Matilda on Monday!

We'll start reading Matilda by Roald Dahl on Monday, February10th.  As part of the unit, students will participate in a book club, answer comprehension questions, and study the vocabulary of the book.  Take a look in the link section of our website to get more information on Roald Dahl and to access the comprehension and vocabulary pages we'll be using.

Cooking with Kids!

This week we started our unit on fractions using Math in Focus (one of the math pilots the district is trying this year).  To introduce the unit, we baked cookies!  We started out our lesson with writing a chocolate chip cookie recipe. Then, we reviewed fractions with measuring cups and measuring spoons. Each student took turns adding various ingredients into bowls and then combining them.  We baked the cookies six at a time in a toaster oven (thanks to my little brother, Aaron).  It worked!  Baking with kids is so much fun!  If you aren't doing it at home, you should! If you are, good for you! If you are a classroom teacher and haven't cooked with your students, what are you waiting for!?  The cookies won't bake themselves!
One last note...a BIG thank you to Jonica for rescuing us!  I forgot flour and she came to the rescue.  Phew!  Take a peek at the pics!

Jumpin' January

It's January and we've jumped right back in to our studies!  The students seemed to have grown over the holiday break and settled into their fourth grade bodies.  All is calm and collected. 

In math we've been studying graphs and data using our math pilot Math in Focus.  This unit has been easy for most of our students as Trailblazers worked on graphs and data in every unit.  The district will be making a decision about the new math program in April.  The choices are between Envision Math and Math in Focus. 

In Daily 5, we've been meeting daily to read various Roald Dahl books in a book club format.  Our students have been bringing in refreshments to share with their fellow readers to eat while they discuss the books.  So far we've read The Twits, George's Marvelous Medicine, and we are working on The Giraffe, The Pelly, and Me.  The kids are certainly enjoying Dahl's humor!

In science, we've been studying electricity.  Using Delta science kits, funded by the PTO, we've learned how to build a simple circuit using a lightbulb, wire, and battery.  Last week, we started learning about series and parallel circuits. 

We got news from New Hampshire Fish and Game last week. Our brook trout will be available for pick up in February.  We'll be raising them to the fry stage and setting them free in Great Brook in early spring.  

In other news, our class has been given money through Adopt-A-Classroom from our local West Lebanon JCPenney store to support material and technology purchases.   Thank you to JcPenney!

Happy New Year!

Make Yourselves Comfortable!

A few of our girls have made themselves comfortable during read to self. We are glad they have made themselves feel right at home!  

Friday the 20th, we will be out and about.  We will sing at Brookside Nursing Home, Skate at Campion Rink, and have a reading celebration and book discussion about the book, Buddy at Kilton Library.  We need a few chaperones to help with the singing/skating and we need volunteers for set up and take down at Kilton.  If you can help, email me!

Snowflake Bentley

Yesterday, we read the book, "Snowflake Bentley" by Jacqueline Briggs Martin.  Using this Link, you can read it too. We also watched a short video about Snowflake Bentley online.  With black paper we caught snowflakes and looked at their crystal shapes.

Today, we read a play on Bentley and watched a quick you tube video on the formation of snowflakes. Here is a picture or two from today:

Testing Picture Uploads

Newsy Notes

Hi there!  It's been a long while since we made our last entry.  We've been busy little bees and it is only going to get busier! Take a look below to read about what we've been doing in each subject area.

In math, we've been studying double digit division (say that ten times fast!).
In science, we've begun our study of electricity.  To introduce electricity, Ms. Allen had us watch a Brain Pop! video.  Do you know why you get shocked after walking across a carpeted room?  Ask your fourth grader, they can tell you!
In social studies we've been reading about the typhoon in the Philippines using our TFK magazines and news broadcasts online.  A typhoon is the same thing as a hurricane.  The name depends on which part of the world you are in - we call it a hurricane, Filipinos call it a typhoon.
In Daily 5, Mrs. Stone has been reading us the book Buddy by M.H. Herlong.  It's about a three legged dog who has to weather Hurricane Katrina in the bathroom of his family's home in New Orleans.  We've also been working on reading fluency by listening to two different read alouds of The Ugly Duckling and then we read the play using our best reading voices.  Handwriting has been BIG in Daily 5, we're almost done with our Zaner Bloser books.  We're also becoming SUPER SPELLERS!  The last spelling test we had six students in the one hundred club.  Some of the words this week include discernible, camouflage, mistletoe, cranberry, and oasis.
Our school is running a food drive and we are taking part in the organization of it!  The food collected will go to The Haven.  Our class has a goal to collect fifty cans.  We have seventeen so far.

Here are a few field trip dates:
December 13th - Lebanon High Concert
December 20th - Christmas Carols @ Brookside and Skating @ Campion