Learning Updates 3.23.12

Happy Friday. And a bright, blue-sky sunny one at that. We've been quite busy these last days. Read on to learn more about BizTown, including lots of pictures from last Friday (in their own album). Here's what we've been up to in Room 264:

BizTown
By now you've probably heard all about it, but have you seen the pictures? Click to see the full album. BizTown truly would not have been possible without the terrific support of our parent volunteers. We had 33 parents in all, who attended a 2-hour training session in February, then arrived an hour before us at BizTown, and facilitated the experience for students the rest of the day. I'd like to especially thank our class' parent volunteers for their help:

• Luvlee Lee, Mariner's Team Store
• Brianna Eigner, Tacoma Water
• Mark Shields, Puget Sound Energy
• Kim Mitzel, Staples
• Mike Purdon, Chase Bank
• Christina Anagnostopoulos, SuperGraphics
• Kristine Hannley, UPS
• Heather Kearns, Q13 Fox News

Students were excited and amazed, to say the least as they first walked in to BizTown. It's like the Disneyland of Economics.

Math

• Nearly finished with Unit 8. Students will finish/study the review sheet over the weekend. They should also complete any unfinished pages in their math journal for Unit 8. Test on Monday
• Learned to find the area and perimeter of figures. Learned formulas for area of rectangles and parallelograms (bxh=area -- base x height = area). And we learned that a triangle is 1/2(bxh) because if you take two triangles of the same size, rotate, and plug them together you have a parallelogram. Thus we need to take 1/2 of bxh so that we're only talking about area for one triangle--not two.

Science

• Started matter unit. Charted similarities and differences of solids, liquids, and gasses on a venn diagram. We drew on our observations of mystery balloons which contained different types of matter--ask your student about this.
• Tuesday we dropped everything and did a 4th grade science rotation day. Throughout the day students rotated to each of the five fourth grade classes for a different lesson on matter. Among other things, students learned about volume, how gas takes up space, how different shapes still weight and take up the same space, and more.
• Conducted a class-wide evaporation experiment. Ask your student what container evaporated most/least. Students began designing their own evaporation experiments in groups

Reading

• Started a new read aloud. Ask your student what's happened so far with Miranda. What lessons can we learn from the characters in this story that we can apply to our narrative writing stories?
• Practiced some more with lifting a line
• Worked on a new reading response strategy involving visualizing what we read, called "leaning in"

Writing

• Began an exciting new writing unit on realistic fiction narrative writing
• Learned that ideas can come from past entries in our writing, thinking about people we've encountered & experiences we've had
• Began to brainstorm the outside (external features) and inside (internal features) of our characters
• Learned that stories generally have characters who want something and struggle in some way. Often wants and struggles are connected somehow. And our job as writers is to show wants/struggles through our story, but not just come right out and tell this. (Show, not tell)

Learning Updates 3.10.12

Author's Chair--Essays are finally finished! And this is impressive, complex fourth grade work!

A cranberry juice toast to all our hard work. 

Silent author's chair. Students roamed desk to desk, reading each others' essays, and then writing two specific compliments and one question for the author.

Modeling the four step problem solving method, Mr. Ciraulo met with our class again on Wednesday

Evidence circles. Students share their ideas about gravity and earth in space. They used an inflatable globe to help explain their thoughts.

Earth in Space concept wall. Can you believe all that we've learned in one week?! (Click on the picture--can always do this to view larger)

More information on our week:

• Spent more time preparing for our upcoming BizTown field trip this Friday 3/16
• Look for more final reminders about BizTown soon
• Reviewed and took unit 7 math review. Started unit 8 and learned about perimeter, scale drawings and area
• Began space science unit. See concept wall photo above. We'll try to finish up this next week and then move on to States of Matter
• Met with our 2nd grade reading buddies and modeled more "lift a line" response journal entries in reading. Had an exciting assembly with Matt Holm, author of the Babymouse series (Thank you PTSA!!)
• Report cards will come home this Friday 3/16

Learning Updates 3.4.12

Dear Families,

Here's a quick update from our first week back from Mid-Winter break. We're off and running again!

Cube Drop Experiment. We looked at fractions and probability with this fun, hands-on math experiment.

Pacific Science Center: Science on Wheels. Thank you PTSA for a great assembly. We learned some great things about Matter and the powers of liquid nitrogen, too. What a great tie-in with our upcoming Matter Unit!

Math

• Continued to learn about probability and fractions. We had our final lesson of the unit on Friday. We'll review on Monday and test on Tuesday

Reading

• Took a mock MSP reading assessment and learned a new reading response strategy called "lift a line," where you copy a thought provoking line. Then you write about the thoughts that line evoked for you.

 Writing

• Students made huge progress this past week. They finished drafting, ordering, cementing (writing transitions) between all the parts they've written, revising and editing. I read through each piece and then conferenced with each student. They made some additional changes and began publishing on the computer. Typed, published pieces are due tomorrow (Monday)
• It's looking like Author's Chair will happen Thursday!

Social Studies

• We've been working hard and studying lots in preparation for BizTown. We'll continue to finish some odds and ends prior to our trip on Friday the 16th. 
• A BizTown newspaper assignment will come home tomorrow (Monday)

Science

• We'll start our Space Science studies this coming week!

Letter from Leika!

Class,

The other day I received this email from our former student, Leika. Write back to Leika and tell her what's been new for you in the past month. Write in full paragraphs. Remember our blogging rules and please stay on topic. 

Parents--this week's Learning Update is one post below...

Mr. Herzberg,

One picture was missing in the first email, and I think this one has the right picture!!
Thank you!

Hi guys! How are you? It's been about one month since I came to Taiwan, and I have been very busy!
  

My new school, Taipei American School, (we call TAS) is a huge school for Kindergarten through High School. It is over 60 years old.  It has a swimming pool, 2 large tracks and fields,  2 children play areas, 2 theaters, libraries,  labs, music and art rooms and a lot more, so I can't list all! There are 20 students in my class, and my new teacher is Mrs. Fox. The name of her class blog is Fox News!
 

 
It's such a fun environment to be in!

During Chinese New Year from January 23 to January 27,  I went to China for 5 days to spend Chinese New Year break. There were lots of "bangs" and "pops" because Chinese people celebrate a New  Year day with firecrackers, along with saying,"Gong hai fat choi!"or "Shin nien quaila!"  to each other. They both mean Happy New Year in Cantonese and Mandarin.
 

 They are my cousins!

I received a lot of Laishi, which is a red envelope with money in it. Grown-ups give children new year’s money.
 
Now my wallet is full of money!.....and candies!

In Taiwan, the food is delicious!! I eat a lot!
  
This is milk pudding. So yummy!
 

This is Wonton in soup.
 

This is sticky rice cooked in bamboo. The rice has some bamboo flavor. Ummm...good!
 

I REALLY miss my home and my friends in US, but I also enjoy my Taiwan life!
 
See ya!
Leika
 
Sent from Wong's iPad
 

Learning Updates 2.17.12

Dear Families,

Happy Friday! I hope you have a safe, fun, and relaxing Mid-Winter Break!

As usual this has been another busy and exciting week.

Here's a shot of the ActivExpressions devices you've no doubt been hearing all about. Students are excited!

It's not just bad photography. This picture is blurry because of the frenzy of this market. Students acted as businesses or people and traded money for resources and then money for goods/services.

More blurry trade pictures. It was almost like the New York Stock Exchange in here!

Valentine's Day Math. In partners, students analyzed the data from their box of Sweethearts candies.

Sorting the candies in different ways.

Social Studies

• Started Biztown unit and students could not be more excited!
• Learned about rights and the responsibilities that go with them, free enterprise, and a bit about economics in Washington State

Math

• Worked with equivalent fractions, modeling them visually, with pattern blocks, and ultimately with a math rule (multiply or divide the numerator and denominator by the same number)
• Practiced converting fractions to decimals 

Writing

• Put writing entries in each folder in a specific order and then wrote transitions to link the pieces together
• Learned about effective ways to begin and end an essay. Our goal was to write 3-4 potential introduction and conclusion paragraphs. We'll pick the best one for our essays.

Reading

• Started a new read aloud, The Tiger Rising by Newberry Award Winning author Kate DiCamillo. Ask your student to tell you about it.
• Read a Time for Kids and practiced recording Facts/Questions/Responses we had regarding the cover story: "Goodbye Bullies"
• Examined a variety of texts and evaluated the author's purpose, our purpose, and how our purpose influences our approach as a reader

Learning Update 2/10/12

The week in pictures, from Room 264...

Art Docent. Students created the Earth and Sun, using their compasses. This links with our upcoming Space Science unit.

Splat. Students strum the bristles of their paintbrush to create a splatter effect. Big thanks to Lisa Purdon for a great lesson, and thanks to Heather Kearns for all your help!

Survey says? In addition to mini-stories about ourselves and others, and lists, we also learned about conducting research in order to support our essay claims. Full list in next picture...

Research. Students learned we can use these various methods to conduct research to support our essays. My thesis is: Young children learn many amazing things...like how to play...like how to move...like how to communicate. (Hopefully helps make my examples more clear for you)

Can I interview you? We took some in-class time for students to interview and survey one another. I've encouraged them to continue this at home, particularly over the weekend. We'll be trying to assemble these essays soon!!

King County Library Global Reading Challenge. We supported and cheered on our 7 teams of 7 fourth grade participants--49 students in all who have read 10 books (often multiple times) and trained the past couple months each Friday morning before school. Teams had to answer detailed short answer, multiple choice and True/False trivia questions about each book. The winning team will now represent our school at the district-wide challenge.

5th Grade Rockin' Snow White Musical.

The 5th Grader's put on a terrific show. The months of hard work and practice were quite evident!

 

 

Crazy Hair Day. What a spirited bunch!

A few other odds and ends

• We've been reviewing fraction and probability concepts in math
• Worked with colored pattern blocks to understand fractions better and adding/subtracting them
• In reading we've focused this week on visualizing--envisioning the text through all five senses, plus a bonus feeling sense (emotions that are evoked when we read). 
• Also worked on imagining ourselves in the "skin" of our character, envisioning things we read about in the text and also things that aren't in the text, but we picture that they are there

Learning Updates 2/3/12

Dear Families,

What a glorious, sunny day. I told the class this morning that days like this make me grateful to live in Seattle. The view of the snow-capped Olympics and the crisp, clear horizon are spectacular from our classroom.

I'm also grateful for the chance to work with our class and for all the fun and interesting things we get to learn. Here's a snapshot from this week:

The Pacific Science Center brought their mobile planetarium to Grand Ridge

Science

• We learned all about constellations. This connects with our upcoming space science unit
  
• Huge thanks to our PTSA for fully funding this great in-house field trip for all 120 fourth graders!
• More planetarium pictures here!

Math

• Took the Unit 6 assessment
• Also took the Mid-Year assessment. We use this to assess the effectiveness of math instruction across the district. Therefore it won't be going home, but parents can make an appointment with me to see their child's test.
• Started Unit 7 on Fraction and their Uses; Chance and Probability
• Reviewed basic fraction concepts

Reading

• Finished our first field test curriculum, where we studied determining importance (finding the main idea)
• Practiced coding and identifying "what I think is important" and "what I think the author feels is important."
• Began field testing our second comprehension resources curriculum.
• Began to identify text features and their function in non-fiction texts by reading a portion of a book about the first complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton ever found

Writing

• Spent a good deal of time talking about, studying and practicing writing mini-stories. These often begin with a reference to the thesis and supporting reason. Then students make a transition such as One time... and they tell a short anecdotal story that is angled toward "proving" that supporting reason. Finally they finish up with a sentence or two that explains how the story proves their point.
• Also talked about how essayists incorporate outside sources, in particular, other people's stories as evidence
• Finally, studied MLK's "I have a Dream" speech for the way that he used lists. Talked about how essayists use parallelism in lists to support their claims, ie Let freedom ring from...Let freedom ring from...Let freedom ring from.

Social Studies

• Students researched notable figures in Washington State history and presented their learning to the class. We all took notes on each figure.
• Watched film called Pioneer Journey and used it to study how Native American and Pioneer interactions in the West

Presenting about their notable figure in WA state history.