The second challenge involved making a stick tower that would support a rock about the size of their fist. Different design strategies were employed, and many were successful, even if they were not "towering" in size.
On Friday, the third and fourth graders headed outside for some engineering challenges. There is a great spot on the Nature Trail that has easy access to Chase Brook, which is where we set up. Students were first challenged to see how many rocks (fairly round in shape) they could stack without their tower collapsing. They began with this challenge, but soon the urge to simply build stone structures took over, and there were various creations throughout the trees. The second challenge involved making a stick tower that would support a rock about the size of their fist. Different design strategies were employed, and many were successful, even if they were not "towering" in size.
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We combined art and literature again, reading the book, A Perfect Square by Michael Hall. To begin, students were told to cover a square with one color, using watercolors. Then we read the book, which told the story of a "perfect" square being torn and cut and punched full of holes, but transforming itself into something else that was creative and wonderful. They also transformed their squares, using their imagination to create something new. Check out their pictures on the bulletin board in the hallway the next time you are in the building.
We read the book Beautiful Hands by Kathryn Otoshi and Bret Baumgarten. It asks the question, "What can you do with your beautiful hands?" This idea came from Bret asking his own children this question. Some of the possibilities in the book were: Planting Ideas, Touching Hearts, Lifting Spirits, Stretching Your Imagination, and Reaching For Love, Peace, Truth, Faith, Hope and Dreams.
The students traced and decorated their hands, which we used to create a bird carrying their ideas. Having a Positive Mindset, How Our Brains Work, and Thinking "Outside of the Box!" This week one of the themes we talked about was the power of having a positive (growth) mindset. We started off watching a quick YouTube clip about all that we have learned since we were born, https://youtu.be/JC82Il2cjqA. We then brainstormed things we could not do five years ago, but now feel like we can do. Some examples were ride a bike, tie shoes, read, rollerblade, throw a ball, write a story, draw a picture, ski alone and cook. After that, we reflected on things we could not do last year, and finally we thought about things we are learning right now. It was powerful to see how far we have come since five years ago. We are always learning new things and challenging ourselves in new directions. Our second Mindset lesson was about how our brain works. We read the book Our Fantastic, Elastic Brain. It is a kid friendly book that focuses on the science behind our brain and what happens when we make mistakes- our neurons grow and connect! The book also talks about the power of practice and not giving up. We shared things that we were good at and talked about how we got there. The common theme was practicing, learning from others and not giving up. Finally we watched a quick clip that reinforced these themes and showed neurons growing. https://youtu.be/ElVUqv0v1EE Students also worked on pushing ourselves about of our comfort zones and taking risks as we read Not a Box by Antoinette Portis. Students we asked to brainstorm all the things they could create out of their box. Students were pushed to think beyond the obvious of a chest or a suitcase. This proved hard for some of us! Once they had brainstormed, they used their list to narrow down one thing they we re going to make out of their box, why they chose that thing and what additional items they might need to transform their box into the item. Students are still working to add the finishing touches onto their newly created items! September 5, 2017
Dear Third and Fourth Grade Families, We had a great first week, with lots of fun activities to welcome students back and help everyone learn something new about their classmates. Every day began with a Morning Meeting, emphasizing the principles of a Responsive Classroom. Students greeted each other warmly, shared information, participated in activities and read the News and Announcements on the Morning Message board. The focus for the first weeks of school is building community, and helping all students feel safe and included. We began to introduce some rules and procedures, and participated in literacy and math activities, but the primary focus was on social skills. We read books that emphasized kindness, and celebrated thinking outside the box and pushing thinking beyond the obvious. Each year we like to help your child build an increased sense of responsibility. One way of helping to support your child is to set up a consistent place and time for reading and doing homework. Research shows that fluency and comprehension increase through independent reading practice, using text that is at a child’s comfortable reading level. Deeper reading comprehension occurs when students make connections between themselves, the text, and the outside world. This year we will continue with our approach to weekly reading. As your child starts a book they should record the title and author in their colored folder; once done, they can indicate the finish date on the same line. There is no need to record the same book for multiple days. The folder will be kept in the Home/School folder and travel back and forth to school everyday. This folder will also hold notes, homework papers, and any other important information. Inside this folder there is also a place for students to record how they practice their math facts. Third graders should focus on addition and subtraction facts, while fourth graders should be working on their multiplication and division facts. There are a variety of ways to practice math facts and your family should determine what works best. We believe both reading on a regular basis and mastering math facts are the keys to success in third and fourth grade. We hope that by having kids be responsible for this learning they will be growing these activities into a lifelong habit. Parents are always welcome in the classroom. If you are here for Morning Meeting, please plan on joining our circle. We are working on building a classroom community and as part of this we want everyone to feel included. Additionally, if you are staying for academic subjects please reach out to us to see how you can best support your child or others in the classroom. Please feel free to contact us with any comments or questions throughout the year. E-mail is often the fastest way to communicate, but voice mail is fine, too. ([email protected], [email protected], Ext. 7831 for Carla Lewis, Ext. 7830 for Erin Koch) This information is also on the Fayston School Website. Subscribe to our blog on the Third and Fourth Grade “News” page to automatically be notified when something new is posted. New information and pictures were added this weekend, so check them out with your child. In addition to providing information and letters on our website, we will also send emails to the address that you have provided the school. If you have an additional email address that you would like us to use, please let us know. We look forward to learning more about your children and working together to provide the best educational experience possible. With your support and guidance, we know we will have a great year. Sincerely, Carla Lewis & Erin Koch |
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