Today was a day filled with emotions – happy, sad, excited, nervous, you name it! I just came back from Hand graduation to see my first 4th grade class get their diplomas. Many of them I hadn’t seen since they were fourth graders and it was just amazing to me how much you boys and girls will change over the next 8 years. I do hope that you come back and visit me year after year so that I can continue to know about your lives as you grow into young men and women. I hope you check online from time to time, or send me an email to let me know how you are doing. Know that in 8 years, I’ll be proud to see you walk across that stage as well and will clap with tears in my eyes!
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Hi all, I have a few orders of business since I wasn’t able to join you all today. First and foremost, I hope your writing piece is near completion. If not, you should be working on whatever is not done TONIGHT because we will be mass publishing tomorrow and sending home with Quinlan! If you do not have an electronic copy of your piece at home, that’s ok! You can use an old fashioned piece of paper and a pencil to write your last ideas/paragraphs down. Below is a checklist of things you should make sure are a part of your piece: ~lead & thesis in your introduction ~3 different and interesting main idea paragraphs ~at least 2-3 anecdotes that will make us smile, giggle, and otherwise make us feel warm and fuzzy inside for years to come ~a conclusion that restates your main ideas in an interesting way (ask a question for each, use a descriptive segment for each, etc.) Secondly, if you are interested in performing in next week’s talent show, you need to let me know BY FRIDAY at the latest. Remember that you should practice whatever you plan to perform for the fourth grade and come prepared. If you need a certain song on cd, you’ll need the cd! If you are playing the piano, well, you’ll need a keyboard to play on, and the music if you don’t have it memorized. I believe you get the point. Please let me know by either commenting below or emailing connellc@madison.k12.ct.us. Thanks and have a great night. I will see you tomorrow!
If so, you should consider entering the following contest: Basically they are looking for a 30-90 second video that spread enthusiasm about science. You could explore a type of science, give a glimpse of the future, show what a discovery has done in the past or could do in the future, introduce a specific scientist, or simply explain why we should care about science. Prizes include cash, electronics gift certificates, a chance to go to the National Expo in Washington, DC, and have your video screened on the National Mall! The contest ends July 15, 2010, so there is still a month and a half to enter! We are currently learning about an important ecosystem that is in some of our backyards: the wetlands! Here are some fun ways to practice understanding food webs, chains, and interdependence between wetland organisms. First, practice some simple food chains to understand what they are: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/games/foodchaingame.htm Then, try to match the organisms as a producer or consumer. It gives you hints along the way and when you are done you can click to view the food web: http://www.gould.edu.au/foodwebs/kids_web.htm Next, play a game called “Chain Reaction”: http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/frogs/chain_reaction/play_chainreaction.cfm Some more food webs to build and practice, if you’re still not quite sure: http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/foodchains.html Finally, you will create your very own example of a food web to print out and hand in. http://www.vtaide.com/png/foodwebS.htm In preparation for our field trip tomorrow, we will explore the website in lab today. Our study of history has not quite led us up to this time period, but we will get there. By clicking on the map or the pictures below it, you can learn about the different houses, buildings, and businesses common to a New England town in the early 1800′s. http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/village_tour.html To complete this assignment, you will need to add a comment to this post, explaining 3 things you learned about Sturbridge Village. Then, you may go on Type To Learn. Have fun! ~ Mrs. Connell Don’t worry, I won’t write the whole post in Spanish. I’m just getting into the spirit of the holiday. Please open the following document on your computer. You will need to read directions carefully, then go to the video on the Social Studies tab. When finished, you may explore some of the other colonial website links. Hi everyone, I wasn’t in school today because I was at a workshop for teachers to mentor new teachers. I’m excited to hopefully help first year and student teachers next year. How did your day go? Leave a comment for my eyes only or to post. Also, do some form of math fact practice tonight. Perhaps I’ll see some of you on multiplication.com at Grand Prix! We spent the majority of our day working on designing tessellations. Here are some websites that may help you continue thinking about, understanding, and appreciating these complex pieces of artwork! When we complete ours, I’ll be posting pictures on the blog so we can appreciate them from anywhere.http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0213184/Tessellations.htm This NY Times article is super helpful for all kinds of neat tricks that Google has for streamlining searches. Check it out here! We are challenging Mrs. Kraus’ class to a quiz bowl about what we’ve learned about the Pilgrims. In addition to re-reading the book and trying the trivia questions, check out the websites below for additional information, with more to be added soon: |
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