Did you open your child's backpack today to find a bright colored blob in a plastic bag? If so, you found our igneous rock! As part of our study of Earth's systems, we are learning to identify different types of rocks and what they can tell us about the Earth. To help us visualize three types of rocks, sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous, we used Starburst candies! First, we cut our Starbursts into pieces (sediments) and put them together to make sedimentary rocks. Then we put pressure on our rocks with books and our hands and made metamorphic rocks. Last, we heated our rocks up to boiling point and let them cool and harden to make igneous rocks. Ask us about the different types of rocks and see if you can see any evidence of boiling in our igneous rocks. All in all, science in Room 314 ROCKED today!
0 Comments
I have a confession. Today during literacy, we did not follow the mini-lesson I had originally planned or have guided reading groups or work on our Academic Vocabulary or practice our Words Their Way spelling words. So, what did we do?… A mini-inquiry study! As you may know, last night a meteor entered our atmosphere and landed in Michigan. The meteor was observed in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Canada It is also believed to have caused an earthquake last night in Michigan measuring 2.0 on the Richter Scale! This was WAY too cool to overlook (Yes, I have a fascination with all things related to space!) A meteor had practically fallen into our backyards! We had no choice but to seize this opportunity to practice inquiry! For two hours this afternoon, we watched footage of the meteor and read about it from the National Weather Service. All the while we were practicing our questioning skills. Throughout each slide, caption, article, and video watched, the students wrote down questions. They then grouped their questions into categories. Then together we found common categories as a class and determined which of our questions best fit in the categories. The categories the students came up with were Causes, During, Effects/Impact, Description, and Compare/Contrast. I could not believe the high levels of critical thinking that I witnessed. Every student was engaged and having meaningful conversations. I cannot wait to dive into our disaster research project next week. These kiddos are inquiry pros! Below are some photos of my fabulous 4th graders thinking! We tend to start tasks set before us with goals or resolutions. Some task-oriented goals we might set are: How many books will I read this month?; How many times will I make my bed this month?; How many times will I make dinner during a week?; How many steps will I take in a day?; and so forth. We also think about goals to achieve that are bigger in concept, ones that focus on our character; How can I be kinder?; How can I be more patient?;How can I be more accepting of others?, and so on. With the combination of both of these type of goals we begin to see bigger trends or themes by which to live. In class, we have been talking about themes in literature; messages the author wants us to take away from the story. These messages often steer us in our actions. They are the themes to which we adhere. To kick off 2018, the students came up with task-oriented and character-oriented resolutions. They then thought about what is the over-arching theme that they want to live by. We wrote our themes down on a party hat and have them displayed in our classroom to remind us of the person that we want to continue to be. My theme for 2018 is: Find beauty in life’s small moments. Have fun asking your child about his/her theme for 2018. Maybe even ask yourself, what theme do you want to live by? Have a very happy and healthy 2018! Below are some possible themes for 2018. *Always try your best
*Be true to yourself *Find your talent and share it with others *Appreciate what you have *If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again *Help others in their time of need *Be patient *Respect other’s opinions, even if you don’t agree *Treat others with kindness and respect *Perseverance is key when facing challenges *Accept the differences of those around you *Challenges can be overcome with hard work & patience *Help those in need *When people work together, great things can be accomplished *Be honest with yourself and others *Be happy with yourself *Look for the golden lining *Believe in yourself *Act kindly without seeking a reward *Face your fears *When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on *Actions speak louder than words *Have the courage to stand up for others *Knowledge is power *Find beauty in life's small moments |
Welcome to Room 314!
Have fun following our fabulous 4th grade journey! Important Dates
August 22nd- First Day!
Archives
September 2018
Categories
|