Book Project Due in 2 Weeks

Just a quick reminder that students have their February book project due in exactly 2 weeks from today!  If you aren't sure what that project is, please click HERE for a full description with the project sheet.  Students will have paper tomorrow to bring home and will have the full week of break to work on it as well.  Please help to make sure that your student is working on reading their book throughout the rest of the week and break to get it done, as it's a big portion of their reading grade at this point.  Thank you!

Science-filled Monday!

Today was a day filled with science [and rain, but it's winter in Washington so that's no shocker!].

Today we continued our exploration of food chemistry by looking at how our food actually moves through our body - the digestive system!  We watched a quick video that talks about the parts of the digestive system and the job that each part has.  You can view it at home HERE.  We looked at what inputs go into our body as well as what comes out - and yes, there is more than just poop (though the kids found it much funnier to think poop was the only thing!).  On your planner for tonight, write the two types of energy that come out of our system for bonus points!

This afternoon we took at look at different nutrients we haven't studied yet.  So far today we looked at fat, protein, and carbohydrates (starch and glucose).  Today we broke into small groups and became "experts" on a vitamin or mineral that is important to our body.  Students made posters that explain how the nutrient is helpful to our bodies and what foods contain the vitamins or minerals.  Unfinished posters are coming home tonight to get finished and ready to present tomorrow - be on the lookout for those!

Tomorrow is also our first "walking" trip to the North Beach ravine.  PLEASE make sure that students are dressed for the weather - we are going rain or shine! - with rain boots, an extra pair of socks, and waterproof jackets.  Hats and gloves are encouraged as well!

Have a great evening and stay dry out there!

Quick Reminder: Class Pictures Tomorrow!

Just wanted to make sure everyone knows that class picture day is tomorrow so come looking your best!

We had SO many absences because of the Seahawks parade so I am hoping to see everyone back at school tomorrow to we have a full class photo!  :)

Write PHOTO on your planner for Thursday to get bonus points!

February Book Project: Newbery Award Winners!

This month we are focusing on Newbery Award winning books for our monthly book project!  It is a fantastic book selection - it did win an award for outstanding writing after all - but it is a category that is rarely ever explored by many students in our class!  What a tragedy!  Click the medal below for a list of all past and present Newbery Award winners.

The project worksheet is listed below and explains all of the requirements for the book project.  Students have 3 weeks to read the book and fulfill the requirements.  The project will be due the day we come back from mid-winter break so that students have time over break to finish their project.  They will be given time both inside and outside of class to finish the project, but students should expect to spend time at home finishing the project, especially if computer use is desired.

February Book Project

          Have you ever been to Barnes and Noble bookstores and looked at the book jackets with an illustrated scene or picture of a main character?  On the back there is also a summary of the book’s plot (with a few important details left out).  Well, for this project you are going to select a Newbery Award winning book, read it, and then design a front and back cover to advertise it.

          Your cover should be the actual size of the book.  It should have a fully colored picture of a scene from the book with the title and author clearly written across the top in really snazzy lettering.  Remember, the idea is to get others interested in the book! For this project you are an advertising specialist AND a graphic artist.

          The back of the book cover should have a full summary of the book’s contents to allow others to get an idea of what the book is about.  Hint: think of your work with the book trailers and how we left with a question to get people hooked!  The spine of the cover should have the title and the author’s name on it as well.

          The cover should be colorful, informative, and attractive in order to sell the book.

Hints:

·         Computer use is, of course, allowed but not required.  Different fonts might give you some ideas for lettering types to use in your design

·         Consider the tone, or feeling, of your book when deciding on a color.  A scary book might be colored with reds, blues and blacks.  A funny, light-hearted book might use yellows or light blues.  Really spend some time on your color scheme.

·         If it’s an adventure, you might want to select the most important or exciting scene in the book and illustrate that on your cover to attract attention.

Good luck and have fun!!  Your project is due February 24^th, 2014

Caught Ya!

WOW!  Today was our first "Caught Ya" ticket party of the year and our WHOLE class got the ice cream reward!  I was a VERY proud teacher to say the least that we all were caught going above and beyond for others - nice work P4!

What a busy Thursday it was for us, but we are all happy to have an extra day off with our day between semesters tomorrow - enjoy that extra time!

Enjoy the SuperBowl this Sunday and root for those Seahawks to bring one home for Seattle.  For bonus, bonus points, write down the score of Sunday's game on the Monday section of your planner.  See you next month (ha, ha!).

Concert Tonight! AND Writing

Tonight is the big night of our concert at Whitman Middle School!  Please be there by 6:45 pm looking your best so that we can be ready to go right away!  There will be a small art show at the beginning of the night and the 4th and 5th grade will do their performances.  They are SO excited and I hope to see everyone there!  :)

Today we watched a fantastic video by two amazing book authors, Dav Pilkey and Jeff Kinney.  These two authors sat down at Scholastic and made a story together right as we watched them!  See the video by clicking HERE.  The story sounds pretty crazy but what I love is that we have to finish the story on our own!  I hope that seeing this video inspires some kids to see how even the craziest ideas can turn into a wonderfully crazy story that we all will be excited to read!  I am hoping we can incorporate these group writing techniques into our classroom more as the year goes on to really see their 4th grade creativity shine!

See you all this evening!

Changes

Sorry for the long absence from the blog - there have been some changes in the works that have been stealing a lot of my time, leaving the blog left out in the cold!

Well today I can finally announce that Miss Nichols (our student teacher) will be leaving North Beach to explore and experience other schools in the area as part of her internship.  She has had a wonderful time with us all and will miss us dearly.  We wish her all the luck and success in the future!

Another quick reminder is that tomorrow (Tuesday) night, we have our winter concert at Whitman Middle School. Students need to arrive by 6:45 pm in the Whitman auditorium.  Students will be sitting with their families until after the art show, and then will be given further instructions. Since this is a performance piece, please do not wear jeans, hats, sweatpants, or sweatshirts.  Coats will be taken off before students come on stage.  Let's all join in and look our best!

Thanks for the patience with the blog absence - I'm hoping to get back on track this week!  Write a smiley face on your planner for bonus points.  :)