FIELD TRIP TOMORROW!

Don't forget tomorrow is our field trip to Lowell Mills. Please arrive at 8:15 with a bag lunch. We will go rain or shine, so please be sure to dress accordingly.

 

Making the Impossible, Possible

The subtitle of The Fourteenth Goldfish is "Believe in the Impossible/ Possible." This very hopeful outlook, which the main character Ellie possesses, has been the topic of discussion lately. We watched this  inspirational video today of a true story. We were amazed at how this group of boys were able to make something impossible become possible.

We will be using this theme in our next writing project. We will be focusing on the following standards:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.5
With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 4 here.)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.6
With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.

Awesome Adaptations!

Who knew that beavers are such amazing animals? Mrs. LaRussa, that's who. We went to CLIC as part of our study of adaptations. Plant and animal adaptations are behavioral or structural features that help an organism survive. We learned that the beaver is an animal built to survive with more adaptations than we can list here. Max volunteered to demonstrate the beaver's many adaptations. For example, they have a third eyelid which is clear (like goggles) to help them see underwater, ear flaps so water does not harm their hearing, and, of course, their famous tails which they use in many ways (as a stool when building or chewing down a tree, as a warning device, and more.)

Watch this video witness a beaver rebuilding their lodge. It is a very personal look at the "engineers of nature" at work.

What do you know about adaptations? Pick your favorite animal and explain some of its adaptations in the comment section.

MA State Standard #6. Give examples of how inherited characteristics may change over time as adaptations to changes in the environment that enable organisms to survive, e.g., shape of beak or feet, placement of eyes on head, length of neck, shape of teeth, color.

GLOBAL READ ALOUD

Fourteenth Goldfish video

Click on the link above to see the trailer video  where Jennifer Holm explains her inspiration for this book.

Wingmasters:Birds of Prey

We have been studying food chains food webs and adaptations as our first unit in science. To enrich our study, we were lucky to have Mr. Jim Parks present his Wingmasters to the fourth graders. He taught us all about birds of prey and their adaptations that help them survive. For example, their talons help them catch their prey, their coloring helps them camouflage and blend in to their environments and some even use mimicry for tricking predators or prey. We are so fortunate that TESPTO's cultural enrichment program brought this powerful lesson to our school.

The Preamble

Each year on September 17th, our country celebrates our Constitution. As part of our study of this important historic document, our class memorized the Preamble. We also created a bulletin board to share what we learned with the students and staff of Proctor School. The Preamble is the beginning of the Constitution of the United States. This important document, which sets up our democratic republic, is 227 years old as of this year.

The Oleweus Program Kick-Off was a huge success. Grades 4, 5 and 6 all performed skits, plays, songs or videos showing what they have learned about the 4 anti-bullying rules. The rules are:

1. I will not bully others
2. I will try to help others who are being bullied.
3. If I see bullying I will tell an adult at school and at home.
4. I will try to include others.

The essential question is:

How do we treat others as we want to be treated?

The fourth grade performed the song, "True Colors," which was all about accepting others' differences. Click on the link to watch the video.