Thank you to the Elizabeth and Hanover Fire Departments for coming in and reviewing some safety tips today. It is always great to have days like this. In the station below, the children practiced Stop,Drop, Cover, and Roll. Their assignment is to check with their parents tonight and find out where their meeting spot is.

This year we also were able to see the inside of an ambulance. We had a volunteer lay on the stretcher. While she was there, the EMTs checked her breathing and heart rate. They also put a c-collar on her. She was a trooper throughout the entire time.

Ask any 4th grader about our trip today, and I think they will all tell you it was a great one! I'm adding SEVERAL pictures. 4th Grade Conservation Day was certainly a success!

Below, you will see our class picture. It was a beautiful day!

All in all, it was a great day!

Here Kitty, Kitty....

We had a surprise visitor in our room Monday afternoon. Mrs. Scott came to visit us and brought along some little kittens. They were so soft and cuddly. I was able to snap a few pictures of the kids holding them.

We even had one kitten that tried to run away from us. It's a good thing we had the door closed, or it may have been able to go on quite an adventure.

Thank you, Mrs. Scott, for sharing your love of animals.

Today's Math Message: Take 3 of each of the size of straws and 8 twist ties. Make a shape with 5 sides. As you can see, the students worked very hard to create these. It took a few minutes, but they all accomplished what they set out to do.

Because of Winn Dixie

This week, we started reading "Because of Winn Dixie". As you can see by the picture above, everyone is very intrigued by the characters. We have been practicing our oral reading. We also are working on summaries with this book. Ask your child: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How?

Accelerated Reader

This year, we are starting a new program called "Accelerated Reader". This program allows students to read a book at their level and then take a test on it. We didn't implement this program in our room until Monday. I've already had some students taking tests! They are doing great. This morning one of the students said "I just want to read!" We have talked about the people you meet and the places you go when you become an active reader. Ask your child who they met today. You just might be suprised!

Introductions

We had a lot of fun doing our introductions this week.

Did you know we have someone in our class that has been to London? There are several girls in our room who have a fascination with horses. Coincidentally, they all want to be veterinarians! I even learned something this week. I now know that on my next trip to Dubuque, I will have to stop at a frozen yogurt place called "Cherry Berry"!

Wise O.W.L.S.

This year, the theme for our classroom is "Wise Owls". Owls stands for "Organized Working Learning Students". I'm sure there will be a lot of wise owls in my classroom on Wednesday. Just a few more days and things will be in full swing. There are a lot of new, fun things I have planned for this year!

Be sure to check back here throughout the year to see what is happening!

Back to School

It's almost time to come back to school! We've been super busy getting ready for our students to come next Wednesday. Today, Mrs. Schafer and I created our tree. It turned out better than we had hoped! I sure can't wait to see you! Enjoy your last few days of summer vacation!

This is great for those students struggling with their math facts.

Wakko's 50 States and Capitals

Learn your states and capitals with Wakko!

 

My First Voki!

WEBSITES I WILL USE IN MY CLASSROOM

I've only been in class a little over a day, but I've already found several sites I would like to use. The first one is http://mathatube.com/everydaymath-motheds.html. At River Ridge, we use a math program called "Everyday Math". This site that I found shows how to do the algorithms. Every year, we have parents ask us how to do math "the new way". This site will be beneficial for the parents and students to use at home.

2 - I would like to use a Voki in my class. I haven't completely decided at what point I will implement it, but I know that 4th graders would love to be able to do this.

3 - I would like to use the Text to Speech http://www.ispeech.org/text.to.speech site too. I think this would be great to type a story in and have a student listen to it. This would be great for students who missed school, or just need to listen to it again. A big part of the common core is having the students read, then re-read. Some students will need to be able to listen to it. It would also be neat for the students to be able to write a paper and enter it. Then they could listen to it. It would be a fun thing to share with the other students as well.

4 - Livebinders - http://www.livebinders.com/. Each year the 4th graders follow the Iditarod, a dog sled race, in Alaska. I can create a livebinder with all of the sites they go to. I like the idea of being able to create a webquest of sorts and allow the students to follow it step by step. This would be great to use in the computer lab this year.

5 - Symbaloo - http://www.symbaloo.com/ - is another site I'd like to use. Our elementary computer teacher showed it to us last year, but I never really did much with it until yesterday. I can't decide if I want to use it for myself or for my students - or both?!

As part of our class today, we were asked to read 3 articles. The first one was entitled "Learning Management Systems" (LMS).  A LMS is a system that allows the teacher to put everything in one place. This reminds me of the classes I took when I was getting my Master's degree. Everything was put there for the students by the instructor. It allows the students to work at their own rate within reason. If a student needs to go back and look at something, it is still there for them to see/do.

The second article was 'Learning Management Systems Take on K-12 Role". "This article also described a Content Management System (CMS). A CMS does not allow the interactive features such as quizzes and discussion boards that the LMS does. 
The point that struck me the most was that there are so many students that don't have access to a computer at home. This certainly limits them when it comes to LMS.

Saturday, July 21st, last year's 4th graders will be walking in the parade in Elizabeth. If you are interested, please meet at Mrs. Walters's house at 10:00. Wear your Taft t-shirt that we made. I hope to see you there!

Class

Today, I am starting a summer course! I am learning a lot about Common Core and Technology!