WELCOME TO 4K!

Welcome To 4K  I am so excited to meet you all and start our year of learning and fun together. In fourth grade at Proctor School, there are many projects and interactive tasks that we will do. Here is a list of some of them: 

• Teddy Bear Project
• Wingmasters
• CLIC
• Electric Circuits
• Magnet Activities
• Rocks and Minerals
• Two Field Trips
• Long Division 
• Pay Day 
• Class Store
• Poetry Sharing
• Geography Show
• and much, much more

Look at the past blog posts to get a glimpse of what you have in store for you in 4 K!  What are you looking forward to?

AMAZING ANIMALS OF CENTRAL AMERICA

An expected standard for fourth graders is to learn how to use multiple nonfiction resources to research and write an information report. In Proctor, the fourth grade decided to use this as an opportunity to integrate the subjects of social studies, science, technology and language arts. In 4K, we focused on Central America. We have been researching, planning, writing, editing and creating for quite a few weeks.  As part of this country project, we researched animals found in Central America. The wildlife there is quite varied and very different from what we find around our country. 4K created a movie using i-movie and the green screen apps to teach everyone what we learned about the fauna of Central America. Click on the picture.....

NAVIGATORS GAME

On June 10, all the students of  Proctor School were lucky enough to take a field trip to a North Shore Navigators baseball game. We not only saw a great game in which the Navigators won, but we were able to see the Proctor School Marching Band perform the Star Spangled Banner and Sweet Caroline during the 7th inning stretch.  Our class connected this field trip to the standards by creating a book of idioms that originated from the game of baseball.

 Mrs. Kelleher's class 2015

Click on the links below to practice idioms and their meanings.......

4.L.4.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

• 4.L.4.5.b Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.

  • Determine the meaning of idioms from context: set 1 (Fourth grade - YY.1)
  • Identify the meaning of idioms and adages: set 1 (Fourth grade - YY.2)
  • Determine the meaning of idioms from context: set 2 (Fourth grade - YY.3)
  • Identify the meaning of idioms and adages: set 2 (Fourth grade - YY.4

SADAKO

Sadako

CLICK ON THE LINKSTO SEE A BIT OF OUR PERFORMANCE

The fourth graders have all read the very touching story of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. It is an historical fiction book about a real little girl, Sadako Sasaki, who lived with her family when the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima at the end of World War Two. The story takes place a few years later when Sadako develops leukemia due the radiation lingering the air after the bomb. It teaches so many deep lessons about courage, hope, peace and strength.

To enrich this experience further,we spend a day with two talented artists who teach the students music and dances that relate the story and theme. This comes to us thanks to TESPTO.

Our class will perform along with Ms. Scott's class on Monday, June 1st. Students should wear black pants or shorts, sneakers and a white top.

We hope you are able to attend this heartwarming show. Parents should arrive at 2:00.

"NOODLING IT OUT"

As we have been working on the rectangles and square unit in math these past two weeks, we have had an opportunity to really "noodle out" problems. We have had to persevere and persist to solve problems. These have been very important lessons, not just for math, but for life. The essential questions we have been working with are:
"What are the properties of squares and rectangles?" "How are rectangles and squares the same and how are they different?" To explore these ideas more fully, we looked at the ancient problem of putting seven pieces together to form a square. Otherwise known as, Tangrams. Here we are working out some challenging problems.

Click on the puzzle to explore an incredible Tangram website.

THE POWER OF ONE

As part of our study of main idea and themes in literature, we are reading Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr. This historical fiction book is not only a good lesson in history, but also in hope. The students really are enjoying it because of its  inspiring main character who is an actual girl who lived in Hiroshima, Japan when the atom bomb was dropped in an effort to end WWII.

Sadako Sasaki was two years old in 1945, but the story takes place when she is 11. She develops Leukemia due to exposure to radiation from the bomb, but never gives up her belief that she can defeat this disease. She starts folding paper cranes because of an old Japanese tradition that states if you fold 1000 cranes you will get your wish. Her story of perseverance through pain and illness to fold these cranes spread around Japan. Soon many knew of her story. 

Sadako never did get her wish, but she did become a National heroine in Japan. She is Japan's symbol of peace. Students around Japan raised money to build a statue to honor Sadako and her message of peace and hope. There is an inscription at the base of the statue stating:

This is our hope

 This is our prayer

Peace in the world

The Common Core Standards we are focusing on are:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.1
Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.2
Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.

Later in the year when we perform the Sadako Peace Dance with Nikki and Guy (sponsored by TESPTO), we will incorporate:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.7
Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text.

ELECTRIFYING ELECTROMAGNETS

Can you imagine turning something non-magnetic into something magnetic? Well, that is exactly what we did in 4 K. We turned an iron rod, a wire and battery into an ELECTROMAGNET. An electromagnet is a temporary magnet that allows you to control it. If you take a wire, wrap it around an iron rod and attach that in a complete circuit to a battery, you will make an electromagnet.




We wanted to see how the electromagnet would react when we wrapped the wire around the rod more and more times. The videos below will explain what we learned.




Our essential questions are:

1. How are electricity and magnetism related?

2. How can we make an electromagnets stronger?

3. How do you make a complete circuit?










































Justin and Will



























Click for Interactive Circuit Site