skills in social studies.  The students had written questions about latitude and longitude and geographical features.  We shared those questions to discover more about our globe.  We also spent time learning about more environmental issues in our Time For Kids issue.

In math, the third graders continued working on their Geo-Logo designs on the computer using basic Logo commands.  We will have our unit assessment on Monday and then begin a new unit, Money, Miles and Large Numbers.

Check this out on Utube. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEEbE5I6NvU&eurl

The first week of WASL testing is over for the third graders.  Mrs. Davis monitored the reading testing and Mr. Arbuckle is monitoring the math portion of the assessment.  The third graders are taking the WASL seriously and attempting to do their best.

While the third graders are being tested, the second graders are working on a variety of activities.  On Tuesday and Thursday they spent time on a series of problem solving activities.  These activities looked at how math problems should be solved and to correct mistakes that someone calculated incorrectly.  We also looked at missing data and how to make choices to meet mathematical criteria. 

The students compared two stories, Dinorella: A Prehistoric Fairy Tale and Bubba, the Cowboy Prince for similarities and differences to the Cinderella.  We also found time to work on pentominoe puzzles.  On Wednesday, the students continued with their math with Mrs. Davis.  There are only two more WASL testing days for the third graders and then we can resume our normal routines.

Our classes went to the Johnston-Kelly Park on Monday to pull English ivy which has invaded the park.  We learned how this form of ivy is very dangerous to the park vegetation.  Our community service project is grately appreciated by the parks department.  The park employees would never have the time to attempt the work that our second and third graders accomplished.  Way to go HC students!

The third graders began a new science unit Chemical Tests.  In this unit they are looking at five mystery powders.  We are recording properties of each and will soon be running experiments on each powder in order to determine what the powder is.  We have learned safety techniques to properly explore each powder.

On Friday we began the process of writing our environmental stories into plays.  Five student stories have been chosen and committee work began.  By Tuesday we should have rough drafts of our five plays.  Congratulations to Lucy, Alexi, Lydia, Wyatt and Edmund as their stories were selected to be written as plays.

In art, we completed two art projects that we have been working on.  We “framed” our symmetry project and we finished our Ghana Textile project.  Our works will be on display this coming week.  Speaking of display, many of this year’s student artworks are on display at the Everett Education Center on Colby.

Homework for third graders will only be given on Monday next week.  Of course, I encourage the students to keep up with their mystery novel.  Time is given in class to read, but some students need a little more time at home.  The WASL continues for third graders on Wednesday and Thursday, April 23 and 24.  Homework and spelling will return on April 28.

This is a must watch 60 Minutes segment.  It will come on after the commercial.

One of the favorite parts of our day is when I read to the students.  We just finished another novel, The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs.  This novel is a story of a boy who lives in a small Missouri town where nothing much appears to happen until he is challenged to find seven wonders of the town.  Sassafras Springs and Eben will not be the same again once the wonders are discovered.

In reading we are into our two new mystery novels The View From a Cherry Tree and The Dollhouse Murders.  A schedule for reading these novels is on the website.  Each day the students are discussing the novels in literature circles.  The reading emphasis for April is questioning.  Not only are the students checking for comprehension through the questioning process, but they are writing their own questions to check for understanding.

In third grade math we are using the Geo-Logo Software to write basic programs.  Using specific commands, the students are constructing a cake, a flag and a picture frame.  The commands incorporate the use of a four quadrant grid and the positive and negative numbers found on the grid.  Student samples will be included soon on this blog.  We have also been practicing WASL skills in preparation for next week’s assessment.

Our new science unit Chemical Tests began this week.  The students learned about how to conduct experiments safely.  Safety first!  We then examined a powdered mystery chemical looking at the properties carefully to determine the chemical.  Water was added to the chemical and new attributes were discovered.  Based on our discoveries and experience we determined that the chemical was corn starch.  Adding water to corn starch really was exciting as the chemical reaction caused a solid to be formed.  Yet when the mixture was allowed movement it flowed as a liquid.

In art, we moved to the continent of Africa on our tour around the world.  We studied the textiles of Ghana.  In our art project we attempted to recreate a pattern similar to the ones found on our tour. 

Mr. Arbuckle attended fifth grade camp this week, Wednesday and Thursday evenings.  Each day he returned to teach and to tell the second and third graders camp stories.  The second and third graders can’t wait until they become fifth graders!

There will be no homework this week for the third graders.  Getting a good rest for the WASL is our priority.  I encourage the students to continue to keep up with their novel, however.  There will be no spelling for all second and third graders until after the WASL assessment.