News and Notes 10/18

News and Notes

From Fourth Grade

Testing Zone Continued

This week the fourth graders completed their fall NECAP testing.  They showed off all their amazing math know-how during their assessments this week.  Again it was impressive to see how focused and determined these fourth grade learners can be!  They put forth great effort and practiced many of the test-taking strategies we’ve discussed over the past few weeks.  Even though we are proud of all the work we’ve put into NECAP testing, it seems like everyone is happy to return to our regularly scheduled program!  Next week will be a welcome return to the “normal” explorations and adventures that we have come to know in fourth grade.  Many thanks to all of the families and friends who supported these amazing fourth graders in their test-taking ventures! 

Foliage

As is traditional, this past Columbus Day weekend saw the arrival of carnival rides, artisan booths, and lots of enthusiastic visitors to the town of Warner for the Fall Foliage Festival.  The fourth graders were very excited to share all of their Festival adventures.  During our morning meeting shares this week, many students talked about the rides they went on or who they spent time with at the Festival.  In our talking it became evident that although we know lots about the Festival, these fourth graders didn’t seem to understand the meaning of the name “Fall Foliage Festival.”  So, we did some hands-on exploration.  We went outside, grabbed a colorful leaf and took it inside for some creative displays of foliage.  We explored some of the science behind why leaves change color in the fall, and viewed a foliage map to see when the “leaf- peepers” would have the best view of the colorful foliage.  We took all of our new knowledge and created a fun display to answer the question “What is foliage?”  Feel free to check out the display in our hallway, or visit our class blog to see photos of our foliage explorations!

Learning and Sharing

Beyond memorizing facts and developing basic skills, we seek to encourage life-long learner habits in our students at Simonds School.  One of the most important habits of a life-long learner is the ability to share their knowledge with others.  This week the fourth grade scientists took their research on the Earth’s changing surface and presented it to their classmates.  Through digital presentations, models, speeches, and informational notes, the fourth graders found creative ways to take what they had learned and share it with their peers.  This step from learning to sharing is an essential and exciting piece of our fourth grade learning adventure!