Big River Journey!

We had a great field trip down the Mississippi River. The kids completed some science stations on the boat and then learned about the history or landscape of Fort Snelling State Park. What is one thing you learned or remember from the trip?

Captains Briefing before we launch.

Ranger Amie teaches a group about artifacts that have been found at the park.

The whole class getting ready to learn!

Looking for birds along the Mississippi River

Using invertebrates to tell if the water is healthy or not.

Studying a crime scene!

These rocks tell the story of the river.

The Captain is teaching about boat navigation on the river.

Ranger Abby teaches about River Otters and the Flood Plain.

Handwriting

Last week we started handwriting and today were continuing pages 16-20.

Eli said that  that we can switch from print to cursive but we can only once every month

measuring to the quarter inch

(top) Mateo's amazing measurement
(2nd to top) Frankie is measuring
(2nd to bottom) Cameron's measurement
(bottom) Maggie is measuring  (all photos are taken by Mateo)

The Fish Tank

everybody likes fish!!!!!!! Do you like fish??

pencil sharpener

the pencil I sharpened!!!!!

Math - Naming Quadrilaterals

Today we learned to name quadrilaterals, You can see that Frankie's mouth is shaped like a trapezoid.

Today's Engineering Class

If you were in orchestra today you need to review theses pictures. You were with us for the first few. After I made the paper chain we brainstormed things that were observed about my work and then some suggestions to make it better. Tomorrow you will work in groups to create your own groups chain. You will use some of the things I did that went well and then improve on the things that needed improvement. Pay special attention to the last picture. It is full of ideas!

SWBAT define Engineer and Technology

 

Look at the four definitions for Engineers and Technology. Post a comment telling me why you think a definition is proof of the SWBAT or how a definition could be improved. Remember to be respectful in your post and to post your number so I know who has posted.

Epic Patty Cake

Here is how they made the video we watched today in class. How many takes (tries) do think they had to do, to get the final video? Remember, they had to learn the actions AND the singing! Why did you pick the number you did?

These are professional performers! Professional authors edit their writing over and over too. Take pride in your work at school and edit/revise to make the best projects possible this year.

Making Timelines

This week we have been learning about Tree Cookies and how to tell the age of a tree. We also learned about drawing conclusions about the trees health based on the width of each ring. Yesterday we created our own tree cookie on paper plate based on our lives. Today we took that information and made it into a timeline.

How is a timeline similar or different than a tree cookie?

Fantasy Football Draft Day

Today we kicked off the Fantasy Football Season with our draft. Students formed into groups of 1-4 members to draft their team. Teams had a salary cap of $150,000 to spend on their players. As the season progresses they will check their players stats online and then fill out their score sheets to find their points. It is always enjoyable to see both boys and girls get into their teams and let their competitive side show. Conversations around what to do with their spare thousands were heard as they tried to improve their team. Of course a few NFL players have been disciplined and this created a dew glitches around Draft Day, but this class is flexible and on we go!

Settling In & PBIS

Day one of the school year is in the books! As always it is a day filled with energy and excitement. The students can't help but talk to long lost friends and all those supplies need to be labeled and put in their proper places. Then, and only then, can learning start to begin.  In two of these pictures you can see students coloring their popsicle sticks for the "Cold Call Cup." They also created stars for the jobs board, clothespins to display their work, and got their yoga ball re-sized for their 4th grade sizes.

This year our school is undertaking a new behavior initiative called PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions & Support). You can learn more about this through a simple Google search. Our school and class behavior matrices can be seen here. Above you can see the class watching a video, that they starred in last year, about walking in the hall.

Are there any parts of PBIS that seem exciting or difficult to you?