Math, Social Studies and Number Corner


        This week in math we have been working on division arrays. Division arrays are very similar to multiplication arrays but with multiplication arrays you count up the squares to get the answer in the middle, and with division arrays, you count the groups across until you get the number you are dividing and then you find the answer on top of the array. Arrays are a division strategy. We also had the NAEP test which was interesting because as well as educational questions, they also asked us questions about our everyday life, as in, who do you live with, where do you live, how much TV you watch, and so on.
        This week in social studies we have started a skit called “The Scrambled States of America.” Kansas and Nebraska were tired of their places and wanted to meet new states so they organized a party and invited all the states. Then, all the states decided to switch places with another state, so that is exactly what they did. They realized that they were not happy with their switching, and they went back to their original places. Each student got two to three parts and they have at least two lines to say. We have to make posters about our states and write fifteen facts about our states.
        We have figured out the pattern on the February calendar in Number Corner! It goes: the number going into the machine gets multiplied by three, and then that number gets added one, and then goes out of the machine. We have started a chart and recorded all this information.

        Reading and Writing


      In reading this week we have been reading historical fiction which are all set in Vermont in different time periods. We are reading the books with the reading partners we had before the winter break. We have been focusing on what time period and where the setting is in our books. We also have been focusing on the main character(s) and what the main character(s) are like. We have also been doing silent reading.
      In writing this week we have been responding to this prompt:
Do you think it is more important for 4th grader to learn and practice cursive or typing?
We started by writing a one paragraph response to that. Then we tried to extend it into more than one paragraph. We are now taking the steps to learning how to make it into a five paragraph essay. We are still going to the computer lab to do kidblog (ask you child for details) and type to learn. Some of us worked on young writers project (YWP) with Kelly Marcus.

Other Important News and Events


- On Monday February 4th all fourth graders will NAEP testing in the morning.
- Thursday, February 7th 2:30 pm-6:30 pm Red Barn order pick-up. It will be in the SCS breezeway
- Monday, February 15th the scholastic book fair will be going on in the SCS library.
- Monday, February 25th-Friday, March there is no school. It is winter break

     By Nigel Wormser and Heidi Berger

Math, social studies, and number corner

This week in math we started a new unit on division. We also took a fluency test with multiplication, subtraction and addition. We got three minutes to answer as many problems as we could, out of a maximum of 40. It was quite challenging but we all did well. After that we took two days to work on division story problems. There were six story problems, and we had to complete four. After completing their work, people got to come up on the Elmo (the overhead projector) and share what strategy they had used. Later, we did the same thing, except with money problems. It was a great week in math.

In social studies, we kept on plowing through US Geography. We took our flash cards and had to identify all the state’s names and locations. The only states that we were required to know were the northeastern states, but we still studies all of them. The at the end of the week, we took a test about all the states, but again, we were only required to know the northeastern ones.

In number corner, the February calendar brings a new challenge of uncovering the month’s pattern. Since we have only turned over one square of the calendar, it remains a mystery so far. On the square, it showed a number machine, with different numbers going in and out. It’s going to be exciting to unlock this month’s mystery.

Reading and Writing
    In reading this week we have been reading historical fiction which are all set in Vermont in different time periods. We are reading the books with the reading partners we had before the winter break. We have been focusing on what time period and where the setting is in our books. We also have been  focusing on the main character(s) and what the main character(s) are like.  We have also been doing silent reading.

In writing this week we have been responding to this prompt:

Do you think it is more important for 4th grader to learn and practice cursive or typing?

We started by writing a one paragraph response to that. Then we tried to extend it into more than one paragraph. We are now taking the steps to learning how to make it into a five paragraph essay. We are still going to the computer lab to do kidblog (ask you child for details) and type to learn. Some of us worked on young writers project (YWP) with Kelly Marcus.

 Other Important News and Events
- On Monday February 4th all fourth graders will NAEP testing in the morning.
- Thursday, February 7th 2:30 pm-6:30 pm Red Barn order pick-up. It will be  in the SCS breezeway
- Monday, February 15th the scholastic book fair will be going on in the SCS library.
- Monday, February 25th-Friday, March there is no school. It is winter break

     By Nigel Wormser and Heidi Berger

Math,Science/Social Studies and Number Corner

    In math this week we have been moving from working on discovering fractions and adding fractions to division and fractions. We have been working with egg cartons and clocks to help us figure out what the fractions equal (addition) and what fractions we can find. Recently we have been finding out  what people actually do when they divide, what the word division means and what division and fractions have in common. Everybody came up with great definitions and answers to all of the questions!!!!!

In science/social studies this week we have been reading an article about the early history of Vermont. After we took a lot of notes about Vermont's early history we wrote a response to show that we understood what the article was about. We are now currently each separately working on a Vermont timeline. The timeline is starting at the earliest time of Vermont  (that we know of.) to modern days. We have also been studying U.S. geography. We have been playing games and looking at blank maps to learn the states and where they are and what the states look like and their regions.(West, Midwest, Northeast and South.)

In number corner we have been noticing patterns about the calendar and we have been predicting what the last calendar marker will look like. The calendar is all time this month so we have also been predicting what time the last day of the month will be.

 Reading and Writing

    This week in reading we have been working on the fine skill of reading non-fiction text for the study of vermont transportation (see social studies above).  We read lots and after we finished we wrote about the text.    In our response journals, we wrote all we knew about Vermont’s history of transportation.  Some of the facts we learned were:  Lake Champlain and the Erie Canal were used for farmers to ship products to the market, Irish settlers  coming from their rocky homeland to work on the railroads, Vermont getting more than one hundred hotels and inns for tourists to stay, and recently, Vermont losing almost 75% of its farms.
    In writing, we did many different things.  We responded to the book From Dawn to Dusk and we also responded to a prompt that started like this:  “The icicles hung dangerously from the old house.”  Everybody made very interesting stories.  Then a bunch of people went out into the kiva to work on YWP (Young Writers Project).  All in all, everybody had a great week.

     By Nigel Wormser and Heidi Berger

Math, Social Studies and Number Corner 1/13/13

    This week in math we have been working again with egg carton fractions.  After a few days of studying and realizing that you cannot split an egg, we finally got to make posters about equivalent egg carton fractions.  Everybody made a unique poster.  On Friday we got to share our posters with our classmates and all were creative and great!  They were presented in the kiva.
    In social studies we have been working on Vermont geography by reading texts.  We got to get on laptops and go to www.grolier.com and read even more about Vermont history.  We took notes in our science notebooks.  One interesting part was about the French and Indian War, which the English were also involved in.
    In number corner this week we continue to turn over calendar squares and record all kinds of things about time (see earlier posts).  Some patterns are emerging.  We uncovered that every five days the time between the day and the day before adds ten minutes.  We thought that was cool.

Reading and Writing

    In reading this week we have been doing silent reading. We have also been going to the computer lab to work on this program called kid blog. We will be doing responses to prompts and we will also post school related things. Every week the whole class will write a response about the book we are reading at the moment. The response will go with a prompt Mrs.Crowther will post on her blog (on kid blog) and also on our goal sheets. We are also reading non fiction text while we are working on “reading with a question in mind” and identifying important information.

In writing this week every Tuesday and Thursday for at least all of January we will be going to the computer lab to do type to learn. We also wrote to a prompt from a test. The prompt was a letter to convince your school librarian to buy your favorite book, again, for the school library since it is missing. Those who want to are still doing the young writers project.   

Other Important News and Events

- No school Monday Jan. 21 because it’s Martin Luther King Jr. day
- The PTO international  potluck dinner had a great turnout! Thanks to all participants!

By Nigel Wormser and Heidi Berger

Math,social studies and number corner 1/6/13

    This week in math we have started a new unit about fractions. We have learned about adding fractions and we have made a list of equal fractions.  We learned about the numerator and denominator, and how the division symbol is related to the division line found in a fraction . On Wednesday we learned about egg-carton fractions--  an egg carton represents a whole (the number one), and the compartments represent the fraction of the whole.  Next week we are going to make posters about equal egg carton fractions.
    In social studies this week we have been studying the geography of the United States by playing trivia games and taking quizzes.  We even took an International New England Test.  Unfortunately no student moved up a level, so we’d better start studying!   Later in the week, students started reading about Vermont transportation including steamships, railroads, paths, roads, automobiles, and communication (telephones and postal service).  
    In number corner we have kept on turning over the calendar squares.  This month’s calendar squares are about time.  Every  morning we record the time, the date, whether it’s a.m. or p.m., the time elapsed since the day before, and the time elapsed since the first.
    Stay tuned for next week’s news!

 Reading and Writing
    This week in reading we are reading articles about early transportation in Vermont. The titles of the two articles that we read was Historic Roots and Steam Travel on Lake Champlain The articles tell us how the transportation in Vermont changed and how that changed the settlement in Vermont. After we finish the article-and throughout it- we have been taking notes. We take notes about the important parts of it or if we have a question to answer we take notes to answer that. We have also been doing silent reading.
    This week in writing we have started going to the computer lab to do type to learn. We will be going to the computer lab to do type to learn every Tuesday and Thursday at writing. We will be doing this for at least all of January. We have also written reflections to Mrs.Crowther about how we think we have grown as a learner since August. We also made goals/hopes and dreams (in the reflection) for the rest of the school year. They didn’t necessarily have to go with school. We have also started the young writers project (YWP) again. Kelly Marcus is, once again helping us write and submit writing pieces for possible publishment. Not all students are doing it, but some are, so ask your child if they are doing it to find out more about it. You can also go to the young writers project website at www.youngwritersproject.org.

 Other Important News and Events

- Red barn fundraiser is currently going on
- The PTO international potluck dinner is on Friday Jan. 18th
- No school Monday Jan. 21 because it’s Martin Luther King Jr. day
-Student exchange! Our good friend Ian has gone to panama for the rest of the year but in his place comes James,the new student!

     By Nigel Wormser and Heidi Berger

Math,science, and number corner                                                                   

In math this week we have been mostly working on multiplying  money. We have learned that it is harder than it looks because it has certain rules. Mrs.Crowther taught us a few different ways to do it. Many people have come up and shared the way that they are most comfortable with. We also found out what other people like to do at home when we made a list of different ways to solve multiplication problems .Even Mrs.Crowther did not know some of them!

In science this week we have worked on the study of Vermont. With our road maps we have done a little outlining/labeling. We have started a test on a laptop that makes us have to do a lot of research on specific websites. A “build a map project” has come home. Each student has ten days to finish it.  You can  build with all sorts of things like wood,paper mache,clay,and much more! They have a checklist to follow in order to get good grades but if they finish and they want more they can add things that are not on the list!

In number corner we did not do much, but we made a few observations  and predictions about the calendar. Some of  the observations were... “I observe that it goes 1 white then 2 Yellow then 1 blue and then it starts over again.” And some predictions were...“I predict that the 15th will be yellow.” Mrs.Crowther was very proud of our thoughts!

Reading and Writing       

    This week in writing we are working on our informational (or non-fiction.) pamphlets. The pamphlets are about the human body. Everyone has chosen a system in the human body to focus their pamphlets on. We have also picked a major organ or a part in the body to explain something about that part of the body.We are in partnerships of our choice to work and help each other. Partners must be writing about the same system. We are hoping to finish our pamphlets before winter break.

In music we have been writing to music. We have been writing whatever comes to mind while listening to the music. It could be a poem, a story, or any kind of writing.

    This week in reading we are still reading a book with our partner. We have been leaving tracks of our thinking throughout the book.  None of us have finished, but some are close! We have also been making a word wall. When we are reading our books we find words we can’t pronounce or don’t know the meaning of  and write it down on our own word walls. You can also put words you like on your word wall. At the end of reading, everyday Mrs.Crowther calls on a few people to share a word on their word wall to put on our class word wall. We are also working on “Someone, Wanted, But, So”. We each have a sheet which we kind of answer “Someone, Wanted, But, So” by writing the main characters name, what they wanted, what was in their way and we are still waiting to find out what happens in the end of the book which is the answer to “So”.We are also doing our usual reading.

Other important news and events
    -Chorus concert 12/13/12
    -Big Vt project came home! Due 12/17/12
    -Reduced weekly homework to make time for the VT map.

    By Nigel Wormser and Heidi Berger

 

Math, Science/Social Studies and Number Corner

In math this week we built “skeletons” to frame double-digit multiplication problems. Inside the “skeleton” frame we put base ten pieces. That helped us see the answer and it helped us understand the equations better. We also made “dinosaurs”. The “dinosaurs” are the area models when the “skeleton” and the base ten pieces are put together to finish the area model. We learned how to build, draw and finally we learned how to sketch the area models. We will also be playing quite a few games to help us multiply larger numbers.

In science and social studies we finished up our study of the human body by having an assessment before break. We are now studying Vermont!!! We started the study with reading some VT related read-alouds. We also learned some special things about VT. For example, we learned what the breed of our state horse was and which presidents lived here. We have all gotten a Vermont Attractions Map and we are starting to find places in VT. We are also finding the boundaries of VT and which states or countries border us. We will learn more about VT’s geography as the week goes on.

In number corner this week we will learn the new activities our number corner keepers will be keeping up to date. The new activities will start on Monday and we will observe the new calendar squares. We recently played a game called Buzz. To play Buzz you go around and count by ones. When you get to a multiple of the number that you decided on (we did four) the person whose turn it is says “buzz”. In the November calendar the squares showed a triangle. The calendar  squares were divided into four squares. The squares are called quadrants. The triangle move position everyday. The triangle either slid or it turned or it flipped. During number corner we learned the fancy words for slide, turn and flip.

                   

Reading and Writing

    This week in writing we have been working on our personal narratives...well, some of us. Others have been working on either Young Writers Project (YWP) or pamphlets. YWP is when some people go out in the kiva with Kelly (A faithful volunteer) and look at what the writing prompt is that week. It is always a fun thing! Then they write about the topic.Then they can post it on the web or, if they're lucky, in the news!

    Pamphlets are what some writers put information in. This time we are making our own! We are doing it about the human body.You get to pick a system and make a pamphlet about that system! It is really fun because you get to cut and paste on things.

    In reading we are doing partner reading for character and plot. We have paired up based on level and ability with reading.The first thing we did was to interview our partners about their reading. Then we got to pick our books based on our JR level! Readers have to figure out how many pages that they have to read a day.
    
 Other Important News and Events

    - Chorus Concert 12/13/12
    - We will have a VT map project coming home. Students will have 10 days to finish and will receive lot’s of sources to use as references.