GIZMOS!

Our gears have been turning as we've embarked on a Gizmo module.  Students have been studying prime factorization in math.  To enrich our experience, we hauled the mobile lab to class and partook in Gizmo lesson on prime factorization.  What fun we had!  Check out Gizmos for free for 30 days at Gizmos!  Students can access their accounts from home too!

4 Winds!

Today we had the opportunity to learn about camouflage with Mrs. Corbin and Mrs. Lynn.  Check out our pictures below!

November News!

As you know, we have been holding conferences which is why I haven't had a chance to write to you!  Nearly 100% of students were represented!  Way to go parents!

In math we've been focusing on addition and subtraction with regrouping.  We worked with base-10 pieces and practiced the process of exchanging ones, tens, and hundreds pieces in order to add or subtract.  Students are using base-10 shorthand to model problems as well as computing standard algorithms.  Here's a website we've enjoyed using Adapted Mind

We introduced our rocks and minerals unit (finally) with the book Rocks in His Head written by Carol Otis Hurst.  You can get a snippet here.  We also began watching a video about rocks and minerals.  Next week we'll delve into observation of rocks and minerals with our Delta Science Kit (thanks again, PTO).

In Daily 5 (our literacy block), we've been studying the polar bear.  Students have read an article in Time for Kids and have worked in their guided reading group to expand their learning about polar bears and their habitat.  Did you know that by 2050 the Arctic could be free of its sea ice in the summer?  You can get more information and activities here

We just finished reading aloud the book The Twits by Roald Dahl.  This obnoxiously funny story had our students rolling with laughter and groaning with disgust at Mr. and Mrs. Twit's nasty ways.  Tomorrow, we'll move on to reading aloud a new Great Stone Face book with Mrs. Stone.  Students will be listening to various adults introduce the books and selecting books they'd like to read in their dossier.

In writing, we've finally finished our Picturing Writing stories and have moved on to more in-depth pieces.  Tomorrow, we'll be making art for our monster stories.  Be on the lookout for these scary creatures on a bulletin board near you!

The cooler weather is upon us.  Please be sure your child comes prepared for frigid temperatures.  Remember to put their name in their hats, mittens, boots, coats, and ski pants.

Knitting group for fourth grade will start tomorrow during recess.  Mrs. Shaker and I will lead the kids through the basics of knitting.  If you or someone in your family has yarn or needles they'd like to donate, send 'em in!

As always, you are welcome to stop in and observe lessons, volunteer, whatever!  We'd love to have you visit!

Hatchery!

We had a fantastic trip to the New Hampton Fish Hatchery.  Students had an opportunity to strip female fish of their eggs, observe redds and BMI, explore a riffle, run, and pool, and climb to the top of the watershed.  Hooray for a great learning experience!  Thank you to all our parent volunteers and for the cooperation of parents behind the scenes!

Field Trip!

Tomorrow we'll be headed to Concord to visit the state house and New Hampshire Historical Museum. 

REMINDER!

Lebanon School District

Fourth Grade Field Trip

The fourth grade team will be taking the fourth grade classes to Concord, New Hampshire to visit the State House and Museum of New Hampshire History.  The trip will be Wednesday, October 24th, 2012. 

We will leave Mt. Lebanon School by bus at 8:10 AM and return to school by 2:00 PM.  Please make sure your child arrives to school on time.  Your child is permitted to bring headphones or electronics for the bus ride so long as he/she keeps the volume at a level that does not disturb others.  Your child must take full responsibility for any belongings brought to Concord.  Cameras are only permitted to be used by chaperones.

If you are chaperoning the trip you are responsible for paying your admission.  The discounted admission fee for chaperones is $ 4.00.  Please bring cash.  Chaperones will also need to drive their own car or carpool with another chaperone.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email Ms. Allen: mallen@sau88.net

                                                              

Thank you,

                                                               The Fourth Grade Team

Conferences!

Conference days are taking place during the week of November 1st. Check out a BEARS book near you for a conference sign-up/confirmation sheet!

Kilton Public Library Visit

Tomorrow around 1:30, we'll be visiting the Kilton Library.  We'll meet Amber, the children's librarian,  listen to a read aloud, and check out books.  These books will stay in our classroom and will be checked out on a classroom library card.  If you'd like to join us, let me know!

Open House!

Come and see all the wonderful things we've been working on so far!  Open house is tonight from 6:00 to 7:00 pm.  Be there or be square!

Globe Trotting!

We primed our globes today.  Thanks to those of you who were able to make a donation of paint or assist us.  We only had one accident.  I was walking by a student as he was dutifully painting his globe and WHAM!  The paint bucket fell, the paint flew up and my pant leg, shoe, and sock were primed!  I'm keeping my eyes on the prize...the effort is worth the learning!

Hairy Globe

Mrs. Green and I were preparing the globes for priming and this is what we found!

Area and Perimeter

We're studying area and perimeter in math.  We found this video helpful.  It may even help you with the homework!  Enjoy!

Open House

Open house is NEXT Thursday October 11th!  Come join in the fun!

We've Got the Whole World in our Hands

The whole fourth grade has been making papier mache globes.  This week, we will begin to paint them.  We have ordered acrylic paint, but it has not yet come.  If you have white acrylic paint at home that you would like to donate for this project, we'd appreciate it!  We'd like to have these globes out of our hands and hanging from the ceilings!
Creating globes allows students to get a handle on continents and oceans and their relative location.  After working on the globes, we'll move to flat maps and types of projections to atlas work, and then New Hampshire maps. Stay tuned...

NECAP Testing

NECAP testing begins this week.  Students will be tested Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons of both weeks.  The PTO is providing snacks (thank you).  We're providing gum.  Please be mindful of scheduling appointments while we are testing.  Thank you!

Four Winds

Today, students in our class studied insects with Mrs. Hibner and Mrs. Shaker.  Students were presented with a puppet show, insect sorting activity, and a bug hunt.  Thank you!

Today's Math

Greetings!  Today in math we worked on a math lab called, "Arm Span versus Height."  In the lab, students were asked to measure their arm span and height and compare them.  Did you know your arm span measurement is supposed to equal your height measurement?  Try it at home!

Thank you!

Thank you for coming to parent orientation!  Here's the link to Super Hyper Spider Typer: Super Hyper Spider Typer

Parent Orientation!

Tonight is parent orientation from 6:00-7:00 pm.  Hope you can make it!

NWEA TESTING!

Today during team time, fourth graders learned some test-taking strategies.  Mrs. Stone introduced a website called Test Quest . It's an interactive website geared for fourth grade students.  If you go to the site and complete the problems, you'll get a certificate.  Bring that certificate in for a starbuck on Monday!
To get there:  Click on the Test Quest link above.  Then, scroll down.  Under the math category you'll find it!

Class Schedule

2012-2013 Grade 4 Schedule - ALLEN

8:05	MONDAY Arrival Morning Meeting	TUESDAY Arrival Morning Meeting	Wednesday Arrival Morning Meeting	Thursday Arrival Morning Meeting	Friday Arrival Morning Meeting
8:20-9:00	SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES GUIDANCE: BI-WEEKLY	SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES	SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES	MUSIC	Morning Sing
9:00-9:45	MATH	MATH	MATH	MATH	MATH
9:45-10:20	MATH	MATH	MATH	MATH	MATH
10:20-10:35	SNACK	SNACK	SNACK	SNACK	SNACK
10:35-11:15	PE	ART	PE	ART	MUSIC
11:15-11:45	RTI	RTI	RTI	RTI	RTI
11:45-12:15	RECESS
12:15-12:45	LUNCH	LUNCH	LUNCH	LUNCH	LUNCH
		12:45-1:15 Chorus
12:45-2:45	Literacy Block	Literacy Block	Literacy Block	Literacy Block	Literacy Block
2:45-3:00	BEARS BOOKS/PACK UP	BEARS BOOKS/PACK UP	BEARS BOOKS/PACK UP	BEARS BOOKS/PACK UP	BEARS BOOKS/PACK UP

Here's the scoop!

Today was another fast moving, high flying day.  We started our day with music!  In music, students brainstormed their hopes and dreams for the school year. It looks like the kids want to learn a lot of pop songs!  
During math today we studied the variable, PETS.  Did you know in our class of twenty-two students, there are sixty-six pets?  That's unreal!  The amount of fish we have is nineteen.  That's good news as our students will be studying fish and the watershed this year.
Mrs. Green and Ms. Allen were able to post the self-portraits of the students.  Check them out below:

Homework!

Students! Check out our website!  Leave me a comment just signing your name!  That way I'll know you were here!

Here's what we did today!

What a productive day we had!  This morning we spent time looking at monarch caterpillars.  Boy are they getting big!  Did you know Monarch caterpillars shed their skin four times?  We learned that today when we watched a short you tube video: Monarch Life Cycle Students took notes on what they learned in their itty bitty butterfly journals.  
In addition to looking at monarch caterpillars, we spent time discussing variables and values in math.  When we discussed the variable food, students shared their values.  I bet you didn't know we have a lot of kids that like bacon!  
This afternoon we visited the school library and participated in a lesson with Mrs. Stone.  With our reminders, she was able to generate a list of library rules.  In addition, we got to read the book Calvin Can't Fly: The Story of a Bookworm Birdie by Jennifer Berne. 

Petunia's Portraits

Mount Lebanon School is a Responsive Classroom school.  As part of Responsive Classroom, we spend a great deal of time getting to know one another.  This project is being used as our "meet and greet." Students learned about making a self-portrait with Ms. Allen modeling using the interactive white board (see last picture).  We started out with a large piece of watercolor paper, sketched in an oval, split our faces in half with a dotted line, etc... Then we traced over certain lines and erased others.  After that, we added watercolor to enhance our details. In addition to the art, students will write about themselves and publish their writing for a display in the hall.

The original art lesson for this project came from the website Deep Space Sparkle.  www.deepspacesparkle.com

Let's try it!

Is this working?

Petunia on the Dot

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