Welcome to a World of Discovery
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Parents from all backgrounds joined together in room #13 to read with their favorite people on earth. The texts and business calls were put on hold for one morning while parents snuggled up with their children to read, read, read! Our classroom was packed! We didn't stop with reading. Oh, no! We put the parents to the test. We hosted a heart-pounding competition of "Are You Smarter Than a Fourth-Grader?" These parents learned that their nine and ten-year-old kids are pretty savvy when it comes to the U.S. Constitution, Utah History, the Civil Rights Movement, and earth science. Don't ever doubt the power of a fourth-grade mind! Check out the fun below.
Gandhi once said, "If we are to teach real peace in this world, ... we shall have to begin with the children." His words definitely resonated with the children in room 13. They understand that they have the power to make a dramatic impact on this world.
Our class has been studying the Civil Rights Movement, key players in the movement, and the remarkable life of Martin Luther King, Jr. The students have even memorized the majority of his "I Have a Dream" speech. Yes, they have memorized the speech, and they recite it with remarkable passion. They have put pen to paper to write their own personal dreams for making this world a better place. The children's words give one hope for the future.
Please stop outside our room to read the powerful dreams of some pretty amazing kids. Your hearts will be touched.
Listed below are brief excerpts from each child's dream speech. Click on the child's picture to open the text box.
Our class has been studying the Civil Rights Movement, key players in the movement, and the remarkable life of Martin Luther King, Jr. The students have even memorized the majority of his "I Have a Dream" speech. Yes, they have memorized the speech, and they recite it with remarkable passion. They have put pen to paper to write their own personal dreams for making this world a better place. The children's words give one hope for the future.
Please stop outside our room to read the powerful dreams of some pretty amazing kids. Your hearts will be touched.
Listed below are brief excerpts from each child's dream speech. Click on the child's picture to open the text box.
Our class wrapped up the year with a wonderful trip around the world, discovering how the holidays are celebrated in various countries. Oh, if only the trip included climbing aboard a jet instead of diving into a virtual experience. The children learned about Black Peter, Papa Noel, Father Christmas, Befana, and so many other beloved holiday characters. They discovered that if Mom and Dad call on Hans Trapp, they better watch out, because that means a tree switch for spanking is in the cards for them. Ouch! While many of you may be sitting down to a delicious ham dinner at Grandma's house, friends in Poland and the Czech Republic will be diving into a feast of carp. That's right, carp. Whether it's leaving hay for Kriss Kringle's horse, or knocking on neighbors' doors for Los Posadas, the children in room 13 learned that Christmas is a magical time of year all over the world.
The magic didn't stop with studying the holidays around the world. We played games from around the world for our class holiday party. The students unanimously decided these games beat video games, hands down! Take a peek at the students playing a French rhythm game with cups, the dreidel game from Israel (Hanukkah), and a good old-fashioned American game that included chocolate bars and a very quick eye. Oh, we can't forget the mousetrap game. The students needed good hand-eye coordination for that game.
The day wrapped up with each student receiving a flashlight and the counsel to share their light with the world. As the words in our musical program said, "If we are to have real peace in this world, it will have to begin with the children." ~Gandhi~
The magic didn't stop with studying the holidays around the world. We played games from around the world for our class holiday party. The students unanimously decided these games beat video games, hands down! Take a peek at the students playing a French rhythm game with cups, the dreidel game from Israel (Hanukkah), and a good old-fashioned American game that included chocolate bars and a very quick eye. Oh, we can't forget the mousetrap game. The students needed good hand-eye coordination for that game.
The day wrapped up with each student receiving a flashlight and the counsel to share their light with the world. As the words in our musical program said, "If we are to have real peace in this world, it will have to begin with the children." ~Gandhi~
If the world could hear the voices of young children singing songs of peace and tolerance, perhaps the world would be a better place. Our class shared words of hope, caring, and love through original songs written for them in an effort to promote understanding and peace, now and always. The program also included songs that had spirit, sass, and personality. "The Greatest Gift" touched hearts and resonated with all who came to the program. The pictures below provide a glimpse of the magic we experienced through song and word.
Scroll to the last picture to view some of the post-program shenanigans in our classroom. There is never a dull moment in room 13, and we like it just that way! Enjoy!
Scroll to the last picture to view some of the post-program shenanigans in our classroom. There is never a dull moment in room 13, and we like it just that way! Enjoy!
Learning new things is one of the greatest joys in life, and that learning isn't exclusive to book learning. Ascending a snow-covered mountain and going down on two fiberglass sticks is a great way to teach confidence and build self esteem. The fourth grade students all enjoyed a snowy, blizzard kind-of-day at Solitude as part of the Ski Utah education program. This was a day for the books! The smiles were almost as prominent as the frigid temperatures.
There is more to the holidays than sparkling lights and brightly colored presents. Perhaps, the best part of the season is the music that brings great joy to one and all. And there is nothing more touching than hearing children's voices. Our homeroom class will be sharing a holiday musical production of all original songs. You will be laughing one minute as you watch mischievous boys apologize for their naughty deeds just before Christmas, and you will be wiping away tears as you hear the angelic voices sing about a dream of peace. You won't want to miss this. It will touch your hearts! Please join us on Tuesday, December 18 at 9:15 in the multi-purpose room. Arrive early for best seating. This will be the perfect way to bring the spirit of the season into your hearts and your homes.
Watch out, M.I.T. and C.I.T., some erudite and inquisitive fourth-graders may give you a run for your money when it comes to the fields of science and engineering. These students proved they have the chops and the tenacity to make amazing discoveries. Each student focused on an area that was of particular interest to him/her. Developing a hypothesis and then doing observations and collecting data were critical components of each science project. Our class projects ranged from emulsifiers to rock porosity to solar power to airplane construction and much more. Take a look at these budding scientists.
Lions and tigers and bears...oh, my! Witches and goblins and ghosts that fly! We saw them all with a few pirates, beauty queens, clowns, and ballerinas thrown in for good measure. Take a look at the fun our class had on Halloween.
The Celtic holiday wasn't just about treats and games. Our class learned the haunted history of this spooky day. Did you know that Halloween originated in Ireland, U.K. and France many centuries ago? The polytheistic Celts believed October 31 marked the end of summer and the transition to winter. To commemorate this day, the people celebrated Samhain (sow' un). They believed the spirits of the dead rose from the grave on this day. The Celts wore animal skins and heads to disguise themselves from the spirits who roamed about creating mischief. They also left bowls of food on their porches to appease the spirits. Do you see the connections between Samhain and modern-day Halloween? Well, our class surely does. Test their knowledge with a few questions about this eery holiday of fun.
The Celtic holiday wasn't just about treats and games. Our class learned the haunted history of this spooky day. Did you know that Halloween originated in Ireland, U.K. and France many centuries ago? The polytheistic Celts believed October 31 marked the end of summer and the transition to winter. To commemorate this day, the people celebrated Samhain (sow' un). They believed the spirits of the dead rose from the grave on this day. The Celts wore animal skins and heads to disguise themselves from the spirits who roamed about creating mischief. They also left bowls of food on their porches to appease the spirits. Do you see the connections between Samhain and modern-day Halloween? Well, our class surely does. Test their knowledge with a few questions about this eery holiday of fun.
Chewbacca, maps, and dream destinations...Say what? What do Star Wars characters and world maps have to do with fourth grade? It's simple! They were all part of our participation in the 2018 GIS Day, which was held at the Miller campus of SLCC. Students were shown the various methods geographers use to track data. To enhance interest, students were given info cards that contained relevant habitat information for Star Wars characters. Using a grid system on the map, students set out to find their assigned Star Wars characters. In addition, they were shown a myriad of ways that data is used throughout the world. So many fields require geographic data in today's complex world. With drones, GPS, and computers, geographic studies have come a long way since Grandpa used a paper copy of a road map.
Take a look at the fun our class had as they explored the world around them.
Take a look at the fun our class had as they explored the world around them.
Did your high school physics class give you nightmares? Did the mere mention of inertia and Newton's Law of Motion make you weak in the knees? Maybe you should talk to your 4th-grade student. Inertia, friction, acceleration, and gravity came alive as we demonstrated these different properties with toy cars, Legos, and tracks. Add in some clay, marbles, aluminum foil, bolts, and rugs, and you've got a fun day of learning about physics.
Students learned how to conduct experiments with a control group and a variable. Variables included differing weights of cars, differing slopes of tracks, differing racing surfaces, and differing forces of motion. Adding Legos to the cars helped demonstrate inertia. Come on, you remember what it is. "A body in motion tends to stay in motion. A body at rest tends to stay at rest." Give it try. Send a toy car down a ramp that is blocked by a stack of books. The car will stop, but the Lego on top will continue to fly through the air. That's inertia.
Students were divided into teams and worked together to generate a different hypothesis for each experiment testing acceleration, friction, and inertia. They recorded data and drew conclusions from each experiment. Who says physics has to be boring? Just check out the intense concentration on these faces. These kids discovered that learning is FUN!
Click on the first slide to activate the slide show.
For more science fun, click on the "MORE" tab and scroll down to the science link. There you will find more amazing discoveries being made by clever 4th-graders!
Students learned how to conduct experiments with a control group and a variable. Variables included differing weights of cars, differing slopes of tracks, differing racing surfaces, and differing forces of motion. Adding Legos to the cars helped demonstrate inertia. Come on, you remember what it is. "A body in motion tends to stay in motion. A body at rest tends to stay at rest." Give it try. Send a toy car down a ramp that is blocked by a stack of books. The car will stop, but the Lego on top will continue to fly through the air. That's inertia.
Students were divided into teams and worked together to generate a different hypothesis for each experiment testing acceleration, friction, and inertia. They recorded data and drew conclusions from each experiment. Who says physics has to be boring? Just check out the intense concentration on these faces. These kids discovered that learning is FUN!
Click on the first slide to activate the slide show.
For more science fun, click on the "MORE" tab and scroll down to the science link. There you will find more amazing discoveries being made by clever 4th-graders!
What do hummus, pita bread, olives, and Turkish Delight have in common? The students in room 13 know that making real world connections are an important part of learning, and foods are a critical piece to a region's culture. This week, our language arts class studied a story from the Middle East. To make the setting come alive, our class partook of authentic foods from that part of the world. To add a fun twist to the day's epicurean adventure, each of the students wore a scarf tied with a fashionable Turkish knot. This correlated with a funny experience the teacher had while visiting the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey.
Learning is more than just reading and math. You can be sure learning includes discovering the magic of another culture. Take a look at these 4th grade fashionistas at our epicurean adventure below.
The fun with food didn't end with Middle Eastern cuisine. The Eagles Nest honorees enjoyed a delicious root beer float party. Check out those root beer mustaches! Scroll below the slide show to see the Eagles Nest winners.
Learning is more than just reading and math. You can be sure learning includes discovering the magic of another culture. Take a look at these 4th grade fashionistas at our epicurean adventure below.
The fun with food didn't end with Middle Eastern cuisine. The Eagles Nest honorees enjoyed a delicious root beer float party. Check out those root beer mustaches! Scroll below the slide show to see the Eagles Nest winners.
The first honorees admitted to our class Eagles Nest were announced this week. These students have demonstrated exemplary patterns of behavior, scholastic achievement, and citizenship. They each received a small gift and a certificate of recognition. In addition, they will be honored at an Eagles Nest root beer float party. Click on the "MORE" tab to access the drop down menu listing the Eagles Nest. This page features the photos of these exemplary kids. Congratulations to Justin, Constance, Quinn, and Maiyah.
Even 4th-graders can appreciate the beauty of works composed by Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Ravel, and Mussorgsky. It's especially intriguing when the compositions are played by the Utah Symphony and couched in wonderful stories, like Cinderella, Hook, and Beauty and the Beast. Our class attended the Utah Symphony concert at Cottonwood High School. Eastwood 4th-graders represented our school well. They were dressed to the nines and demonstrated exemplary concert behavior. Take a look at this awesome venture into the world of classical music. Who knew that getting some culture could be so much fun?
What do muskrats, hawks, beavers, and cattails have in common? The answer is simple. They were all observed on our recent field trip to the Murray Nature Preserve. The 4th grade science curriculum includes studies of various Utah habitats and wildlife. This hidden gem along the Jordan River provides the perfect backdrop for studying wetlands habitats. The students, teachers, and parents were thoroughly engaged in this nature study. To top it off, all were able to dissect owl pellets to discover what predatory birds consume. The zoology department at the U has nothing on these 4th-graders. Take a look at the learning that took place, thanks to Mother Nature. Click on the picture to start the slideshow.
There is more to school than reading, writing, and arithmetic. In fact, there are a "melon" reasons to love school. Students in Room 13 discovered just how much fun a watermelon party can be. There was, however, much more to the party than just eating this delicious summer treat. Our homeroom class learned so many interesting facts about watermelon history. The kids were put to the test to recall their newly-discovered watermelon trivia with multiple rounds of "Watermelon Tic-Tac-Toe." Did you know that watermelons were first cultivated in Egypt over 5,000 years ago? Historians have found pictures on the walls of ancient Egyptian burial tombs. The Egyptians placed actual melons in the tombs to provide a food source for the dead souls in the afterlife. Oh, and did you know that the Moors, North African Muslims, introduced watermelons to Europe when they conquered Spain in the 13th century? Whole Foods has nothing on the Japanese stores when it comes to unique produce. Japanese farmers grow square watermelons by placing glass boxes around the melons during the growing process. This is done to maximize storage space of the melons in this densely populated country. You probably think watermelon is a fruit, but you are WRONG! It is actually a member of the cucumber and squash family. Some experts also classify it in the pepo berry group. Betcha didn't know there were so many interesting tidbits about watermelons. However, your fourth-grader surely does. Who knew school could be so much fun?
Check out the delicious, fruity fun our class had to cap off a fabulous first week of school. See pictures below. PARENTS MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE As parents, do you wonder how much your efforts impact your child's development and performance in school? Teachers who have been in the classroom for an extended period of time will likely tell you, "Parents make all the difference." And, indeed, they do.
This teacher listened to a fascinating study on a recent TED talk broadcast. This comes from a British study of children conducted over several decades and among different generations. It is one of the longest studies ever conducted on human development. One of the studies included a group of 17,000 children who were born in 1970. Researchers aimed to determine why some children born in poverty were able to beat the odds and become successful in school and why some children in poverty failed to do well. The data showed that what mattered most was having engaged, interested parents. Even simple things like talking to a young child, teaching them their letters and numbers, and taking them on trips had a marked impact on a child's performance. Children who were read to by their parents at age five were significantly less likely to be in poverty at age 30 than those children whose parents did not read to them. Another study showed that bedtime routines have a dramatic impact on a child's school performance. The data showed that children who go to bed a random times tended to have more behavioral problems than those children who had structured bedtime routines. So, parents, don't ever doubt the impact you have on your child. The next time your child asks for a little of your time, remember, YOU MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE! Your child is your greatest investment in the future!!! |
Click on the TED and Grit images below to link to sites.