We made fossils!!

So...it used to be that the only fossil in our classroom was ME...but as of today, we have many fossils in our classroom. The kids created mold and cast fossils this morning...it was very fun and they are pleased with their results! That kind of sums up what our science lessons consisted of this week...we saw an informative video about fossils, we observed and recorded information about many different fossils, and we made a human/fossil timeline with the information we learned! Today we created mold fossils with seashells and then created a cast fossil using plaster of paris...check out the pictures of our fossils endeavor!

In Language Arts this week we are continuing our novel unit with King of the Wind. The students used specific examples from the chapters to answer comprehension questions. We are working on being a "word thief"...the only time you're allowed to steal in school! The students are encouraged to steal words from the question in order to write excellent answers. Most of my friends are doing a wonderful job...a few need reminders...which I'm happy to supply! Next week we will be turning our focus to good test taking habits...we are quickly approaching MSA's and we want our students to do the best job "showing what they know"...we all know they're bright, but without reminders of important test taking skills, sometimes the results are not what they could be...I try to explain to the kids that when I'm grading a paper, I already know them and know what they're capable of...so if I get a paper that could have shown more of what they know, I might return it and ask them to "fix" their paper. The people hired to score the MSA's don't know these kids and there are no second chances, so it's important for them to put their best effort out the first time...there are many tips to helping the kids do this and we will spend a week focusing on them and practicing different types of testing situations. We do many activities each week that are written similarly to the MSA's so this will not be foreign to the kids. Here is the MSA schedule so that you can make sure it is marked on your calendar.

MSA Schedule:
Monday, March 16 - Reading
Tuesday, March 17 - Reading
Thursday, March 19 - Math
Friday, March 20 - Math

During that week it is important to make sure your child:

• eats a great breakfast
• gets a good amount of sleep each night
• arrives to school on time

Although these things are important all year round, they are extremely important the week of testing.

In Math this week we have been working with fractions. Today, as I type, your child is on a website playing a fraction game..."Finding Grampy" which requires them to plot fractions on a number line, one of the 4th grade objectives. We have been working in different groups this week. Some kids have been working on fractions of a set, while others have been working on equivalent fractions. We will continue our fraction study next week and by the end of the week should be headed into decimals!

IMPORTANT NOTE: If your child has not mastered their multiplication facts, working with fractions can prove to be very difficult. If a child is trying to find 2/3 of 24 and they are not aware that 3x8 is 24, they have to work a lot harder. SO...please continue to work with your child on their multiplication facts...thank you!!



Something exciting happened for two of our very own students this week...Grace and Joy were honored at a Young Author's reception...Grace was awarded 1st place at the county level for her poem titled, "Who Says, I Say" and Joy was awarded 1st place at the county level for her story titled, "A Better Future." Congratulations to both girls!!

"Who in the World Reads our Blog?!?!"
Hello to Pratulya's Grandfather in India!!

Pratulya's Grandfather enjoys reading about his grandson's school days. We're happy to have you join our readers!!

Thank you to those of you that were able to help out with our classroom needs...we are now good with glue sticks and scissors!

Enjoy your families this weekend!