OPERATION HILLSIDE: |
"Many things inspired me its hard to pick one, but I will have to pick when we went to Mrs. Parkers room and looked through the books. Thats when my group thoroughly discussed what we thought we could do. I can't wait for next time we work on this MEGA AWESOME project!" "Well today I was mostly inspired when I saw a picture of a peninsula that was cliff like on all edges and had trees sticking up on the top. This inspired me to have something including trees and a rock climbing wall. So the tree idea went into little wrap around porches on the top of the trees with slides going down and, the rock climbing wall could go up onto a tree's balcony." | "The books and quotes inspired me by giving me information about nature and giving me ideas of what to do to the hillside. The slideshow inspired me by also giving me ideas of what to do to the hillside. When we went outside also gave me inspiration by telling me what the hillside looks like now." "Everything inspired me today! In Mrs.Walther's class it was fun to see the different stations. In Mr.Edward's I liked to look at ways to add to the hillside. In Mrs.Kenney's class I liked see all the quotes.In Mrs.Parker's class I loved reading the books." "I got inspired when my team all got together and started brain storming.Then we all came up of the best hillside discussion ever!" | "What inspired me the most about operation hillside today was the idea of having a deck on the hill because it gave me an idea about adding chairs and lots of plants. I think kids would like it there because it would be pretty up there and would have a view of the whole lower playground. I think it would be a great idea because if the kids like it, it's likely they won't hurt it. Also the deck would be a nice place because there would be a fence around it that could keep deer out and other pests so the nice plants won't be eaten. The people would like it I think because if somebody is stressed being there would be peaceful and relaxed. So now I think it'll all help us to "Go Outside"." |
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We have spent a good part of this week reading this beautiful book. It's the true story of the Nashua River in Massachusetts. It begins back before there were even people around, takes us through the Indians that lived along the river and their lives there, then the arrival of the settlers and how they used the river, on through the Industrial Revolution and the pollution of the river, and to Marion Stoddard, the woman who led the effort to clean up the river. This ties in beautifully with both our social studies and science topics, and also led to a research project.
These are two of the pages that inspired the research. Throughout the book are these borders with pictures of items used during the time period being talked about. Students have chosen one of these objects and researched how and when it was used, what it is made of, and what it was used for. The illustrations throughout the book are gorgeous, especially the three that show the changes to the river over time.
VETERAN'S DAY
On November 11, students took a break from our regular curriculum to learn about and celebrate Veteran's Day. Their lesson began with a reading of the book The Wall, which is about a boy who visits the Vietnam Veterans Memorial with his grandfather. We had a sub that day who actually fled Vietnam with her family at the end of the war, and she relayed her story to the children, and the importance of our military in their escape. Students then read about the history of Veteran's Day and completed comprehension questions and vocabulary work with their new learning. THANK YOU VETERANS FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY!
On November 11, students took a break from our regular curriculum to learn about and celebrate Veteran's Day. Their lesson began with a reading of the book The Wall, which is about a boy who visits the Vietnam Veterans Memorial with his grandfather. We had a sub that day who actually fled Vietnam with her family at the end of the war, and she relayed her story to the children, and the importance of our military in their escape. Students then read about the history of Veteran's Day and completed comprehension questions and vocabulary work with their new learning. THANK YOU VETERANS FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY!
SOCIAL STUDIES
We continue to move through Ohio's history and are nearing the American Revolution. We spent a lot of time understanding the reasons the French, British and Native Americans were here in Ohio. We moved on to the precursors of the American Revolution...the French and Indian War, the Stamp Act, the Proclamation Line of 1763, the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party. On Friday we watched an episode of Liberty's Kids, which helped bring the Boston Tea party to life for the kids. Such an interesting time in our nation's history!
DISGUISE A TURKEY
These turkeys are SO CUTE! Students were so excited to see each other's creativity! Stories were written about how the turkey came to be in the disguise, and these are displayed in our hallway. Students of all ages are enjoying our turkeys in disguise! ENJOY!
We continue to move through Ohio's history and are nearing the American Revolution. We spent a lot of time understanding the reasons the French, British and Native Americans were here in Ohio. We moved on to the precursors of the American Revolution...the French and Indian War, the Stamp Act, the Proclamation Line of 1763, the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party. On Friday we watched an episode of Liberty's Kids, which helped bring the Boston Tea party to life for the kids. Such an interesting time in our nation's history!
DISGUISE A TURKEY
These turkeys are SO CUTE! Students were so excited to see each other's creativity! Stories were written about how the turkey came to be in the disguise, and these are displayed in our hallway. Students of all ages are enjoying our turkeys in disguise! ENJOY!
Wishing all of you a fabulous Thanksgiving full of yummy food and warm memories!
Every Drop CouNts!
Water covers 75% of the Earth's surface, but only a small bit of that water is available for human consumption. Thank you, Mrs. Jabir, for sharing an important experience with learners. Students worked together to build a model to show how much of our planet's water is usable. Follow up discussions brought to light that with a growing population, it is imperative for us to be efficient consumers of our water.
After building a model, students read, What is Water Worth? and responded to a question in our Google Classroom space.
After building a model, students read, What is Water Worth? and responded to a question in our Google Classroom space.
TEACHING AND SHARING
After completing Google Slides presentations, learners shared their collaborative projects, and learned from one another!
Students answered questions, took notes, and asked questions. They also left positive sticky notes behind for the presentation creators.
I was impressed by how quickly students became comfortable with this tool. Students were great about using the comment feature in Slides to discuss project issues, ask questions, and apply my feedback.
BRAVO 4K and 4W!
Students answered questions, took notes, and asked questions. They also left positive sticky notes behind for the presentation creators.
I was impressed by how quickly students became comfortable with this tool. Students were great about using the comment feature in Slides to discuss project issues, ask questions, and apply my feedback.
BRAVO 4K and 4W!
PROBLEM BASED LEARNING:
"OPERATION HILLSIDE" Kick-OFF
All Harman fourth graders came together on Friday morning to observe, explore, and think about the hillside on our lower playground.
Student teams were asked:
What do you notice?
What positives/negatives do you notice in relation to safety, play, the land?
What processes do you see at play?
How does the hill area affect your play?
What questions do you have about the natural space surrounding the play equipment?
What changes to this area have you noticed during your time here at Harman?
Observation teams documented their thinking and returned to class to report their findings to their table groups. Observations were organized on chart paper, and a gallery walk followed. Students looked for patterns and common themes among the information.
Ask your child to share to share about this with you!
Finally, the problem was presented:
How can the hillside on the lower playground be modified to reduce or eliminate erosion, and benefit the Harman School community in the way of learning and/or play?
Fourth graders will work in teams throughout the remainder of the year to research and propose a solution to this problem. We are excited to facilitate this problem based learning experience which will address learning standards across the 4th grade curriculum. Stay tuned!
Student teams were asked:
What do you notice?
What positives/negatives do you notice in relation to safety, play, the land?
What processes do you see at play?
How does the hill area affect your play?
What questions do you have about the natural space surrounding the play equipment?
What changes to this area have you noticed during your time here at Harman?
Observation teams documented their thinking and returned to class to report their findings to their table groups. Observations were organized on chart paper, and a gallery walk followed. Students looked for patterns and common themes among the information.
Ask your child to share to share about this with you!
Finally, the problem was presented:
How can the hillside on the lower playground be modified to reduce or eliminate erosion, and benefit the Harman School community in the way of learning and/or play?
Fourth graders will work in teams throughout the remainder of the year to research and propose a solution to this problem. We are excited to facilitate this problem based learning experience which will address learning standards across the 4th grade curriculum. Stay tuned!
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
We have jumped headfirst into a focus on non-fiction text. Last week, the topic was BATS! Students first read an article comparing and contrasting bats and owls. Being able to compare and contrast topics is an important skill in reading, as it is a commonly used structure for writing non-fiction. We moved on to a leveled passage written about bats in general, and then students read 2 articles about 2 different types of bats. I also introduced/reviewed a method of previewing non-fiction text called THIEVES. THIEVES is an acronym that has students go through different parts of the text BEFORE reading the article or section.
T=Title
H=Headings
I=Introduction
E=Every first sentence
V=Visuals & Vocabulary
E=End of section questions
S=Summary
It is a great way to set set expectations for reading and access prior knowledge about a topic.
We have jumped headfirst into a focus on non-fiction text. Last week, the topic was BATS! Students first read an article comparing and contrasting bats and owls. Being able to compare and contrast topics is an important skill in reading, as it is a commonly used structure for writing non-fiction. We moved on to a leveled passage written about bats in general, and then students read 2 articles about 2 different types of bats. I also introduced/reviewed a method of previewing non-fiction text called THIEVES. THIEVES is an acronym that has students go through different parts of the text BEFORE reading the article or section.
T=Title
H=Headings
I=Introduction
E=Every first sentence
V=Visuals & Vocabulary
E=End of section questions
S=Summary
It is a great way to set set expectations for reading and access prior knowledge about a topic.
Students' realistic fiction stories are typed and printed! We will have a day to share our stories in the next week or so. We have also continued to work on and practice the use of quotation marks in conversation. And we've begun to practice identifying main idea and details, a skill that will help with both our reading and writing.
SOCIAL STUDIES
We continue to move forward in time in Ohio's history. We have spent time focusing on the 6 main tribes that were here in the 1700s, their homes, language, culture, clothing, and other facts. We also learned about ways they cooperated with one another, and that there was sometimes conflict among these tribes. We are entering the time period when Europeans and Native Americans in Ohio start to come into contact with each other, then on to the founding of America!
SOCIAL STUDIES
We continue to move forward in time in Ohio's history. We have spent time focusing on the 6 main tribes that were here in the 1700s, their homes, language, culture, clothing, and other facts. We also learned about ways they cooperated with one another, and that there was sometimes conflict among these tribes. We are entering the time period when Europeans and Native Americans in Ohio start to come into contact with each other, then on to the founding of America!
EVERYBODY COUNTS
Both classes had volunteers come in to present the Everybody Counts program to the students. Thank you to Mrs. Jarvis, Mrs. Zelik, Ms. Mitchner, Mrs. Connell, and Mrs. Flannery for sharing your time with us! In fourth grade, the focus is on cognitive delays. As the mother of a son with this type of disability, I feel that it is imperative to have the conversations that were held all throughout the year, at school and at home. We have conversations about everybody counting all the time at Harman, and my greatest hope is to foster a sense of acceptance in and for all of my students.
Both classes had volunteers come in to present the Everybody Counts program to the students. Thank you to Mrs. Jarvis, Mrs. Zelik, Ms. Mitchner, Mrs. Connell, and Mrs. Flannery for sharing your time with us! In fourth grade, the focus is on cognitive delays. As the mother of a son with this type of disability, I feel that it is imperative to have the conversations that were held all throughout the year, at school and at home. We have conversations about everybody counting all the time at Harman, and my greatest hope is to foster a sense of acceptance in and for all of my students.
Author
Anne Kenney
Kimberly Walther
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