The Post of the Week

GREETINGS FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS!

In Math we learned a new math method called the partial quotient method for division. It's pretty tricky and fun at the same time.  Here is a picture of how to do it:

In Writing, we are still drafting our essays. We used our Opinion Check-lists to see how we are doing with essay writing and set goals. Many of us are almost finished with their drafts and are excited to choose new topics.



In Reading, we have been presenting our Biography Projects. Here are some pictures. Those of us who have made posters, you will get to see these soon when we bring them home. We also started a grade-wide read aloud (they're reading it in Ms. Allen's room AND Ms. Temple's rooms too) called Fig Pudding. 

In Science we thought about weight lines and put the samples of sand, soil, mineral oil, and water on the weight line where they made most sense. We then looked at the weight lines that different students designed and thought about what made them good and what made them not so good. We decided that good weight lines are labeled with equally spaced intervals with the unit clearly marked.


In other news, Quiet Time is getting better and better and it's more and more peaceful. We had Understanding Our Differences on diabetes and allergies. We even had a guest from Newton North High School named Cole. He had an allergic reaction when he was two. An exciting thing was that we earned 11 stars, a Fourthlandian record! We got to have a dance party and relax at the end of today. We also earned more money and paid rent! Finally, Dr. Curran came and taught us a mindfulness practice of ringing a chime. Here is a picture of us being mindful.

Have a nice weekend!

Maria, Matt, and Ms. Swaim

Week of MLK Weekend

Greeting Fourthlandians Families and Friends!

This week was a short week but we accomplished a lot! Here is what we've been up to.

In Writing, we worked on our opinion essays. We wrote introductions and conclusions and next week, we'll be putting all of it together into a draft. Here is a picture of our essay folders that we put together to organize our writing.


In Math, we finished up our problem-solving unit on the Teachers Lounge. We thought about remainders and how remainders can be different depending on the unit. For example, for money, you can split a dollar into change but if you're dealing with tables or people, you have to round up. We also took an end-of-unit assessment.


In Reading, we have been hard at work finishing our Biography Projects. Most of us are making google presentations. We've been pretty independent on all of this which our teachers are excited about.

In Science, we explored the question, "do materials with the same volume have the same weight?" We used digital scales to measure sand, soil, mineral oil and plain water (scientifically H2O!) and discovered that they weigh different amounts. Some of us predicted this and others were surprised. We learned that different minerals make up rocks.




We also focused on improving Quiet Time. Before, it could be noisy with people moving around. It's getting more and more peaceful and even teachers are able to have their own quiet time. An exciting update is we got PAID!!!! We each earned $50 and learned how to fill out our bank log.

Today, we went to a Creative Arts and Sciences Presentation on Rocks & Minerals. Here are pictures of us at the different stations.

Goodbye and have a good weekend!

From,
Ms. Swaim & Matt Chung

First Week Back in the New Year

Hello there,

Happy holidays and a happy, happy New Year! This week has been a more relaxed week though we've accomplished a lot. Here is what we've been up to:

In Writing, we have been working to come up with thesis statements and three reasons to prove them. Ms. Swaim is writing about how "Dogs make their owners better people." Other people are writing about family members and other topics they feel strongly about.

In Reading, we have been doing research for our Biography Projects. We chose important people and are learning about their lives so that we can create projects. Some of the projects are really cool. We can make google presentations about our person and we can even make a fake Facebook Page for them. We are starting to use computers next week. Some of the people we're studying are Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart, Elizabeth Blackwell, Nelson Mandela, Taylor Swift, and many more.

In Math, we started a new unit of problem-solving. We work in partnerships to solve tricky math problems around vending machines. We made posters to explain our thinking and presented them at a "Math Congress." Next week, we are solving another cool problem about an amusement park.

In Science we started a new unit called, "Earth Beneath Our Feet." We explored earth's materials and tried to identify them by observing them carefully. Here is a picture of us observing:

In other news, we have started a Fourthlandian Economy. We have designed money and we have applied for new jobs that we are going to be paid for next week. Some of the new jobs include: Peace Officer (the MOST wanted job, to help students resolve problems), Bankers (to pay us), and the Landlord (to collect our rent).

We also had a special visitor today, Mr. Swaim (Ms. Swaim's dad). He told us an Ananzi story and another story about bees called "Woe is Me Bones." We really, really want him to come back to tell more stories.

Your bloggers,
Shira & Samantha (and Ms. Swaim)