November 11, 2017

Our routine each day is coming together for Morning Meeting.

     November has us deep in our studies in 4th Grade! The students are in a good routine and we are going to make the best of the days of school we have in November. It seems we have a lot of days off! We continue to forge ahead in our study of the history of Oregon building on the knowledge gained from studying the Native Americans of Oregon to learning about the first explorers to come to our state. Our class was very lucky last week to welcome Mrs. Slavik back to the 4th grade classroom to share her knowledge of the early sea explorers this past week. Each 4th grader has chosen an explorer to research and write a biography paragraph about this coming week.  

Native American Narrative writing

Peer review of Native American Narrative

Peer review of Native American Narrative

Peer review of Native American Narrative

Mrs. Slavik visits 4th grade!

      The Global Read Aloud 2017 is officially over and we will wrap up the book The Wild Robot early this coming week. It was a great experience to connect with so many classrooms around the US in so many ways! We were able to meet 4th graders from Indiana, Illinois and New York via Google Hangout and Skype. We used the website Kahoot! to play a comprehension game with 2 classes and asked questions back and forth with the other. Our class also participated in a post card exchange across the country. Each week we checked in with the student teachers from University of South Dakota to do a comprehension assignment and share ideas about the book. Finally, we worked on a Padlet using adjectives to describe our favorite character from The Wild Robot. This experience is so valuable in showing the students how alike they are to other 4th graders around the country. 

Students use Google Earth to guide questions during Mystery Skype.

Students record questions and answers to guide new questions. 

Students take turns introducing themselves and asking questions. 

      In science this fall, the 4th grader have focused on Earth science and the process of how the Earth is formed through the lens of studying the rock cycle. The class has spent many weeks learning about the breaking down and making of rocks,including an in-depth study of a volcano of their choice. The students have observed and noted the changes Earth's landscapes make over time through erosion and weathering. This week, the 4th graders experimented with how sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks are formed. What better way than with starbursts?! We will continue to study our Earth by looking at the impact of the Earth's natural process on humans and generate ideas for solutions. 

     The Halloween Party was loads of fun packed with spooky activities. Thank you so much to our room parents Joss, Julie and Elizabeth who made it happen!