Chuck Sullivan

We had the pleasure of having Chuck Sullivan visit our classroom twice last week. We loved having him share his poems and stories. He taught us that poetry is metaphor. He guided the students through writing poems about secrets and dreams. We are in the process of publishing these poems and will look forward to sharing them with you.

Check out his website: http://chucksullivanpoet.com/

Math update

We are multiplying like crazy in our classroom! Students are working to become competent at using many different strategies to multiply double digit numbers. We are using the array method, the US algorithm, and the expanded algorithm. Ask your student to show you these different methods.

Chemistry Class at Discovery Place

Gardening

Enjoy these photos of our Colonial Garden. We encourage you to walk up there one day with your student to check it out. We couldn't do it without Nancy Duncan, Trinity's gardening guru extraordinaire! Ann Bass, a former Trinity parent whose son was in my 3rd grade class the year Trinity opened, has also been a huge help to our class's gardening work.

Nervous System

We have been learning about the complex nervous system including the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Students explored a National Geographic interactive website to learn about the many different parts of the brain and their various functions. Check out the link below. Students are also learning about neurons and reflexes. Additionally, the 4th grade students became the teachers when we learned about our sensory organs. Students worked in groups to research either the nose, mouth, skin, ear, or eye and then taught the class all about how that organ worked. We even had a quiz at the end to see what all they had learned. Our conversations will now turn to disabilities as we work to have a better understanding of our friends at the Metro School.

http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-body/brain-article.html

Poetry Websites

Click to visit these great poetry websites for kids!

Poetry

We have been writing poetry during Writer's Workshop. The students are amazing us with their beautiful, imaginative work. We can't wait for you to see the collections of poetry that each child is writing. Chuck Sullivan, our poet in residence, is coming to our class on Tuesday. We can't wait to have him come and share his talent and inspiration.

In addition to writing poetry, we have also been analyzing poems during Reader's Workshop. Students are being asked to memorize a poem by Langston Hughes.