We Visit Umass!

Recently the 4/5 community and the sixth grade went to Umass Amherst to the fine arts center and we saw the Taiko drummers! The Taiko drummers are a group of awesome drummers that travel around the world once a year. Their performance was well liked by us! When we were at the performance it was so loud that I could feel my whole body vibrating! During the performance I could feel the vibrations of the drums in every part of my body! I could not believe my eyes when they first opened the stage.  And the drums kept getting bigger and bigger kind of like a pyramid type of shape. My jaw was dropped and in my mind I was thinking about how awesome of a privilege I had to be able to go and see the drummers drum.

Written by Andrew Ohlson

The community is "Out of My Mind"!

    The 4/5 Community is currently reading "Out Of My Mind "  By Sharon Draper.  It is about a girl with CP( Cerebral Palsy. ) She can' talk walk or control about any of her movements.  Right now we are at the part when Melody Is on her way to Washington DC for the Whiz Kids Competition . The team includes Connor, Rose, Molly, Clair, Rodney, and Melody.  People are embarrassed and amazed that a girl with CP can have a photographic memory and be so smart. People can learn from this book, not to judge a person by how they look and what challenge they face.
by Hannah D.

update:We finished the book. In the end, Melody was left behind by the team and never got to compete in the Whiz Kids competition. She was able to confront the team and ask why they left her. Instead of feeling anger, she ended up getting the last word and feeling good about herself. We wish their was a second book!!

Guest Bloggers!

I am excited to announce "Guest Bloggers"! Each week I will have a blogger of the week. A student will be in charge of writing a post for our classroom blog that informs our readers about classroom activities, events, books, lessons, or whatever strikes their fancy. Please enjoy a look from the student's perspective. Writing together truly makes us a classroom community.

The Fantastical Hydras!

We are a force to be reckoned with! Each 4/5 home base spent some time brainstorming a team name, writing a mission statement and classroom goals. Our home base took it a step further and created a Hydra - with 17 heads - one for each member of our class. The determination, hard work, and compromise the class used to complete this project was amazing, and a preview for how we will get things done during this school year.

The Fantastical Hydras' Mission Statement:
          We are a dangerously smart group of talented and creative people. We are made for this!
          We bring on the heat when challenge comes our way. We breathe strength, we breathe
          confidence, we breathe dreams that come true. We are willing to take risks and are always
          there for others. We are the Fantastical Hydras!

Awesome!!!!

Check it out for royalty/copyright free images to use for projects and reports.

 http://pics4learning.com/   or try  http://morguefile.com/

Yay!! I say it with happiness and joy, but also with hesitation, as we say goodbye to another great year in fourth grade! What a year we had! There were many projects, books read, skills learned, new friendships made and memories stored into our minds. I feel so fortunate that I will be able to work with all of this year's students, in one form or another, again next year in our new 4/5 combination classes. It is exciting to think about all of the new experiences we will share. Danika and I are already planning!! I hope everyone takes time to read, write and relax over the next 2 months. It is going to be an awesome summer!!!

Cool FREE Clipart

Here is a list of sites that are appropriate for images for projects, posters, SPRING DICTIONARIES or whatever else you may need. These sites are free to use. YAY!

1. Create a folder Tiled with your topic ie: soccer, Spain, etc.
2. save image as... to this folder
3. remember to save with letters .jpg at the end



Site are:
http://classroomclipart.com/clipart/Clipart/Children.htm

http://www.pppst.com/clipart.html  (hand drawn)

http://schools.iclipart.com/

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Outdoor_Sports_-_Lan_g220.html

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CEMQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fopenclipart.org%2F&ei=JSSdUampBfHeyQH5-YHYBA&usg=AFQjCNH0Gc8EqSML1XVCtqmk7WX_ii-KsQ&sig2=GDggH6bYo2tpx75PHsCCYw


Happy hunting!!
: )

Wow! Look at what's ahead!!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Friday, May 31, Fun Hair or Hat Day
June 4, Preschool Book Swap
June 4 - 7, “Buy One Get One Free” Book Fair
June 5, Kindergarten - Grade 6 Book Swap
June 6, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. June Jamboree
June 7, 8:45 a.m. Band Concert
          Board Games Afternoon
June 8, Walk for Boston
June 11, Field Day
June 12, Jump-up Day
June 13, Sixth Grade Trip to Boston
June 14, Last Day of Preschool
          PJ Day and Movie Afternoon
June 17, 1:30 p.m. Talent Show
Tuesday, June 18, Celebrity or Character Day
June 20, Last Day of School
          10:00 Graduation
          11:30 Dismissal

Salmon Release!!!

This Friday, May 17, our class will be releasing our salmon fry!! We will travel in the morning to Osgood Brook to check out the release site. During this time fourth graders test the stream and river for temperature, speed, ph, and depth. Students also do a bit of community service by cleaning up the area and bagging up and removing trash and debris left over the past year. It has always proven to be a wonderful morning. We will be sure to post how many fry ended up swimming into the Millers River. Children are always excited to know EXACTLY how many we released!

Chaperones... come one, come all!! Contact Mrs. Newman for full details if you would like to join us.

Friday afternoon, we will head to Holyoke to the Barrett Fishway. Children love to witness the fish elevator in action, and spend time in the viewing area observing the many fish the elevator raised up. Seeing the Holyoke dam up close is exciting and is a great culminating activity to our day.

Dates to remember!!

Dates to remember:
Although the school year is beginning to wind down, we still have so much going on!! Here are a few VERY important dates to add to your calendar!

• Friday, May 10 and Monday, May 13 - Math MCAS, session 1 and 2 respectively. 
• Friday, May 17 - Salmon RELEASE DAY!! We will be going to Osgood Brook in Wendell Depot and then to the Holyoke Fishway in the afternoon. **Parent Chaperones are needed!!
• Thursday, May 30 - Field trip to Northfield Mountain Education Center and the Turners Falls Fish Ladder.
• Field Day - Tuesday, June 18
• Last of school - Thursday, June 20

Salmon Projects Have been assigned!

Calling All Inventors!

YOUR TASK: create a salmon invention!!
            *This invention can be a “new” way to make caring, releasing or transporting our fry easier. It can be  an aide in caring for eggs or a creative solution to some of our salmon issues. (Cleaning        the tank, feeding the fry, getting the fry to the river, etc.)
          
            * A model of your creation should be brought in as part of this assignment. A DETAILED, LABELED diagram could also be handed in if the creation is “too large or complex”.

            * Stories, posters and “write ups” are also acceptable.  (A poster could include life cycle diagram/information. A write-up could be a story of an egg through it’s life cycle process or a        comic or cartoon of a salmon’s life journey. )

Anything goes!! If you are unsure or want to check in, PLEASE DO!!! I am always here to brain storm with you or throw around ideas.  The most important thing to remember is to have fun and be creative!!!     DUE DATE is Friday, May 2, 2013!

Images, images, images!!!

Good afternoon Kiddos!!

Use the 3 links listed below to select images for your power point project. Try to make the images you choose relevant to the facts on that slide. Make your choices carefully - you can only have 2 images per slide.

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/pictures/space.html

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/photos/gallery/planets/

Search well!!

Check it out...

http://www.kidsastronomy.com/

Have fun exploring in space!!

Solar System Project Gallery!!

This Thursday afternoon, January 31st, from 1:30- 2:30, students will share their solar system projects in our classroom. Feel free to come and take a look at all the creativity. A few projects have already arrived... I can't wait to see them all!

Solar System Project
Below are the details for the new fourth grade solar system projects.   
Projects are due by January 31.
(Our space museum/gallery will be Thursday afternoon on the 31st.)
Students must make a creative, original model of the solar system which includes the following:
a. Sun
b. Mercury
c. Venus
d. Earth with Moon
e. Mars
f. Jupiter
g. Saturn
h. Uranus
i. Neptune
j. Pluto (although no longer an official planet, still a member of our system)

Please consider the following:
The model may be on poster board, a 3d diorama, a mobile, or any other interesting way you can think to show the solar system (clay, drawing, paper mache, edible, etc..) The more creative the better!! Remember, there are 20 others doing this project -  make your original and different. Try to think of something NO one else has thought of!!!!
The solar system must be in the correct order and each body must be clearly labeled.  Please keep in mind size of planets, while it will not be possible to keep all planets to scale, try to make small planets look small and big planets look big with everything else in between
Computer Printouts and Craft store pre-made models are not acceptable
A list of the 15 most interesting facts that you learned about the solar system must be included with your final project.
Extra solar system “bodies” (other planet’s moons, the asteroid belt, starts, comets, etc. may also be included)

There are a variety of resources for information about our solar system. You and your child could use online resources, our towns’ libraries, books from home, etc. If these are not possibilities for you, please let me know below and I can send home an informational packet to use as a resource for information about the solar system. Color pictures and books are best, but I am willing to send along what I can.

Please have fun with this project and let your creativity SOAR!!!! The more creative and different, the better. This project is meant to be a direct extension from our limited science lessons in class. What better way to learn the solar system and it’s members, then create it yourself!