Post #24

One of my favorite mathematicians is Dr. Jo Boaler, Professor of Mathematics Education at Stanford University. I'm a little obsessed with her work, so I get really excited when I realize that we are practicing her brand of math pedagogy in Room M02. Dr. Boaler believes we should value depth, creativity, different ways of thinking about maths, and different explanations. Yes, Yes, and Yes! We kept the Mary Poppins theme alive in math this week. A supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Musical Moment began a lesson and then the girls took a look at a typical Fourthie brain. Mathematical creativity followed. Each girl divided her own brain into fractional parts and worked with equivalent fractions. And naturally some writing was involved. Look for these in next week's work folder. The weather caused us to postpone our real life math cooking activity until next week. Should be yummy! The new math unit looks at compound measures. This week the girls practiced adding and subtracting compound measures. While solving an EdPuzzle, they found out why February has fewer days than the other months.

We started a new novel study, A Song for Harlem, by Patricia McKissack. The setting is the 1920's during the Harlem Renaissance. This fast paced novel will reinforce our study of the 1920's in History4Fourthies. 

The girls completed their book project and many girls presented to the class. This project was student choice and the projects were varied. I'll post these next week after all girls have had a chance to present. The girls will check out a biography on Tuesday for the next project.

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to "audit" one of Mrs. Blanton's Growing Up Healthy classes. I learned a few things and was so impressed with Mrs. Blanton's ability to teach this information to a very diverse group of Fourthies with varying levels of background knowledge. Several girls did not have their homework and we chatted about the importance of keeping up will all homework. Growing Up Healthy homework is posted on our homework plan as an extra check place.

We are thinking spring in M02. The girls each have a "Spring Buddy" who is always there to lift up spirits and cheer on a Fourthie. The girls are in the process of designing homes for their buddies. Real estate is limited, therefor homes can't be larger than a shoe box. Silly, maybe, but we take to heart the words of a very wise British nanny:

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needing a parent response is highlighted.

 "Parent How To" videos. Click here and let me know if there is a tutorial you would like to see on our page.

Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day- Please sign up here.

* Please consider our play rehearsal schedule when making dental, doctor, etc. appointments for your daughter. Practice begins on 3/22.

Final Assembly Information is here! I know it's a long way off, but a few parents were asking for attire details.

Class Leadership Week of 2/25

 Carpool Helpers- No one from room M02

Special Week Girl- Blair (3/4)

Ambassadors- Jacey and Ginny

Photographer-Lauren

Closers- Lucy and Angelina

Girls-Your blog question is.......Where is your "Growing Up Healthy" homework listed? Post your answer here.

Post #23

Love was in the air this week! We started each day with a Musical Moment featuring a love song. Just a fun way to squeeze in a little calculation practice. The girls calculated travel distances to "love"ly places.

They solved valentine logic puzzles. Who knew there was so much math involved with Valentine's Day?? I am extremely proud of their determination and progress with the challenging fraction concepts. The girls completed a review of chapter four and spent time reflecting on their knowledge. Look for these in their work folders.

I don't think the girls need to sit down and complete a traditional assessment for this math unit. So... we will look at fractions in the real world and do some cooking next week.

The girls learned that Oreos became a sweet treat in the 1910's. They wrote a procedure paragraph explaining how to eat an Oreo. I love that they are applying the skills learned in previous writing labs. We are moving into the 1920's next week; this decade is a Fourthie favorite. 

Three Word Thursday was a little creepy this week (your daughter can explain) but that didn't stop the creativity. The girls wrote about a special kind of massage.

The girls continued reading articles in Newsela about the contributions of Black Americans. The quizzes are tough and the girls are making great strides and boy are they excited to share their knowledge. They researched individual women and worked with paraphrasing. This is a tough skill and we will continue practicing. The girls made paper dolls of the prominent women they researched.  

Wordly Wise Dress-Up day was fun! Take a look at the photos. And for the BIG NEWS! The class earned 75 compliments. Compliments are earned by working together and modeling the school virtues. Such a great group of girls. The class voted for extra recess. I'll also sneak in a treat to two.

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needing a parent response is highlighted.

 "Parent How To" videos. Click here and let me know if there is a tutorial you would like to see on our page.

Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day- Please sign up here.

* Maypole- A Fourthie Tradition!! All details are here (Fourthie site>Everything Else).

* Band Sweatshirts- order form.

* Please consider our play rehearsal schedule when making dental, doctor, etc. appointments for your daughter. Practice begins on 3/22.
Wondering about "Growing Up Healthy" class? Mrs. Blanton has all assignments, lessons, etc. on a website. Take a look here.

Final Assembly Information is here!

Class Leadership Week of 2/18

 Carpool Helpers- No one from room M02

Special Week Girl- Vivian

Ambassadors- Jacey and Ginny

Photographer-Lauren

Closers- Lucy and Angelina

Girls-Your blog question is.......What city was featured in the massage video? Post your answer here.

Post #22

Monday morning class chapel- What a great way to begin our week! The girls did an excellent job working together and delivered a wonderful class chapel. I was proud of their poise and public speaking. They did ham it up a little bit after we got back to class. A big thank-you to Mr. Tullner for filming our chapel. You can take a look here.

Three Word Thursday became a sharing event this week. The girls read each other's work and encouraged their friends with constructive and positive comments. 

Friendship machines, friendship writing labs, and business cards are all finished and posted outside the classroom. The girls are encouraged to hand out their business cards to folks in need of a friend, kind word, or encouragement. All put a personal spin on their cards. Here are a few examples:

The girls are reading about key events in the 1910's. They spent time reading and learning about the unsinkable Titanic. They examined the survival rates of passengers and crew. Working through math equations they found out that the wealthy passengers received preferential treatment. This inequality did not set right with the girls. They learned that the first crossword puzzle debuted in this decade. Each girl created her own crossword puzzle using this week's Wordly Wise words. The puzzles became part of the WW assessment. 

Problem solving with fractions played out in a huge way this week. The girls worked through some very challenging word problems. They are simplifying fractions with ease and have an appreciation for fact fluency. We talk about factors and multiples ALL THE TIME. We'll spend some more time reviewing Unit Four. The cumulative assessment will be after Valentine's Day. Speaking of Valentine's Day, the girls can have some fun and dress up in an outfit that illustrates a Wordly Wise word.  

One final note- we heard from Shepherd's Way last week. Our Fourthies served a hot breakfast to 633 folks during the month of January. What we keep we lose, only what we give remains our own. 

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needing a parent response is highlighted.

 "Parent How To" videos. Click here and let me know if there is a tutorial you would like to see on our page.

* "Growing up Healthy" Begins for the girls on Monday. All details are here.

* Valentine's Day is coming soon. Girls should bring a collection box for their valentines. They can be as creative as they like. There will be time for them to circulate to the other classes to deliver cards, etc. Valentine's Day is also Wordly Wise Dress-Up Day. Choose a word from lists 1-11. FUN!!!

* Maypole- A Fourthie Tradition!! All details are here (Fourthie site>Everything Else).

* Band Sweatshirts- order form.

* Please consider our play rehearsal schedule when making dental, doctor, etc. appointments for your daughter. Practice begins on 3/22.

Class Leadership Week of 2/11

 Carpool Helpers- No one from room M02

Special Week Girl- Vivian

Ambassadors- Allie and Lauren

Photographer-Ellie

Closers- Lura and Jacey

Girls-Your blog question is.......Who has a disco ball on her business card? Post your answer here.

Post #21

February is Black History Month, so we began Friday morning with a Cluster Chapel with the third grade girls. Mr. Tullner gathered mini-biographies of prominent black women. The girls read and shared information about these women. A Newsela text set has been set up for the girls to read and learn about the contributions and struggles of black individuals throughout history. Look for more activities throughout the month.

We wrapped up the first decade of the 20th century and will move into the 1910's next week. Most girls (the others will complete next week) finished their earthquake documentaries. Take a look here: San Fransisco Earthquake

The girls were on fire this week during math activities. They are multiplying fractions and had some fun with finding the fraction of a number. I put the girls to work and had them create "fraction of" questions for each other. We used one of our favorite sites- Emojis. Here are a few examples:

Their mini-fraction project this week featured "Just a Spoonful of Sugar." This activity involved equivalent fractions and understanding the value of a numerator as it relates to "real estate." It also included some creative writing. Both mini-projects are in your daughter's work folder. Math came to an end this week with a Super Bowl commercial:

This week's writing lab was all about friendship. In fact, we are in the friendship business. The girls brainstormed the meaning of friendship and then the creativity began. Each girl designed a machine that promotes, fosters, and encourages friendship. They are putting the finishing touches on their machines and will write about them next week. They will be the CEO, manager, owner, etc. of the company that produces these machines. Naturally the girls will need their own business cards. Stay tuned.

Finally, we had a few breaks from the routine this week. On Monday, the girls were treated to a guest author, Russell Ginns. Mr. Badar, US economics teachers, gave the girls some pointers on profit, cost, and expenses to prepare them for the 3D sale during Reunion Weekend. We all enjoyed our time with our "Big Sisters" Thursday afternoon. The girls practiced their chapel for our 8th grade friends and the eighth graders gave great feedback. 

Nuts and Bolts:

Information needing a parent response is highlighted.

 "Parent How To" videos. Click here and let me know if there is a tutorial you would like to see on our page.
* Class Chapel is Monday, February 4th @ 8:15 in the Lower School Assembly Room (Chinese and Vietnamese New Year) The girls are encouraged to wear RED or YELLOW.
* The LS Outreach Project (collecting hand and foot warmers for Shepherd's Way) continues through Tuesday.

* "Growing up Healthy" Begins for the girls on February 11th. All details are here.

* Valentine's Day is coming soon. Girls should bring a collection box for their valentines. They can be as creative as they like. There will be time for them to circulate to the other classes to deliver cards, etc.

* Please consider our play rehearsal schedule when making dental, doctor, etc. appointments for your daughter. Practice begins on 3/22.

Class Leadership Week of 2/4

 Carpool Helpers- Blair

Special Week Girl- Ruby

Ambassadors- Kensie and Ellie

Photographer-Jacey

Closers- Lucy and Ruby

Girls-Your blog question is.......When does "Growing up Healthy" begin? Post your answer here.