Halloween Party!

Check out our fantastic Halloween costumes!!!

Candy Corn Experiment

Halloween was a busy and fun day in Sports Fanatic Avenue!  We took our story assessment, a spelling test, had a party, and did a fun science experiment!

In our science experiment we used candy corn pumpkins, vinegar, salt, water, and soda.  We used the scientific method and observed what happened to the pumpkin in the different solutions.  See what happened:

Ghost Experiment

During the months of October and November we had the opportunity to have a practicum student from Plymouth work in our room.  She taught a variety of lessons and did many activities with our students.  All the kids really enjoyed working with her.  Ask your child something they learned from Miss West!

The Friday before Halloween Miss West did a little science experiment to get us in the Halloween spirit!  The kids loved it!  They learned what happens when vinegar and baking soda interact.  Check out the experiment:

 

 

Montshire Museum

On October 17 the 4th grade went on a field trip to the Montshire Museum in Norwich Vermont. This is a hands on, interactive science museum.  Our class had a blast exploring, experimenting, and interacting with all the exhibits.  We also took a short class on curved mirrors and light.  Check out some of the highlights:

Week of November 10-14

Wow!  We have been busy 4th graders these last few weeks!  It's been awhile since I've updated my blog and I apologize for that.  I'm going to try to catch you up on all the fun things that have been going on in our classroom since I last posted! 

On Monday we had a Veteran's Day assembly to honor those brave men and women who have served in the armed forces.  The students learned about who, why, and how we celebrate on Veteran's Day.  They were encouraged to thank Veterans and their families for the sacrifices they make for us to enjoy our freedom.  We began reading a story called "Mystic Horse" and will continue with this story into next week.  Our story assessment and spelling test will be on Tuesday.  In math we have been working on multiplication and division.  It is a difficult concept for most kids but they seem to be catching on!  This week we began focusing on long division.  In Social Studies we have been learning about what life was like in Colonial New Hampshire.  Students picked a colonial trade and had to make a sign to identify their job. 

And Even More Projects...

And Some More Projects...

NH County Projects

Our New Hampshire county projects were due yesterday and I am happy to say that everyone turned one in.  I am beyond thrilled with the way each and every project came out.  It is obvious that everyone put thought and effort into their project.  Thank you to all of you for helping the kids out at home to make this such a success! 

Yesterday the kids were able to present their projects to the class.  Each child talked about the materials he/she used, the most difficult part of the process, and the part he/she liked the best.  The rest of the class was a great audience and asked great questions and gave positive comments!

Here are some pictures:

The Abenaki

In Social Studies we have been learning about the Abenaki, the Native Americans who lived in New Hampshire long ago.  We have read about what life was like in the Abenaki village.

Last week we were lucky to have Miss West, a practicum student from Plymouth State, teach a lesson about wigwams.  The class learned about why the Abenaki built wigwams, what materials were used, and how they were made.  They also got to "build" their own wigwam.

Today we had a special visit from Gunner's mimi, who belongs to the Abenaki tribe.  She spoke to the class about Abenaki life.  The kids were able to see pictures and artifacts and heard traditional music. What made this even more special was that Gunner, who recently earned the right to dance at pow wows, wore his traditional headdress, clothes, and moccasins.  It was nice to see him as proud as he was to share this important part of his life.  It is very obvious that he is truly proud of his heritage.

Here are some pictures:

It's Socktober!!!!

Kid President has declared the month of October “SOCKTOBER!”

 

“What does that mean?” you ask. 

 Kid President is calling all Americans, children and adults alike, to do something to help the homeless and hungry in their communities.  Why “SOCKTOBER?”   Kid president is encouraging people to start out small by bringing in a clean pair of socks.  But we don’t have to stop there!  We could bring other items that would help the homeless and hungry like blankets, toiletries, and non-perishable food items.

Please understand that your child does not need to participate in the "SOCKTOBER" initiative.  It is completely optional!  If you’d like to participate send in any of the above items in with your child any time between now and October 31.  Our donations will go to local shelters and food pantries.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.   

Check out what Kid President has to say about "SOCKTOBER!" 

Team News: Week of Sept. 22-26

We had another busy week filled with learning lots of new things!  In literacy we read a great fiction story called "The Astronaut and the Onion" which was about a girl named Gloria who meets at astronaut she has seen on TV.  The astronaut teaches Gloria a lesson about the importance of never giving up and always trying your best to achieve your goals.  We also read a short nonfiction piece about the types of food astronauts eat in outer space.  I showed them a video of Chris Hatfield, an astronaut who has been on the space station, trying to eat and make a meal while in space.  The kids thought it was very interesting.  They also had the opportunity to try "astronaut granola" made by my assistant, Mrs. Martin.  The kids will be bringing home the recipe today.


In math, we continued with rounding and estimating to check reasonableness of answers.  This week we were estimating products and quotients which are two very difficult concepts.  Kids seemed to really be starting to get multiplication.  They have done great with the way I've taught them.  Division has been much more difficult...we will work on it some more next week. 


In Social Studies, we read about the NH regions.  We discussed their geographical regions, major cities/towns, attractions, and jobs.  We used the picture writing technique to paint a picture of our favorite region.  They came out wonderful!!!  We will write about our paintings as well.  These will be on display at Open House on October 14.


I've had a couple NH county projects come in already.  They are great!  Just a reminder that they are due on October 8th.  Please have your child follow the guidelines and look at the rubric.  This will help ensure they get the best great possible.  These will also be on display at Open House.


KIDS NEED TO BE WORKING ON MULITIPLICATION FACTS AT HOME!!!!!  This will only make them so much more successful in the classroom. 

Team News: Week of September 15, 2014

Another great week!  The kids worked so hard this week during literacy and intervention.  They did a great job working independently so that I could continue to work on some beginning of the year assessments.  The good news is that I'm completed my beginning of the year assessments and next week can get back to normal.  In math we worked on rounding and estimation.  This should be more of a review but I've noticed quite a few kids struggling with the rounding concept.  We will continue working on this next week.  In Social Studies we started talking about the geography of NH and NH's regions.  This sets us up to take notes on the regions and get ready to do our first picture writing assignment. 


Wednesday, September 17 was Constitution Day.  We took quite a bit of time Wednesday to learn a little bit about our Constitution.  We read a readers' theater that focused on the bill of rights and other important amendments and our three branches of government.  We also did a little "Constitution Day" scavenger hunt where students had to answer questions by finding the answers hidden around the room.  Finally we watched a video about our Bill of Rights.  Please take a moment to ask your child if he/she can tell you one fact about the Constitution.


I'm looking forward to another great week.  As a quick reminder...there is an early release next Friday (Sept. 26).  Students are dismissed at 12:45.

Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe!

Following the 3 B's is important in helping make PSS more awesome!  I have to say this class does an AMAZING job at making sure they are respectful, responsible, and safe in the classroom, hallways, cafeteria, and outside.  They have already earned their 10 B's and as of this morning we have actually earned 16 B's!!!!  I'm very proud of them.


Our celebration for achieving our goal will be on Friday, October 3.  We will be watching the movie "Because of Winn-Dixie."  I chose this movie because we will be reading an excerpt from this book that week in Literacy.  I have also chosen this book to read aloud after recess.  The kids will also be able to bring a stuffed animal of their choice (please not too big) and pajamas to change into at school.  I'll put a reminder about this in the newsletter the week before.


Congratulate your child on a job well done and encourage he/she to keep up the good work!

Team News: Week of September 8, 2014

Well we survived our first 5 day week!  The kids had a very busy week!  We read "The Adventures of Ali Baba Bernstein," a funny story about a young boy named David who wanted to change his name because it was too common.  In the end he learns a valuable lesson...ask your child what it was.  In math, we finished up working on place value and comparing numbers.  In social studies we learned about the state symbols and celebrations.  We designed New Hampshire license plates.  We continued to work on showing the three B's around school.  As a class we were able to earn 5 bees!!!!The kids were awesome and worked super hard while I was doing some beginning of the year assessments.  I'm hoping for another great week coming up!

Let's Be More Awesome!

One of the things I love about my job is being able to collaborate with other teachers on projects.  Today our class had the chance to meet with Mrs. Weaver's 2nd grade class to share our thoughts on how to be "more awesome."  It was a great opportunity for our students to meet each other and to see how Kid President inspired us in different ways.  I look forward to being able to work with Mrs. Weaver again this year!

Kid President and Miss Rocheford's Class Say...

Check out what Kid President and our class has to say about making PSS and the world a more awesome place...

Kid President

Our class is working with Kid President to make PSS more awesome!!!  During the first week of school we watch Kid President's pep talk to teachers and students.  His words are very inspiring and the kids really enjoyed listening to his ideas for making the world a more awesome place to be.  We want to make PSS a more awesome place to be!  We will be watching more Kid President videos as the year progresses in search of more inspiration.  If you've never seen Kid President you need to check him out....

Team News: Week of March 3-7

This week:  We got right back into the swing of things this week!  In literacy we read a story called “My Brother’s Flying Machine.”  It was about the Wright brothers and it was written from the perspective of their sister.  In math we began adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators.  We also learned how to turn a mixed number into an improper fraction.  In science we learned how living things in the plant kingdom are classified and how living things in the animal kingdom are classified.  We also continued to learn about the Iditarod and kept track of our mushers daily to see how they were progressing in the race.  With the end of term 2 quickly approaching I spent a lot of time doing DRAs with students.

Next Week:  In literacy we start Unit 5, Habitats, and will be reading nonfiction piece called “A Walk in the Desert.”  In math we will learn how to add and subtract mixed numbers.  We will also learn how to turn an improper fraction into a mixed number.  In science we will learn a little about the life cycle and will begin learning about adaptations.  We will continue to track our mushers.  We should know the winner of the Iditarod sometime between Tuesday and Thursday; however it can take up to a week after that for the last person to cross the finish line.  Grades close on the 14^th so we will be doing some end of term 2 assessments.

Tackling Everest!

As some of you may know a high school friend of mine, Jake St. Pierre, will be headed to Nepal in March with a small team of scientific researchers to climb Mt. Everest and nearby peak Lhotse.  Please check out this article about Jake in the Concord Monitor...

http://www.concordmonitor.com/home/10846257-95/bow-police-officer-seeks-help-to-tackle-everest

Team News: Week of February 17-21

This Week:  We continued learning about the winter Olympics through a variety of activities.  We also began learning about the Iditarod which is starting on March 1^st.  Each student chose a musher to follow throughout the race.  We did a little research on our mushers to create a pennant that shows our support.  We also used “The Last Great Race” as a resource to answer some of the questions we had about the Iditarod.  In math we used this week to review some of the skills previously learned.  In science we began learning about how to classify living things and plant and animal cells.  We also had a special guest, Jake St. Pierre, come talk to the 4^th graders about mountain climbing.  He talked mostly about his experiences climbing Everest and other peaks over in Nepal.    We also did a STEM activity and built a ski jump.  We finally had our Valentine’s Day party on Friday!

Next Week:  In Literacy we will read a story called “My Brother’s Flying Machine.”  We will also continue learning about the Iditarod and do some fun activities around it.  Students will have to track their musher’s progress daily.  In math we will learn about adding and subtracting fractions.  I think everyone will do well with it.  We will continue on with science as well.

Olympics-Ski Jump Building STEM Activity Part 2

The kids did it!  It took a lot of thinking, manipulating materials, testing, and even a little bickering but they all did it!  Every group was able to work together to construct a working ski jump!!  It was fantastic to see the similarities in the ski jumps yet each one was different in its own way.  Many of the groups faced frustration during the building process but in true Olympic spirit they faced their struggles together and created a finished product that was amazing! 

Check out some pictures...