Field Trip Flashback: Carkeek Park Salmon Search

I FINALLY got these pictures off of my camera and read to post!  Earlier this year all of the 4th graders went to Carkeek Park for our first trip there to have the salmon search - basically we went and learned more about the parts of a salmon, learned what salmon need to be healthy, and saw some salmon at the end of their life cycle in the stream through Carkeek. This was such a fun field trip and the kids were really interested in the salmon dissection, which was a new feature this year!  Students had two feelings about the dissection: either excitement or disgust, which made for a very interesting time at the dissection station!  :)

First we identified and labeled parts of a salmon together...

Then, it was time for the salmon to come out!  The salmon is from the Issaquah hatchery where we visited earlier this year!

First we saw the salmon gills...

And then we opened the salmon up to see the insides!

The boys in the group were REALLY into the dissection.... the girls on the other hand.... not so much.  

Then we all got to use popsicle sticks and gently poke at the parts of a salmon to learn more.

These were some salmon in the stream near the end of their life cycle.

Lastly, we played a game where we simulated being salmon and running through our life cycle.  As a salmon, only about 2% survive through adulthood in order to spawn - it's a tough life for a salmon!  

Write SALMON on your planner for Thursday to get bonus points for your group.  Bonus points started over so let's get those table points up!  

Also, as a reminder, students came home with book orders today!  Book order books make great holiday gifts.  If you're interested in ordering books for holiday gifts, please let me know and I can arrange a discrete pick up for you to get the books home and still have those surprise faces over the winter break.  Book orders are due Tuesday, December 10th by 4 pm.  PLUS, this month when you spend $10 you get a free book of up to $5 value!  The coupon code is attached to the book order forms that came home Wednesday.  Happy ordering!

Social Studies Final Project - we need your help!

Fourth Grade Families – we need your help!

            In social studies we have been learning about the geography of Washington and we are preparing for our final geography celebration.  We need your help providing the following supplies by Wednesday, November 20^th for our edible project:

·         Gel icing (any color)

·         Miniature marshmallows

·         Licorice (ideally pull-and-peel varieties)

·         Bugles crackers (preferably plain)

·         Small fruit snacks

·         Small pretzel sticks

·         Other various small candies (nut-free and no M&Ms)

Keep in mind that there will need to be enough for 19 students so please send anything that you can with your student so that I can collect it ASAP.  Thank you so much for your help with our special edible celebration!  J

Shrinking Bigfoot Workshop

The wonderful people from Seattle City Light came and did a follow-up to our assembly in our classroom for all of the 4th graders.  

We started off by explaining and reviewing some renewable types of resources that we have in the Pacific Northwest, namely Seattle, like heat and wind energy.

And we talked about how the excessive traffic we have in Seattle is putting out a lot of extra carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that causes the Earth to heat up.

Then we played a game that was like memory with a twist!  Students had to choose two cards that matched.  The cards showed different ways that the students can make choices around their house that are beneficial to our environment.  For example, in our homes we can change to LED or high efficiency light bulbs instead of the standard ones.  What other choices can you make?

Once students found a match, they had to choose a card from the gameboard.  Then, their group had to brainstorm how this was helping the environment or other ways they can improve their choices.

We had a LOT of fun and learned a LOT about energy and how we can make better choices for our environment to make sure that we are leaving it better than we found it.  Draw a footprint on MONDAY on your planner for bonus points.  :)

Shrinking Bigfoot Assembly and Reminders!

The wonderful people from Seattle City Light came to North Beach to help us learn about conservation of resources and how we can choose renewable resources on a daily basis.  The assembly was FANTASTIC and pretty funny!  Here are some pictures from the show:

Our own Lily P. got to help the squirrel friends explain what more carbon does to our environment!

Lily B. got to demonstrate what hydropower is - do you know?

And Harrison was wind power, a fantastic renewable resource!

He's grooving with the presenters!

Check out this video of our squirrel friend during the assembly!

Write SBF on your planner for tonight to get bonus points!

Reminder: book orders are due next Thursday by the end of the day so hopefully they will be here by the time we get back from conference week.  Also, tomorrow is our field trip to Carkeek Park - remember to dress for the weather, it will be cold and maybe rainy but we will be outside either way!  :)

Early Release - YAHOO!

Students have two extra hours off today so I hope they use that time wisely to  play and enjoy the break from the coming rain we are sure to have!  I know I want to be out there enjoying it!

With the colder weather means that students should really be bringing some kind of outer layer - whether that is a coat, sweatshirt, vest, etc. so that when students are outside playing they aren't getting too cold or wet.  Also with that cold, rainy weather comes sickness.  :(  With a class of only 19 right now, we definitely notice when even one person is missing so as the flu and colds start to go around, it will run through our class so quickly.  Please emphasize with your student the importance of washing hands - we take a stop at the bathroom every day before lunch to wash up and it is amazing how fast students seem to be able to wash their hands!  I have already started to hear coughing and complaints of sore throats so try to get plenty of rest, fluids and hand washing in!

Permission slips came home on Monday for the field trip next Friday to the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery.  Please sent the slip and money ($5) to school ASAP.  We are still in need of at least one more chaperone, so if you're able to join us, we would love to see you there!

Today we started learning about artifacts in social studies and how artifacts are what archaeologists use to get information about the past.  On Friday, we are all going to be archaeologists of our own!  Students each need to bring in an artifact that says something about themselves - baseball gloves, family portrait, anything that is special and tells more about themselves!  Please help students find an artifact to bring in for Friday.  If the artifact is too big to bring in, feel free to send me a picture printed off or via email and I can help with that.  Write artifact on your student's planner for bonus points for tomorrow!  :)

Enjoy your extra time off and I will see you all tomorrow!

CBA and WJM and Balloons!!

What a title, huh?

Well tomorrow is a big day here at North Beach with a LOT going on!

Tomorrow is our Walk-a-Jog-a-Move-a-thon.  Please remind your student to bring and wear comfy clothes and running/walking shoes as well as a water bottle and a small amount of snack money, if desired.  We will be walking, jogging, and moving from 1-2:30 tomorrow!

Also tomorrow our CBA is due for social studies!  We have been working so hard on it that we all can't wait to have it finally finished.  :)  I will be emailing people who still need to complete their CBA and/or maps tonight so be on the lookout!

Today we also started our end of the year countdown with one of my favorite activities all year!  :)  Can you spot the hidden balloons around our classroom?

In each balloon there is a small slip of paper that explains a mystery activity that is planned for each day for the rest of the year.  Some are privileges and some are prizes but everyone is excited to see what it is!  Tomorrow students who earned the balloon prize get to choose anywhere in the classroom to sit for the day!  I hope they all make great choices!

For bonus points, write WJM on your student planner and we will see you tomorrow!

New Behavior System

After some talking with our 4th grade team and feeling like the students who are doing so well aren't recognized and praised enough for their great work I have decided to change our classroom behavior management a little.  Every day students will be self-grading their work (on a 10 point scale) where 10 points are best and 1 point is the worst for each class "period" we have.  The total day is worth 50 points.  If students earn less than 43 points, they will be losing their recess the following day and getting an email sent home to let you know about the behavior concerns for that day.  If students are earning more than 43 points, they will be earning bonus points for their table and will be working toward an extra reward.

I greatly appreciate the students who day in and day out are modelling excellence in our classroom and outside and really feel like they are not recognized enough.  So far, I'm super impressed with how much behavior has improved today and how everyone is really being honest with their self assessments.  Great job P4!

This week we are working on SO many new things!

Our new writing unit is "Writing Prompts" where we are focusing on being able to respond to a prompt on a deadline.  The downfall of writing workshop is that we work on one piece of writing for a month or more, so students don't have a great concept of time when working on these pieces.  To help prepare and become better able to work on a deadline, each week students will be given a writing prompt in class on Monday (or the start of the week, whichever is first) and their final draft will be due and scored on Friday.  This will help students get immediate feedback on their work, as well as showing what they have learned so far this year in practice.

In reading we are continuing to work on writing summaries for fiction writing, which is getting better, but we can always use a little more "tweaking" to perfect the craft.  Next week we will be starting chapter book groups where students will get to dive into learning and responding to a longer novel!

Ask your student which tribe we are researching for social studies.  If they can tell you the name of the tribe, write NP on their planner for bonus points tomorrow!  :)

Keep up the great work P4!

Science Fair Update

Just a couple quick reminders today!

1. Students should be coming home with a class list of names just in case you're interested in sending in Valentine's Day cards.  Just a reminder that there must be one sent for everyone if you're sending them.  Since Valentine's Day is on a furlough day, there will NOT be a party happening, just passing out Valentines.  Thank you for not sending extra food.
2. The Winter Beach Night is THIS Friday from 6:30 to 8:30 and there is an informational flyer that should be coming home with students today if you're interested in coming.
3. Any student who is 10 years old is eligible to participate in safety patrol and applications came home today as well.  If you're interested, sign the paperwork and turn it in to me so that I can sign it and give it to Mrs. Sherman so she can schedule a training for new patrol members.
4. Wednesday is an early release for students - just as an FYI. 

Science fair resources should have been done today, but many students didn't have any.  If students aren't finishing their science fair pieces on time, they will be kept in at recess to finish those pieces for as long as it takes to complete.  Furthermore, if students don't have a list of resources at this point, they are already behind, which is not a place you want to be for the science fair.  Students now must create a hypothesis by Wednesday, which should be in the form, "What is the effect of _____ on _____?"  For example, What is the effect of sunlight on plant growth?  Students in fourth grade are NOT doing reports so students are not explaining HOW anything is done.  They should be testing the effect of one variable on their tested subject.  Thanks for helping steer our students away from reports!  :)

Most of the class came home with their clay map today.  Ask them what the different colors mean!  If they can tell you, write SS on their planner for bonus table points!  This is still valid tomorrow when the rest of the maps come home.  :) 

Shrinking Bigfoot

Today we had a wonderful assembly about Shrinking Bigfoot - not the mythical creature but our carbon footprint on the earth left by our fossil fuel and daily electricity usage and the impact that has on our environment.  This week we will be taking a closer look at the impact we have on our environments and learning more about how we can shrink our bigfoot!  :)  Ask your student ways that he/she can shrink their bigfoot around the house.  If your student can answer that question, write bigfoot in their planner for Monday for bonus points!

Speaking of planners, I have been getting a lot of emails about students "not knowing" about homework so I just wanted to make it clear that we dedicate time daily to filling out our planners so that should never be the case unless your student wasn't following the expectations and directions in class.  I do check the planners daily to make sure that they are filling them out but some do slip through the cracks so it's a great idea to check your student's planner at home as well to make sure that homework is done.  Several students have a really hard time actually completing any homework so that follow through is great from you at home.

This Thursday book orders are due, and if you are ordering books as gifts please let me know so I can get them home discreetly before the holidays.

Thursday is also the day our permission slips are due for our next field trip on December 11th (yes it is already next Tuesday!) so please get those in ASAP.  Several students already lost theirs (sheesh!) so I will get those replacements tomorrow.  We need at least 6 chaperones (and I have 1 already) so if you can make it with us, we would love to have you!  If we don't get at least 6 chaperones we cannot go to Carkeek park so please help us go by coming with us!  :) 

Cultural Heritage Project Questions Answered!

Woweee! What a fast month it has been.... I guess the holiday season always gets that way, doesn't it!

Well lots of exciting things have been happening in Room 15, namely our good friend, the cultural heritage project. First of all, I just want to say that this was a big project... and I mean a BIG, GIANT project! It was research, and writing, and reading, and more writing, and editing, and MORE! But you know what, we did it... dare I say we made it out alive and better students in the end!

I know that there are some project that come along that are very involved and challenge every ounce of ourselves as students (and teachers too!). The beauty of those projects, however, is that we learn a LOT, not only about the subject but about ourselves! I can't describe the groans I heard when I introduced the project to the students a mere three weeks ago. Nor can I describe to you the looks of terror on the faces of the students when I told them the due dates and what all would be involved in this project! But I have to say that after spending a week doing hours of research, both on computers and in books, writing a first draft, editing our first draft, writing our second draft, typing our final draft and finally printing off our final draft, I have never been prouder of the work I'm seeing from the students. For the first time this year I feel like I've found a project that students are not only engaged in, but are doing their BEST work that they're able. So as far as I'm concerned, mission accomplish. I'm not doing my job as a teacher if I'm not challenging your students to do their best every day and even stretch their understandings and abilities to the maximum limits. That's why we come to school after all is to learn and become better students, right? So before I answer the questions, I want to say a big THANK YOU to all of the students who have been at school every day, ready to learn, ready to add onto this monstrous project, and have given it EVERYTHING they have to give. You know who you are and I applaud your effort and determination. The result speaks for itself!

But enough of what I want to say! :) Now onto the questions that I've been receiving in this last minute crunch of the project and last minute reminders about deadlines!

1. When is the final draft of the written project due? The final written draft of the project (TYPED) is due Wednesday December 14th (tomorrow!).
2. What format do you want the typed final draft in? Each paragraph should be on its own page with the title of the paragraph's topic as a title of the page. For example, on the page with the paragraph with my country's culture at the top, I would write the title "Culture" at the top! :)
3. What size is the poster? What is on the poster? Do we provide our own materials for the poster? The poster will be a standard sized poster board paper, approximately 24"x18". The poster will have pictures (each student is allowed to have two pictures printed off of the computer at school, but more can be printed off at home and brought in) and favorite pieces of information about their country. I expect each poster to have 5-7 interesting "facts" or pieces of information about the country in addition to the poster pictures. Make sure your country's name is big and bold! The materials will be provided for the students at school on December 14th to work on in class. Whatever isn't finished will be done at home.
4. Tell me more about the International Celebration! The International Celebration will be in Room 15 on December 15th starting at 2 o'clock. Family and friends are welcome and encouraged to come and see a little taste from the cultures around the world in our classroom! "Official" invitations will be coming home tomorrow with the students. Students are expected to wear costumes which represent traditional clothing from their country's heritage. The costumes don't have to be elaborate, though! It can definitely be our "best approximation" of what they would be wearing! :) Students are also expected to bring food from their country for students to "taste test". This means a bite-sized sample for each student, not a full meal! Please make enough for about 40 people to taste.

Last but not least, thank you SO much for those people who have helped make this project successful! I know at times, it seemed like we'd never make it but here we are! We've learned a lot and had a ton of fun in the process! I can't wait to see you all on Thursday for this GREAT celebration!