End-of-Week Update, 2/7

Fourth grade Olympic mathletes are ready for the games to begin!

What we've been up to:
"Ahahahhaha!" everyone screamed as we read Bug Butts by Dawn Cusick.  If you're wondering if this is REALLY about bug butts, it is!  We are studying nonfiction in reading and (very soon) in writing!  We have been discussing how nonfiction books are organized (text structures) and what tools the author uses to teach us new information (text features).  We've been creating posters while listening to James and the Giant Peach.  We have been collecting quotes from the book and explaining what the quotes tell us about each character.  We've been working in groups collecting quotes about Centipede, Earthworm, Old Green Grasshopper, Ladybug, and James.

In social studies, we have concluded our study of the Southwest and we brought home our study guide / study packet.  We learned about Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, and New Mexico.  We learned about its geography, varied climate, and the Navajo people.  One interesting fact that we didn't know before this week is that the Navajo people had to walk 300 miles to get to Fort Canby.

In math, we kicked off the Grade 4 Measurement Olympics.  There are four groups and 22 countries represented.  Each team is a different country.  Today, we designed our passports with the country's flag.  Each day next week we will be going to a different fourth grade classroom with different teachers for math and on Friday next week we will be hosting the pentathlon - a five event competition.  Stay tuned for photos and videos!  We also took our fractions test on Friday.  Everyone worked so hard!  This week in math, we also took a group challenge on fraction questions.  A group challenge is when we get with our table groups and work together on a set of questions.

In health, we learned how important our faces can be and that we can tell where they were from just by looking at their faces.  On Tuesday (P.E.) we started "Jump Rope for Heart" to help kids in need of money for their heart disease.  On Wednesday, we sat by a fire with our feet up for a snow day!  Thursday was a very exciting day for Team 20!  We performed our orange belt song called "Merrily We Roll Along" for Mrs. MacMurray in recorder karate.  Some people were even brave enough to go for the green belt song called "Who Has Seen the Wind?"  Congratulations to Cormac, Caroline, Stephen, Leo, and Jared!  Mrs. Adams and Mrs. Mac are so proud of all the belts earned this week!  On Friday, Mrs. Hess helped us design our own medals for the Math Olympics next week!

What's coming up / notes from Mrs. Adams:

• Our Measurement Olympics will be next Friday, 2/14!  If you have sent in any shoeboxes, THANK YOU!  If you have any other shoeboxes at home, we'd really love them!  They do not need to have lids.
• Students have been given an optional Winter Olympics scavenger hunt!  They will be due after vacation at the conclusion of the Winter Olympics.
• Our Southwest quiz will be on Thursday, 2/13.  Study packets went home on Thursday and student have made study plans in their assignment notebooks.
• The Barnes & Noble book fair is being held on 2/13 at the Bellingham Barnes & Noble.  I will be reading at some point between 6:00 and 7:00 PM.  Please come on down for good books and a fun time!

The Spanish team is working on their intricate flag!

The Canadian team is including the trademark maple leaf!

The Italian team is getting ready for the games!

The Russian team is designing the flag of this year's Olympic home!

The Australian team is working on their detailed flag!

End-of-Week Update, 1/31

What we've been up to:
"Let's party!" we all exclaimed on Friday at our essay publishing party.  It was a brief, but busy day as we shared our final copies of our essays.  In case you forgot, an essay is when you persuade someone to agree with your opinion.  You need to have a thesis statement and 3 distinct reasons along with mini stories and parallel lists.  We will be bringing our essays home to share with families next week.  At our publishing party, we kicked it off with a fun dance party with the "minions."  See video below!  Then, we introduced our writing partners and read our essays aloud.  Check out the photos below, too.

In math this week, we learned how to multiply fractions and whole numbers, how to decompose fractions by breaking them into smaller fractions, and how to add/subtract mixed numbers.  We are having a fraction quiz on Friday, February 7th.  Check out the pink study guide!  In social studies, we started the Southwest and it only has four states!  We learned about the Painted Desert, which looks like it's painted but it's really made by nature.  We also read about the Grand Canyon!  See our previous post about the Haffenreffer Museum's visit on Monday!  It was a busy week!

Andrew reading his hockey essay!

Gretchen wrote about her awesome mom!

Leo wrote about his amazing mom, too!

Jared convinced us all to give Sky Zone a try!

Josh persuaded us that Cape Cod is the place to be!

Mani reading her essay about her wonderful friends!

Jack wrote all about Patriot Place and why it's so fun!

Stephen wrote about the best gift he ever got - his iPod!

Maggie made us want to take a trip to California!

Cormac wrote all about why he loves a very special place - his house!

Chase persuaded us that dance is the best sport!

Noah convinced us that TV is a great way to relax and have fun!

Kileigh wrote all about why her nana's campground is the best!

Natalia wrote about her sweet and gentle dog, Ginger, and why she's the best dog a kid could ask for!

Will wrote about his cat Peka, the best cat in the world!

Justin convinced us that owning a hamster is really a lot of work!

Josh persuaded us that his dog Tucker is the best dog ever!

Cullen persuaded us that brothers are really friends, even if you fight sometimes!

Alexis persuaded us to visit Pompano Beach on our next trip!

Corrin wrote all about her fabulous mom!

What's coming up / Notes from Mrs. Adams:

• Fractions quiz is coming up on Friday - please refer to the pink study guide for topics that will be covered!  I will not be posting an at-home study packet for this as it is a quiz.  Any questions, please ask Mrs. Adams!