The Shiny Red Apple

Bookworm Buzz

2012-01-21T06:46:00.000-05:00

This book is for my high school friends and others who are familiar with the work of Jane Austen. This fascinating mystery takes place five years AFTER the end of Pride and Prejudice. All of the familiar characters are there, and they are thrust into a murderous scandal that is befitting the Bennett sisters. It was great fun to read PD James' interpretation of "what happens AFTER the epilogue?" A fun read.

View all my reviews

A Big Bite

2012-01-20T17:52:00.007-05:00

2012 has been a great year so far in room 23! We have settled into the new calendar year and are really making good progress with all of our academics. We read Stone Fox, by John Reynolds Gardiner and watched the movie. We completed a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the book and movie. We learned about the literary technique of "onomatopoeia," and that even if a book doesn't have a "happy ending," it can still be a great book. As a class, we have read over 560 books so far this year! In writer's workshop we finished another personal narrative, wrote fiction stories based on a picture from a book, a work of art, or a picture that the student drew. We have begun preparing for the long comp in writing and are currently writing about a special moment with a teacher. Ask your child to tell you about it, and even ask them about MY special moment (and not so special moment too!) On Friday, Mrs. Landrigan joined us for our writing lesson and helped us set goals for the rest of this piece. In math, we are almost halfway through the curriculum and will be taking the chapter 6 test next week. The weather here in Massachusetts has led to some very lively discussions during science. We have finished weather maps and will be learning about the water cycle, the different types of precipitation and humidity. In social studies, we said good bye to Canada and have begun our study of the USA. We will begin by learning about the smallest region, New England. Recorder Karate has begun in music and everyone has earned a white belt. We are aiming to be a "Black Belt Class!" Thanks for your continued support at home with all of the practicing.

This week, I attended training on how to use the interactive whiteboard, and we have used it every day. Mrs. Toye even gave it a try during a lesson. Speaking of Mrs. Toye, almost everyone has had the opportunity to have lunch with her at her popular "Lunch Bunch," program. Ask your child how it went.

Next week we will be participating in "National No Name Calling Week." Thanks to Mrs. Trochman and Mr. Lee for sponsoring this event at JFK.

New England Patriots who??? Shea and I are showing our team spirit for the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers in the photo above. We tried to put our fists up, but we were laughing too hard. Thanks to Mrs. Merten for taking this picture. One of our classmates said, "Oh I know where the Rangers are from, Texas!" Wrong Rangers! My jersey is older than every student in my class; did I really just admit that?

Until next week,

Mrs. W

Spotlight on...

2012-01-17T12:25:00.002-05:00

Sydney loves to work with Legos! She received several sets for Christmas. Here is a picture of the Death Star, which she completed ALL BY HERSELF!! Awesome job, Syd.

Bookworm Buzz

2012-01-02T13:51:00.001-05:00

Big Nate & Friends by Lincoln Peirce

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another fun collection of the Nate comic strips. This collection did not feature as many school related frames as other collections have in the past, so I was a little disappointed with that, but overall a fun and easy read.

View all my reviews

Juicy Nibble

2012-01-01T14:07:00.002-05:00

O.k. Gang, guess how I started the new year? Yup, you guessed it, I was dreaming about all of you last night. I asked you to create a life size sculpture of a character from a book that you were reading, and Patrick (the star of this dream, at least it wasn't Nathan again!) made a character out of Styrofoam that he painted blue. Very, very strange. I guess it's time to get back to school. See you on Tuesday!

Love,

Mrs. W

A Big Bite

2011-12-23T11:10:00.020-05:00

WOW! What an exciting two weeks we have had here in room 23. We finished our interactive read aloud, The Family Under the Bridge, and did several activities to wrap up this book. As you know, our donations to the food pantry totaled 460 pounds of food and supplies for the Franklin Food Pantry. In writer's workshop we continued to write drafts of a strong emotion or a time when we experienced something memorable. The holiday speeched were excellent. Check out some of the videos below. We have finished chapter 5 in math and have taken the unit test. In Science, we made barometers and learned about different weather tools. We continue to learn about Canada and have the study guide for the test on January 6th! The chorus concert was wonderful and it was great to see so many families there! We finished the week with a movie and "Party in a Bag."

Thank you so much for all of the gifts and especially for the donation to Answer the Call. It really does mean so much to me.

Have a great holiday and a relaxing week of vacation. See you in 2012!

Mrs. Williams

Juicy Nibble

2011-12-23T10:40:00.001-05:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More thanks

2011-12-15T11:39:00.002-05:00

Thanks to everyone who participated in the food drive for the Franklin FoodPantry. As a grade we collected 480 pounds of food and supplies, and a check for $20.00 which will provide 100 meals! Great job 4th graders.

Juicy Nibble

2011-12-15T11:07:00.001-05:00

After reading The Family Under the Bridge and having a great talk worth discussion about the major themes in the book, we decided that the family motto of the Calcets would be “Stick together!” Here is a list of the Family Mottos each student created for their own family. They are very interesting and creative; you should feel a great deal of pride in your children.

Juszczyszyn- “Never stop improving.”
Flaherty-“Keep trying”
O’Connor-“Don’t stop what you are doing.”
Hurley-“Never quit.”
Whitmore-“Traveling Forever.”
Power-“Always do your best.”
Williams-“Be yourself.”
Lussier-“You can do anything if you put your mind to it.”
Dwyer-“Family comes first.”
Chiapponi-“Be strong.”
Sridhar-“Respect what you get.”
Shaik-“Think of other people other than yourself.”
Barry-“Keep on trying.”
Yelle-“Practice makes perfect.”
Dickson-“Try your best and it will come out the best.”
Drake-“Don’t stop working.”
McCluskey-“Think of others and they’ll think of you.”
O’Brien-“Treat others the way you want to be treated.”
Walmsley-“If you do your best, you will succeed.”
Drohan-“Try new things.”
Garilli-“Do what you love.”
Chin-“Keep on rolling.”
Kerns-“Never give up.”
Fields-“It’s o.k. to be different
Jones-“Help others.”
Mrs. Greene-“New Adventures.”
Mrs. Williams-“Keep on moving.”

A Big Bite

2011-12-10T06:45:00.002-05:00

It was a short week for students in room 23 given the two half days, but we kept right on working! We finished chapter 4 in math and Mrs. Y came in to work on open response questions with us. 12 students achieved a score of 4 or higher and we are hoping that this will be enough to keep the "4" on our door. We learned about the atmosphere in science and started our study of Canada. In reader's workshop, we have continued with The Family Under the Bridge, by Natalie Savage Carlson, and we are reaching some important turning points in the story. We are using all of the skills we are learning in reading to improve our skills in writer's workshop. The children have been writing personal narratives that are tied to strong emotions. Everyone howled at my story, ask your children to tell you about it!
Thanks for all of the wonderful donations that have been pouring in for the food pantry, your generosity is overwhelming!
The Walmsley family surprised us with an early Christmas present! They shared new Expo markers, pencils, erasers and glue sticks with everyone. It was a great treat and we all appreciate it very much. Thanks Walmsley Family!
Our chorus concert will be this Friday. It should be a great show!
It was nice to see all of you this week at conferences. Working together as a team is the best way to help children be the most successful and I appreciate all of your efforts in helping make the school experience at JFK so successful.
Have a great weekend and see you on Friday!
Mrs. W

A Big Bite

2011-12-02T20:08:00.003-05:00

The week back from Thanksgiving was a busy one in room 23. We had several presentations(see posts below) and continued to make progress with our school work. We have started reading The Family Under the Bridge, by Natalie Savage Carlson, and have begun a food drive for the Franklin Food Pantry. Mrs. Green shared pictures from her trip to Paris and we got a close up view of the Seine River! In writer's workshop, we wrote about personal moments in our lives that we could relate to a strong feeling and we continued to write more poetry. In math, we worked on decimals and measurement. The chapter 4 test will be this Tuesday. We finished our study of Mexico and will begin learning about Canada next week. Now that the heredity unit of study is complete, we will begin to learn all about weather. Don't forget that there will be two half days next week for report card conferences, see you then!

Mrs. W

Big Bite

2011-12-02T14:50:00.007-05:00

Mr. Whitmore came into our classroom today to tell us about his trip to Antarctica and to teach us about penguins. It was a great presentation and everyone LOVED it. Here are some of the pictures that he shared with us. Very cool!

Food Pantry Visit

2011-11-30T14:47:00.000-05:00

Today "Mrs. B." from the Franklin Food Pantry came to talk to our fourth graders about the food pantry. The students watched the video below, and then Mrs. B. spent about 30 minutes answering some thoughtful questions by our fourth graders.

We learned some important things today:

There are about 35,000 people who live in Franklin, and about 3,500 people use the food pantry here every month.
Families can pick up the food once every 30 days.
If we like to eat it, it is a good choice to donate to the food pantry.
Some BIG needs are toilet paper, shampoo, soap and laundry detergent ~ these are items that cannot be purchased with food stamps.

Our food drive runs from today through 12/14. Volunteers from the food pantry will come on the 14th at 8:45 to pick up the food donations. Our students will help to load the van.

Thank you to everyone donating food. We know it will be delivered to those who are in need.

Juicy Nibble

2011-11-23T09:40:00.011-05:00

Here is the Thanksgiving "Giving Tree," that Jordan brought in, and we all contributed to. We each took two leaves and wrote two sentences about what we are thankful for.Thanks to Jordan and her mom for sending this in! We made turkey centerpieces for your holiday table, we hope you like them. So many people wanted to have their speeches taped and posted to YouTube, that I randomly picked 5 students to be taped. Everyone will get a turn by the end of the year. Have a wonderful holiday!

Bookworm Buzz

2011-11-20T15:05:00.005-05:00

Dear Reader,

Bookworm buzz will be undergoing some exciting new changes! I have recently joined goodreads.com and will be posting my reviews there. I will link my posts to this blog and in the next few weeks will have a goodreads feed as a widget in the margins of the blog. Let me know what you think!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Another hilarious installment in the Wimpy Kid series. I was really able to connect to this book personally, especially when the power went out during the snowstorm and everyone was shivering in bed! When Greg says, "When you're used to having electricity and then all of a sudden it's taken away, you're basically one step away from being a wild animal." I know how that feels! There are many school references as well that many students will connect with on a personal level. This book is just right for fourth graders.
View all my reviews

At the Core

2011-11-18T20:24:00.002-05:00

Click here to sign up for the Scholastic Warehouse Sale in December. I usually go to the Clinton Warehouse, but there are several locations in MA. I always find a few treasures. :)

A Big Bite

2011-11-18T19:12:00.002-05:00

We had a great week in room 23. We finished Mr. Popper's Penguins and celebrated with Black and White Day on Friday. Check out the pictures and videos below, and ask your child to tell you all about our day. In Math we have continued to work on decimals in chapter 4 and are finishing the tessellation project. In Social Studies we learned about the early people of Mexico and the early history of Mexico. We have finished the heredity unit and will begin a unit of study on weather after Thanksgiving. Next week will be a short week but busy! I have many activities planned for Monday and Tuesday. Thanks to everyone who sent in extra hangers for our writing project, you won't be disappointed.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. W

Juicy Nibble

2011-11-18T18:42:00.003-05:00

Here we are creating Arctic Art and eating black and white snacks! Enjoy the pictures and videos.
Some win lose or draw with Mrs. Merten's class.

Poetry, Please!

2011-11-17T12:57:00.003-05:00

Another FANTASTIC list poem-this one is by Kate:
Things to be if You are a Color

Be the flowers on an African Violet
Be the cool grass on an early spring morning
Be the sun setting over the water in the summertime
Be a big, round apple in a tree, waiting to be picked
Be the sun shining on a warm summer day
Be a hardy mum swaying in the wind on a cool fall day
Be the sky of a starry night
Be a star shining in the night sky
Be the sand on the beach being made into a castle
Be the clouds on a rainy day
Be a striped cat gazing at a bird in the sky
Be a spotted dog laying in the shade of a tree
Be a child living in the world
Be colorful!

At the Core

2011-11-14T19:17:00.000-05:00

Hi Friends! There is a lively, free and informative phone conference coming up if you are interested in talking with Shakta to learn more about yoga for children and the upcoming Radiant Child Yoga Trainings,. There will be a training in Millis in December.

Please join us THIS Wednesday, Nov 16th at 8:30 pm
To access this call (270) 400-2000 and enter the code: 851808. We hope to have you join us!

A Big Bite

2011-11-10T17:17:00.001-05:00

WOW!! What a crazy two weeks it has been! Snow days, power outages, rescheduled Halloween; 2011 will certainly be a year to remember. In writer's workshop we are busy finishing several writing samples. In reader's workshop we will be finishing Mr. Popper's Penguins and should celebrate "Black and White Day," at the end of next week; more information will follow. We have finished chapter three in math and are almost done with the Tessellation projects. Learning about Mexico has been exciting, look at the pictures below to see the "Day of the Dead," masks we created. The Heredity unit will wrap up next week with a test on Friday. The study guide was sent home this past week. It was great to see so many families and old friends at Open House, make sure you scroll down to see the pictures. Thanks for all of your support in making JFK a great place to learn and grow! Happy Veteran's Day to all of the veterans and to the veterans in your family. Remember what Mrs. Y said during announcements on Thursday, "If you see a veteran, or know a veteran, thank them for their service to our country." Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Williams

Juicy Nibble

2011-11-10T16:30:00.016-05:00

Open House was a great success! It was so nice to see so many families and to reconnect with former students and old friends! Thanks to everyone for making it such a wonderful evening.

Christina, Jackie and Kim love 5th grade!

Rachita is Vice President of the Sophmore class at FHS!

Nick loves 6th grade at Horace Mann

These good looking guys are all athletes at FHS! Chris plays football and baseball, Justin plays football and he wrestles, and Matt is THE quarterback for the Panthers. And yes, Justin is 6' 5"!

Joe is a senior at FHS and is applying to RPI, WPI, UMass Amherst and Catholic University. Wherever he goes, he will do great!

Amanda is getting her license!

Poetry Please

2011-11-07T09:23:00.002-05:00

Here is Jordan's List Poem-Way to go Jordan, I LOVE THIS POEM!!!

Things to do if You are a Kid
Jump like a lion
Hop like a bear
Run like a Cheetah
Smile and glare.
Play outside
Go to School
Climb a tree
Walk with me.
Eat like a hawk
Go to a shop
Wear a sock
Don't STOP!!!
Kids are important.

By Jordan

Juicy Nibble

2011-11-04T14:16:00.004-04:00

Juicy Nibble

2011-10-29T14:39:00.003-04:00

Here I am with Nathan after the Ladybug 5k. I finished in 24:15, which is a personal best for me. I saw Declan before the race, and he wished me good luck. I saw O'C out on the course, near the finish. Both he and his mom were yelling "There's Mrs. Williams!" That felt great!! Mrs. Bradley was the first teacher to finish the race, so make sure you say "congratulations, " when you see her.

A Big Bite

2011-10-29T06:17:00.002-04:00

The past two weeks have been action packed in room 23. We have started our first interactive read aloud, Mr. Popper's Penguins, in reader's workshop. Our focus for this book is character traits, making predictions, questioning, and answering open response questions. As a class, we have read over 200 books so far this year! Thanks to Hayley, Alyssa, Declan and Thomas for donating books to our classroom library from the book fair!In writer's workshop, many of us are getting ready to publish our first personal narrative. Poetry Fridays continue to be very popular. We read, If Not For the Cat, by Jack Preltusky, and are working on writing haikus with a Halloween theme. Multiplication is all the rage in math, and students are working hard on mastering their math facts with speed and accuracy. We have been to the technology lab a few times to practice. Click here to visit the website we use for speed drills. In addition to visiting the tech lab for math, we made another visit this past week to begin our study of the heredity unit. Click here to visit the site we researched. Everyone did a great job on the maps and globes test and we have begun our study of Mexico! In Open circle we have focused on calm breathing and the school listening look. These are great skills that we all need to practice. Our morning yoga sets are going well; ask your child to show you the poses we have learned so far. On Monday we will celebrate Halloween with a day filled with Halloween themed activities, and we will race our Puff mobiles against the other fourth grade classes. Don't forget your "Party in a Bag." Monday will also be a special day because we will welcome Nick to our class. Everyone is excited to meet Nick and welcome him to our class. I hope to see you at the Ladybug 5k!
Mrs. Williams

Author Alert

2011-10-19T13:36:00.003-04:00

Attention all Lunch Lady Fans! Jarrett Krosoczka will be appearing at the Wellesley Free Public Library next Thursday, October 27th at 4:00 This event will be sponsored by the Wellesley Book Store. Click here for more details.

Spotlight on...

2011-10-16T17:02:00.003-04:00

The picture was taken this summer when Nathan played keyboards for Mr. Barrett's Rock Band Camp. The band is called The Skulls, and they rock! Their two most famous pieces are "Louie Louie" and "Wild Thing". Nathan has been playing piano for four years now, and is actually quite good. Mr. Barrett's band was his first exposure to rock n'roll!
Looking good, Nathan!

A Big Bite

2011-10-16T16:48:00.002-04:00

It was a short and quick week in room 23. The children tell me that the days pass quickly and they enjoy how busy we are; there is little time to lose focus or get "bored." We have completed the launching unit in Reader's Workshop and will begin our first interactive read aloud this week. In writer's workshop, many of us are finished with the first draft of a "seed idea," and will begin another draft this week. Poetry Fridays continue to be a highlight of writer's workshop. Students are able to take the skills they are learning in writer's workshop and apply them to writing poetry. We have completed chapter 2 in math and will begin multiplication next week. On Monday, we will go to the tech lab for the first time to practice multiplication and division facts. Do you know how to find exact locations on a map given latitude and longitude degree points? The 4th graders in our class do! We played "Who will drive the bus and run the GPS," this week, and we all agree that Pat should be the driver! We used the microscope to view salt crystals and pond water samples. Kate's sample from the marsh behind her house had some of the most fascinating organisms. Thanks to Kate and her dad for obtaining such a great sample on such a rainy night! There will be a social studies and a science test this week; study guides were sent home last week. Monday is library, don't forget your book! We are continuing to make good progress with transitions and behavior at specials. I think we earned 4 parrots last week; great job everyone, keep it up! Thanks to everyone who brought in wipes to help keep our desks clean and germ free!
Mrs. Williams

Juicy Nibble

2011-10-10T15:24:00.003-04:00

A fun time at the MOS in Boston today at the Pompeii exhibit. Arvind and Shoyaib were able to join me and my family. Here is Shoyaib with Liv and Luke and lots of body casts. Very cool!

Bookworm Buzz

2011-10-09T17:42:00.005-04:00

Two great books to tell you about. Clementine and the Family Meeting, by Sara Pennypacker, is the latest installment in the Clementine series. I LOVED IT!!! As usual, Clementine has some interesting challenges to face, and she does it with the help of our family. The marvelous adventures of Clementine continue!

Wonderstruck, by Brian Selznick, left me awestruck! I was able to make so many personal connections to this book; I couldn't put it down. The story is told side by side, 50 years apart, and involves the Deaf community. It reminded me so much of my work with American Sign Language and how important the Deaf culture is to American Society. The illustrations are outstanding! The story is so meaningful and I thank Brain Selznick for writing it. Take a minute to check it out! When we viewed the video, the students thought Mr. Selznick looked so young, but I am younger! They couldn't believe it. Oh well.

Spotlight On...

2011-10-09T16:33:00.002-04:00

Here is a photo of Declan! He received his "3rd Degree brown belt w/stripe". The test took almost 3 hours and included running, board-breaking and multiple physical challenges. Awesome job Dec, you should be very proud!!!

A Big Bite

2011-10-09T12:13:00.003-04:00

4th grade continues to be fun and full of new learning. We are wrapping up our launching unit in reader's workshop and everyone is doing a better job of choosing "just right," books. Our next step will be to start an interactive read aloud, I can't wait!! In writer's workshop we are working on "Discovery drafts," and continuing our year long study of poetry with Poetry Fridays. We have written bio poems and list poems and will be moving on to haiku. The chapter two math test will be this week. The puff mobiles are almost finished and we will be testing them this week. In social studies we have been working on map skills and we will be learning about exact location using latitude and longitude points. We completed two science experiments this week; we are testing soil samples to see which will grow grass seed best and we built terrariums to recreate mini ecosystems and to observe the water cycle. We also worked on non fiction writing by writing a lab report for the terrarium experiment. In Open Circle, students shared the fun facts that they had learned about each other in order to find out what we all have in common. It was a great activity and the students will repeat it for this week. In addition, we worked on "calm breathing," and realized how great it was that Open Circle coincides with all of our yoga work. Speaking of yoga, Rise and Shine Yoga will begin next week. Click here to sign up! Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Williams

Juicy Nibble

2011-10-07T14:50:00.002-04:00

Family Field Trip!!!

Join Mrs. Williams and her family on Monday, October 10th, at 11:00 a.m. at the Museum of Science in Boston. We will be touring the Pompeii exhibit and using the audio tour to learn all about Pompeii. The cost for parking, museum admission, admission to the special Pompeii exhibit and the audio tour are the responsibility of each individual family. Also, parental supervision is required as this is a family trip, not a class trip. Hope to see you there!

A Juicy Nibble

2011-10-07T06:12:00.001-04:00

Terrariums!! So much fun! Great job, gang!

Spotlight on...

2011-10-01T09:29:00.003-04:00

Here is Taylor as she is scoring a goal for her soccer team. Way to go Tay, AWESOME JOB!!!!

A Big Bite

2011-10-01T08:58:00.005-04:00

It was a short but productive week in room 23. Reader's Workshop is going well, and as a class we have read 106 books so far this year!Students should be reading at home, for 15 minutes a night. They should be reading the same book at home as they are reading in the workshop. In writer's workshop we continue to work on writing stamina. We will be focusing on "zooming in on one idea," when writing, and have begun to use this strategy by writing a list poem. In math, we are reviewing place value and reading and writing numbers into the billions. Everyone is doing a great job but would benefit from extra practice at home. On Friday we had an engineering presentation from Mr. Adams, the JFK Engineer in Residence. Students then worked in groups to create a schematic for their puff mobile. Cooperative group skills is one of the goals of this project. In Open Circle we played the stand up/sit down game to learn more about each other and to find out what we have in common. The Open Circle homework is to find out two things about a classmate that you didn't know before. Also, we will be building our terrariums this week, so everyone will need a jar. Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Williams

Bookworm Buzz

2011-09-25T17:50:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Cutler for informing me that Amulet 4, The Last Council by Kazu Kibuishi, had been released or I would have never known! I LOVED it. Emily, the main character, is surely in for a long battle this time, but fortunately she has help on her side. As usual, I can't wait for number 5. I have one copy for the class and am looking for contests to win more copies because I know that all of you Amulet fans will want to get your hands on this one.

Read on Reader,

Mrs. W

Spotlight on...

2011-09-25T17:44:00.003-04:00

This is a picture of Maddie at NASA this summer. She continues to aspire to be an astronaut, so while she was at Disney,her dad took her for a day trip to NASA...she was soooo excited! They had a blast...Looking good Maddie!

A Big Bite

2011-09-25T17:33:00.002-04:00

Well it may be Fall, but it sure feels like summer! We had another awesome week in room 23. We have continued to work on routines and have started to really get into all of the curriculum areas. In social studies, we are reviewing basic map and globe skills and are making a map projection from puzzle pieces. In science, we have begun the scientific method and will do an experiment this week. Everyone is excited to get to Terrariums, which should be sometime early next week, and all students will need an empty jar for their plant clippings. An empty two liter bottle, that has been rinsed will work fine, just remember to cut off the top! I will be asking students to bring in any plant clippings they can find in the yard, or from houseplants, to help fill their terrariums. In reader's and writer's workshop we have been working on STAMINA! Stamina for reading independently and for writing from a memory. I conferenced with each student this week about their book bags, as "just right," book selection is still a work in progress for many 4th graders. As a class, we are working on transitions, both in the classroom and at Specialists. This class has a lot of spirit and spunk! We just need to work on making smooth transitions without so much chatter. It's great to see so many students excited, happy and willing to learn. I know they can do it! I am looking forward to another great week in 4th grade at JFK!
Mrs. Williams

Spotlight On...

2011-09-18T07:26:00.003-04:00

Here is Cate at her first Red Sox game. She decided this summer that she liked baseball! She had a great time and is surrounded by a family of baseball fans, many of whom are Yankee fans! We should get along just fine!

A Big Bite

2011-09-18T07:09:00.002-04:00

The first full week of school was very successful and we accomplished a great deal! We have continued to master routines in reader's and writer's workshop. The students have spent quality time with their independent reading books and are starting to write in their reader's notebooks. Each student has written individual goals for fourth grade, a bio poem, and now has a writing partner. We are learning about context clues and word parts (suffixes and prefixes) and will take the first of many English tests this week. We studied polygons in math and practiced using a compass to draw circles. The first math test will be this week, on Wednesday. In Open Circle we discussed "non negotiable rules." A parent letter was sent home on Friday for you to read. We enjoyed a presentation from the music department on instrument lessons, it was very exciting! I enjoyed seeing so many of you at Parent Orientation. If you were unable to make it, the curriculum information was sent home with your child on Thursday. If you have any pictures of your child participating in an extra curricular activity, at a fun place, or just one that you would like to share, please send it along to me and I will post it as a Spotlight entry. So far we have featured Hayley and Patrick. This week Cate is featured in the Spotlight. Also, the Kennedy Playground committee has sent home information about the Ladybug 5k and Children's Fun Run on October 29th. You never know who might be there! Mrs. Merten has been working dilligently to update the JFK website, check it out! Have a great Sunday!
Mrs. Williams

Spotlight on...

2011-09-10T06:41:00.003-04:00

Here is Patrick with Big Nate Author, Lincoln Pierce! Patrick is a HUGE Big Nate fan, and a fan of Lincoln Pierce too! Mr. Pierce was at the Wellesley Free Library on Friday. September 9th. He talked about his career as a writer and gave a demonstration on cartooning. It was a great! Patrick raised his hand in front of the LARGE audience and asked Mr. Pierce if he had plans to write more than the 8 books he is scheduled to write for Harper Collins. We'll have to see! In this picture, Patrick is getting his book signed by Lincoln Pierce, very cool!

A Big Bite

2011-09-10T06:35:00.002-04:00

It was a great first week in room 23! Everyone is happy, excited and ready to learn! We spent a good amount of time getting to know each other and establishing routines for our class. We have begun math, writing, reading and Open Circle. We were entertained by Casey Carle, the Bubbleman, as a reward for summer reading and participated in the 4th grade chorus program. In addition, we had an instrument demonstration by the music department. We even got outside twice during this rainy week for recess! We will continue to learn about routines and get more involved with math, reading and writing next week. We will begin spelling and continue handwriting review. Don't forget to attend the Parent Orientation at JFK this Wednesday, from 3-3:25 or 3:35-4:00. See you then!
Mrs. Williams

A Big Bite

2011-09-05T16:30:00.002-04:00

Dear 4th grader,
Tomorrow is the first day of school, albeit a week late due to Hurricane Irene, but the first day nonetheless. I am so excited to meet all of you! If you have your summer reading list complete, please bring it in. We will have the reading incentive program on Wednesday. All students who return the form by this Friday will earn an extra recess!
Get a good night's sleep, don't be nervous, we are going to have fun tomorrow!
Love,
Mrs. W

Author Alert!

2011-09-05T16:25:00.002-04:00

Lincoln Pierce (pronounced "purse,") will be at the Wellesley Free Public Library, this Friday at 4:00 to sign books and to give a drawing demonstration. Click here for more details! Lincoln Pierce is the beloved author of the Big Nate Comic series and the Big Nate novels. It should be a great time!

Spotlight on...

2011-09-02T15:49:00.003-04:00

Here is Hayley! She did the Kid Fun Run at the Beach to Beacon 10k in Maine. She ran 3/4's of a mile. Awesome job Hayley!!!! Running is so good for you and a great way to meet new people and make friends.

Juicy Nibble

2011-09-02T07:20:00.002-04:00

This morning, Shakta Khalsa will be featured on Blog Talk Radio with Donna Freeman of Yoga in My School at 11:30 EDT. Please click here to tune in to this interview. Shakta is the founder of Radiant Child Yoga, and has been my teacher and friend. RCY is the style of yoga that I use in the classroom and I am a RCY level 3 instructor. I know that it will be great!
Love,
Mrs. W

Bookworm Buzz

2011-08-24T11:05:00.006-04:00

ATTENTION ORIGAMI YODA FANS!!! Yesterday, Darth Paper Strikes Back, by Tom Angleberger was released and it was AMAZING!! In this sequel to The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, we learn about the 7th grade adventures of our favorite characters, Tommy, Kellen, and Dwight. We learn about their struggles at McQuarrie Middle School through a case file that Origami Yoda told them to write. I love Mrs. Porterfield, she is an awesome teacher. The book took me two hours to read, I couldn't put it down! I was even reading it in the dentist's chair while getting a temporary crown, it was that good! Tom Angleberger left me wanting MORE, and I can't wait until the next book comes out, which he hints will be next August. Maybe it will be about Princess Leia. When I was in the 5th grade, I was Princess Leia for Halloween and I won a prize for my costume. If I can find a picture of it, I will post it. My next book is Big Nate on a Roll, by Lincoln Pierce, funny so far!

Read on Readers,

Mrs. W

Juicy Nibble

2011-08-22T14:14:00.003-04:00

Dear 4th grader,
Are you getting excited to get back to school next week? I am! I am enjoying the last week of vacation. I have many interests and hobbies. Click here to see me finishing a 5k in NJ while I was on vacation. My net time was 25:15, not my best, but it was HOT! Running is just one of my favorite things to do. What are some of your favorite things to do? I am working on adjusting the gadgets on the blog; I just added one to my Twitter updates! What do you think?
Love,
Mrs. W

2011-08-17T08:31:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone! I hope you are enjoying the last few weeks of your vacation. Mr. Williams calls this picture,"In my element," because I love to play the claw machine. This picture was taken at the Point Pleasant Boardwalk in New Jersey. If you look closely, you can see that these are minions. Liv and I were able to win 12 in all! The sun is shining today, so I am going to the beach. Go outside and play! I'll see you soon!

Love, Mrs. W

Juicy Nibble

2011-08-03T20:38:00.003-04:00

Check out Mrs. Pipe's blog! She will be running an art class for children to improve self esteem. Check it out, looks like a lot of fun!

Author Alert!

2011-08-03T15:08:00.002-04:00

What an evening! This is a picture of Livi and her friend Mel with Michelle Ray, the author of Falling for Hamlet. If you are reading young adult literature, don't miss out on this awesome book (and parents, don't miss out on it either, I LOVED IT!). Ms. Ray gave a wonderful presentation and was so gracious when signing books and taking pictures. It was a great evening sponsored by the Wellesley Book Store. We can't wait for Ms. Ray's next book and look forward to her return to the Boston area!

Bookworm Buzz-Special Edition

2011-08-01T13:07:00.008-04:00

Hey, I'm Livi, Mrs. Williams' daughter. This is a picture of me on top of Gorham mountain in Acadia National Park in Maine. I love to hike AND I love to read. I will be sharing books that are for older readers, mainly students who are in middle school or high school. I have read about 5 books so far this summer. The first one was called Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen. It is about a boy named Bryce and a girl named Juli. The story "flips" between Bryce's point of view and Juli's point of view. In the beginning, Juli really "likes" Bryce, but Bryce cannot stand Juli. Throughout the course of the book, their opinions of each other change dramatically. Flipped is full of humor, romance, and heartbreaks, and is extremely thought provoking. I love books that make you think about life and altogether make you feel good. It also was made into a movie and I liked the movie too. The next book I read was called Silas Marner, by George Eliot. It was the book I was required to read for high school. Silas Marner (click the link to read this book for free!)is about a weaver, Silas Marner, who twice is robbed of all of his money and finds solace in a little girl who one day appears in his home. This book was o.k. After reading Silas Marner, I read a book called Withering Tights by Louise Rennison. It was a typical teen romance, but I liked it because the girl, Tallulah was my age. Then I read a book called Tangled by Carolyn Mackler. It was also a teen romance, but not like Withering Tights. Tangled was told in four parts, each from a different person's perspective. I didn't really like this book as much as Flipped or Withering Tights, but I liked the ending of this book very much. The most recent book I read was called Falling for Hamlet by Michelle Ray. Falling for Hamlet is a modern day twist of Shakespeare's classic, Hamlet, told from the perspective of Ophelia. Ophelia is Prince Hamlet's girlfriend. Each chapter in Falling for Hamlet starts with Ophelia on a talk show, then Ophelia's view of the events as they occurred, and then a transcript of Ophelia being interrogated by two special agents. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to other high school readers. I am going to meet Michelle Ray on Tuesday, August 2nd, at the Wellesley Book Store. It should be exciting!
Until next time,
Livi

Bookworm Buzz

2011-07-28T15:38:00.005-04:00

Dear Reader,
I know that I said that I was going to wait to read True..Sort of, by Katherine Hannigan while I am in Maine this weekend, but I couldn't. I'm so glad I didn't, it is DEFINITELY one of the best books that I have read this year. I hope that it will be in the running for the Newberry Award because it deserves to be. This book will appeal to boys AND girls, and is rich in character development, plot and theme. I couldn't put it down! Click on the link above to read a quick review of the book. If your parents let you, you can search for a YouTube video in which Katherine Hannigan discusses this new book. Dare I say it is better than Ida B?Also, I have read Dragonbreath, by Ursula Vernon. This is the story of a dragon and his friend iguana. Dragonbreath is a series, and Luke is devouring the books!
On Tuesday, Liv and I will be going to Wellesley Books to meet Michelle Ray, author of Falling for Hamlet. This is a book for my older friends. It is always fun to meet an author and support an independent bookstore. Also, Lincoln Pierce, the author of the Big Nate books will also be appearing at this bookstore on Friday, September 9th, at 4:00 p.m. I am hoping to make it to this event also. Click on the Big Nate gadget to the right to read today's comic. It's about Cheese Doodles. I love Cheese doodles, do you? What is your favorite brand? Mine are Wise Cheese Doodles, but I also love All Natural Cheese Doodles by Lays.

Speaking of Liv, be looking for Bookworm Buzz, Special Edition, in the upcoming weeks. Liv is a voracious reader, and she will be blogging about some of her favorite books and the books that she has been reading this summer. Luke may even get in on the action!
Stay Tuned Reader,
Love, Ms. W

Bookworm Buzz

2011-07-25T19:58:00.005-04:00

Dear Reader,

I have so many exciting books to tell you about. I have been reading some historical fiction, one of my favorite genres! Gisela, Daughter of Charlemagne and Mary, Daughter of Henry the VII are part of the Medieval Maidens series. They are fictionalized stories about young girls from the middle ages and are just right for fourth graders. Also, I just finished Moon Over Manifest, by Clare VanderPool. This book won the Newberry Award this year. I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! It had some mystery, history and a great plot. The main Character, Abilene, is still with me. You can always tell a great story by whether or not the characters stay with you over time, and I KNOW that Abilene will be with me for a while. Mrs. Merten is also reading this book and LOVING it too! It may be a little challenging for fall fourth graders, but will be just right in the spring. Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life (clicking th link will enable you to read the first 20 chapters for free!)by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts, took a while for me to appreciate. James Patterson is one of my favorite authors so I decided to stick with the story instead of just abandoning it. I kept asking myself questions about the main character's behavior. In fact, I didn't like the book very much at all, but then there was a HUGE twist at the end and I was reminded why I love James Patterson so much. I would definitely recommend this book to boys, especially boys who are reluctant readers (clicking this link will take you to an article about reluctant readers. Please feel free to email me with any questions you have about motivating your child to read.) Just remember to hang in there and DON'T abandon this book, you will be very happy with the ending. As far as picture books go, have you read the new Skippyjon Jones? Skippyjon Jones Class Action, by Judy Schachner is an instant classic in the Skippyjon series. All of the favorite characters are in this story, including the Chimichango Gang, and I laughed and laughed. Make sure you get your hands on this new book. It even comes with a bonus CD, read by the author herself.

This past weekend I was on the Jersey Shore and read Live Wire by Harlan Coben. This is a book for parents. Harlan Coben is from New Jersey, so I thought it would be fun to read a book by a local author. It was wonderful. Also, I saw PaulyD, JWoww and The Situation, when I was on the boardwalk at Seaside Heights. Liv was pretty excited!

My next book for young readers is True ...Sort of, by Katherine Hannigan. She is the author of Ida B. I can't wait! This will be my book for my trip to Accadia National Park this weekend. What have you been reading? Let me know.

Read on Readers,Love, Mrs. W

Bookworm Buzz

2011-07-11T06:57:00.009-04:00

Dear Reader,
I have so many great books to tell you about-some I have just finished reading and some that I read during the school year but haven't told you about yet. I did a subject study with a group of readers on Snakes, and we read some great non fiction books together. All Aboard Science Reader, Snakes and National Geographic's Snakes. These books were very exciting, just right, and had many great text features. Learning about snakes helped us prepare for the book We Can't All Be Rattlesnakes, by Patrick Jennings. This fiction book is told from the point of view of a gopher snake who gets captured by a boy named Gunnar. This book would be a great book to read with a parent, as some of the vocabulary was confusing. In fact, our small group tracked vocabulary. I think Patrick Jennings is a new favorite author for many fourth graders. Make sure you check out his website!

Three great picture books are Hot Diggity Dog by Adrienne Syler, Just One Bite, by Lola Schaefer and The ABC's of Yoga for Kids by Theresa Anne Power. All three are non fiction, and have great information in them. They are all just right for fourth graders. Hot Diggity Dog is all about hot dogs and the history of hot dogs in America, yum! Just One Bite, by Lola Schaefer is about the actual size of a bite of food by certain animals, like a parrot and a squid. The ABC's of Yoga for Kids shows different yoga poses according to the alphabet.

For my older friends, Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine, is one of the best books I have read in a long time. This book won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2010. It tells the story of a young girl with Asperger's Syndrome and how her life changes after her best friend, her brother, dies. I couldn't put it down! If you are looking for a great book for summer reading, Mockingbird is it! Make sure you check out the author's blog, it is really cool! Also, Mrs. Merten has gotten me hooked on the Witch and Wizard series by James Patterson. James Patterson is one of my favorite adult authors,and his books for young adults are just as captivating. If you like fantasy, or you liked the Hunger Games trilogy, then the Witch and Wizard series is for you! Parents, I also just finished Now You See Her by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Oh my goodness, it was a true page turner! I couldn't put it down; it is one of the best Patterson novels in recent years, right up there with Beachhouse and Judge and Jury. Treat yourself to this truly awesome thriller! Make sure you check out James Patterson's website, it has TONS of great information for kids and parents. There are even Apps that you can download to your phone, so cool!

I just finished Savy, by Ingrid Law. This book is a Newberry Honor Book. The genre is fantasy but the author's message is for everyone: Don't be a follower, follow your heart. This book is a favorite with many teachers in Franklin but it isn't one of my favorites. With that being said, I think many of you would enjoy it, it just wasn't for me. I may pick up the sequel, Scumble, but I'm not sure. If you've read Scumble, let me know, I would be willing to give it a try.

Right now I am reading the Newberry winner for this year, Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. It is a great story so far and I can't wait to finish it! It is just right for my older friends but would be a challenge for many incoming fourth graders. If you give it a try, let me know!What have you been reading? Leave a comment and let me know. This has been a long post, but I wanted to make sure I filled you in on some great books.

Read on readers,
Love,

Mrs. W

Bookworm Buzz

2011-07-01T06:25:00.003-04:00

Dear Reader,
I have just finished the second book in the Witch and Wizard Series by James Patterson and I am on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens to Whit and Wisty! Will the One who is the One finally succeed and getting what he wants from the Allgoods? I can't wait to find out. As you know, I follow many different authors, and James Patterson is one of my favorites. I'm taking a break from his young adult books and am 100 pages into his latest adult thriller, Now You See Her. Parents, if you like Patterson, this is a classic! My next student book will be Savy by Ingrid Law. Mrs. Landrigan loves this book and has been recommending it for some time. I'll let you know how it goes!
Read on readers,
Mrs. W

Bookworm Buzz

2011-06-28T14:16:00.004-04:00

John Grisham's novels for young adults read just like his novels for adults, they are page turners! I just finished the latest Theodore Boone novel, The Abduction. It was suspenseful and had some very interesting characters. It was great to see Ike, Theo's uncle, in this latest installment. I am a reader who enjoys following characters over time through a series of novels. I like how the stories connect. Do you? Leave a comment and let me know.

Read on, readers!

Love,

Mrs. W

Bookworm Buzz

2011-06-27T16:18:00.004-04:00

Dear Reader,
I just finished big Nate Out Loud by Lincoln Pierce. I loved it! I was laughing out loud! I love Nate, but I love Mrs Godfrey just as much, she reminds me a little bit of me. Talk about making a connection to a character! This collection of comics is all about summer vacation and getting back to school in the fall. If you like big Nate, check out my new gadget which is the daily big Nate comic by Lincoln Pierce. I have started the new Theodore Boone novel, The Abduction, by John Grisham. So far so good, I'll let you know when I am done! Click on the Theodore Boone hyperlink, it will take you to a very cool website! What are you reading? Post a comment and let me know!
Read on readers!
Love,
Mrs. W

A Big Bite

2011-06-22T11:58:00.003-04:00

What an incredible school year! The children have grown and learned so much, they should be very proud of themselves. Our final book count for the year was 1084 books! Well done! Everyone read over 40 books each! Have a great summer and check the blog every now and then for book updates, author alerts and other interesting tidbits!

A Big Bite

2011-06-19T18:54:00.006-04:00

Mr. Chaudhury came in to speak to all of the 4th graders about his immigration experience to the United States. It was fascinating! Mrs. Chaudhury also talked about her immigration experience. We are so lucky to have such a wonderfully diverse JFK family!

The students received awards in PE this week. Some students earned a National badge and Brenna earned a Presidential Badge. Great job everyone!

Only three days left! Can you believe it? I can't! The final book count of the year will be published this week; I think you will be SURPRISED at the number of books we have read as a class. I am very proud of EVERYONE!

Juicy Nibble

2011-06-12T18:06:00.006-04:00

Pictures from Sports Day and Light your way. What a week!

A Big Bite

2011-06-07T19:52:00.012-04:00

What a great coffeehouse! The original poetry recited by the children, their art work on the wall, and the open mic were all the ingredients of a great presentation
and wonderful memories. Thanks to everyone who participated and thanks to all of you for the delicious reception afterword. Egyptian Mummy masks

Fall Leaves

Sumi-e paintings and haiku

Mexican Tile Art

Black and White Collages

Watercolors on primed paper bags, inspired by poet, Douglas Florian.

Enjoying the snacks, and yes, everyone has their fork in that bowl!

Mrs. Doggett made Ralph Waldo Emerson's words sound so beautiful. Success!

Mrs. Harrison recited Joyce Kilmer's poem, "Trees"-twice! She read it again in Mrs. Merten's room.

Congratulations to Mrs. Chaudhury for reciting her Emily Dickinson poem. This was the first time she read a poem in the United States, in English! Way to go, you did an awesome job!

Click here to see a Youtube video of Mrs. Williams reciting her original poetry.

Click here to see Ms. Liz teach the Poetry Bus!

2011-05-31T06:01:00.006-04:00

It has been a busy few weeks here at school! We have participated in Tie Dye Tuesday, had our recorder concert, finished Electricity and Magnetism and took a test on the southwest. We are busily preparing for the Poetry Coffeehouse this week; we have transformed our room into an art gallery and can't wait for everyone to see it! We are wrapping up reader's workshop and are looking forward to many other activities like; Sports Day, Light Your Way with Mr. Adams, and the study of immigration which will include a very special guest speaker! We look forward to seeing all of you this Tuesday!
Mrs. Williams

A Big Bite

2011-05-23T11:40:00.004-04:00

We have been very busy in room 23! It is hard to believe that 4th grade is coming to an end. In Reader's Workshop, we have finished Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White, and celebrated the end of the book with Mrs. Merten's class. We watched the cartoon version of the film and ate snacks that you could find at a fair. Students had caramel apples, pie, cotton candy, popcorn and even corn on the cob! The movie was different from the book, very different! We will be setting summer reading goals soon, and are close to our goal of 1,000 boooks read this year. In writer's workshop we have been focusing on free verse poetry and completing the last district writing prompt of the year. We are all looking forward to having our parents in for the Poetry Coffeehouse on June, 7th. The math MCAS is over! All of the preparation that we have been doing sure has helped! In science, we have been really rolling along with magnetism and electricity. This is a discovery unit, where we try to figure out how to compete the tasks on our own. It's a lot like Survivor! In social studies, we have finished learning about the west and are completing our tour of the US, in the southwest. The southwest is a very interesting place. Next Tuesday is Tie-dye Tuesday and we will be tying our shirts this Friday! We will wear our shirts at the coffeehouse and for Sports Day. Mrs. Williams says that we are more and more like 5th graders everyday!

Juicy Nibble

2011-05-10T08:04:00.001-04:00

Click here to see a video of Christina at the school committee meeting. She sure knows how to bang that gavel!

Juicy Nibble

2011-05-08T16:59:00.003-04:00

Here is a picture of Christina at the School Committee meeting where she recited the pledge. She represented our class very well. Great job, Christina!

Juicy Nibble

2011-04-27T14:37:00.003-04:00

Any guesses as to what this is? It's pretty impressive! The subject who posed for this shot is a very brave person! The subject's parents are very brave people as well! The answer will be posted this Friday!

A Big Bite

2011-04-18T18:27:00.008-04:00

Rock Poetry Day

DJ Nitin

Working with Ms. Liz

The last few weeks have been very busy in room 23. We continue to make great progress in all of the core subject areas and have read over 650 books so far this year. We are enjoying National Poetry Month and have been instructed by Elizabeth McKim, Poet and Teacher. After vacation, we will continue to work toward meeting year end goals and getting ready for fifth grade! I will be blogging soon about all of the great children's books that I have been reading during the past few months-it will be a long post, so stay tuned! Have a great week everyone! Enjoy the videos and pictures! Don't miss DJ Nitin, he is available for weddings and parties!

Juicy Nibble

2011-04-12T06:26:00.003-04:00

Here we are painting nature scenes in the style of Douglas Florian, illustrator and Poet. We wrote free verse poems that were inspired by the paintings.

A Big Bite

2011-03-28T14:24:00.002-04:00

Last week was very busy. We took the MCAS long composition on Tuesday and continued final preparations for the reading test this week. In math, we continued working on chapter 9, decimals, fractions and percents. We learned about the jet stream and wind in Science. As part of our study of the United States, we continued to tour the southeast. We all agreed that the southeast is a very unique part of our country. Many of us have visited states in the southeast, in particular Florida. We are finishing writing the second district writing prompt. April is National Poetry month and there will be many great poetry activities for us to complete. We can't wait for spring to get here, it's been cold for too long! Check out the Important Dates Gadget for upcoming tests and projects. Thanks goes out to everyone who helped contribute to our "lottery basket," for the ladybug auction. Have a great week! Mrs. Williams

A Big Bite

2011-03-18T13:56:00.003-04:00

Here are some photos and videos from our week! Ask your child about all of the activities that we did this past week. Nitin, Kim and Ali volunteered to have their leprechaun speeches taped-check them out! On Tuesday of next week, we will take the Long Composition test for MCAS. Get plenty of rest!

Juicy Nibble

2011-03-08T17:32:00.002-05:00

Pictures and video from Kevin's visit to JFK!

A Big Bite

2011-03-08T17:07:00.005-05:00

We have done a great job since returning from vacation, and it has been BUSY! As a class, we have read 669 books so far this year, can you believe that? I am sure that we will reach our goal of 1,000 books by June. In Reader's Workshop, we have been learning about mythology and have been getting ready for the MCAS. Everyone is SO excited to read the Greek myths. Medusa has been a particular favorite and we drew before/after pictures of her in our reader's journals. Ask your child to tell you the story of Medusa. In Social Studies, we have been learning about Washington D.C., and about clouds in science. We were treated to a visit from FOX 25 meteorologist, Kevin Lemanowicz this week. There was a great deal of discussion about tornadoes. We have begun the third term, can you believe that 2/3rds of the 4th grade is over? We have a lot to accomplish before the end of the year and we will get it all done! I have been reading so many good books for children. Ask your child to tell you about some of them. I think spring is in the air, the snow is melting and I saw a bluebird while I was running the other day! Even the children want the snow to be gone! In like a lion, out like a lamb. Let's hope!
Mrs. Williams

Juicy Nibble

2011-03-02T14:37:00.005-05:00

A few students in our class have had some very impressive athletic accomplishments during the past month. Nasir set a record for the "double bounce," jump rope activity in PE for the Jump rope for Heart, with 1040 jumps. Jake played on a championship basketball team and so did Nitin. Nitin's team, which is part of a Franklin travel basketball team that won the 2011 Championship Game for the Cape Cod Basketball League. His 4th grade team had an undefeated season and finished the regular season with a 14-0 record. Then, they won the two playoff games and the Championship game, and ended the season with a 17-0 record! Here is a link to Nitin's team. Way to go guys, we are proud of you!

Juicy Nibble

2011-02-16T16:02:00.002-05:00

Hi Gang!
Sorry I didn't get to say good-bye to each of you today-we certainly had a different end to our day! You did a great job staying quiet and organized and I am proud of all of you for listening to directions and not panicking! I know that all of your books and backpacks are still in the classroom, not to worry, we will straighten up tomorrow! Also, the Social Studies test will still happen tomorrow, you have known about it for almost two weeks and we were able to play Ring that Bell to prepare.
Have a great night and I will see you in the morning!
Love,
Mrs. W

A Big Bite

2011-02-06T12:06:00.006-05:00

WOW! Despite the snow days during the last two weeks, we are getting quite a bit done in room 23. We have continued our interactive read aloud, Snow Treasure, and should finish it this week. Finding similes, studying author's craft, and looking deeply at characters has been a focus in this book. Many small groups have been working on other topics in their independent reading books. One large group of readers is focusing on dinosaurs and looking at very specific topics in this very large area of study. As a class we have read 534 books so far this year, with most students reading over 20 books so far this year! We have been working a great deal in writer's workshop on using descriptive language and increasing writing stamina. We have made good progress with these skills and now need to focus on mechanics. In math we have been learning about fractions. Everyone did a great job on the midyear test! In social studies, we continue to study the northeast and will be taking a test on this region in the next two weeks. Science is all about the water cycle and precipitation. We have daily lessons from Mother Nature on this topic. Winter Wonderland day was a success! Many students wore pajamas and brought stuffed animals to school. We enjoyed hot chocolate while making "snow sculptures," with cotton balls. Thanks to all of the parents who donated hot chocolate! We finished Friday with the story "Snow," by Roy McKie and P.D. Eastman. Enjoy the pictures . Make sure you look at the updates to tests and quizzes-it is going to be a very busy two weeks.

Have a great day!

Mrs. Williams

A Big Bite

2011-01-21T07:05:00.006-05:00

Well, another snow day, that is life in New England in the winter. I hope the meteorologists are correct and that we get to see the sun this afternoon. It was an exciting short week in room 23. We started by taking a trip to China, Hong Kong to be specific. Mrs. Fuentes asked a colleague from China, Ms. Chan, if she could bring some sand to the U.S. to add to the sand collection and she did! Here is a picture of Repulse Bay, which is the beach where the sand is from. We also were able to feel some sand from Shenzhen, China as well. It sure looks nice, especially today! Then we took a trip to Norway to see the Fjords-they were very cool to see. We have started Snow Treasure, by Marie McSwigan and the story takes place in Norway. Fjords play a very important role in this historical fiction novel. We will be working on many skills in this novel including; character connections, figurative language, summary, drawing conclusions, author's craft and how to respond in writing to reading, just to name a few. Some of the students have expressed and interest in doing a non fiction study group on dinosaurs and I am working on getting that set up for next week. In writer's workshop, we continue to write rough drafts of an essay on "A day off from school." This was the MCAS prompt from last year's long composition. In math, we have been working on low stress long division and measuring angles. The chapter 6 math test will have to get pushed back again in order to make time to cover all of the material. In Social Studies, we have finished learning about regions and resources and will begin studying New England next week. We have begun talking about the water cycle in science and are even finding time to talk about blizzards, can you imagine that? Our focus in Open Circle will be on looking at our goals for the school year that we established in September, and reevaluating those goals. We learned about Martin Luther King and the MLK holiday last Friday when Mrs. Mecklenburg showed the entire 4th grade a power point presentation about the civil rights leader. There is a surprise in store for PE, and we will be posting a video in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Have a great weekend! Keep reading!!

Love,

Mrs. W

Juicy Nibble

2011-01-12T20:03:00.002-05:00

Hi Gang!
It looks like we have another day off tomorrow due to the snow. Don't worry about the Social Studies test on Friday, I will move it to next week, probably Wednesday or Thursday. Also, the chapter 6 math test will probably get pushed back as well. We will have the Spelling test, and the English test on Adverbs, on Friday. Enjoy the snow and PLEASE keep reading. If you write a paragraph (12-15 sentences, using correct spelling and mechanics, in your neatest cursive) describing what you have done with your time off from school, I will award you 10 bonus points to be used on the test of your choice! Or, you can write a poem about the snow, or your time off, and I will give you 5 bonus points on the test of your choice! Remember, you can always practice some of the yoga exercises that we have learned. Have a fun day and I will see you on Friday!
Love,
Mrs. W

Spotlight Archives

2011-01-12T15:58:00.004-05:00

Karate Kid!

At the Core

2011-01-10T15:01:00.002-05:00

I am so excited to offer a new club at JFK, Rise and Shine Yoga! I am a level 2 RCY (Radiant child yoga)instructor and a practitioner of Kundalini Yoga. The club will meet on Monday mornings starting on January 24th, and will run for 8 weeks. The cost of the club is $50, and you can sign up at the Lifelong Learning secure site by clicking here. Registration will begin this Wednesday. Check out my yoga blog, www.kidskeepingup.blogspot.com for information about Radiant Child Yoga, and other Yoga resources. I hope to see as many of you there as possible!
Mrs. W

A Big Bite

2011-01-10T14:35:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year! It was a great first week back! Everyone seemed to have a good vacation, but were ready to get back to work at school. In reading, we focused on historical fiction and drawing conclusions. Mrs. Williams read Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine, and The Bracelet by Yoshiko Uchida, as a way to study genre, and she read The Dot by Peter Reynolds, as a way to study drawing conclusions. She also began reading Hamlet to us, and we already know that Hamlet is drawing conclusions about his father's death that may not be accurate. In writer's workshop, we began a new personal narrative about having a day off from school. This was last year's MCAS long composition prompt for the 4th graders. We focused on writing a good lead, and using descriptive language. In math, we started long division! We are learning how to use the "low stress," method of long division which is causing some stress for parents. :) Mrs. Williams looked for a YouTube video on how to do "low stress," division, but couldn't find one. She is going to have Mrs. Merten tape her this week and post it on YouTube. Stay posted for an update.In Science, we continued to learn about weather instruments and how to read a weather map. There will be a quiz on Tuesday. In Social Studies, we started to learn about regions in the United States, landforms and climate. We can't wait to start learning all about our great country. Today, we had a moment of silence to remember all Americans, living and deceased, who come together in moments of joy and sadness. There will be a test on Friday about "what makes a region."
We got exciting news today from the Lifelong learning office. Mrs. W's yoga club has been approved and will start on Monday, January 25th at 7:15 a.m. Click here to sign up at the secure website.
By Brenna and Mrs. Williams

Juicy Nibble

2010-12-22T10:03:00.003-05:00

Here are the students who volunteered to have their speech posted on the blog. Enjoy!

Juicy Nibble

2010-12-20T14:34:00.002-05:00

Thanks so much to EVERYONE for the beautiful "giving tree." I am touched and overwhelmed by your generosity. Kudos to Mrs. Doggett for such a creative and thoughtful gift. Have a wonderful holiday season.
Fondly,
Mrs. Williams

A Big Bite

2010-12-16T19:27:00.014-05:00

It has been a very busy time in room 23! We finished The Family Under the Bridge yesterday, and ended our food drive for the Franklin Food Pantry today. We talk so often about how readers talk about their reading and write about their reading, and today we were able to act in response to our reading. Your generosity was overwhelming. As a grade we collected 413 pounds of food-AMAZING!!! Thanks to everyone who donated to the food pantry, and to Mr.Landry who volunteered to help deliver the food. He also brought a corporate donation from Ocean Spray, via Mrs. Landry, so thanks to Ocean Spray as well!

Here are some pictures of us in math centers preparing for the chapter 5 math test. Also, we made barometers in our weather teams and talked about how wind makes weather and that there are different types of air pressure systems that affect the weather.It was wonderful to see all of you at conferences last week, where has the school year gone? Thanks for your donations to the wishing well, I have been able to use the donations for classroom supplies and new books for our classroom library. YEAH!!!Next week will go by quickly, as we have so much planned and plenty to accomplish. It is a busy time of year indeed!

Mrs. Williams

Juicy Nibble

2010-12-06T12:23:00.007-05:00

Today was our Yoga class before school, what a great way to start our week together. Thanks to everyone who volunteered to get up early and come in to school to practice Yoga with me. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Some of the quotes from this morning are: "I thought the Yoga was fun and I liked the game, "; "The archer pose was cool!"; "I liked the breathing,"; "I liked when we had to lie down and listen to music for five minutes," and overwhelmingly, everyone liked the music. Thanks to Shakta Kaur Khalsa for her Radiant Child music CDs, Cozy , Happy and Deeply Relax and Meditate, and for helping me start on my journey of teaching yoga to children. Check out some of the pictures that Mrs. Merten and Mrs. Adams took of us at class this morning.

A Big Bite

2010-12-03T14:50:00.003-05:00

The week after the Thanksgiving break was a busy one. We have accomplished a great deal in all academic areas. We have started two and three digit multiplication in math, and have finished our study of Canada. We spent a great deal of time learning how to read non fiction texts, and how to use the text features to improve our comprehension. We really liked learning how to read and use a timeline! The test on Canada will be next Friday. The Family Under the Bridge, by Natalie Savage Carlson, is our new interactive read aloud. Our skills for this book are "theme, cause/effect and summarizing." We are reviewing how to respond to open response questions and narrative elements. As a fun activity, we made stained glass menorahs with sharpies, plastic wrap and tin foil. Many of us are excited about Yoga on Monday Morning, Mrs. Merten is joining us!

Spotlight Archives

2010-12-03T06:22:00.002-05:00

Run like the wind!

Nitin loves sports, is a good athlete and a very fast runner. The Town of Franklin organizes a 1.2 mile kids’ race during the 4th of July celebrations every year and Nitin has won first place in this race, in his age group for the last two years. This year, he also won the first place overall and ran faster than all the 7-13 year olds who participated in the race (over 150 kids). He completed the 1.2 mile race in 6 minutes and 43 seconds. He was recognized as the fastest kid on his flag football team, basketball team, soccer team and baseball teams in 3rd grade. His coaches and team parents called him “Speedy”. Nitin is a good athlete and was selected to be on the “A” Team for soccer and basketball in 4th grade. His coaches and his parents appreciate that Nitin is not a “ball hog” and is very good at passing the ball in both soccer and basketball. He works hard and plays with full commitment to his team. We are proud of his sportsmanship and enjoy watching the “Speedy Nitin”.

Juicy Nibble

2010-11-23T10:16:00.004-05:00

A few students volunteered to have their Thanksgiving speech video taped and then put on the blog. Enjoy!

A Big Bite

2010-11-19T14:34:00.002-05:00

We had a cool and fun week. We wrapped up the Life Cycle unit in Science with the Heredity test. Our next unit will be weather. In Social Studies we began to learn about Canada by making Canadian flags and watching a power point on the provinces and territories in Canada. This went along with reader's workshop and our lessons on how to read non fiction. We also finished Macbeth. The class loved it! We decided that two of the many themes in this story were grief, and suffering from a guilty conscience. It was a rough ending, but we loved it. Mrs. Williams says that we will read more Shakespeare together this year. We finished chapter 4 in math and took a test. Next week will be full of fun activities having to do with Thanksgiving, mostly writing and our speeches are due on Tuesday. If you haven't brought in a wire hanger yet, don't forget to bring it on on Monday! Our week ended with a movie party to celebrate earning 30 parrots at our specials. We watched Toy Story 3. It was sad and funny at the same time. Mrs. W's free yoga class will be on Monday December 6th. Don't forget to sign up by having your parents email Mrs. Williams.
Have a great weekend!
By,
Christina and Nasir

Author Alert!

2010-11-17T14:03:00.002-05:00

Andrew Clements will be appearing at Tatnuck Booksellers in Westborough, MA on Saturday December 4, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. Andrew Clements is a very popular author for elementary school students. Click here for more information on this event.

A Big Bite

2010-11-12T15:02:00.003-05:00

Last week was a great week. We did so much! On Friday we celebrated the end of Mr. Popper's Penguins with an all day celebration. On black and white day we had black and white snacks, cold weather stuffed animals on our desks, we wore black and white clothes, and we watched March of the Penguins. We took a short test on the book, played Pictionary with some of the vocabulary words and made Arctic drawings on black construction paper. It was so much fun!! This week we will be taking a math test and a test on heredity. We will be starting to learn about Canada, and will be working on the genre of non fiction in reader's workshop. We have been working very hard in specials since September and have earned 30 parrots for our good behavior and effort. As a class, we voted to have a movie and special snack party as a reward. The movie will be Toy Story 3 and we will watch it this Friday.

By,

Christina and Mrs. W

Spotlight Archives

2010-11-12T06:13:00.003-05:00

Brenna just had a rigorous tryout for the 4th grade Metro teams and made the “A” team, so she will be playing competitive basketball until March.Brenna loves to wear knee pads when she plays – it enables her to get down and dirty on the court and she won’t hesitate to dive for a loose ball. She has a ritual when shooting fouls shots: bounce three times with right hand, spin ball, set stance, shoot. She loves to shoot hoops with the kids in the neighborhood and our driveway is often the location for a game or a “tournament.” She really values the friendships she is making and responds very well to coaching. She plays hard, she has a good time, and it is a lot of fun to watch her.

A Big Bite

2010-11-05T14:18:00.002-04:00

It was a short week in room 23 but we got a lot done. On Monday, we learned about the Mexican holiday , "Day of the Dead," by watching a Power Point Presentation and by making skull masks. We did this with Mrs. Merten's class. On Friday we finished the unit on Mexico by taking a test. In science, we learned about what makes us unique and Gregor Mendel. In Reader's Workshop, we have almost finished Mr. Popper's Penguins and will be celebrating the end of the book next Friday with Black and White Day. A notice went home today explaining all about the celebration. Our new book count is 250 books read so far this year! After Brenna's book talk on Who Was William Shakespeare, Mrs. Williams started reading Macbeth to us. She is reading the Bruce Coville version which is written for kids. We never knew a 400 year old story would be so good! It is a tragedy. We are comparing this text to Mr. Popper's Penguins. The skills that we are working on in Mr. Poppers Penguins, we are working on in Macbeth too! We have been talking about predictions, connections, questions, character traits and cliffhangers. We have begun to talk about Macbeth's character traits. We have even questioned whether or not Macbeth is evil or good. We learned about "cliffhangers," and we have left off wondering whether or not Macbeth will kill the king. We have made some interesting predictions about it. Stay tuned, because we will find out next week. In writing, we are working on the district writing prompt. We hope to finish next week so that we can get back to some poetry. In math, we have started chapter 4 which is all about decimals. Our tessellation projects are almost done! On Monday we heard the student council speeches from the students in our room, and Riley was the winner. Congratulations to everyone who participated!
By Shaelin and Mrs. W

Poem of the Week

2010-10-29T14:55:00.005-04:00

Things to do if You're a Musician
By Ali Grace

Bring happiness
Sound wonderful
Have fun
Tell about things
Make people smile
Make people dance
Be yourself
Make everyone laugh
Express yourself

Things to do if You're a Skateboard
By Joe

Jump some jumps
Have some wheels
Do some tricks
Do a 360
Jump curves
Get ridden by a pro
Roll on the ground
I think it would be fun to be a skateboard

Things in My School
by Ryan W

Books
Nooks
Pencils
Stencils
Flag
Bag
Map
Cap
Chair
Hair
Teachers
Bleachers
Nurse
Purse
Gym
Tim
Lunch
Bunch
Swings and Things
Snack
Backpack
So many things in my school

A Big Bite

2010-10-29T14:36:00.005-04:00

It has been another busy week in room 23. We have finished chapter 3 in math and took the test on Friday. We also have been making good progress on the Tessellation project and on Friday we did a lot of Halloween math problems. We even solved a 6th grade logic puzzle. We spent two mornings in the technology lab, working on math facts and on the new Science unit. We read the Gene Scene and played a few games on the genetics site. In Social Studies, we are almost finished with our study of Mexico, and on Friday we made "God's eyes." On Monday we will learn about the Mexican Holiday, "Day of the Dead," and color masks. In Reader's Workshop, we have continued with our first interactive read aloud, Mr. Popper's Penguins. We are studying character traits, questioning, making predictions, answering open response questions and making connections to the literature. Tyler, Emily, Christina and Riley did great book talks this week. We are continuing to write our scary stories and will hopefully move to the publication stage next week. After the Math, English and Spelling tests, finishing Daily Geography, handwriting practice, Learning about Mexico's Art and Culture, finishing our Halloween Math activities, creating a coloring diorama and making God's Eyes, we celebrated Halloween with a "Party in a bag," with Mrs. Merten's class. It was a lot of fun. There were lots of great treats and eats, and Brenna shared pencils with everyone. Shaelin said it best to Mrs. Williams, she said, "Thanks for today!" You are welcome, Shae, and everyone else too!
Be safe on Sunday!!!

By,

Nasir and Mrs. Williams

Poem of the Week

2010-10-22T14:52:00.003-04:00

Here are a few list poems written by students in room 23.

Places to Go if You're a Piece of Luggage-by Emily
To an airport
To the Eiffel Tower in Paris
To the Penobscot River in Maine
Under a Tulip tree in India
To the White House in D.C
To the New England Aquarium in Boston
To the Grand Canyon in Arizona
To the Ferris Wheel at the Toys-R-Us in Times Square
To the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida
To Mount McKinley in Alaska
and to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado

Things to do if You're a Skateboard-by Nasir
Being a skateboard is so much fun
Tricks by the tons
kick flip
oli
fake shove it
pop shove it
redemption
vert
manual
spine transfer
360 degree
720 degree
180 degree
rock fake
kick turns and
backward raock fakes
That's what you'd do if
you're a skateboard

Things to do if You're a Moon-by Christina
stay beautiful
keep your craters big
shine bright
be in space
be crescent
be round
be big
have wonder
be cool
guide things
pretend to be cheese
have a nice big face

A Big Bite

2010-10-22T14:33:00.003-04:00

It has been a very busy two weeks in room 23. Last week we had the Puff mobile races and Open House. We learned how to play multiplication baseball in math and we spent time in the computer lab working on our math facts. Here is the link that we used. Also, Mrs. Y came in to help us with Open Response math questions. It was a lot of fun, especially when Mrs. Williams threw candy at us! Tessellations is the enrichment math project that we are working on right now. It is fun to use the pattern blocks to create unique dodecahedron puzzles. In reading, we finished our launching unit in Reader's workshop, took the first of four reading tests for the year, and started an interactive read aloud called Mr. Popper's Penguins by Florence and Richard Atwater. We are working on predictions, character traits, asking questions, especially talk worthy questions, and making connections to the story. In writing, we have finished our list poems, are working on Halloween Haiku and will be writing a three paragraph "scary," story. We have finished our Science unit on the scientific method and microscopes, and took the unit test. We saw some pretty neat organisms under the microscope from Franklin Pond Water. Thanks to Jake, John and Ryan for bringing in the samples! We will be starting the heredity unit next week. In Social Studies, we have started to learn about Mexico, and are discovering that it is a really interesting country. A highlight of this week was going to the "Bubble Mania," show as a reward for summer reading. It was pretty cool to see. In P.E., we ran the mile and many of us qualified for one phase of either the Presidential or National Fitness award. There are several more phases to go, but we are proving to be a very physically fit class! Fourth grade is flying by!
By,
Jackie, Christina and Mrs. Williams

Juicy Nibble

2010-10-13T14:52:00.004-04:00

Here are some pictures and videos from the Puff Mobile races today. Great job everyone!