Halloween and Beyond

No homework tonight, but they have already copied down what's to be done for Tuesday evening. Please find a few moments this week to discuss and reflect on world population issues.

We continue our study of the origins of the 13 colonies with several chapters (one each day) on the Massachusetts colony at Plymouth. Students will assemble a study guide as we did for Jamestown, Virginia. Each chapters key points will be noted, as well as, a personal response, theme sentence and interesting words explained.

The Revere poem stanza that begins with " A hurry of hoofs...." is to be memorized by Friday.

In writing we had a mini lesson about composing a series of short poems on a single theme. I shared my poems about things I observed while kayaking. Students went away from my mini lesson to make a list of subjects they might tackle in poetry. Next they chose one topic and put down a series of words or phrases that went with that subject. These were the nucleus of the series of poems. I was impressed with how quickly and eagerly they got on with the project. Later in the session we had poems being read to each other on subjects as diverse as paintball shoots; flutes; pitching; shark fishing; touring St Petersburg, Russia etc. These polished up will be illustrated, word processed and up for display at "Poetry in the Park."

Thursday is our vocabulary test on words from Edward Tulane and spelling list on words frequently confused. See previous post about those.

We wrap up Math Unit 4 this week which is all about decimals. The assessment is Friday.

Feeding the World's 7 Billion

We plan to grow in our school garden plot these four vital food plants. Rice, wheat, corn and potatoes are the four most important food sources for our planet's now seven billion people.

Happy Birthday Seven Billionth Person

Today was declared the birth of the 7 billionth person. We examined coverage from the St.Petersburg Times, Washington Post, Time Magazine and the National Geographic website. Students watched a population clock ticking. In the 40 minutes we were discussing the subject, 6,000 people were added. The class took notes and created a poster full of facts and stats. It was a chance to review our knowledge of big numbers and data analysis.

Planning Puerto Rico trip

Dear 4th grade parents, This Thursday and Friday at 2:45 are the LAST two meetings for information about the trip to Puerto Rico. Please come to the Spanish room (K-1) in the Kindergarten wing. If you can not attend, read Señora Bockman-Pedersen's blog ([Link]http://www.spanishbp.blogspot.com/ and click on the 'Vamos a Puerto Rico' page. ¡Gracias!

p.s. feel free to email her at [Link]bbp@shorecrest.org for more information. You can use your frequent flier miles on this trip!!

Paul Revere and his.........

At Shorecrest we work hard and then we play hard. Fall Festival was and the rain wasn't!

They're, There, Their etc.

We teachers keep teaching and students keep forgetting to use them correctly. See below our current spelling words to be tested next week. Students have them listed in their word notebooks. In addition I challenged them to see if they could write a long sentence or several sentences that use all the words correctly. Jenna W and Owen H. above are trying on their slates. Stay tuned for the results.

Zack's KNEX Wizardry

Zach P. is a master of Knex constructions and inventions. Here he is demonstrating his version of a revolver. It came with a safety lock, revolving bullet chamber, firing rod and all......shooting a high speed round across the room. It's a reminder of the diversity of interests and skills our students have beyond their classroom studies.

Puerto Rico Trip

Dear 4th grade parents,
Please go to Señora Bockman-Pedersen's blog to learn more about the Puerto Rico trip this summer. The attached link will take you directly to the Puerto Rico trip page. If you have additional questions, she will be having a meeting Friday morning at 8:00 a.m. in her classroom, just before Fall Festival. ¡Muchas Gracias!

[ http://spanishbp.blogspot.com/p/vamonos-puerto-rico.html ]http://spanishbp.blogspot.com/p/vamonos-puerto-rico.html

What We're Up To This Week

What a great book....we just finished. Students have been taking notes, recording their reactions, stating the theme and explaining several interesting words for each chapter. This constitutes their Edward Tulane Study Guide. We will be preparing everyone for a final assessment to be done on Thursday.

This week and next we will concentrate on polishing up and publishing their personal narratives. We will also take up some more poetry writing ahead of next month's Poetry in the Park event.

We all have reading partners and will have more time to read and converse about the selected books.

Math unit 4 on decimals is well under way. Students found lots of examples of decimals all around them.

Soon we will begin our study of the Massachusetts colony. Just in time for Thanksgiving we'll be up on the Pilgrims and puritans.

Friday is Fall Festival. So plan to witness the parade first thing and sign your child out by ten for all the fun.

"The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" is being committed to memory this week and next. This week for homework it's the stanza beginning with: " Then he said..." and ends with " ....marching down to their boats on the shore." Please help.

Cheers for the Athletic Center

We celebrate before today's pep rally in our fabulous new athletic center.

Reading Partners: getting started

Peighton S. and Sophia V. discussing the book they are both reading. Notice the post-it notes that mark various thoughts they while reading which will be referred to during the chat. The girls are demonstrating what a "book partner" conference looks and sounds like while the rest of the class watches. This technique is known as the "fish bowl." We stopped them several times to comment or pose questions. We also complimented them for demonstrating the process so well. Below they are pointing out the planning that needs to be done. Reading buddies need to agree on some ground rules including how many pages they will read each day. It wouldn't work if one partner reads way ahead of the other. The rest of the class are choosing just right books and getting started on this project. Later in the year, we will form "book clubs" for larger groups all reading and pacing through the same book.

The "Hot Potato" in the news again

My wife and I have been fascinated with the history and social influence of the potato for many years. It all began as a classroom project with my fifth graders while teaching at the International School of Brussels. Now a non-profit organization, we are seeking a permanent home for the collection, reported to be the world's largest collection on the subject.

Over the years we've had exhibits in major museums in the US, Canada and shows in Europe. We cover the potato's amazing past, controversial present and promising future in our websites, lectures and publications.

Now the potato is making news, once again. You can read about this "hot potato" topic in the linked BBC report which concludes with some quotes by my wife and a link to our Potato Museum online site.

How Many Batteries to Light a Bulb?

Many hands helped produce a tiny glimmer of light in a 40 watt bulb using a few batteries. We also measured the current produced using a voltage meter. This is one of many investigations conducted these past weeks including making switches, circuits in series and parallels, testing conductivity and diodes.

Paul Revere & other projects

Paul Revere statue by Cyrus Dallin in Boston

Today we explored the historical background for the poem " The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" by Longfellow. This is the poem fourth graders recite during November's "Poetry in the Park" event. I've asked the class to memorize the first and last stanzas by Friday. They are also expected to discuss the historical context of the poem with you. As we prepare our recitation of this famous piece of Americana, we will be analyzing what makes it such a successful and memorable piece of writing.

This week we celebrate our new athletic center on Friday afternoon. But before that we have a math unit 3 assessment Tuesday and a History of US chapters 8 to 12 test Friday. Students completed a practice math test today. They are to review that and their Study Links book to prepare. For history, they already have their study guide which includes a list of key questions. I will practice again how to respond to a short answer essay question. A part of the question is always to be included in the first sentence of the answer.

Tomorrow we have our first "Picture Lady" presentation rescheduled from last week.

Neat Electrical Circuits Website

Check out this fun and informative site Mrs. Baralt found.

Another Busy Week

Sandhill cranes at sundown in New Mexico's Bosque del Apache wildlife refuge last autumn.

This week we continue studying the group novel Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Students will be completing notes and their responses for homework. We read and discuss the chapters in class. In writing the personal narrative project continues. Students are looking to describe one small moment or experience that stands out for them. We are finishing Math Unit three this week. There will be a practice test and assessment next week. In History we have finished the second part about Virginia (Jamestown/Henrico) the first English speaking settlements in America. Students have a study guide of all their notes and a list of key questions to look over. That assessment will be next week as well. Our first "Picture Lady" experience is tomorrow afternoon. We begin a new round of technology lessons with Mrs. Baralt (running the next three weeks) connecting our classroom science investigations about electrical circuits. Friday is a teacher professional training day...so a three day weekend for students.

Potato Revolution

My fellow potato enthusiast Jeffrey Allen Price has organized "Potato Revolution" an exhibit of artworks inspired by the influential tuber. So if you're up in Brooklyn the next two months (as my wife is now) check it out. We worked together with Mr. Price last year putting together a collection of movie and music clips featuring the potato.

You know we're growing potatoes as part of the school garden, right? All this year I plan to share with the class information and items from my collection on the history, science and art of the potato. I do this as an introduction to the many ways of looking at a food source. Then next spring each student researches a different food plant or animal that was important in Colonial America.

Steve Jobs: boredom & his 4th grade teacher

The importance of boredom and a fourth grade teacher on the life of Steve Jobs:

Jobs usually had little interest in public self-analysis, but every so often he’d drop a clue to what made him tick. Once he recalled for me some of the long summers of his youth. I’m a big believer in boredom,” he told me (J. Cayeiro). Boredom allows one to indulge in curiosity, he explained, and “out of curiosity comes everything.” The man who popularized personal computers and smartphones — machines that would draw our attention like a flame attracts gnats — worried about the future of boredom. “All the [technology] stuff is wonderful, but having nothing to do can be wonderful, too.”

In an interview with a Smithsonian oral history project in 1995, Jobs talked about how he learned to read before he got to school — that and chasing butterflies was his passion. School was a shock to him — “I encountered authority of a different kind than I had ever encountered before, and I did not like it,” he said. By his own account he became a troublemaker. Only the ministrations of a wise fourth grade teacher — who lured him back to learning with bribes and then hooked him with fascinating projects — rekindled his love of learning.

(from http://itwn.wordpress.com/)