Where does the time go? We are officially at the end of our 2nd trimester. I hope you have your calendars marked to come to our Wax Museum on Friday at 2:30 in our classroom. Also, if you have not already done so, please sign up for a parent-student-teacher conference on Monday, March 4, or Tuesday, March 5. The link is posted in the Good News. We look forward to celebrating your child's successes and academic growth as well as setting goals for the remainder of the year.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
STEM in the News
STEM is in the news every day, and we want our students to be aware of the amazing things happening in our world. We have created a bulletin board in our hallway to post articles from newspapers or magazines about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This is a great way to encourage more non-fiction reading and to open up our students' bright minds to all the amazing real-life applications of STEM. Please encourage your child to bring in articles that excite them, and we will add them to our collection.
Biography Projects
Students are giving their speeches this week. It is such fun to see them dressed up and in character. We are so proud of their hard work! Mr. Merritt is videotaping each student during his/her presentation. We will put a picture of each child dressed in their costume along with a QR code linked to the video of their speech. We hope you'll enjoy getting to see these. Don't forget to mark your calendars for Friday, March 1 at 2:30 for our Wax Museum. You don't want to miss this fun experience! It is a highlight of our year, for sure.
Social Studies Update
From Mrs. York:
Last week we "explored" (Ha!) the basic routes of a few of the earliest European explorers. Students refreshed their map skills as we discussed the concepts surrounding early exploration like the reasons explorers usually landed someplace other than the intended destination. These maps are due this Friday, February 22. Now that "we have found the Americas," we will be learning about work to be done, decisions to be made, and hardships that were typical during this time.
One tool we use is www.americaslibrary.gov. This is the Library of Congress's site for kids. Its layout and information is appropriate for our work and reading levels, but it is also a reliable source. Students have considered the "Lost Colony" of Roanoke as a beginning to our conversations about those earliest settlements.
Skeletal and Muscular Systems
Our class is really taking our study of the skeletal and muscular systems seriously, and many of our students have made special trips to orthopedists in the past few weeks! All jokes aside, we are enjoying learning about these systems and how they help our bodies to function.
We are headed to Discovery Place on Wednesday to a class called "The Human Body." This course will delve into the intricate human body and discover the many systems that keep our bodies working. We are promised to experience engaging hands-on activities and excited to see real human specimens.
We are headed to Discovery Place on Wednesday to a class called "The Human Body." This course will delve into the intricate human body and discover the many systems that keep our bodies working. We are promised to experience engaging hands-on activities and excited to see real human specimens.
Guest Speaker
Friday morning we will have the opportunity to learn from a pro about the world of sports' medicine. Bill Heisel, also known as 5th grader Annie's dad, is coming to share with our class about his job as an orthopedic physician's assistant. He has prepared a PowerPoint presentation that includes many x-rays and arthroscopic pictures of knee, shoulder, leg, and arm injuries. The students will be amazed by the metal screws, plates, and other tools used to help repair broken bones. We will also learn how torn ACLs are repaired. The world of sports is pretty rough on the skeletal and muscular systems! Be sure to ask your child on Friday afternoon to share some of the things he or she learned. Thank you for sharing your time and knowledge with us, Mr. Heisel!
Upcoming Overnight Trip to Earthshine Lodge!
Wednesday, March 13 - Friday, March 15
Mark your calendars....the big 4th grade trip to Earthshine is just around the corner. Specific details about the trip will be shared with you at our upcoming conference. You might want to check out the Earthshine Lodge website to see where your child is headed. It's going to be a great learning adventure. This is a major highlight for the year. Barely a day will pass from March to June that our class won't reminisce about the experience. The whole 4th grade team is getting really excited!
(Spoiler Alert: Please don't share specifics about the curriculum of the trip with your 4th grader.)
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