literature studies

Journal entry by Keenan

For the next five weeks we are going to be studying literature.  We will do these studies instead of Journeys.  We have two groups.  One is studying Abel`s Island and the other is studying Ralph S. Mouse.

Journal entry by Maddie

We have these journals and every time we read we have to answer a question.   Then color a picture of something that has to do with the question.  It is pretty cool and we are having fun doing reading this way. 
By Trevor

Journal entry by Charlotte

Hexagons, Trapezoids and Triangles Oh My

Yesterday we created line plots graphs with real polygons.  The students were given random amounts of pattern blocks.  With a partner the students created graphs on their desks.

After we made graphs on our desks, we were able to answer many different questions about range, mode and comparisons.  This activity brought to life how important graphs are as a visual resource to understanding data.

Jug End Hikers

         Yesterday, October 22, we went hiking at Jug End.

We hiked with Christine Ward who maintains that section of the trail.  Mantain means to take care of something.  Our hike was mostly in the woods and across some wide, open, meadows, and a  lot of  walking across wooden bog bridges, which I liked.  My favorite bog bridges went across the meadow.  They were really long, twisty, narrow, wobbly, and hard to walk on.

About 90 percent of the hike was in the woods. The hike was truly amazing and Mrs.Ward taught us a lot. We were able to do a lot of hands on stuff, like going off trail to collect three different types of leaves and then share them with the class.

We also came across a tree with really big heart shaped leaves and we were each able to pick a leaf off the tree without hurting it. It's amazing how fat the trunk of a 200 or 300 year old tree can be. I really enjoyed the hike, and I want to hike that section of the Appalachian Trail again.  Written by Kathryn

Invasive Species Post cards

In class we have been doing research on an invasive species
that we got to pickto learn about. Our class and Miss Neat's class are doing a tree for the Bershire Museum's Festival of Trees. We drew a picture of our invasive and when we are done we got to do some resarch on the computer. 

Drawn by Logan

Drawn by Keenan

Some of the questions were hard but most of them were easy.We are going to be making two  invasives  if we want to. One is going to be a southern species and the other is going to be a northern.I can't wait to get started on my southern plant.Once all of our  research and drawling is done we will send them to a printer and they will make them look like a post card you would see in a store.

Drawn by Maddie

I hope you will get to see the tree while it's on display !!


  






written by,
Mikel   

Meet our Pets

A great big THANK YOU to all of our parents.  We now have two little mice in our room and another fish. 

I bought us two female mice that are just sweet as can be.  One is black and one is white.  We are in the process of thinking of names for them.  They are already hand trained and enjoy being pet.  Right now I am the only one holding them, but soon your children will be able to hold them also.

They will enjoy little treats here and there of carrots, apples and other fruits and veggies.  Although mice are opportunists, I want to keep them on healthy snacks besides their normal food.  They also enjoy hiding in and chewing up paper towel rolls and toilet paper rolls.  So don't be surprised when your children start asking for them.

The first time they can go visiting will be for the Thanksgiving vacation.  If anyone is interested in having them visit I will need a note staying you want to host them.  Your child will be responsible for taking care of them and writing in their journal, which will come home with them.

Thank you again, the kids are so happy!!!

Bittersweet Removal

Last Friday the students in our class worked on a service project on our UME campus.  Before we went

Lesson before we outside

outside we learned about how to identify the various vines that can be found on our campus so that we could differentiate between poison ivy and bittersweet.  We learned that bittersweet is a vine that has alternate patterned leaves and can hang loosely from a tree or twine very tightly to almost suffocate the tree.  Poison ivy has three leaves and grows in the opposite pattern of leaves and hugs the tree very tightly with tiny hairs holding on to the tree.  We also learned about native grape vine and Virginia Creeper which can both be found in our woods locally.

After the children learned how to identify the vines we went outside with our tools and got to work.  In less than an hour we successfully removed two huge buckets of bittersweet including one section that included berries.  The children learned that the berries are the most important thing to remove since that is were the all important seeds  are that spread the bittersweet.  We also learned how to remove it.  You have to cut it at the ground and also above your head and then keep checking on it in the future to make sure it does not grow back together.

We even had to unwind the bittersweet from around a few trees.  It was so tight on one tree that it is 

impeding the growth of the tree and actually cutting into the bark as the tree is growing.  The students were very excited about this project and asked if we could continue to work on this one
section that has a lot of bittersweet in it.  I think we will continue with this service project since it gives them good volunteer experience as well as empowering them to do good things for their school community. 

4th Grade Goes Native!

Project Native Gardens

On 9/30/13 Mrs.Garcia's 4th grade class went to Project Native Gardens.This piture is at the end of the trip on the way to the butterfly house.Before that we were in the field walking around and collecting seeds.  My favorite part of the trip was walking along and looking at the beautiful flowers.  I saw so many flowers there, more then really anywhere!  I got stinging nettle while collecting seeds and so did some other people.  In the end it was great!
Written by Charlottte

 The children collected seeds in the seed field and we will be drying them over the next month.  Then we will store them until the spring when we make seed balls out of sand, soil and compost.  When we do the garlic mustard removal in April we will scatter the native seed balls so that native flowers grow again where the invasives had taken over.

 We started our afternoon in a circle learning about Project Native and the great work they are doing there.  Their goal is to grow native plants from seeds to have the community  plant in their home gardens. 

A bag of Joe Pye Weed seeds

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