What are you reading this summer?  Please write up a short commercial for the book that you recommend.  Don’t give away the secrets of the book, but try to persuade your classmates to read it!

I haven’t been paying too much attention to our classroom blog at all lately, and so I decided that it might be fun to bring it back this summer.  Maybe we can have some good discussions about what we are doing, books we are reading, websites we like, ideas we have etc., etc., etc.

Let’s start with reflections of fourth grade.  On the last day of school we ran out of time to give all of our reflections, so here is your chance.  Pass it on to any of our classmates that the blog is up and running again.  Let’s have fun with it!

Mrs. McC

One of the easiest types of poetry is the COUPLET.  Each couplet is a two-line thought that rhymes.  Read the couplets below and post some of your own!

In the winter when it snows,

I catch a cold and blow my nose.

Presents wrapped under the tree,

Some for you and some for me.

Have fun writing some couplets.

What a great book! I know that I’m truly enjoying the excellent writing of Cornelia Funke, the author of Dragon Rider. Who is your favorite character so far and why? Do you like to read fantasy? What are your favorite books? Let’s start a book discussion. Post your comment!

A THANKSGIVING TWIST is an activity that my students love every year.  Here is how it works:  Think of something that you might complain about.  Now twist it into something that you for which you are thankful.

For example:

I’m thankful for my alarm clock waking me up so early in the morning because that means I won’t be late for school!

I’m thankful for cleaning off the table after dinner because that means that I have delicious food to eat.

Can you think of any thanksgiving twists?  Post them here!

We have completed the first quarter of the school year!  What was your favorite activity in the first quarter?  What did you learn this quarter?

What are you looking forward to in the second quarter?  What are your goals?  What are you going to do to reach your goals?   Please post a comment.

We will be studying electricity for the next couple of weeks. It is something that is very important to our everyday lives. It is also something that we often take for granted. In 1879 Thomas Edison produced the first electric lamp. Soon after that, in 1882, the first public electric power stations began operating in London and New York. Imagine that you were growing up in a time (1850Õs) when electricity, as you know it, had not yet been discovered. Write a description of what your life would be like without electricity. What would you do to have fun? How would you create light after dark? How would these things affect a day at school?  Post a comment!

Don’t you just love our study of magnetism?  What investigation did you like the best?  What have you learned about magnetism that you could share with someone else?  Next we start on electricity.  What do you already know about electricity (your PK previous knowledge?)  Write a post!

We have been together just 7 days!  So what do you think of fourth grade so far?  What has surprised you?  How do you think this year will be for you?  Is there anything that worries you?  Do you think this will be a successful year for you?  Post your comment!

Our “Voices of Twin Cities Past” project was a great success this year! You are the first class to produce reports AND PODCASTS of the important individual that you studied. You need to go to our school website and visit my teacher page to listen to the podcast. Let me know what you think!