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Friday, December 21, 2012

Scrooge

Check out some of the Wordles that we created today. This week we read the story A Christmas Carol, as I read aloud students put into practice th emany skills we've been working on in class. They looked closely at who Scrooge was as a man, what made him that way, and how he changed over time. Students wrote a bunch of notes as I read, and then put those notes into Wordle to create this visual image of their notes. See some of the work by clicking on the links below.

Scrooge Wordle

Scrooge Wordle 2

Scrooge Wordle 3

Friday, December 14, 2012

The Power of Words

Check out a short video clip to see the kids working on their Toontastic cartoons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZynMnlaG4Y&feature=youtu.be

We have been talking a lot about the power of words.  The recognition that words are powerful can truly change a classroom climate.  This week students have been working on being more respectful to one another and to others in the building. Today we zoomed in even more, and we focused on the power of words in technology.  Cyberbullying is becoming a serious problem.  Kids all over the country are finding it easier to say mean things to one another through the "safety" of a machine.  Students had a great lesson today where they shared their own experiences and began to look closely at online messages that they might, at first glance, think is perfectly acceptable, but when looked at closely, they began to see that words can be interpreted in many different ways.

After this lesson, students were asked to create an animated cartoon showing the power of words. We used this amazing app called Toontastic.  Students could choose various backgrounds and characters, then animate the characters and record their own voices saying the dialogue.  They created stories of princesses being bullied by soldiers, sharks on the moon who just didn't belong, and even aliens who were bullies. These animations are then finalized and created into "feature films" with background music and credits.  Needless to say, we had a lot of laughs while all the while learning how important it is to think before we speak. Check out the video link above. It will give you a taste of what the students were doing.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Socrative

   I used a great new app today with the students. It is called Socrative. It is a student response system which allows me to generate questions ahead of time, and for students to use their ipads to answer the questions and get immediate feedback.  Today we took a quiz on Vermont geography. Students were encouraged to use the maps that they have been collecting to answer 10 questions.  The questions were multiple choice and short answer.  The students signed into my "room" by simply typing in the "room" number. They then typed in their names and once submitted, started their quiz.
   Who would have thought that taking a quiz could be fun? When technology is involved, the students seem to miss the fact that they are doing real work.  So I watched as they focused intently on choosing the right answer, or typing in the perfect response.  I heard little cheers when they were given the green correct box and the disappointments when they red incorrect box appeared.
   When all students work was submitted, I was sent a print out of all of their responses and the scores that they received.  It gave me immediate feedback as to areas that the entire class seemed to be struggling with.  What a wonderful tool! This is just one more benefit to having ipads in the classroom. The fourth graders are truly lucky.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Check out our door decorations!  We joined with our neighbors, Mrs. Gilbert and Mrs. Nichols, to create this festive Santa's Workshop.  Yesterday students decorated trees, made the wreath, cut out letters, colored elves, and in the end we have this beautiful display to show for all of their hard work. You can't see it in the picture, but the elves have the faces of the students! The whole school is decked out top to bottom.  We are taking a tour later today to admire the work of all the classroom doors.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

What a Week...

   Well, I must admit that this has been a long week. I think the kids feel it too.  Perhaps it is the season, or maybe it is due to the craziness of November's schedule to be back to regular days. Whatever the case, I have a class of tired children.
   We started the week with a rough math test.  The students didn't do as well as I had hoped. So, I went over somethings and gave it back to them the next day to fix their mistakes. It seems the entire fourth grade struggled with this exam, so we decided not to count the test. We've spent the rest of the week reteaching and focusing on multiplying big numbers. There are two main strategies the students have learned. The first strategy is the array model. This is where students build a frame with one number on the top and one on the side. They then take those numbers and look for smaller numbers that they can group together. For example, if they are multiplying 23 x 6 they may recognize that they have two groups of 10 x 6.  The second strategy is a little more advanced, but many students are beginning to recognize it and use it more often. It is the distributive model. Looking at 23 x 6 instead as 20 x 6 and 3 x 6 and then adding those two numbers together.  I encourage you to ask your child about these methods and have them "teach" you.  This is a wonderful way to solidify what we are doing in class.
    Students have also started creating Glogs through the online website Glogsteredu. This is an online interactive poster that can include, photos, video, and audio.  The focus of these Glogs is a region in Vermont. Each student has been assigned an area to study. They read an article on all areas, took notes on their assigned region, and then did a bit more research online before starting this project.  We will spend the next two days in the computer lab finishing up. I will be sure to share them as soon as they are ready.
   On another note, as you can see above, one group completed their Vermont puzzle. This was such a wonderful accomplishment. They have been working so hard in all of their down time.  I am so proud of them. The other group is coming along nicely as well. They should be finished in a matter of days.  They are anxious to start another one. We shall see what I can find!