BOO !!!!

Guess who and what? Posing after our Halloween parade and prior to Fall Festival fun we have:



birds,



a Japanese lady,



food,



pretty witches,



a couple of cats (black and jaguar, of course,)




creepy things and....



Paul Revere with a spider queen.

Science Projects

In the coming days students are expected to collect recycled materials from around the house to use in creating flashlights, miniature rooms and possibly a model of the International Space Station. All the electrical equipment will come from school supplies. Students took home their preliminary designs for a flashlight and room to light up. So save shoe, cereal boxes, paper towel rolls etc. We start constructions next Tuesday.

Reading Comprehension Terms

Homework for the next few evenings includes studying the reading comprehension terms cards each student has prepared and stashed in a special binder pouch. We will be having an assessment next Tuesday on how well students understand these terms and apply them to better understand what they read. You can help by reviewing the cards with your child and quizzing them on definitions.

Fall Festival, Book Fair and Poetry in the Park

It's a busy next few weeks. Our Halloween parade of costumes begins at 8:30 Friday followed by Fall Festival. There will be several places for you to sign out your child when leaving campus that day.

Book Fair starts November 8th. We will be going to check it out that first day Monday morning from 9 to 9:30. You're welcome to go with us.

Here's a reminder from the organizers: If you're going to allow your child to make purchases when they visit with the class (versus just creating a list to take home of things they'd like), students should not bring large denomination bills or checks. Last year we had students with $50 bills and $100 checks - and most only buy about $20 worth, which meant we gave them cash change of a significant $ amount - which concerns us as a safety issue.

Wednesday November is Poetry in the Park starting at 8:30. The fourth grade recites "Paul Revere's Ride" at the end of the morning's program. I'm thinking of having our first "author share" event in our room afterward, since many parents and guests will already be here. We will be celebrating the books students will have published. I'll try and get a sense if many of you can stay on or would prefer coming back another day.

My NM Absentee Ballot Explained

As a permanent resident of New Mexico I am voting with an absentee ballot again this year. I showed the class what's involved. Besides voting for a new governor (both candidates are female), sheriff, representatives and judges I have various bond issues to decide. Since New Mexico is the first minority/majority state (more people of Hispanic heritage than Anglo) our ballot is both in English and Spanish.

Paul Revere Rides Again

Fourth graders are busy memorizing this classic poem. We have read several picture books about Revere and the history of the poem. We have analyzed the figurative language and vocabulary too. It's all part of our preparation for "Poetry in the Park" next month.

Times Tables Time

We have a big push on to finally learn all the times facts to ten. At the same time students learn the divide facts too. We are in the midst of timed practice of 50 facts. The first two were done in class the past two weeks. The second two are for practice. This packet went home today. We will have more timed sessions in school. All families have been asked to set up a plan for accomplishing this task. We have a Math Unit 3 assessment Thursday. I have a practice test/review ready. Thanks.

Shorecrest's "Picture Lady" Art Appreciation Program Season Opener

Students using props provided by "Picture Lady" presenter and Shorecrest parent Peyton Craig McElroy strike living "masterpieces" in the style of Belgian surrealist painter Rene Magritte.













First time "Picture Lady" McElroy delivered a diverse and engaging half hour program. She may be in her rookie year presenting, but as a Shorecrest grad she has great memories being on the student side of this unique Charger tradition.

Potato Power

Isabelle J's blue fingernails contrast nicely with the red glow of a LED light powered by potato batteries.




As part of our science unit on electric circuits, students explored various ways to elicit a flow of electrons in potatoes to power a sound device, clock and other items.



Delaney C. and Aidan S. use a voltage meter to determine the amount of current generated by the spuds. Two potatoes amounted to a volt and a half. Students all calculated various combinations and varieties of potatoes in a series of informal experiments. The process included changing one variable, making predictions and analyzing the results. They later wrote up their findings.

How Many Batteries Does It Take To Turn a Lightbulb On?

Everyone has a hand in getting a lightbulb to glow using 20 plus batteries.



It's all part of our science unit on electric circuits. The lightbulb has its base cut away to allow access to the wires that lead to and from the filament.

Spelling City

These next two weeks, and thereafter when needed, we are working on learning to spell words that each student has identified from his/her own writings. We encourage students to get their ideas and thoughts down in the writing journal and not be overly concerned with correct spelling. These are first drafts and mostly for the writer to see and use. Later in subsequent drafts we do polish up the spelling and other conventions (punctuation, capitalization, grammar, word choice etc.)

Students make lists of the words they find misspelled in their various rough drafts, again, mostly in their writing journal. They then are expected to write the words correctly several times and memorize them. There will be an assessment, as usual, for a part of their Language Arts grade.

Here is a link to a marvelous website for practicing their spelling demons.

An Author Remembered on his 83 Birthday

A Land Remembered author, Patrick D. Smith will be 83 tomorrow. You can learn more about him here and the link to the right. We hope to send birthday greetings to him.