This week was a busy week! Our favorite activities were:
--seeing the storyteller, Eshu, perform. He told old folktales, including one from South Africa that was about a bird that made amasi. Two children lost the bird and went into the woods to find it but they almost got eaten by the zim, instead. He also taught us a fun game that we've been playing in class!
--performing in our poetry cafe today. We recited poems we memorized.
--reading to our k-1 buddies. We went outside to read today and had fun.
Our question to wonder about is:
How hot do you think it was this past week?
Friday, May 22, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
May 15, 2009
We haven't been able to write here for a long time because last week most of our class was away at Nature's Classroom! We missed the kids who couldn't come.
We had the GARP award ceremonies this week on Thursday.
In music we played a game where we were blindfolded and had to move through a maze with musical guidance. In gym, we played a similar game, called "Dark Destroyer", except instead of using musical guidance, we used our bodies and voices.
This week we chose a science fair topic and are starting to get ready for the science fair. Some people have already started their experiments and some people are still figuring out their experiments.
Today, when we got together with our buddies, we wrote poetry with them, after we read some of our own poems to them. We tried to make our voices sound more enthusiastic than the recording of the poet Billy Collins that we heard.
Our question to wonder about is:
Do you enjoy writing poetry?
We had the GARP award ceremonies this week on Thursday.
In music we played a game where we were blindfolded and had to move through a maze with musical guidance. In gym, we played a similar game, called "Dark Destroyer", except instead of using musical guidance, we used our bodies and voices.
This week we chose a science fair topic and are starting to get ready for the science fair. Some people have already started their experiments and some people are still figuring out their experiments.
Today, when we got together with our buddies, we wrote poetry with them, after we read some of our own poems to them. We tried to make our voices sound more enthusiastic than the recording of the poet Billy Collins that we heard.
Our question to wonder about is:
Do you enjoy writing poetry?
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
April 29
We have been busy preparing our classroom for our Living History museum! Everything needs to be set up for tomorrow afternoon so we've been devoting a lot of time to creating our displays.
Nevertheless, we've also been making time for some poetry writing, examining ways to organize and analyze data, and learning about scientific experiments in the science lab.
We've been busy but we're having fun!
Nevertheless, we've also been making time for some poetry writing, examining ways to organize and analyze data, and learning about scientific experiments in the science lab.
We've been busy but we're having fun!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Thursday, April 23
Today was a half day, although it seemed like a full day. We had a lot of time for projects. We had a medium--hard obstacle course in gym. While some of us went to band, the rest stayed in class and were creative poets. They got to experiment with magnetic poetry.
Who are your favorite poets?
Who are your favorite poets?
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Wednesday, April 22
This morning we had a sub for half the day while Ms. Domina was learning about technology in the computer lab.
Today we worked on our living history museum! A lot of kids got started making their backdrops. Some kids made artifacts, such as whips and cotton plants, a sandstone slab, a newspaper, a headdress, and cloth bracelets.
A few kids in our class got to help paint the mural in the Science Lab.
Today is Earth Day. Our question for the day is:
What can you do to save the Earth?
Today we worked on our living history museum! A lot of kids got started making their backdrops. Some kids made artifacts, such as whips and cotton plants, a sandstone slab, a newspaper, a headdress, and cloth bracelets.
A few kids in our class got to help paint the mural in the Science Lab.
Today is Earth Day. Our question for the day is:
What can you do to save the Earth?
Monday, March 30, 2009
March 30
Today we had D.A.R.E. and Health again. In D.A.R.E. the fifth graders learned about peer pressure. They learned that peer pressure can be negative or positive and they practiced ways of resisting negative peer pressure. In Health the fourth graders wrapped up their unit on Nutrition.
They talked about questions they still have about Nutrition and found out that there is a lot of complicated chemistry involved in understanding about what makes food healthy or unhealthy!
In library we started our project on Connecticut History and it was really interesting!
After lunch we were all surprised by a fire drill! It was a little chilly outside but once the wind died down we enjoyed the sunshine and the extra fresh air.
In class today we decided that we should do a living history museum to show off what we've been learning about in history. We're going to do it with Miss Cross's class! We're going to start work on it now but we won't finish it until after break.
We have two questions today:
Why does a butterfly fly?
What's your favorite state?
They talked about questions they still have about Nutrition and found out that there is a lot of complicated chemistry involved in understanding about what makes food healthy or unhealthy!
In library we started our project on Connecticut History and it was really interesting!
After lunch we were all surprised by a fire drill! It was a little chilly outside but once the wind died down we enjoyed the sunshine and the extra fresh air.
In class today we decided that we should do a living history museum to show off what we've been learning about in history. We're going to do it with Miss Cross's class! We're going to start work on it now but we won't finish it until after break.
We have two questions today:
Why does a butterfly fly?
What's your favorite state?
Friday, March 27, 2009
March 27
Today we had an ID assembly. Gabrielle and Maia did a great job of leading it! They also both read the introductions to their research papers to get students interested in their topics. Zoe-Kaye played the piano while she sang, and the rest of the class got the whole assembly clapping to the tune! Sejal provided the finale to the assembly, with her piano playing.
Right after the assembly we went to the book fair and had fun browsing around. We bought some great books that we're looking forward to reading (some of us already started reading them).
We also did pretzels at the end of the day, as we usually do on Fridays. Ms. Domina forgot that the bag of pretzels was running low so we had a lot more broken pretzels than usual, but it was okay.
Another special event that occurred today was that it was Hat Day! People wore some crazy hats!
Right after the assembly we went to the book fair and had fun browsing around. We bought some great books that we're looking forward to reading (some of us already started reading them).
We also did pretzels at the end of the day, as we usually do on Fridays. Ms. Domina forgot that the bag of pretzels was running low so we had a lot more broken pretzels than usual, but it was okay.
Another special event that occurred today was that it was Hat Day! People wore some crazy hats!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
March 25
Today we had a half day. The reason for the half-day is that there are parent-teacher conferences. The conferences will be Wednesday night and Friday afternoon.
We had a lot of time to work on research papers. We had two periods of time when we could work on them. Before we started working on them today we learned how to write an introduction.
At the end of the day we did a thorough cleaning. In fact, we even washed the tables! Most of us started cleaning the tables and made them look like we didn't even use them today! We hope our parents will be impressed!
Our question for the day is:
How long was the foot of Abraham Lincoln in his statue at the Lincoln Memorial?
We had a lot of time to work on research papers. We had two periods of time when we could work on them. Before we started working on them today we learned how to write an introduction.
At the end of the day we did a thorough cleaning. In fact, we even washed the tables! Most of us started cleaning the tables and made them look like we didn't even use them today! We hope our parents will be impressed!
Our question for the day is:
How long was the foot of Abraham Lincoln in his statue at the Lincoln Memorial?
Monday, March 23, 2009
March 23, 2009
Today we had D.A.R.E. and Health again. The 4th graders learned about the percentage of nutrients in foods, and the 5th graders learned about the dangers of smoking.
We also started our rough drafts of our research papers.
In The Trumpet of the Swan, we read about Louis cutting the webs on one of his feet to play the trumpet better.
During math we worked on long division. This time, the class is getting good!
Are zebras white with black stripes, or black with white stripes?
We also started our rough drafts of our research papers.
In The Trumpet of the Swan, we read about Louis cutting the webs on one of his feet to play the trumpet better.
During math we worked on long division. This time, the class is getting good!
Are zebras white with black stripes, or black with white stripes?
Friday, March 20, 2009
Today started out with a Hawks' Nest assembly. We heard about the new quality of the month: Honesty. We also learned that next Friday is going to be a hat day. We're looking forward to wearing the craziest hats we can find!
During music we talked about different instruments. One of the topics we talked about was violins and fiddles. We learned that violins and fiddles are really the same instrument, but describe different ways of playing the instrument.
We were excited about having outdoor recess again, after we had to stay inside yesterday because of the rain. Many students in our class helped to organize a game of Capture the Flag.
Today instead of reading TO our buddies, we listened to The Trumpet of the Swan WITH our buddies. We tried talking to them a little about what we were reading, but we found out that they're not as used to talking about books as we are. We've grown a lot since we were in kindergarten and first grade!
Questions to think about over the weekend:
Why do violins and fiddles have a different name when they're the same instrument?
How do clouds form?
During music we talked about different instruments. One of the topics we talked about was violins and fiddles. We learned that violins and fiddles are really the same instrument, but describe different ways of playing the instrument.
We were excited about having outdoor recess again, after we had to stay inside yesterday because of the rain. Many students in our class helped to organize a game of Capture the Flag.
Today instead of reading TO our buddies, we listened to The Trumpet of the Swan WITH our buddies. We tried talking to them a little about what we were reading, but we found out that they're not as used to talking about books as we are. We've grown a lot since we were in kindergarten and first grade!
Questions to think about over the weekend:
Why do violins and fiddles have a different name when they're the same instrument?
How do clouds form?
Thursday, March 19, 2009
March 19
During morning meeting we learned a greeting that people may have said on Ellis Island. We asked each other where we came from, and then looked up the countries on maps of the world.
Today we read two chapters of The Trumpet of the Swan! We read that Louis learned how to play his trumpet and he went to camp.
In gym we played bas-kick ball. (It's a combination of basketball and kick ball.) The score was close. It was a different, but fun way of combining the two sports.
As we were writing this, Najma pointed out that we only have 61 more days of school. The fifth graders were shocked to think that then they will need to say goodbye to Green Acres and go on to the middle school.
Questions to wonder about tonight are:
What different sport will we play next gym class?
What are we going to do tomorrow?
Why do we ask questions?
We had over an hour for work on our research papers and we learned (or re-learned) how to make an outline.
We also practiced more with long division. The class is really getting the hang of it!
During band we played "The Pirates of the Caribbean" and it sounded really nice. Mr. Jones told the band that next week they would get a new song ("Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark").
We didn't have outside recess today but the band played for us during this time!
In gym we played bas-kick ball. (It's a combination of basketball and kick ball.) The score was close. It was a different, but fun way of combining the two sports.
As we were writing this, Najma pointed out that we only have 61 more days of school. The fifth graders were shocked to think that then they will need to say goodbye to Green Acres and go on to the middle school.
Questions to wonder about tonight are:
What different sport will we play next gym class?
What are we going to do tomorrow?
Why do we ask questions?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
March 18
Today we went to the science lab and experimented with electricity. It turned out to be dangerous (some of the wires got hot).
We also read about the cob stealing the trumpet in The Trumpet of the Swan. He got into the store by breaking a window.
Today was the last day of note taking in class.
Today we also learned about long division. We worked in groups.
Today we went to Art and we worked on a worksheet about art criticism. People had very different opinions about the art. Some people thought the art looked incredibly weird. The art was by Salvador Dali. One of the clocks in the landscape said 6:55.
How many pieces of art did Salvador Dali make?
We also read about the cob stealing the trumpet in The Trumpet of the Swan. He got into the store by breaking a window.
Today was the last day of note taking in class.
Today we also learned about long division. We worked in groups.
Today we went to Art and we worked on a worksheet about art criticism. People had very different opinions about the art. Some people thought the art looked incredibly weird. The art was by Salvador Dali. One of the clocks in the landscape said 6:55.
How many pieces of art did Salvador Dali make?
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
March 17
Today we had a humongous chunk of time for note taking! Thursday is the last day for taking notes so we're spending as much time as we can on note taking before then.
We also had D.A.R.E. and Health for the first time in almost a month!
At the end of the day we started writing self-evaluations. Look for them when you read the report cards next week.
Our question to ponder about today is: What does "being defective" really mean? (For instance, the swans think Louis is defective, but we don't. Just because someone is different doesn't mean they're defective.)
We also had D.A.R.E. and Health for the first time in almost a month!
At the end of the day we started writing self-evaluations. Look for them when you read the report cards next week.
Our question to ponder about today is: What does "being defective" really mean? (For instance, the swans think Louis is defective, but we don't. Just because someone is different doesn't mean they're defective.)
Monday, March 16, 2009
March 16
Today was the last day of the CMTs. Woo-hoo!
We had spectacular, scrumptious birthday blueberry muffins for Ms. Domina's birthday.
We also found loopholes in math problems, like Sam Beaver and his class did in The Trumpet of the Swan. (We'll post a few examples in a comment to this post.)
We also have a new, apple-shaped reading chart, made by our artist-in-residence, Maia! We're going to use this chart to keep track of how many books we've read. The chart goes up to 100. How quickly do you think we'll be able to fill it in?
In library we watched two movies: one about the Scholastic Book Fair (we're looking forward to reading Castle of Mirrors by Margaret Peterson Haddix) and one about research papers, where triangles kept popping up! (It taught us about narrowing topics down and organizing our research paper.)
We decided to end our posts with a question to wonder about, like Sam Beaver does in The Trumpet of the Swan. Here's our question for today:
What is art?
We had spectacular, scrumptious birthday blueberry muffins for Ms. Domina's birthday.
We also found loopholes in math problems, like Sam Beaver and his class did in The Trumpet of the Swan. (We'll post a few examples in a comment to this post.)
We also have a new, apple-shaped reading chart, made by our artist-in-residence, Maia! We're going to use this chart to keep track of how many books we've read. The chart goes up to 100. How quickly do you think we'll be able to fill it in?
In library we watched two movies: one about the Scholastic Book Fair (we're looking forward to reading Castle of Mirrors by Margaret Peterson Haddix) and one about research papers, where triangles kept popping up! (It taught us about narrowing topics down and organizing our research paper.)
We decided to end our posts with a question to wonder about, like Sam Beaver does in The Trumpet of the Swan. Here's our question for today:
What is art?
Friday, March 13, 2009
Friday
Today was filled with enjoyment!
We had ID assembly in Mrs. Wilcox's class and got to see their great project! (We also enjoyed getting to see our buddies there.)
In music we danced around with scarves. (Even Ms. D. danced!)
Today the 5th graders got a day off from the CMTs but the fourth graders had a writing prompt. Monday will be the last day of the CMTs!
We had ID assembly in Mrs. Wilcox's class and got to see their great project! (We also enjoyed getting to see our buddies there.)
In music we danced around with scarves. (Even Ms. D. danced!)
Today the 5th graders got a day off from the CMTs but the fourth graders had a writing prompt. Monday will be the last day of the CMTs!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Thursday, March 12
Today was awesome! We went on a nature walk (some kids went during band, some kids went during recess, and some kids went both times). We ate the needles of a hemlock tree. They tasted like sour oranges (or, as Matt and Josh said: "soranges").
A lot of fourth graders started in fifth grade band today!
In gym we played basketball "Around the World".
A lot of fourth graders started in fifth grade band today!
In gym we played basketball "Around the World".
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Wednesday, March 11
Today was an exciting day because we visited the new science lab for the first time! We had a great time exploring all the materials and then experimenting with bulbs, batteries and wires to learn about electricity.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Tuesday, March 10
Today was a busy day! After excellent work on the CMTs, we spent a lot of time note taking for our research papers. At the end of the time we made a human timeline to see how our events compared in time to other students' events. Check out the list on the right to see what we're studying!
Besides our usual work, we also started exploring poetry. We read different types of poetry and thought about the different forms and styles that poets use.
We enjoyed reading Chapter 3 of The Trumpet of the Swan. We think it's neat how E.B. White ends some of the chapters with Sam's journal entry and a question. Just like Sam, we wonder how swans know how to make their nests. How do swans know how to make a nest?
Besides our usual work, we also started exploring poetry. We read different types of poetry and thought about the different forms and styles that poets use.
We enjoyed reading Chapter 3 of The Trumpet of the Swan. We think it's neat how E.B. White ends some of the chapters with Sam's journal entry and a question. Just like Sam, we wonder how swans know how to make their nests. How do swans know how to make a nest?
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