News and Notes 4/24

News and Notes

From Fourth Grade 

Oh the Thinks You Can Think!

Every spring the students of Simonds Elementary School participate in "Culture Day."  This is one day out of our school year that is set aside for students to explore and appreciate the arts and find how these integrate into their other academic pursuits and their lives outside of school.  This year the students of Simonds School got to be in attendance at the Rochester Opera House's production of Seussical the Musical.  Just as you would expect from something associated with the beloved Dr. Seuss, the show was full of colorful scenery, larger-than-life characters, and powerful messages about belonging and social responsibility.  The silly songs and the bright costumes added to the highly engaging performances.  The fourth graders, along with the rest of their schoolmates, thoroughly enjoyed the show.  In the midst of a season of busy learning and testing, it is great to take time to see how learning can lead us to such creative accomplishments!  The theme of thinking and pursuing knowledge was emphasized over and over again in fun and exciting ways.  We all left the performance with the theme song running through our minds.  It is exciting to see what "thinks" our fourth graders can think each new day!

Version of the Story

Some of the most complicated skills that fourth grade readers are asked to develop are the skills of synthesizing and summarizing.  One way that we can encourage these critical skills in the fourth grade thinkers is by presenting different versions of the same story.  This week we were given a unique opportunity to practice our summarizing and synthesizing skills.  We had the play Seussical the Musical fresh in our minds when we read through the familiar picture book Horton Hears a Who and watched the short animated film based on the book.  We made a Venn diagram to compare these three versions of a similar story.  We found that there were similarities in the plot, characters, and settings.  We discussed similarities in the theme that flowed through these different versions of the story.  We also talked about how presenting a story in different forms will inevitably change some of the ways that the audience interprets and responds to it.  As we step into the world of summarizing and synthesizing, the fourth grader readers are doing a great job of bringing these critical thinking skills to their work!

A Part of the Whole

In math this week we dug more deeply into the concept of fractions.  Building on our strong understanding of multiplication, we used the ideas of multiples and factors to help us determine what fractions were equivalent (equal.)  The fourth grade mathematicians were given the option to use geometric representations of fractions or computational number sentences to determine if a set of given fractions were equivalent or not.  It is exciting to see how some of our minds are more comfortable with shapes and visuals while others prefer to talk in terms of numbers and computation.  Either strategies we used, we came to the same conclusion.  It was a good chance to recognize that often there is more than one way to get to an answer.  In the end we were all able to analyze and determine the value of a given fraction, a part of the whole.

News and Notes 4/17

News and Notes

From Fourth Grade

Conductors

The fourth graders have continued their study of energy and electricity in science.  This week we continued our study of simple circuits and explored different materials and their interactions with electrical energy.  We found that we could sort materials into two groups: conductors and insulators.  Conductors were materials that we found were able to allow electricity to flow through them.  Insulators were materials that did not allow electricity flow well.  The fourth grade scientists really enjoyed testing different materials, from hair clips to shoes, they determined if the objects around them would make good conductors of electricity.  It was exciting to see how engaged the fourth graders become when they get to discover and experiment and act out all of those great inquiry-based learning skills we encourage of them.  These are life-long learner qualities that we are trying to instill in them now!

Assessment

This week the fourth graders worked through the SBAC testing in mathematics.  It was quite the challenging test, but these fourth graders certainly gave it their best.  So much of their lives will be accounting for themselves, whether that be an evaluation by a future employer or demonstrating their knowledge of driving safety on their (long from now) driver's education exam.  Knowing the content is the work we busy ourselves with during the rest of the school year.  Knowing how to take a test and demonstrate what we know is what we get to do during this season of testing.  These skills of sticking with a challenging and reading directions carefully will have so many applications for these students later in life.  Although we breathe a bit of a sigh of relief with the SBAC testing completed for this school year, we recognize that there is so much more learning and work left to be done before we close the book on fourth grade! 

Springtime Songs

This week marked the annual whole-school music concert.  The fourth graders, along with the rest of their schoolmates, were full of nervous energy on Thursday as they anticipated the evening's concert.  What a terrific turn out to this favored annual event.  The fourth graders were so excited to share the great musical selections with their friends and families, and it was obvious that the audience really enjoyed the performance.  It is exciting to see the unity and community we have at Simonds School during an event like the spring concert.  Many thanks to the families who took the time and effort to make it out for the concert.  It is truly a gift that you give your child and their school when you make these kinds of school events a whole family adventure.  It is so encouraging to see friendly faces of families there to support their children in all aspects of their academic careers!

Researchers with a Critical Eye

Not all websites are created equal.  This may be an obvious truth for some of us, while others many be willing and eager to accept anything found online as reliable and accurate.  This week as the fourth graders continued working on their research projects, we took some time to talk about how to be a critical thinker when it comes to finding online resources.  We heard some stories of researching misadventures that demonstrated the importance of checking to make sure that our sources are reliable and academic.  It is fun to collect information using technology and the internet, but we are learning how to do this in a way that is safe and helpful! 

Spring

The fourth graders have been working hard with testing.  This week we celebrated our testing success as well as the return of sunshine and warm weather.

Electricity

The fourth graders have been enjoying science lately!  This week we explored simple circuits and made some shocking discoveries about electricity!  

Light Obstacle Course

In our study of different types of energy, this week the fourth grade scientists created their own "light obstacle courses" to show how light energy is transferred.  Enjoy watching the light in motion!

News and Notes 4/10

News and Notes

From Fourth Grade

Learning, Naturally

We had an extraordinary, noteworthy moment of learning in fourth grade this week.  However optimistically (or op-too-much-istically) I can tend to look at the learning of fourth graders, the reality is that there is almost always a friend or two in class who isn't totally engaged in their learning.  Whether it's because they are tired or sick or grumpy or hungry or confused or bored, the truth is that sometimes we just aren't ready for learning.  This week however I paused in the middle of a writing lesson and surveyed the whole classroom.  Every student was engaged in their learning.  They were excitedly talking about their learning and reading and taking notes.  They all seemed to be driven by an innate desire to know.  This remarkable moment of learning took place as the students worked on their first ever "formal" research projects.  It is so exciting to see moments of pure eagerness to know and discover in students.  When the time comes to end the lesson and move on, it is always a good sign of engagement when there is a grumbling about having to stop! 

Shocking Truth

As we continued our study of energy this week, the fourth grade scientists got to experience energy up-close.  They were given a pile of supplies and asked to make a bulb light up.  Using only their prior knowledge of electricity and circuits, the fourth graders worked in small groups to achieve their goal.  How exciting to see those literal "light bulb" moments around the classroom!  As we continue to learn more about different forms of energy and how they work, these fourth grade scientists are bringing a great deal of curiosity and prior knowledge to each conversation.  There are so many things to discover and many questions that we have yet to explore together!

Testing Season

This week marked the beginning of our season of spring testing.  The fourth graders participated in the first year of SBAC ("Smarter Balanced") testing in English/Language Arts this week.  The most notable difference between this standardized test and those the students have worked on in the past is that this test is completed online.  The fourth graders did a really great job of working hard and showing off their smarts.  It was exciting to see them almost eager to show what they know in this new format.  We also were able to participate in a different type of assessment called a "Performance Task."  This type of assessment involves a group lesson and reflects more of the type of learning and assessing we do throughout the school year.  Next week the fourth graders will jump into the Math SBAC test, and it seems likely that they will continue to shine through this on-going testing season!

Making Connections

This week the fourth grade mathematicians began work with fractions.  Although it seemed strange at first, the beginning of this unit of study didn't start with fractions, but rather focused on factors and multiples.  We discussed prime and composite numbers and discovered factors for numbers up to 100.  As we eventually came to the actual work with fractions, we discovered that making connections between factors and multiples will help us greatly with comparing, ordering, and finding equivalent fractions.  We often talk about math learning as a building, and we've discovered that multiplication/division concepts are actually foundational for a good understanding of fractions.  

News and Notes 4/3

News and Notes

From Fourth Grade

Take Three

This week the fourth graders participated in our "Math Day Monday - Take Three."  The focus of this week's math day was fractions and decimals.  The fourth graders did an amazing job recalling prior knowledge of fractions, making connections to new concepts, and finding ways that fractions apply to "real life."  We found that much of the discussion of fractions related to our work this year in place value and general computation skills.  It was exciting to see how to fourth grade mathematicians were able to explore new ideas relating to fractions on their own.  What great insights and strategies they formulated to solve problems they had never encountered before.  These "Math Day Mondays" have served as a good review and preview of math content and have also given us a chance to see how math connects to our lives beyond the classroom.   

Heat and Light

This week the fourth grade scientists continued their study of energy by exploring heat and light energy.  They melted ice cubes and planned obstacle courses for light.  By mixing hands-on exploration with whole class discussion, informational book reading, and video watching, the fourth grade scientists are growing in their understanding of the different types of energy they experience every day.  Some of our discussions got complicated and it was exciting to see how the students were able to dig deeply to ask questions and formulate hypotheses about energy.  Starting next week we will be exploring fuel energy and electricity.  It seems very likely that the fourth grade scientists will approach these types of energy with the same curiosity and thoughtful exploration!  These fourth grade scientists really are enjoying getting "energized!"

Questions

As we continue along the path to writing our very first research paper, this week we focused on more of our prewriting activities.  The fourth grade writers were given the task of formulating guiding questions relating to their research topics.  Using their thesis statement as a starting point, the fourth grade writers created some impressive lists of questions.  These questions will be very important in guiding our research in the coming weeks!

Let the Testing Begin

Monday marks the first day of our standardized testing with the new SBAC test.  This "Smarter Balanced" test is a new format of assessment which will be completed online.  The fourth graders have done an excellent job of working through the process of testing online during our recent practice tests.  We are eager to show what we know, even if we all (teachers included) are feeling a bit anxious about what this new format of testing will bring to us.  One thing is sure though, these fourth graders will most certainly shine if they work hard and show off their smarts!  Many thanks in advance to our families for helping us get good sleep, healthy food, and lots of time to be outside and enjoy play during these next few testing weeks.