Week 19: Lights, Camera....

We had an exciting first week of 2015 together!  This week puppetry has been our BIG focus!  Michael Lamason, from Black Cherry Puppet Theater, joined our 4th and 6th students to begin a 10-day art residency.  After four sessions, students created hand and rod puppets using newspaper, masking tape, celluclay (a clay-like paper mache), and plenty of paint, fabric, ribbons, beads and yarn.  It is amazing how each puppet developed character after the students added their personal touches!  They really thought about their character and their role in the performance in order to portray the character's traits and time period.  Our show will cover nearly 400 years of Maryland history!   

  Not only have we been learning and performing the steps of making rod puppets, but we’ve started to create and develop the 6 acts of our puppet play!  Our play focuses on the early colonization of Maryland.  The roots of the colonial period can actually be found in England at the beginning of the 17^th century.  The students have studied a variety of conditions that caused many people to consider leaving their homeland.  This week we’ve learned about the role the Calvert family played in making the first colony possible.  We are currently reading several different information sources to gain a better understanding of the challenges faced by the first Maryland colonists as they crossed the Atlantic Ocean. 

The students told us the parts they were interested in and then we assigned everyone to one of the 6 acts accordingly.   The acts have been written in narrative form. Each group has been reading and learning the sequence of events in their act.  Together the students in each act started choosing and writing lines that fit their characters and the story line.  In the coming week we will be put the lines together and revise as needed to make the story complete.  Our goal is to have our puppets bring the historic story of Maryland’s colonial period to life.

In between the language arts and socials studies lessons related to our puppetry experience, the students have been taking the county reading and language arts test.  It is completed now!

Week 17: Becoming more complex, yet flexible thinkers

         A common thread through much of our work in language arts has been the process of gradually moving through increasingly complex types of thinking.  When we read a story or nonfiction passage, the students initially need to take in and remember the information in the text.  As they consider this information in context, they try to understand how it relates to the text as a whole.  In reading group discussions and independent assignments, students respond to questions that ask them to apply and analyze the information they read and evaluate its effect on the rest of the text.  Reading provides a valuable opportunity to practice these thinking skills that are used in all aspects of life.  As we’ve been reading the final chapters of our reading books, the students have identified how characters’ actions and specific events affect the story plot.  They’ve discussed why characters might make the choices they do, and whether or not they (the students) would have made the same choices given the circumstances in the story.  This past week we did some brainstorming activities to encourage creative thinking.   The students were asked to generate as many possible responses as they could to specific circumstances in their stories.  They were asked to think of actions characters could have been taken, but were not taken in the story. Hopefully the students are considering more closely the impact of a person’s actions and seeing connections between literature and real life.

            Our main writing assignment this week stemmed from an informational article we read in Scholastic News.  It addressed the growing trend for stores to open on Thanksgiving.  The article challenged students to reflect on the possible negative and positive outcomes of this trend and then form their own opinion about stores opening on Thanksgiving.  As a prewriting activity, the students chose a “side” (after reading the article) and worked in small groups to brainstorm arguments to support their position.  We then had a debate in which students on opposite “sides” had to respond to each other’s points and state their own points.  After the debate, the students individually made their final decision about their position on this issue.  They used an organizer to choose and sequence what they felt were the strongest arguments for their position, and finally wrote a persuasive paragraph.

            We concluded our historical study of Native Americans (before the arrival of Europeans) in social studies.  November is “Native American Heritage Month” and Mrs. Sullivan devoted a good deal of media time to this topic.  She shared extensive personal knowledge and resources that greatly enhanced our study.   This week we started reading about life in England in the 1600’s.  We are looking at several resources to determine the reasons many people in England were unhappy during this time period.  We considered this question: “What conditions would cause us to leave our homes and travel thousands of miles to an unknown area?”  People in England faced this question and their answer is the reason some of the first Europeans came to Maryland.  Historically these factors have played a role in immigration throughout the world.

       

       This week, students learned the final multiplication strategy...the standard algorithm.  After spending so much time learning the "nitty and gritty" of multiplication strategies,  many students were displeased with the standard algorithm's lack of place value applications and visual representation.  Since this is a 5th grade standard, we did not dwell on it for long, but those that caught on quickly use it frequently and enjoy trying to multiply extremely large factors...just for fun during their free time!  After our unit assessment for multiplication, most students showed incredible growth.  Thank you for your help on the home-front.

       Be ready to be amazed by the solutions your children are brainstorming for our erosion project.  They are attempting to slow the erosion on the hill outside our window.  Let me tell you that when you put CPCS students on an environmental mission, their motivation to achieve it is unstoppable.  Students are realizing the value of research, data collection, informational reading and math applications.  This is the type of learning that our Charter School Forefathers dreamed of when they started this school!  By portfolio day, their solution models will be complete and ready to share with you.

Week 14: Just Dance: CPCS Version; Giving Thanks and Recognition

This week, students continued to learn strategies for multiplying larger numbers.  We took the strategies outside (before the arctic blast!) and practiced with sidewalk chalk.  There is a dance we use as a mneumonic device to help us multiply two double digit numbers:  "Tens times your tens, ones times your ones, tens times your ones and your ones times your tens".  Ask your fourth grader for a demonstration!  We also integrated some geometry and measurement concepts as students learned to use area models to help solve multiplication problems.

       As we continue our unit on erosion, we explored our new resource, BrainPop.  Students may access this site at home too for videos, games, quizzes on various topics.  Next week, we will begin to design models of an eroding area of our school campus.  Teams of four will then engineer a solution to the problem and present it to a board of judges who will decide which solution is the most cost -effective, earth friendly and feasible.  In the spring, we will put that plan into action when we revisit the concept of erosion when we begin our Smith Island unit.

          In language arts we are at the midway point with our novels.   I’m encouraging students to take more of a leadership role in discussions.  Part of this process requires them to prepare questions before their group meets.  I’ve asked them to create three types of questions that inspire different types of thinking.  Most of the students recognize that questions that aren’t answered with “yes” or “no” answers prompt us to think more deeply about the story elements and plot development. 

           Students wrote letters to the fifth grade students to thank them for inviting us to tour their “wax museum”.  It was an impressive experience and we took the opportunity to practice writing with specificity.  Instead of just writing “It was awesome!” the students used graphic organizers to list specific ways the 5^th graders worked to make the experience so informative and realistic. Then the students used their notes to write their letters.  Many of the students filled a page or more with positive detailed feedback for the fifth grade class!  I was especially pleased that some of the students initiated writing a second draft because they wanted to be proud of what we send to 5^th grade.

            In social studies we talked about the elements of culture that can make a group of people unique.   Our Maryland newspaper contained an article about the lifestyle of Native Americans.  Many cultural customs and beliefs were explained.  We compared and contrasted the Native American way of life with modern American life.  Some of the students have chosen to write poetry about cultural connections and the importance of bridging the gap between cultures through understanding.   We’ve been given the opportunity to submit these works to the “Maryland Connects Writing Project.” This a project open to 3^rd – 12^th grade students in Maryland.

Week 13: Splitting Strategies, Novels and Leadership!

         Over the last two weeks, we have been conquering LARGE multiplication problems.  No longer are we focusing on basic facts, we are applying our fact fluency to calculate larger products.  In fourth grade, students explore several different strategies for multiplying large numbers so that they have a solid foundation for how multiplication and our entire number system works.  So far, students have used the "splitting strategy" and the distributive property (who remembers that term from high school algebra??).  Basically, students are "dissecting" the larger factor into its values, then multiplying them each by the other factor [example: 341 x 6 = (300 x 6) + (40 x 6) +  (1 x 6)].  Next week, we will learn to use these same strategies, but with 2 digit factors times 2 digit factors...this is trickier, so there is a song/chant to remember the steps, so be ready for musical math!  Don't worry, the standard algorithm for multiplication will be just around the corner...

           In science, we had a guest teacher share her experiences with erosion, the one and only Ms. Frizzle! Students responded to the lesson with a writing response, but submitted it to me electronically.  It was like a real online course through www.discoveryeducation.com!   I will be giving them feedback on their writing, so they can check in on the site to see if I've read their work yet.  We also conducted a virtual lab on the same site that allowed students to test 3 different variables that effect erosion.  They can access this site from home to show you what they discovered and to try level 2 if they'd like (they can even watch the Magic School Bus again!).  We will be building on the model presented in this lab to re-create the hill outside our classroom and engineer solutions for the erosion problem happening there.  

             In language arts we are well into our chapter books.  We have been reading together in small groups and individually noting connections, reflections, and predictions on sticky notes.  (The students place the sticky notes on the section of text that supports the thoughts they recorded.)  An important skill in all types of reading is the recognition of cause-effect relationships.  Sometimes these relationships are stated directly in the text and sometimes the reader has to make inferences to determine the probable cause or effect of a certain event.  At this point most students are identifying directly stated cause-effect relationships, but some students are starting to look deeper and think more reflectively.  In connection with the students’ study of erosion in science, we read an informational article in National Geographic’s “Explorer” magazine about different types of weathering.  The students identified cause-effect relationships that occur during these processes. 

             In our written language study we’ve been reviewing what distinguishes a complete sentence from an incomplete sentence.  The students found that this can be more challenging when there is a compound subject or predicate.  We played “How High Can You Fly” to practice labeling the subject and predicate of a sentence and identifying the roles of key words in sentences.   Our spelling unit this week focused specifically on singular and plural nouns.   The students also wrote thank you letters to the Fire Department for their visit at the end of October.  We are working to include specific detail and description in all of our written work.

            In social studies we’ve started using the student newspaper, “Maryland Studies Weekly”.  This publication presents educational information about the history of Maryland in the format of a newspaper.  Last month we learned that the Piscataways and Nanticokes were two of the largest Woodland Indian tribes in Maryland.  We recently read about some of the smaller tribes.  Using Maryland maps, we discovered the number of rivers, and even towns, that have been named for these tribes!  In light of Election Day, and CPCS student council elections, we explored the concept of leadership.  The students exchanged ideas about what a leader is.  They identified qualities they believe a good leader should possess.  I believe many 4^th graders will be future leaders in some capacity!

Week 11: Native Americans, Science Labs and Electives

      An introduction to the Native Americans of Maryland was the theme running though many of our social studies and language arts activities this week.  Our field trip to Jefferson Patterson Park gave us the opportunity to experience many different aspects of Native American life.  We learned about hunting, foraging, and the daily routines in a village.  When we compared daily life of people today to that of the Native Americans, we realized how incredibly clever, resourceful, and self-sufficient Native Americans were. 

            In the beginning of the week we our reading time was focused on different informational articles about the Native Americans of Maryland.  At the end of the week we divided into reading groups to start chapter books.   The students are either reading Frindle by Andrew Clements or Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume.   Both books are realistic fiction stories.  Our language study focused on the two parts of a complete sentence and identifying specific parts of speech within a sentence.  Students cut sentence strips to separate the subjects and predicates of a variety of sentences.  Using a color code they marked different parts of speech.   When writing about our field trip, we focused on careful word choice. The students are learning to develop their thoughts by including specific details and vivid vocabulary.

         Last week, we started science labs.  Students learned the safety required for this time and also the importance of reading directions carefully.  We learned to make hypotheses and support our educated guesses based on our prior knowledge of the subject and that TRUE experiments have a control and only 1 variable.  We were able to answer the following questions:  "How does moving water weather rocks?" and "Does freezing water and thawing ice weather rock?"  Be sure to ask your 4th grade scientist how their labs turned out and whether their hypotheses were accurate!

          We continued our unit on multiples and factors.  Interestingly, these 2 concepts came up during science when students had to divide up the labor of shaking rocks and water.  They are beginning to see how no ONE subject area is isolated from the rest.  We learned to play "Multiple Turnover", an excellent game for students to practice deciphering between factors and multiples.  See if your student can tell you the differences.  It appears that the students are ready to being larger multiplication problems, so be prepared for some interesting strategies that promote a deeper understanding of how numbers work and our place value system.

Week 8: Authors, Teachers and Actors...Oh My!

          We had a guest author visit the 4^th grade classes this week!  Miranda Paul has published nonfiction articles, poems, and children’s stories.  She was scheduled to speak at St. Mary’s College on September 22 - 24.  Thanks to Mrs. Ganzell, a parent of CPCS students, we were able to have Ms. Paul visit our classes and work with our students on Wednesday!  Ms. Paul is an inspiring speaker as well as an author.  She told the students about her experiences visiting and teaching in the Gambia.  She explained that learning about and respecting other cultures is a powerful way of enriching our own lives.  As a special treat, Ms. Paul read one of her own stories to the students.  Before leaving she talked about the key elements of a folk tale.  Then she gave the students the opportunity to start writing their own folk tales.  It was a very exciting morning.

As a means of connecting to Ms. Paul’s work, the students responded to a writing prompt about the value of books.  It was encouraging to see how well they recognize the many ways books impact our lives.  The students also worked on their skits about diversity.  They are learning that portraying the role of other characters and conveying the important ideas in a story takes careful planning and cooperation.

The students temporarily became teachers in social studies as they shared the information they had learned about a geographic region of Maryland.  We reviewed the special characteristics of each geographic region by taking notes on graphic organizers.  We connected what the students have learned about the physical characteristics of each region to what they are learning about erosion in science.  We saw that each region has some unique vulnerabilities to erosion.   We also played a game of Challenge in which students were able to score points by answering questions about Maryland’s geographic regions.  When we took the culminating quiz, most students were very pleased by how “easy” the test seemed.  This is to their credit as it reflects how well they’ve worked over the past two weeks!

In math, students discovered prime and composite numbers by looking for factors.  We used tiles, multiplication charts, hundred charts and even calculators to find all the factors fro numbers 1-100 and learned to draw factor rainbows.  We paired gestures with our new vocabulary in order to help us remember the meaning of prime and composite numbers.  Ask your child to show you and explain what the gestures mean.  Knowing the factors of numbers will help us with divisibility later on while helping us with multiplication right now!

In science, we continued to look at weathering and erosion.  After learning the difference between weathering (breaking down of earth's materials) and erosion (the carrying away of weathered materials), students turned their bodies into one or more of these processes by created tableauxs (similar to statues but moving is allowed) to represent these natural processes.  It was very clear that students understood the true meaning behind each of these words. Who knew science and drama could go hand in hand!?  Some students should really consider the dramatic arts!   Hopefully students will begin to apply their understanding of erosion and weathering  on our field trips this week!

Week 7: "Over the mountains and through coastal plains of Mary-land we go...."

        After recognizing the value of diversity through the study of heritage, we talked about other kinds of human diversity.  Variation among people can be seen in numerous ways:  age, gender, physical size and shape, belief systems, education, talents, challenges, etc.  This week our word of the week was “stereotype”.  We read an article about people who have broken stereotypes with their accomplishments.  For example, we learned about people who don’t have the use of their legs, but they play basketball.  These people broke the stereotype many of us have that people in wheelchairs can’t play sports.   Towards the end of the week I gave the students a synopsis of three short stories that address stereotypes and let them choose which story they would like to read.  The students are now divided into three groups based on their choices.  The students read the stories and we discussed what stereotype was challenged in each story.  This coming week each group will work together to turn their story into a skit.  As a class we will help each other “see” how stereotypes can impact people and how they can be broken.

            In social studies we continued our study of the three geographic regions of Maryland.   We talked about Maryland’s nickname of “America in Miniature”.  Looking at a topographic map of Maryland and then of the USA, we could see how the landforms change in a similar way as you move from east to west.  In the middle of the week we began a “jigsaw” activity.  The students divided into groups of three and each group member chose one of the three geographic regions.  Then each student was given an information sheet summarizing the region they had chosen.  Their task was to use this information to become the group’s “expert” on this region.  (Eventually the three group members will come back together to teach each other about the region they studied.)  The students read the information about their region, highlighted key points, and made a “teaching plan” that they will share with their group next week.  As a class we will review the key features of each region by having the students report on what they learned in their small group.

       This week, we made real-world connections to large numbers as we investigated the populations of each of Maryland's 23 counties and 1 city.  After ordering the populations, we discovered that Kent County was the least populated (~20,000) while Montgomery County (my home sweet home) has well over 1,000,000 inhabitants.  Using their knowledge of MD geography, students hypothesized that due to its proximity to Washington, DC, many people choose to live in Montgomery County so they don't have to live in a bustling city but can visit it whenever they want.  The 'burbs!  Students then categorized each county into its Maryland Region then calculated each region's total population.  I was elated when student's begged to not only calculate Maryland's total population, but to conduct research on  one of it's counties.  Ask your child to tell you what they calculated.  Although we calculated the exact total (using the 2012 Census data), we used our estimation and rounding skills for parent reporting purposes!

       In science, we began "traveling" across North American looking at landforms that were formed by erosion and weathering.  We are currently in Wyoming in the Grand Tetons Mountains, but should make it to Maryland by Wednesday!  Once we "arrive" in Maryland we will explore agents of erosion and look at rapid and slow changes that occur on earth's surface.  This unit will be our first "STEAM" unit this year (authored by your very own 4th grade teachers!), as students are exposed to the concept of erosion throughout all content areas including: science, technology, engineering, the arts, math, language arts, social studies and physical education.  Both teachers and students are excited to pilot this unit and discover how erosion affects life in and around the Chesapeake Bay.