Book Buddies Begin

The excitement level was HIGH as students prepared to meet their book buddies for the first time on Friday! We are partnering with Mrs. Hoffmann's Kindergartners to begin our big buddy-little buddy program. Mrs. Hoffmann visited our classroom on Monday to share her expertise with us. She offered tips to us from everything to how to select the perfect book for a 5 year old student, to how to keep the young students engaged in reading. Ask your fourth grader to tell you about their buddy experience. We will meet with them most Fridays.

Turn on your light!

D. gets his bulb to light first!

Have you heard about the fun we've been having in science? Our electricity unit has us exploring circuits. This week students were given a few items and only one instruction--turn on your light! Students were each given a D-cell battery, wire, and a lightbulb. There was silence as kids began to look at their materials and plan a way to make the bulb light. It took only a minute before we heard students saying, "I can't get it!" or "I need help!" I encouraged them to keep trying and experimenting with different configurations. I explained that any minute someone would get their bulb to light and soon after, word would spread around the room about how he/she did it.

By the end of the lesson, students had discovered several different ways to use their materials to turn on their lights. We created a class anchor chart that we will refer to as we continue our study of electrical circuits. Check out the video clip of the electricians at work!

Valentine's Day

We had a great time decorating cupcakes at our Valentine's Day party!  Kids were each able to frost a half-dozen cupcakes! That couldn't have happened without all of the help from my bakers! Thank you parents! Kids then went to the decorating station and had a blast personalizing their cupcakes. There were so many amazing toppings to choose from. A huge thanks also goes out to all those who donated the toppings!  Have a great winter recess and I will see you all again soon!

Colonial Day in 4th Grade

Colonial Day was a huge success! Kids were so excited to see each other dressed in colonial costumes. All 4th graders walked to the colonial classroom with their payments of corn, animal skins or wood for the fire. Boys were able to sit closest to the fire and the girls and those who had no payment for the schoolmaster had to sit in the back rows of our one room schoolhouse. Students practiced their manners and ABCs. Later, girls were dismissed and attended Dame School where they learned to clean, sew and churn homemade butter. Boys remained for an arithmetic lesson. Girls created samplers and practiced calligraphy while boys learned to knot ropes and practice their tinsmithing skills. We all gathered to play "London Bridges", marbles, clothespin drop and other colonial games. A special thank you to all of the families who joined us in the afternoon for our colonial diary entry readings. Also, thank you to the families who provided our colonial snacks.

Coming soon~ELECTRICITY!

Watch this classic Schoolhouse Rock video about electricity.  Ask your parents if they have seen it!  Be ready to talk with your science partner about 1 fact from the video.  For those who like an extra challenge...try one of these activities and bring your research to class!

1. Find a satellite image of the world at night online.  Try looking for just the United States, or New York State.  Print it out and bring it into class OR email Mrs. Martone the link to share on the projector---martonet@guilderlandschools.org
2. Research the kinds of lightbulbs your family has in your house.  Bring one in to share! 
3. Find out what these acronyms stand for:  CFL and LED.  Can you find an example of these to share with the class?  
4. Most people think of Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Edison when they are learning about electricity.  But, what else can you find out about the history of electricity?  

A few reminders...

This week promises to be a busy one!  I wanted to remind you of a few things...

• Outdoor P.E. this week so all kids will need to bring their snow gear to school!

• Colonial Day on Tuesday.  Kids should come to school dressed for their colonial school day experience.  Parents are invited to our classroom at 1:00 for our writing celebration.  We will have a special colonial snack that day.  Students will eat lunch in the cafeteria as usual.  

• Valentine's Day on Thursday.  A special THANK YOU to all of the families who have volunteered to donate the items needed for our cupcake decorating party.  Each child will need to bring in one container of ready-made frosting AND a clean, empty shoebox to transport their cupcakes home.  Also, don't forget to bring your valentine cards!

• Please return your progress report card envelope to school as soon as possible. Thanks!