Here we are seventeen days into May and only fifteen school days remaining in the school year. Wowzer! This month already feels so full of Trinity traditions, exciting projects, new learning opportunities, and educational trips AND there is still more to come. Keep in mind important dates on the horizon like All Trinity Builds the week of May 23rd and our grade level learning celebration on June 3rd.
Grandfriends Day!
One of my new favorite Trinity traditions is Grandfriends Day. What a wonderful way to celebrate special people in our lives and share the work we are doing each day at school. It was full of activities like visiting the book fair, chapel, writing poetry, and reading and discussing social issues in Eve Bunting's Wednesday Surprise. Seeing the Fourth Brainers with their grandfriends was a true delight and we loved welcoming them into our classroom for the day. Below is a gallery featuring photographs taken by Jessica Masanoti on Grandfriends Day.
Grandfriends Day!
One of my new favorite Trinity traditions is Grandfriends Day. What a wonderful way to celebrate special people in our lives and share the work we are doing each day at school. It was full of activities like visiting the book fair, chapel, writing poetry, and reading and discussing social issues in Eve Bunting's Wednesday Surprise. Seeing the Fourth Brainers with their grandfriends was a true delight and we loved welcoming them into our classroom for the day. Below is a gallery featuring photographs taken by Jessica Masanoti on Grandfriends Day.
Academics
In reading we are continuing to follow the story of Willow Chance in the book Counting by 7s. Willow is dealing with the tragic loss of her parents and finding her way as a "oddball" and outsider. We our using this read aloud to guide discussions about social issues. Students are still working in their book clubs to explore social issues like immigrations, animal rights, war, mental illness, and loss. Our readers using their books as windows to help them gain perspective on difficult topics and situations.
We have started our final math unit, Penny Jars and Plant Growth. In this unit students are learning a situations that involve changes. We are representing change using graphs and charts. Along with their Investigations math work, the Fourth Brainers are completing their end of year math projects. The final due date for these projects is June 1st and we will be sharing the finished products with you at our learning celebration.
Currently we are exploring concepts of chemistry in science. We have conducted classroom experiments to help us understand relative density, the difference between mixtures and solutions, and chemical change. On Monday we participating in other engaging chemistry experiments at Discovery Place. Today at school the entire fourth grade made pancakes using different recipes. We discussed how the different substances affected our final product and of course we taste tested the various pancakes.
Students have completed their poetry books and we are looking forward to a class poetry slam celebration this week. Students will share a selection of their work while we enjoy ginger *snap* cookies.
In reading we are continuing to follow the story of Willow Chance in the book Counting by 7s. Willow is dealing with the tragic loss of her parents and finding her way as a "oddball" and outsider. We our using this read aloud to guide discussions about social issues. Students are still working in their book clubs to explore social issues like immigrations, animal rights, war, mental illness, and loss. Our readers using their books as windows to help them gain perspective on difficult topics and situations.
We have started our final math unit, Penny Jars and Plant Growth. In this unit students are learning a situations that involve changes. We are representing change using graphs and charts. Along with their Investigations math work, the Fourth Brainers are completing their end of year math projects. The final due date for these projects is June 1st and we will be sharing the finished products with you at our learning celebration.
Currently we are exploring concepts of chemistry in science. We have conducted classroom experiments to help us understand relative density, the difference between mixtures and solutions, and chemical change. On Monday we participating in other engaging chemistry experiments at Discovery Place. Today at school the entire fourth grade made pancakes using different recipes. We discussed how the different substances affected our final product and of course we taste tested the various pancakes.
Students have completed their poetry books and we are looking forward to a class poetry slam celebration this week. Students will share a selection of their work while we enjoy ginger *snap* cookies.
Unite or Die Performance
In addition to the learning celebration on June 3rd, families are also invited to the fourth grade performance of Unite or Die at 10:30 am in the dining hall. Students and been practicing their lines and the show is coming together. This Thursday we will go off script. We are encouraging students to use loud voices and speak clearly (for some this means SLOWING DOWN). Please continue to help your child practice at home.
In addition to the learning celebration on June 3rd, families are also invited to the fourth grade performance of Unite or Die at 10:30 am in the dining hall. Students and been practicing their lines and the show is coming together. This Thursday we will go off script. We are encouraging students to use loud voices and speak clearly (for some this means SLOWING DOWN). Please continue to help your child practice at home.
One last reminder:
Please help your child gather and return items that have been borrowed this year from Room 215 like classroom library books, Investigations math handbooks, math tools, etc. Thank you!