It's a GRITTY Thursday!

April 30, 2015

It's a GRITTY Thursday!

Good morning, 4th graders.  The teachers were talking about how proud we are of our students.  We know that you are working hard on your MCA tests.  Kudos to Mr. Frischmann, Mrs. Applequist and Mrs. McAlpine for being done.  Please encourage all of your friends from Mrs. Larson's, Mrs. Laliberte's, and Mrs. Brown's  classes to finish strong on their math MCA tests!   

Having grit is not easy, but its very important.  Think of an area in your life that needs some grit.  Discuss this with your neighbor.  (Do you need to work on homework, school effort, physical activity, or keeping your room clean?)  We all have areas that need more focus and concentration.  Part of growing up is learning how to apply GRIT in all areas of your life.

Check out the gritty fourth graders in Mrs. Larson's room.  Thomas, Owen, and Munira ran two miles around the track, and they didn't complain.   Way to go, friends.

Have a great day.

Be principled. Be caring. Have integrity.

Be good.  Be nice.  Behave!

Book Talk Wednesday

April 29, 2015

Hello Fourth graders! We have a special book talk today. We are featuring Mrs. Anderson and her book called Flora and Ulysses by Kate Di Camillo.

 Do you like comic books?  Do you like Superheroes?  Do you like wacky stories?  Yes?!!?!  Then this book is for you! Even if you don’t but you have a sense of humor I say try this one out!!

Flora and Ulysses is by the same author who wrote Despereaux, Because of Winn Dixie, and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.   I love this author because she has great voice. Her words draw me in and I think I am part of the story.

Flora and Ulysses is not like her other books.  This one has some great twists and turns.  It starts with a girl named Flora.  She is a self-described cynic; she is a bit distrustful of her mother and the world.  She reads comic books and her particular favorite is called Terrible Things Can Happen to You!  Flora witnesses a horrible (yet really funny) accident involving a squirrel and a vacuum cleaner. Ulysses the squirrel gains some rather unusual super powers and Flora becomes his sidekick.  After that, strange and wonderful things happen to the odd dynamic duo.  The story is about hope and possibilities. 

The story is also unusual because there are hilarious graphic pictures and illustrations that go with the story.  It is unique and worthy of the 2014 Newberry Award that Kate DiCamillo received. 

My fifth grade daughter Abby and I read this one as a read aloud.  I laughed as hard as she did.  I would definitely recommend to put this book on your summer reading list.

Oh, a bonus prize will be given to the first student in your grade who comes to me and tells me their favorite scene from the book that has the line, “My dear reader.” 

Thank you Mrs. Anderson for sharing your book with us. 

Be principled. Be caring. Have integrity. 

(Be good. Be nice. Behave.) 

And the Winners Are...

April 28, 2015

Good morning readers!
Many of you have enjoyed checking out the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees from our library the last couple months. The votes are in, and the winners have been announced. Click the link to first see Lincoln Center's winners followed by Minnesota's selected winners (chosen by all the votes from schools and libraries in MN). The last slide has the nominees for next year!

Did you read any of the nominees? There is still a large collection of these books in our library. Check one out!

MHL Slides

Be principled. Be caring. Have integrity. 

Landforms

April 27, 2015


Happy Monday Fourth Graders! Our next Unit of Inquiry is How We Organize Ourselves, Landforms. Our Central Idea is that people depend on, adapt to, or change the geographical environment in order to meet their needs.  You will look into and learn about the types of landforms, how maps communicate landforms, population, political boundaries and climate.


Look at the photo below:

Look at the picture with your class.  Together, think about what you see? What you think? and What do you wonder about this picture? What type of Landform is shown in the picture?

The types of landforms you will be learning about are: Oceans, Lakes, Rivers, Deserts, and Mountains.  Which one would you be interested in researching and learning more about?

Watch the Brain Pop video about Mountains.

Brain Pop

Be principles. Be caring. Have integrity.

(Be good. Be nice. Behave.) 

Field Trip

Happy Friday!

April 24, 2015

The fourth grade teachers are so proud of our hard working fourth graders.  You are showing so much grit with your MCA testing!  Keep it up.  You will take on math MCA testing.  We know you will do great.

Fourth Grade Road trip…

On Thursday, May 21^st our grade level will be going on a boat ride.  We will be heading to Stillwater taking a scenic boat ride and looking at the new bridge.  We will be discussing how we have changed the environment to meet our needs.  (Does this sound familiar?  - it should)  You will receive a permission slip today.  Make sure you return it on Monday.  There is no charge for this field trip.  We don’t need chaperones, and we will be back for lunch and the afternoon talent shows.  It will be a fun and busy day. 

This is a picture of the boat we will be taking. 

 

Be good.  Be nice.  Behave and have some grit.  It’s important!

Thinking Thursday

April 23, 2015

Hello thinkers!
We are beginning our Unit of Inquiry studying landforms around the world. Some classes have started sharing what we think we know and wondering together what forms different landforms, how salty the ocean is, what's so great about the great lakes, and where the largest desert is? This unit provides so many opportunities for us to ask great questions and follow up by finding the answer... The action cycle!

Here in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, we live by several different landforms. What type of land do we live on? The same question was asked on Wonderopolis recently. Take a minute to read/watch to see if we live on a prairie.

Is Your House on the Prairie?

For those of you taking the reading MCA today, take your time. Be thinkers and have grit! This is time to show what you know! Be proud of yourself... you've worked hard in fourth grade!

Be principled. Be caring. Have integrity.
(Be good. Be nice. Behave.)

Thanksgiving in April!

April 22, 2015

Good morning grateful students,
Since it feels like winter in April, a few girls in 4th grade decided to travel back in time to prepare and celebrate a Thanksgiving type meal. Some Girl Scouts in Mrs. Flatley's group got together last night to do math and science all while preparing a beautiful meal.

Since we're on the topic of a Thanksgiving themed meal, think about what you're grateful for. We are wrapping up another successful school year. I know I am grateful for the students in my class and all the students I've gotten to know this year. I am so thankful for the team of excellent teachers I work with. I am so happy to be part of the Lincoln Center community. 

Be principled. Be caring. Have integrity.

(Be good. Be nice. Behave!) 

Book Talk Tuesday

Good Morning from a few of Mrs. Larson's students!

April 21, 2014

This book talk Tuesday is brought to you by Mrs. Larson’s class. Six student in her class read a book, Everything On A Waffle.  Here are the students reflections and connections.  

Everything On a Waffle

A young girl named Primrose’s father gets lost at sea while

a typhoon rips across her town. Her mother sails out to

find him.That was the last she saw of her mother.

She is pulled between her belief of them surviving

& the reality that they did not. Her world is turned

upside down as she is taken to two care-takers.

She puts her trust into the grumpy,but soft-hearted

owner of a restaurant who serves everything on waffles.

By:Maddy Beaumont

Owens perspective: I liked this book because she shows grit

when everyone thinks her parents are dead

(spoiler alert) but she knows they’re alive.

She also has perseverance when she is moved from foster home to foster home.

ANNIES PERSPECTIVE - Once upon a time there was a girl,her name is Primrose and her parents get lost at sea. While her parents are gone she lives with a neighbor, her Uncle, and foster parents. She likes to go to a restaurant that serves  everything on a waffle. She suffers 2 serious accidents, and everyone thinks her parents are dead, she thinks they are alive.And there is also a serious fire and her uncle is almost killed!And her teacher thinks she is INSANE!!The end is exciting!  I highly recommend this book!

Wellness Walks

April 20, 2015

Good chilly morning to you!
Last week many classes started doing "Wellness Walks" before lunch. This is a great way to get our bodies moving and our blood flowing before we eat. Eating after you exercise is a great way to replenish your energy. Make sure to drink water or milk too!

Just a few reminders when your class is walking before recess:
**The recess supervisors are not there to watch you! They are busy with the second graders.
**You need to keep your body moving FORWARD on the track.
**Count your laps! 4 laps = 1 mile!

Be principled. Be caring. Have integrity.

(Be good. Be nice. Behave!)

The Fourth Grade Teachers say, "Happy Friday!"

April 17, 2015

The Fourth Grade Teachers say, "Happy Friday!" What are Quotation Marks?

 

Quotation Marks can be used for a couple of reasons.
1. You use quotations marks around the exact words that someone is saying.
     For example: Teacher says, "Take out your Math Journals."

2. Sometimes quotation marks are around song titles, poems, and stories.
     For example: "Toy Story" "Beauty and the Beast"

Look at the sentences and decide as a class where to put quotation marks,
1.  What time is it, asked Sarah.
2.  Ben asked, What is the weather like today?
3.  Katie likes the song Twist and Shout.

Okay, it's Get Fit Friday! Get your bodies moving and get pumped up for the day.

Just Dance- Pump It

Be principled. Be caring. Have Integrity.

Fact and Opinion

April 16, 2015


Hello Everyone, 
This week we have been talking about Fact and Opinion. What is the difference? Well...
A fact is something that can be proven true.
An  opinion is someone's feeling about a particular topic/subject.

As a class, read each sentence and decide whether it is a fact or opinion.

1. Saturday is the best day of the week.
2. There are 12 months in a year.
3. You birthday comes only one day a year.
4. Martin Luther King Jr. day is in January.
5. Large fish are scary.


Watch the Brian Pop video about Fact and Opinion.


Brain Pop Video


Be principled. Be caring. Have integrity.

Author's Purpose

Good Morning Fourth Graders,


In reading we have been discussing Author's Purpose and the reasoning for why the author wrote a particular text.  The Author's Purpose may be to inform, to entertain, or to persuade.
Think about our most recent Unit of Inquiry....Water. We have been learning and studying Water for the last couple of weeks. In a class discussion, tell someone about Water to inform them. Then, persuade your partner about Water (example conservation of water). Lastly, explain what is entertaining about Water.

Here is a video clip about water.  What do you think the video is trying to do...persuade, inform or entertain you?


Water Video


Be principled. Be caring. Have Integrity.

Book Talk Tuesday

April 14, 2015

Good Morning Fourth Graders, today we have a special Book Talk Tuesday.  We are featuring Mrs. Laliberte's daugher Clara and her favorite book called Amelia Bedelia.          

Clara's favorite story is about a housekeeper named Amelia Bedelia. She is left a "To Do" list by home owners Mr. and Mrs. Rogers. Amelia Bedelia is not quite sure what is expected, but she does her best to do exactly what the list asks.  This book makes Clara laugh and it is funny to see how Amelia Bedilia interprets the house hold chores. 

Listen to the YouTube story. Enjoy!

Amelia Bedelia

Be principled. Be caring. Have integrity.