Our United States Study is ON!

Well, we're off and running on our next unit of study!  November will be an exciting month as we learn all about the United States!  We'll study US Geography, and each student in our class will become an expert on one of the 50 States!  They've each chosen a special state of interest, and this week we'll start reading some non-fiction material about that state.  We'll be growing ideas and knowledge with the goal of writing a persuasive essay about that state AND creating a project rich in details about all that makes that state special.  Parents will be invited to our State Fair shortly after Thanksgiving Break.....stay tuned for details on this wonderful opportunity to celebrate our country and most of all, our amazing students!

**Kids are using the video below as a learning tool ........ to study where the states are located AND what their capitals are.....in preparation fot the State Challenge happening on
Monday, November 28th!  It's a pretty awesome video....enjoy!

Our Energy Presentation Day Was GREAT!

On Friday, October 28, our class presented their Energy Projects to a panel of administrators and teachers. Students shared their learning of renewable and non-renewable energy sources to the Principal, Mrs. Layton, the Superintendent, Mr. Alberghini, and our Library/Media Specialist, Mrs. Redford.  The students did a wonderful job, and got some very positive feedback from this panel.  They asked us some great questions and helped push our thinking, too!  We appreciate their time and genuine interest in our learning!  I'm very proud of the students and how they did on this culminating activity!  They worked very hard on it!  Please feel free to enjoy and and all of these presentations by clicking on the link below!
-Mrs. Berliner

Click here to view the presentations!

My Kids Amaze Me Every Day....

Every day is a new opportunity...and another chance to witness great moments of discovery and learning as my students take huge leaps forward and demonstrate their understanding of concepts I may or may not even realize they've captured.....I love my job :)

Example:  Here was a math talk I did with my kids on Wednesday.....where kids discovered the "doubling/halving" rule....and how it worked with multiplication.  It was amazing to watch and listen as the kids continued a pattern of equivalent combinations by halving numbers and doubling others.  They got into fractions and just took off!  Here are some pics to talk about with your student!  Celebration!!!!!!

Writing Essays is pretty cool.....

Our class is doing a wonderful job learning about how to construct effective essays.  This week students took their ideas and did some freewriting to spark new thoughts and grow understandings....pretty cool... :)  In these pictures, students were looking at an essay to make notes about what made it strong.  What did they notice?  What worked?  How did the author construct it?  Their observations were wise and spot on!  Nice work, kids!

Thank you Mrs. Schnure!

Today Dotty Schnure from Green Mountain Power came to our classroom and discussed Vermonters' use of power, where our power comes from, and the impacts that different forms of renewable and non-renewable energy have on our environment.  It was very interesting and informative and we appreciate her time and her expertise!  We learned that Vermont is really a leader when it comes to using energy wisely and thinking forward to how to produce and consume energy responsibly!

Research and Digital Citizenship in Fourth Grade Enrichment Library Classes

This is a guest post from our enrichment teacher, Darcie Rankin and our library media specialist, Beth Redford.

For the past several weeks, fourth graders have been learning and practicing research and digital citizenship skills in their enrichment library classes. The scholars are working through a series of three interest-based projects for which they get to choose the topics themselves (see the examples below):

Quote Posters,

Google Documents with freely reusable images and citations,

and Mini Research Projects

In the process of creating these projects, the scholars are learning and practicing these important skills:

• how to find information in a book
• how to find images online that are free to reuse in school projects
• how to create citations for books and online images
• how to use Google Documents and the online tool Recite.com

They are also learning more about topics they are interested in, from East Indian dance to Humvees to legendary monsters and much more! We are very proud of the fourth graders' hard work and perseverance on these projects.

- Darcie Rankin, RES enrichment teacher and Beth Redford, RES library media specialist

Thank you Mr. Gifford!

Thanks for coming to our class, Mr. Gifford!  We enjoyed hearing about your job, and about how wind energy and solar energy are produced.  It was really informative, and interesting!

Math Day Celebration

On Thursday, our class had its Math Day celebration!  Here are some pics from the day, showing our work with hexaflexagons, geometry (string art), origami, and some new (and old) tech explorations.  It was a wonderful time, full of learning and fun!

Making a Hexaflexagon! Good Luck!

Here's a little challenge for you to try at home!  We're still working on mastering this at school...and tried it during our Math Day...
Great stamina, Kids!!!..Enjoy!

A Little Energy Use Survey......

Stay tuned for a little reflection on our ENERGY USE in our homes!  We'll be going over our data and seeing what we use, how we use it, how MUCH we use of it, and if there's anything we think we can use more efficiently.....be looking for our report here on the blog...... 

From Stories to Essays

Our class started working on how to write outstanding essays this week, starting by integrating science....and  proving whether or not an energy source was renewable or non-renewable.  Students stated their claim and then provided evidence from their reading.  Great work so early on in our unit, kids!  

Later on, students wrote "flash-draft essays" using the thesis "I love ice cream!"  Their evidence was delicious!  They discussed different flavors, summer refreshments, and all of the wonderful toppings you can add!  We're excited to dive into this writing genre, which is an important one to learn now and forever!  

Great Kinderbuddy Time on Wednesday!!!

This week our class got to meet with our Kinderbuddies and we made some special Jack-O-Lanterns that are now hanging proudly in the front hall of RES.   Kids worked in teams to design and create some special pumpkins, each with special expressions made from different colors and shapes.  I was proud of the 4th graders as they worked through this project with their buddies.  They demonstrated leadership, kindness, patience, and friendship.  It was wonderful!

Our First Publishing Party!

Today was a great day in our class!  We had a special lunch time in our classroom!  After finishing our first narrative stories, students set up the room for a fancy and sophisticated lunch time in our classroom!  There was music, calm lights, and restaurant manners all around - with the last 5 minutes dedicated to a dance party!  Congratulations, Kids, and good work!  We'll be sharing stories with each other over the next week and get the chance to really appreciate each others' hard work and creativity! Woo hoo!

Celbrating our Science Learning!

On Friday we wrapped up our Interdependence Unit in Science with a celebration of sharing.  Students toured the room and had time to visit peers' presentations and learn about how the different critters in Vermont depend upon each other for their survival.  Lights dim, classical guitar, and the quiet and thoughtful voices of students making connections and realizations about how Vermont's ecosystems function and thrive. It was a lovely morning!  The students were proud of themselves....and I was proud of them!

Dictionary Races!

Using a dictionary is a great skill to learn, and this week we played a game that made is an extra challenge....thinking alphabetically....efficiently....as a team.....working together.....and having a good time doing it.  I was impressed at the support the students gave to each other as they searched for words.....everyone made it across the finish line and found their words.....woo hoo!

What teamwork! 

Changing Places on the 1000s Chart!

Our class had a great time playing a whole group version of "Changing Places".  It's a way to practice adding and subtracting multiples of 10s and 100s..... Kids are getting really good at their mathematical gymnastics and playing together made it fun!