Another Week Down!

This was a very crazy week!  We had a lot going on with checkpoints and assemblies.  I loved all the presentations this week!  The Author, Michael Steele, was nothing short of amazing!  He walked the students through every step of the writing process!  He has written over 100 books, many of which the class has read before and where excited about.  He was very informative and engaging!

Rachel's Challenge is a great assembly and emotional one too.  I am so thankful our school has adopted and accepted this challenge.  The students really seem to have a handle about showing kindness and the reasons behind it.

Energy lab, crazy socks, and, symmetry!

Check out what we have been learning!

We have been busy learning many things! Chevk out these anchor charts!

Youth Street Dance Council (Heart-Mind-Body Collective) "Instructions fo...

Two Great Field Trips

We have had so much these past few weeks!



We went on a field trip to see Kids Who Care: Deep in the Heart. It was more than wonderful!  After that we had lunch in the park- it was a perfect day!

 

 

We had a great science experiment with mixtures and solutions. 

 

We also went to the Dallas Aboretum. I can't wait to go back to that amazing place! We studied the Wet Lands then went on education island to observe and test the water in the wetlands.  It was another beautiful day full of learning experiences!

 

Weeks 5-6

Wow! The weeks keep going by quickly!!! I can't believe we are already in the 6th week of school!!  We have learned a lot already...

 

How molecules move

Science Experiment with State Changes in Matter

Welcoming our Grandparents

I just bought these adorable new chairs and table- I LOVE them!!!

Students are working on their Texas Regoins Project

 

Rocks for the Texas Regions

Texas Regions Salt Map

We've been busy!

 We have been busy in class!!  These are some of the reading strategies we have been working on in class.  It is my goal  to get them to think about their thinking to make them more aware of what they are thinking about when they read.

I love this picture of my class reading to their buddies!  We have flashlight Friday every Friday so we can read with our flashlights.  This past Friday, we didn't have our buddy time as previously scheduled, so we invited them to come during our flashlight Friday.  They all had a great time!

The following two pictures of our class during our science lab activity.  The students had to figure out what solution would get oil out of a feather.  This was after showing them the damage oil spills have to the environment.  They had a great time using the scientific method!!

I wanted to end with a picture of how generous our PTO and PIC Parents are!  We were all given these cool bags with first aid gear.  I can't tell you how loved we are at this school!  I appreciate these parents so much!!

Great End to the Second Week!

We had another great week together!  We started our math rotations and they are getting better each day! In math we talked a lot about problem solving and we are using the method of "cubes" to help us break down the problem and solve it.

 

  

We added plants to our classroom and I love them.  We have a horticulturalist who is in charge of caring for the plants.  Speaking of class jobs, I included a picture of them.  This class is adorable!

 

 

 

 

 

In reading and writing we discussed expository writing and how to identify it.  Next week will be an introduction to narrative writing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also took several assessments this week to get a base line of where they are in their knowledge. 

It has been a very busy and productive week!

The End to a Wonderful First Week

 Today the class and I received a wonderful gift! A parent made these old key book marks for us.  The kids and I loved them!!  I love old keys and so this was extra special for me too!

 

 

 

 The creativity that kids hold never ceases to amaze me! Today we played a game where I gave them some dice and told them to play the game (I did not say what game or give any rules).  Some where confused, some where frustrated, and some just created their own game!  This is a picture of a table that started playing their own version of chutes and ladders using materials they had available. I then walked around and started giving a little rule here and there and it made some students more upset because it changed what they were doing.  I then talked to them about the importance of rules and expectations of knowing what to do in the beginning of any situation.  We then took that idea and started working on our classroom mission.

 

 

To end the week we also learned about ourselves and took some learning style and brain preferences test.  They seemed to really enjoy learning about their brain and how they think.  I think it is interesting myself!

 

 

 

 

These last few pictures are examples of some of the procedures the students wrote and presented earlier in the week.  I love them! 

 

We had a great first week!  I am so happy and excited about the potential of this class!  I did tell them that next week we will be focused more on academic learning and setting our expectations and goals.  

Second day of Fourth Grade

I couldn't be more excited about my class!  We have already accomplished many things!

 

Yesterday they worked in groups and wrote procedures for doing different things in class. My goal for them was to write everything so if a sub came in they would know exactly what to do.  This was of course after we discussed the procedures.  I then had one person from each group stand up and present their procedure to the rest of the class.  They all did great! I will try to post pictures of their outcomes tomorrow.

 

Today we applied for our classroom jobs.  They seemed to have fun with this and really took it seriously. I told them I would have to go through their applications so it would probably be Friday before they found out their job.  We will be changing jobs every nine weeks.
We also went over the 30 boom challenge today.  I put a chart in their binders for them to record their books.

 

I am truly thankful for the experiences we have already had and looking forward to all the adventures this year is going to bring!!!

Moving On Up!

Well I found out this week that I will not be teaching the littles this fall.  I am moving on up and teaching 4th grade!  I am beyond excited for this next adventure in my teaching career!  I can't stop thinking about all the changes that I will have to make, packing and unpacking, and moving into my new room.  There are so many things that need to be done and thankfully I have some time left before school starts!!