Thursday, December 31, 2009

More field trip fun






















Field Trip






















The class had an exciting hands-on experience on our field trip this year. They were given a "family" from the original Oregon Trail. They had to plan what to take on their journey. They were given a wagon to load with the supplies they thought their family needed. As they traveled down the trail with our leader, they earned money according to the circumstances on the trail and what they brought with them.
I was very proud of the students for packing everything they needed. They all survived the trail. They all worked hard as a family cooperated with each other as well as perfect behavior for our tour guide!!



Thursday, November 5, 2009

No more crayfish!

It is sad that all of the classroom crayfish have died! Not quite the experience we wanted, but we can't control nature.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Crayfish!














































The crayfish have arrived. Students have learned quickly about death with our crayfish, unfortunately. Fourteen crayfish arrived, and only 3 survive at this time. It has been disappointing to only this few left, but we will still learn about them. The students have had their first day exploring with the little creatures, and students will soon learn the daily care needs of the crayfish. Students will learn about the life cycle and also responsibility for a living creature.

Halloween!











A day of wind, rain, costumes, and fun was Halloween this year. The students had a great time with trick or treating and the parade. Thank you to all of the friendly neighbors who shared with our students! Even parents joined in the fun!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Math Leader




Each morning, the students work on a Daily Math Practice. This is a quick and easy way to practice 5 different math skills. I choose one student to be the leader each day. They go over the paper with the rest of the class with my guidance. They work out the problems and help each other catch mistakes or understand what the problem is asking. The students are excited to be the leader. This activity is helping the students be more aware of why they work out problems the way they do.

Reading Games











Reading games are a way 4th graders have practiced skills they have been learning about. As a reward for hard during the week, the students are put into small groups and work on figurative language, sequencing, logic and reasoning, drawing conclusions, fact and opinion along with reading between the lines.