Guest Blogger....Madison!

FRED...
"Experiment Time!!!" Mrs. James said.  "Now let's do something FUN!"  So when Mrs. James said it, we all wondered what it was, so then she explained.  The rules were...under the cup, get the lifesaver and then put it on Fred, the gummy worm.  But most important...DO NOT TOUCH the cup or you're out.  I told Andrew, my partner, that since we can't touch the cup, let's unfold the paper clips and get the lifesaver put on Fred and wala!  It was successful!

Great job with Fred and the blog, Madison!

Here are some other pictures from SAVE FRED!  This activity was to introduce the Scientific Method.

Love the teamwork throughout the classroom!

We did it!!!

The first team to SAVE FRED!!!

So, the most creative way to save Fred.  They couldn't quite get the lifesaver on Fred so that he would not drown....soooo...the boat (cup) was flipped and Fred was placed in the boat...safe and sound!

Getting Settled into a New Year

Welcome back to another year in Jamestown!  One of the first activities we did was a Dream Cloud.  Students wrote their dream on the front of the cloud and then wrote how they could obtain that dream on the back.  I got the idea from the teacher I interned for, Mrs. Fleig.  Then I used another idea from pinterest to take pictures of the students holding their dream cloud.  The pictures are in black and white and they look fabulous.  This is hanging outside our classroom door as a reminder of our dreams.  Individual clouds hang on the student's desk.        

                  

For our hallway display, students drew a picture of themselves and cut out a big hand that waves HELLO! to all that pass by.  Students wrote a short paragraph to introduce themselves. This was also pinterest inspired!

Our first field trip was scheduled during Tropical Storm Isaac...so we had to reschedule!  We were going to the Indian River Lagoon.  In Science Lab, students learned to test for pH in the water and for turbidity.  We can't wait until October when we can test on the actual Indian River Lagoon!

 Also in preparation for our trip, we have been studying the wildlife of the Indian River Lagoon.  Food Chains turned out nicely! 

I am still hoping that students take over the job of Blogger to post to our Jamestown Blog!  Stay tuned...

Getting Ready to GO FOR THE GOLD in Jamestown 2012-2013!!!

Just want to post some pictures of Jamestown so far...

Think Table for students...

Really blurry Math Focus Wall...

Meeting area for mini lessons or read alouds...

DIY Bookshelves!

Class rules, calendar, etc...

Far end of my reading posters.  These are from the Scholastic store in NYC.  Got them last Spring Break!  I used that area above the cabinets for storage last year.  I really want my room to scream that WE ARE READERS!

Reading posters...

Reading posters...

Reading posters...

Right side...

Another shot of the U.S.A.

Postcards from around the world...

LOVE this door from Pinterest...

blurry...

Above the door...the left is my Population sign for Jamestown, the right just says 4th Grade, Jamestown

Another blur...makeshift bookshelves and cool Chess table...(from my parents!)

Left side...

going for the gold!

Go for the GOLD giveaway at Math Coach's Corner!

A great giveaway!  Check it out!

WELCOME SUMMER!!!

After one more short day at school, our summer has finally begun!  Today, we had our awards ceremony, finished watching Zathura, and enjoyed some snacks and an extended recess.  So happy for a break, but as always will miss the kids.  My husband and I have a trip planned to Yellowstone National Park by way of South Dakota and the Badlands.  Finally going to get to see Mount Rushmore!  AND...we are going to the Wild Horse Sanctuary that my fourth graders read about this year.  I can't wait for that!  After our trip together, I leave Joe for my big circle tour to go see my sister and her family and my sister-in-law and her family, ending in Chattanooga with my family!  Then it will be time to go back and get my room ready for my next class...

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!