Moving on…

It was wonderful to see everyone at conference time. It is always great to hear how everyone is doing and reflect on the progress and effort of our fourth graders.

We have completed our study of Beavers and have moved into a six-week focus on Watershed. This week we will do some tests to explore the cohesive properties of water and understand surface tension. Other objectives include understanding the paths that water takes in its cycle, topography and how water drains through different landforms, and we will make river models in sand and conduct experiments to observe, record data, and simulate geologic events. Next week we will go to the headwaters of Sacketts Brook and get a close look at the watershed features right here in our back yard.

In Math we have moved into Unit 3 and students are working hard to improve their mastery of the basic multiplication facts through 12. Each student has a goal to improve his/her skills this week and get fluent with knowing the multiples (skip counting) and factors of numbers. We will be doing activities, games, timed tests, using number triangles (flash cards) to meet this goal. It would be helpful to practice the 12 facts and any other facts your child is working on.

I am so sad to finish The Sign of the Beaver because it has been such a wonderful shared reading experience. Yesterday, we discussed the pros and cons of a very difficult decision our main character had to make. Literature discussions have been a favorite part of the day as this book has led us to think about history, native culture, conflict, character growth, survival and how to be resourceful.

Next week we will be writing fiction ourselves about a character that has to endure a difficult survival situation. I will teach a lesson about how to “slow down the moment” and write in a way that shows a character in a struggle of some sort.

PSD has changed to a focus on fitness and strength training. Students are pushing themselves to experience their personal best in cardio and strength challenges. As the weather is getting cooler it feels good to move and work hard.

Our Maasai study is underway and every Wednesday students are doing activities in multi-age groups.

Thank you for all your support and your commitment to TGS. Our school works in partnership with parents and I see this partnership occurring daily in so many ways.

Sincerely,

Emily

Ah, the fall season is upon us, complete with soccer games and cross-country races and beautiful crisp days (when it is not raining).

What a vibrant school we are all a part of.

Fourth graders enjoyed doing a skit on the stage at All School Meeting last week and are begging for their next chance to perform. I am proud of them and the way each student spoke slowly and clearly to our audience.

We are beginning a new math unit understanding how to represent and analyze data. Today we learned that there is a mean (average) of 85 raisins in a 1.5-ounce box. Some boxes only contain 69 raisins while others have up to 96; that’s a range of 27! It is hard to guess how many raisins will be in the next box you get with a range like that.

Students have started writing a report on a topic about beavers. I taught a lesson about how to begin the report with a good lead or hook to capture our reader’s attention. We are well into this draft and I am seeing students weave scientific facts and stylistic writing to convey their knowledge and enthusiasm for beavers. I am so impressed with everyone’s outline and draft.

Today we did the work of the beaver, by damming up a pipe with mud, leaves, sticks, and other available resources near the pond. No one got too muddy and it was a lot of fun. I think the kids can really appreciate how stopping the flow of water is harder than it sounds. Beavers are skilled at their work. We will try this experiment again next week and change some of the variables to compare our results.

We spent time learning about the geography of Tanzania and we started a new read aloud book called Listening for Lions that takes place in Kenya during the 1919 pandemic influenza outbreak. The images of East Africa are both beautiful and so exotic compared to our lives in New England. It is a fascinating study. We have also made some interesting connections between colonial Africa and the early settlers we are reading about in Sign of the Beaver.

So much to learn… So much to talk about…

Enjoy the weekend; it is supposed to be lovely and warm!

---Emily

Keep scrolling down the right column for new photos.