6 More Days Left...

We are truly winding down our fourth grade experience...only six days left and three are short days.  We are having our end of year Poetry Reading next week.  This week, we had a Loser party.  As a class, we read the book, Loser by Jerry Spinelli.  To celebrate the conclusion of this very sweet book, we had a party with some of the food from the book:  hot chocolate (even though it is sweltering outside!), Snickerdoodles, black (and chocolate) licorice, peanut butter sandwiches, and not from the book, but still delicious...homemade cupcakes.  It was a lot of fun and I am so happy my kids enjoyed the book.  This was my first time reading it.  The fourth grade teachers at my former school had Loser parties and I just had to copy them!  Next year, I will try to do it earlier in the year.

One of the end of the year activities that we completed this week is something I have done almost every year that I have taught.  A Slice of Fourth Grade.

It is an activity from an old Mailbox, I believe.  On the watermelon, students write a favorite memory of the year.  They cut it out and glue it to a paper plate with a knife also cut from the paper.  I think next year I will use a real plastic knife...that just struck me as I am typing this!  I usually get a picnic table cloth from the Dollar Tree as the background.  Sometimes, we color big ol' ants that invade our party!  It is nice that the students remember things fondly and that they remember so many different things.  If I can scan the watermelon paper, I will post it here so that if anyone would like to use it for any occasion, they can.

Ok, so my favorite...

...which reads:  "My favorite memory from 4th grade was when our new teacher, Mrs. James walks in the door because we afical (officially) met the best teacher ever."

Awwwwwwww...I started with this group a few weeks after school had started.  Last year, I was out of the country and came back in search of a teaching job.  Although it has been a tough year...new grade, new school, new evaluation system...I am very proud of my students.  I really have seen a lot of growth and maturity this year.

St. Augustine Field Trip

Well, it was an incredible day!  We made great time and got to the Visitor's Center in time to take a look around before walking over to the fort.  "Mrs. James...you HAVE to see the cool water fountain right outside those doors!"

And it was cool!  We read the signs at the cemetery near the fountain and learned that a lot of the people buried there died from Yellow Fever.  One of the girls on the trip had just read Fever 1793 and another was reading it now, so it was great to have a real world to text connection first thing!


We strolled over to the fort and had a wonderful tour by Matt in the Hat!

He was very enthusiastic and had the crowd interested in everything fort related!  We got to sit in the barracks on a very uncomfortable "mattress" made by stuffing fabric with Spanish moss...not Spanish or a moss!  It was a beautiful day for our tour!

After the fort, we were picked up by a trolley that gave us all a spectacular tour of the city.  We saw Henry Flagler's old hotels...one is now Flagler College, complete with stained glass windows in the cafeteria designed and created by Mr. Flagler's friend, Mr. Tiffany.  Gorgeous!  We went past a hotel that used to house the largest indoor swimming pool.  When people came to St. Augustine, they were there for a long time and needed activities to do while there.  Mr. Flagler saw to it that they were not bored!

After the trolley ride, we were let out at the old jail.  We had our lunch from Subway and then toured the jail.  You DID NOT want to be a "guest" at this jail.  It was a hanging jail, so there were a few cells on Death Row.  The women prisoners had two cells on ground level.  There were no windows, so whatever it felt like outside, it felt that way inside.  Doesn't get too cool in St. Augustine, especially in the summer.  I do not envy those women.  PLUS, they had to cook for the male prisoners all day in the even HOTTER kitchen.  It was interesting to learn that the warden and his family lived on site.  The male section of the prison was just a hallway across from where the children slept.  The prison was designed by the same person who designed Alcatraz, so escaping was not an option.  We got to tour the men's quarters and see just how cramped and scary it would have been.  The lesson learned:  Don't do anything to end up in any prison!

This is our jailhouse tour guide showing us Death Row.

Our trip was very successful.  Students learned a lot about St. Augustine.  They were well behaved and respectful all day.  We thank our chaperones who joined us to help make for a successful trip!

Finally...

I'm not sure how time keeps getting away from me so that I NEVER get to post to our blog, but it does.

We made it through our FCAT testing!  As they worked, I looked out at my students and was so proud.  Each one worked very hard to do their very best!

Before the testing began, along with all the practicing and reviewing, we wrote out our "Smart Cookie" recipes.  This is something I saw on pinterest!  If you don't pinterest, I highly recommend that you give it a try!

Our wonderful art teacher, Mrs. Taylor designed our fabulous cookie sheet!

Recipes included cups of confidence, reading and math skills, and a good breakfast!  They even included UNRAAVELing and CUBE-ing, two acronyms we used to help us in reading and math!  

This upcoming week, I hope to have another student blogger write our post for Friday and continue that until the end of the school year.  This blog is mostly for me to remember what we've done so that I can either re-do it next year or not, depending on how it went this year!

This week should be lots of fun!  We are going to start reading Loser by Jerry Spinelli.  I got some great ideas from my Fourth Grade teacher friends at Gemini Elementary!  They read it every year and do some fun things!  Next year, I will definitely try to do it earlier in the year because of the AR level, but we can still focus on some important reading skills WHILE having a bit of fun.  

Students were given an Earth Day Challenge list before we left school this week.  One of the items on the list of challenges is to create something, anything, with recycled items.  They are so excited!  It is not due until next Friday, but I am expecting some on Monday because some students are planning on working on it this weekend!  I love when a voluntary project prompts so much excitement from the students!  Again, thanks to Mrs. Taylor, students had a chance to see some artwork that was made completely out of recycled items for inspiration!  My favorite was a watering can made from a big can that used to house tomatoes!  We are going to set the recycled projects up in the hallway and Mrs. Taylor is going to judge them!

My room mom from a couple of years ago made these fabulous letters out of recycled boxes from cereals and snacks!  We'll put the projects right under this message!

We're getting ready for our trip to St. Augustine in early May so we will be learning more about the city.  This is the field trip I always tried to crash when I didn't teach fourth grade!  I can't wait...I love the city and it should be so much fun experiencing it with my students!  A lot of them have never been. They are in for a treat!  

Students are going to be working in groups on a presentation in social studies.  They will pick a city in Florida to research, with guidelines.  Then, as a group, they will present their findings to the rest of the class.  We have had success with presentations this year and I can't wait to see what each group decides to do.  It is completely up to them...as long as they present the information required in the research!

In science, we are going to be studying Natural Resources.  Students will be putting together a lapbook with information about renewable and non renewable resources, and resources found in Florida.

I am looking forward to an exciting week!  HOPEFULLY, I will have a post this Friday!  

The Week After Winter Break...

Welcome back students, staff, and parents!  This week we wrote a story about our favorite pet.  We had an ice cream sundae because we passed our times tests.  Before winter break, we took a multiplication timed test.  Don't worry...it wasn't hard.  We all really learned it!  So good luck and have a wonderful weekend!

~Bethany

First Student Guest Blogger...so exciting!!!

Hi!  My name is Hailey and I'm this week's guest blogger!  This week, I had fun doing the biography.  I am doing mine on Martha Graham.  We had to write an essay about someone special then we will present it at 9:00 on Friday.  I can't wait!!!  We are going to have so much fun!!! (And they did!)

The next thing I liked to do this week was our "missing" posters.  We had to do it on someone we read about from the story Welcome Comfort.  It was spectacular!!!

This week was a very fun week!!!  I wish this week happened again!!!

See you next time ~
Hailey

Fabulous weekend at the Savannah Children's Book Festival!

I met my two children's librarian friends in Savannah this weekend for this wonderful book festival.  Lee, Lori, and I are already making plans to go next year.  It was completely free of charge!  There were many authors present to meet and chat with.  They were also available for book signings.  I LOVE children's books and had many signed this weekend.  

 The Debt Monster author, Mary Becker.
http://www.thedebtmonsterbook.com

 They let us create our own crowns, even though we aren't officially kids!

So excited to meet the author of The Sisters Grimm...Michael Buckley!

http://www.michaelbuckleyonline.com

With Patricia Bee, author of Try'umsee's Wings (A Gullah Tale)

Super Busy Getting Ready for our Thanksgiving Break

Turkey Synonyms for overused words.  I wanted to do the gravestones around Halloween, but time got away from me.  These are turning out very cute!  I saw this on Life in 4B blog.  http://lifein4b.blogspot.com/  She has a million great ideas.  I want to be in her class!

Fact Family Portraits...saw these somewhere online...they look fabulous!

Finally, our Bucket Filling Door.  Great to come in to a nice comment about yourself!