A Big Bite

View from my backyard, 3/8/13

Happy Snow Day!  I wonder what the scene will look like on Monday?  All washed away I think!  Since returning from February break, we have been very busy!  In math, we have been learning about measurement, both the customary and metric systems.  There will be a test next Friday on everything we have learned so far in this unit.  Wind, wind chill, and clouds are the topics in science.  We have been looking at Mrs. W's inflatable clouds and will be doing a cloud activity with cotton balls next week.  We finished our study of the northeast and have started learning about Washington D.C. Everyone is excited to start the research project.  We were supposed to go to the tech lab today to start research with Mrs. Merten, but we will go twice next week.  We have been very busy preparing for the upcoming long composition test.  Everyone is trying to work on improving the length of their compositions, word choices and adding strong leads and endings.  In poetry workshop, students wrote snowflake poems with Miss Decker using the geometric snowflakes that they created.  In Reader's Workshop, we finished Snow Treasure, and everyone agreed it was one of the best books they have ever read.  We will be starting mythology next week and the whole class is excited to learn more about this genre.  Each student will have the opportunity to join The Lightning Thief book group, but will need a strategy for completing the reading because this book is a challenge for many 4th graders.  Students can listen to the book on CD, or read with a parent or older sibling, whatever works!  
In Open Circle we have been talking about teasing.  Ask your child to tell you about our discussions.
The snow day means that we will have some catching up to do next week, but everyone works hard so I know that we will get through it all.  Please read the notice about Pi Day (in the important documents gadget on the right) on March 14th, it should be a lot of fun!  Please let me know if you have any questions.
Miss Decker has been working very hard  to learn as much as she can about the art and science of teaching.  Click here to learn more about Miss Decker and her student teaching experience with us!
Enjoy the snow!
Mrs. Williams